Netgear Orbi two-piece Wi-Fi system
Routers. These are generally a standard affair as far as what to expect when you open the box. Netgear is looking to exceed those expectations with their Orbi system.
Buy a Wi-Fi router and what do you get? Up until now, a box with a variety of network connections. Setting this box up has also become standard practise: plug router into your modem. Set password and SSID. Done.
Your router might even have its own modem, especially if it has come with a TV/broadband bundle.
As demands on your domestic Wi-Fi increases then the necessity of having a strong signal all over your home becomes essential.
Some people achieve this by adding repeaters or boosters. Netgear is offering a two-piece solution with their Orbi. This promises to give you full coverage – even out in to your garden.
Netgear calls Orbi a “Wi-Fi system” rather than a router. This is down to it being a combination of router, range extender, and some software that makes it all work seamlessly together.
Whatever you call it, the end result is a single Wi-Fi network that’s supposed to be capable of covering 4,000 square feet of space and providing a strong and fast Wi-Fi signal to every corner of it.
Orbi consists of two units. There’s the main router, which, hooks up to your modem. Then there’s the secondary unit, which Netgear suggests that you place centrally in your home.
They’ve made these units as aesthetically pleasing as possible as Netgear hopes you’ll leave them out in the open.
The two Orbi routers are almost identical, resembling pottery if you squint a little. I like the fact that they are fitted with 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 1 USB 2.0 port on both the router and satellite device.
Netgear claims the Orbi will trounce similar systems thanks to the inclusion of a third radio, which is dedicated to letting Orbi units communicate.
You get support of 802.11ac Wi-Fi over a pair of 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios; plus that additional 5GHz MU-MIMO radio.
I’m interested enough to want to give it a test drive.
Netgear Orbi pricing and Availability
The Netgear Orbi WiFi System, consisting of one WiFi router and one satellite will be available this October from major retailers at an MSRP of £349.99 in the UK
