Netgear has been producing advanced and interesting mesh systems for some time, and the latest model is no exception and is more complete than ever. We had the chance to try out the Orbi Quad Band (router and satellite) in a “2-pack” variant, but a “3-pack” variant and a satellite-only variant are also available, and it’s an advanced product and certainly very Expensive, but definitely interesting for those looking for the ultimate solution, everything they need to increase coverage, improve performance, and manage their Wi-Fi networks. Here are the features, notable features, and impressions.
Packaging contents
The variant of the Orbi 970 series Quad Band WiFi 7 Mesh comes with a 2-piece kit in a cardboard box, inside which we find: router Four-band mystery (RBE971), IL satellite blind (RBE970), 2m Ethernet cable, 19V/3.16A power adapter and quick start guide.
The router and satellite are physically similar; measuring approximately 294mm (H) x 144mm (W) x 130mm (D), weighing 1.79kg, and according to the manufacturer, the overall coverage range is up to 440m².
From a technical point of view, the router integrates a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 4GB flash memory and 2GB RAM; as mentioned, the satellite has 12 high-performance antennas with high-power amplifiers, a 10 Gig Internet WAN ports, one 10 Gbps Ethernet LAN port and four 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps multi-Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. On the latter, we find: one 10 Gbps Ethernet LAN port and two 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps Multi-Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports.
First time configuration
Download to complete settings Netgear Orbi App From a mobile device (here for iPhone, here for Android): launch the app, accept the terms and conditions, allow access to the local network, activate (if you want to do this) push notifications (for e.g. to find out where a new device is) (when connected to the network or if there are updates), you allow access to location services and are taken to a screen where you can create a Netgear account by specifying your email address and password.
We finally get to the configuration and customization stage: by selecting “Configuration Secrets”, just follow the steps to set it up.
The first step is to scan the QR code on the product label to easily connect. We set up the router code (identifiable by the label showing this indication, or by the more available ports on the back of the device) and connected the power; lights started to appear on the bottom of the router; from the app, we launched Get the camera and get the QR code on the product, follow the step-by-step instructions. At the end of the very simple router configuration process, the application asks you to locate any satellite and automatically continues its configuration and optimization.
Netgear recommendations Place the first Orbi satellite in the center of the area you want WiFi coverage. When the satellite is connected to a power source, the power LED on the rear panel of the Orbi satellite will light green. If you already have an Orbi router and a satellite router set up, you can place additional satellite routers in different areas or floors of your home.
Once the configuration is complete, the system is ready: we can connect to the WiFi network from any PC, Mac, tablet, smartphone, etc. The app offers to view connected devices, test internet speed, manage parental controls (family filter), display a map of various devices connected to the network (with indicators related to IP address and MAC address) , set up guest WiFi (allow guests to access the network from your home if you don’t want others to know your wireless security key), view traffic statistics, and more.
nature The management interface can also be accessed from a Mac or PC via a browser: Simply connect to your Ormi WiFi network and enter your router’s IP address in your browser’s address bar (in our case, http://10.0.0.1 was enough). The web interface provides functionality similar to that provided through the app, but can also Set various advanced options that more experienced users will appreciateI.
Advanced options
These advanced options are similar to those already present on other Netgear devices. The most interesting ones are those dealing with access control (granting or blocking access to a network of computers or electronic devices).
When a device is blocked, it can only obtain an IP address from the router and cannot communicate with other devices or connect to the Internet), Turn your router into an access point, Used for port forwarding/activation, dynamic DNS management functions, VPN serviceStatic routing (providing information that the router cannot automatically obtain through other means), Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), a service that allows certain devices to automatically discover other UPnP devices registered on the network, IPV6,
It also has traffic indicators (records the amount of Internet traffic passing through the router’s Internet port), VLAN/bridging settings (for example, you can set up a network by bridging the IPTV port and the Internet port without NAT). If we wanted to find some flaws, Netgear could do better with multimedia, but we’re really being picky…
the way he behaves
We used routers and satellites intensively for about ten days, connecting smartphones, tablets, desktops and laptops, PCs, smart TVs and all kinds of connected things. With the 2-piece set, we can Easily cover a large historic house (Wall thickness 50cm) Three floors in totalgetting different performance depending on the distance, but always maintaining an excellent level.
At 3 meters from the router, we measured actual data transfer speeds on a 5GHz network of 720Mbps, while using the latest generation Wi-Fi 6 smartphone, our speeds dropped to 400Mbps, even over long distances and about 25 meters case, the quality is always excellent.
in conclusion
Installation at your fingertipsa step-by-step guide that is simple and fast, allowing even inexperienced people to configure various LAN and WiFi details. The easy-to-use app lets you run speed tests, manage basic parental controls, and other advanced features. More experienced people can move to the web interface where they will have everything they want in this type of product. These are complete, reliable products with advanced features. As we mentioned from the beginning, it is indeed an expensive product, but it should be considered a final solution with a cost that is in line with similar competing products.
Investments are made not only in terms of features, but also in terms of the number of clients that can be managed and the possibility of providing everyone with the best possible connection speed, in a system that can be expanded at any time by adding one or more satellites. because Ethernet port up to 2,5 Gpbs The system is ready for the latest generation of fiber optic connections.
price public
At the time of writing, the 2-pack (router + satellite) costs €1,699 on Amazon. The router is available in a “budget” WiFI 6 version (€599.99) and a more modern WiFi 7 version (€922.67).
