NETGEAR Orbi 970 Series Quad-Band WiFi 7 Mesh Network System (RBE973S), Router + 2 Satellite Extenders, Security Features, Up to 27Gbps, Covers Up to 10,000 sq. ft., 200 Devices, 10 Gig Internet Port

Expensive but delivers
So the only real cons to the Netgear Orbi is the size of the product as it is quite large and the cost. Fortunately I paid a solid sale price. Outside of that, the set up was fairly easy and the performance is top notch. Speeds deliver on my 1.2 GB internet service. Average wireless test is well over 980MB to 1.2GB from the built in speed tester on the app. Most wireless devices are limited by their own wireless limits. Example, no way the iPhone will pull 1GB, but I consistently get will over 400 MB to 500MB and it’s plenty fast for everything I need. Obviously, the more devices you add the more bandwidth is shared, but it’s dynamic to what’s being used versus idle and this particular model easily services the 40 connected devices I have including cameras and gaming systems. The tri-band or third connection dedicated to backhauling between the router and satellite is what makes the difference in streaming performance. In short, not discrete in size and pricey, but worth the money on performance an capabilities for larger homes. For something more discrete and reasonable in performance when you have less than 1GB, there are cheaper and solid performing options like EERO or Google. Still, this was worth it for home size, number of devices and performance.

Save yourself a headache as well as a few bucks and just buy an Eero
Although the speed of this WiFi mesh network is great, the reliability and glitches are big detractors. I purchased two of the Orbi 970s for coverage of my 3500sqft home with AT&T Fiber 2gb/s. For context, I was upgrading from the standard issue AT&T hub and WiFi extender.The set up process for the Orbi was fine, but not without hiccups, including an initial botched setup secondary to the Orbi app timing out, I was impressed by the speed of my new WiFi network – clocking in at close to 2gb/s was mind blowing. However, my joy was short lived. The first issue I began discovering was that the range did not reach as far as advertised – it would not reach several of my outdoor Ring cameras that the standard issue AT&T router could. So I played around with moving the satellite Orbi and even physically moved my Ring cameras closer to my house on my backyard fence. Eventually I got it all working, only to have it start dropping cameras on the front of my house. Ugh. Frustrated I decided to purchase a Ring Chime Pro to serve as a connection strength booster for my cameras. Good – it was finally all up and runningOr so I thought. The Orbi now keeps dropping my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. And the devices will not reconnect unless I turn off WiFi and then turn it back on. And this consistently happens several times a day. And it occurs when I’m not walking around, so it’s not like the Orbi is trying to transfer from one satellite to another. I’ve tried everything – turning off private WiFi address, reconfiguring IP addresses, resetting network settings, rebooting the network (yes it’s the most up to date Orbi firmware). Imagine the frustration when you are downloading a Mac system update and the internet drops for no reason and creates a whole mess of frozen MacBook bliss. Been there. Imagine trying to browse the internet and webpages randomly stop loading. Yup, been there too. It’s very frustrating and happens without warning – my stress level is as high as this Orbi’s price tag. Ok I’m being dramatic, but you get the point – this is all very frustrating for such an expensive system. And it’s made worse because I just recently set up an Eero mesh network for my mom and hers has been working flawlessly. Not only was it easier to set up, but the performance and reliability has been superior. Netgear is an old company and I think we are seeing an example that older is not always better.Needless to say, I’ve decided to order myself an Eero. Unfortunately I am out of the return window for the Orbi as I kept trying to fiddle with it, changing settings on my devices, etc. So I’ll be eating the cost of the Orbi. Please learn from my mistakes.

Highly recommend the NETGEAR Orbi!
My office is on the opposite side of the house from my modem and no matter how great my internet speed is, I can’t get a good connection for work. Getting the NETGEAR Orbi has boosted my signal strength, in my office over 300%! Their customer service was incredibly helpful when I had issues getting one of the satalite units to connect to the internet. Was relatively easy to install and I’m extremely happy with it! Thank you NETGEAR!

I have 4 units in a mesh system, When this works it’s great. However, for the price it is disappointing. My good experiences are tempered by too many drop outs and random disconnects. Occasionally iPhones/Ipads disconnect and the wi fi has to be switched on and off to reconnect. The app is slow and clunky and not really of much help – in particular, devices connected. It often appears out of sync with reality. Also its very irritating that every time the app is opened, Netgear bug you with adverts for paid subscriptions to anti malware protection. It’s a router .. not an advertising platform !!When it works it’s fast – but I couldn’t whole heated recommend this product.

I originally had a basic Velop mesh system and decided to upgrade to a premium option. I chose Netgear, expecting great performance given its price and marketing. However, when I set it up in the same spot as the Velop, the units couldn’t even connect to each other. Despite the large size of the device, I was willing to overlook its appearance for a superior connection. Unfortunately, this turned out to be my worst experience ever, and I felt completely ripped off. I will be replacing it with the Deco X90.