netgear orbi rbk753s review

However, the Orbi claims greater per-unit area coverage than any of these. Peak 802.11ac Performance: 552.1Mbps The Orbi also did well in complicated, 3D tests, with results very similar to the Linksys Velop's. With the Orbi router 30 feet and two walls away, the Orbi extension projected 429.1 Mbps to a laptop one floor above it — more than double Google Wifi's performance. With its MU-MIMO technology, the Orbi served several devices simultaneously. With tech and WiFi being such a big part of our lives these days, you can’t underestimate just how great it is to not have to worry about connection, particularly as you move through your house. But if you have a lot of ground to cover, the premium is well worth it. The video and audio came through on all devices without a skip, stutter or drop-out. In practice, this means I can now do things like stream music from Spotify when outside and busy myself on my phone with a streamed TV show from the play room as the kids happily occupy themselves. On the whole, it’s pretty reliable and speeds are suitable for our needs, however it sometimes slows down for no obvious reason and we have the odd WiFi dead spot, most notably in the kitchen and garden. I did encounter a slight issue where I got stuck on the App login as it recognised my fingerprint, but then asked for it again and again and again. From the basement to the backyard, this Orbi Whole Home WiFi System (RBK53) covers up to 6,000 square feet with high performance AC3000 WiFi. The thing I find most useful is Device Manager. This is mildly confusing... We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices. That way, you can choose to block specific websites or let Netgear take care of the details by adjusting the overall filtering level between none and high. Netgear includes a one-year warranty for the Orbi system, but only three months of tech support. It’s also worth considering whether a smaller Orbi system will suffice – for instance, RBK50 is currently £259.99 as it comes with the Router and the one Satellite. (Netgear told us that it will soon add more capabilities to the Orbi app.) So far, no router was able to deliver enough bandwidth for me to get more than a 1080p resolution from Netflix. Nor can you assign static IP addresses, although the Orbi supports DHCP IP address reservations. At 150 feet, the Orbi router still delivered 229.1 Mbps of throughput, nearly seven times Google Wifi's 33.8 Mbps. Want the latest updates? GearHead Technical Support makes it easy to fix issues on not just your NETGEAR purchase but for your entire home network. (The old WEP standard is not supported, so you won't be able to connect some PCs that were made before 2005. Again, this was done a few minutes apart and from the bedroom, office and kitchen. Percentages indicate change in data throughput between two sets. Those pesky walls definitely weaken the WiFi signal a lot. By contrast, the Velop's throughput stayed about the same, while the AmpliFi HD's and Google Wifi's throughputs dropped about 25 percent each. NETGEAR provides complimentary technical support for NETGEAR products for 90 days from the original date of purchase. The Device Info screen shows the router's firmware version, but to update the firmware, you'll need to go to the bottom of the main Dashboard page. An extra satellite costs $249 for a standard unit and adds another 2,000 square feet of coverage; you can also add the Orbi Voice ($99) as an extension, which not only offers more coverage, but also adds Amazon Alexa voice control and audio. However, it looks a decent App and I can imagine using it more as she gets older. In partnership with Disney, this separate parental control app allows you to manage screen time on all your family’s WiFi and mobile devices by setting limits and filtering content. While the Orbi apps don't let you quickly pause the internet connection for dinner or family time, you can do so with the browser interface or the Genie app. How to Install Your NETGEAR Orbi Router with the Orbi App, How to Remotely Manage Your Orbi System Using the Orbi App, How to Check for Orbi Firmware Update Using the Orbi App, How to Set Up Voice Controls with Google Assistant on Orbi WiFi Systems, How to Set Up Voice Controls with Amazon Alexa on Orbi WiFi Systems, How to Sync your Orbi Router and Satellites, How to Configure Orbi in Acces Point Mode, How to Update Firmware on your Orbi Satellite, How to Install Orbi with the NETGEAR Orbi App, How to use Amazon Alexa with NETGEAR Nighthawk Routers and Orbi WiFi Systems, Show: Oh, and get better quality video footage if someone attempts to break in – you’ve been warned! As you’ll see, the download speed is not only more consistent from all three locations, but is now inline with what we should be getting from Virgin. Go from your front door to the garden as you watch your favourite shows on your devices. You can't randomly decide which unit should be the router and which should be the repeater. Sign up to The DADventurer Newsletter. Once everything was out of the box, it was time for setup. Each Router is able to handle up to three Satellites, which when placed around the house, create a seamless, whole home WiFi system capable of covering up to 6,000 square feet. There are times when everything just slows down – web pages take longer to load, emails take longer to come through, Netflix buffers and there’s a lag in actions on smart home tech. Percentages indicate change from 15-foot line-of-sight measurement. Go into the Advanced setup and open the Wireless Settings and check off: "Enable Daisy-Chain Topology" (which is a true mesh configuration) as opposed to "Star Topology" which has all the nodes linking to the Router as the central hub. Setup can be done using a PC or Mac connected via Ethernet to the Orbi router, or via a smartphone or tablet connected via Wi-Fi. This app allows parents to set up profiles for each member of the family, complete with age-appropriate content filtering, time-limits for online use, and curfew settings to cut off connectivity when it’s time to be done for the night. New York, It stood up well to our informal saturation test, in which we played videos on Surface Pro 3 and iPad Pro tablets as a Samsung Tab Pro S moved data on and off a network-attached storage system and a MacBook Air played an online radio station. Everything about Orbi has been straight forward. However, it hasn’t always been perfect. The Orbi app Dashboard shows the network name and password, but you can obscure the password. Having spoken to them previously about testing and reviewing some of their other tech, I was very chuffed when they said they were happy for us to try out one of their many Orbi systems. Each Orbi device has six high performance internal antennas with high-powered amplifiers and come with MU-MIMO capability which allows simultaneous data streaming to multiple devices. After a quick Google, I found instructions on how to switch our Virgin Media Hub 3.0 into modem-only mode, which would allow us to continue to use it as a modem, but replace the router function with Orbi. As the kids have got older, the blog’s focus has become less about them. However, since installing Orbi, we now have a fast and reliable WiFi network which covers all of the house – including the drive and back garden. (Alexa does not yet work with Netgear's line of Arlo security cameras.). Like Google Wifi, the Orbi is a 2x2 router, and can handle two simultaneous streams of data to properly configured devices, per frequency band. Find out more on my Work With Me page. Prior to Orbi, we had a WiFi dead spot in the kitchen, plus had no chance of connecting when on the drive or in the back garden. Like Google Wifi, the Orbi units have color-coded LEDs. (The soundboard figure actually improved throughput by about 8 percent; we're not including regular drywall because it has little effect.). It’s quite simple to use and isn’t feature heavy, however it provides additional info and management above and beyond what I could do previously. I don’t wish to give too much away at the start, but it has been incredible – internet speeds have increased, connections are more stable and we’re able to access uninterrupted WiFi from all locations in the house, including the drive and back garden. Just type orbilogin.com into a computer web browser, or download the Orbi app for iOS or Android. Setup was straight forward and involved connecting the Orbi Router to our modem (the Virgin Media Hub 3.0 mentioned earlier) using the Ethernet cable, plugging it into the wall using the power adaptor, then turning on and waiting for Router’s ring LED to turn white. I’d done a lot of reading about it and knew it would be good, but truth be told, it’s surpassed my expectations. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, It also comes with Circle. It also means I can kick the missus and kids off the internet if I’m in an annoying mood! Google Wifi costs $299/£329 for three units, while Eero and Luma three packs each cost $400. For more fine-grained control and diagnostic information, you'll have to use the desktop browser local interface or the Netgear Genie software, which applies to many Netgear routers but has many more features than the embryonic Orbi app. It was 19 percent faster at this distance than Google Wifi, 34 percent faster than the Linksys Velop and 50 percent faster than the Ubiquiti AmpliFi HD. Since installing Orbi though, WiFi is now accessible from each of these locations which is fantastic. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Sure, it might be a bit ‘First World problems’, but internet connectivity is pivotal to many of the things we do each day. I then did the same test after installing Orbi. It also lets you set up a guest network so that visitors can access the internet from their laptops or smartphones without using your main network's access password. * Line-of-sight testing with a single router point. The throughput averaged 510.9 Mbps at 15 feet, 447.1 Mbps at 50 feet and 371.4 Mbps at 100 feet. There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Find support for your Orbi RBK753S wifi system including setup guides, troubleshooting articles, the latest firmware updates and much more. But the Orbi adds the latest MU-MIMO (multi-user, multiple input and multiple output) Wi-Fi technology for sending focused data streams to several devices at the same time. There’s also the ability to check a Network Map, conduct Internet Speed tests, enable a Traffic Meter, check out WiFi Analytics and reboot the Router. It took us 10 minutes to create a fully operating network that filled a suburban house with Wi-Fi. Email: First day back at school for this one and she's so, Bit of a weird Father's Day this year as it's the, We decided to go on a long adventure. This allows you to enable a separate WiFi network with a different password for anyone who you don’t want on your main network. On the whole, we’ve always been happy with this – well, except the constant price hikes (!) Although it is just under 75’ away the signal has to pass through 4 sheet-rock walls. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Netgear Orbi Whole Home Mesh WiFi System with Advanced Cyber Threat Protection, 3-Pack (RBK53S-100NAS) at Amazon.com. Now that our home WiFi network was up and running, the next task was connecting all of our devices to the internet as our network details had obviously changed. Depending on how many internet-enabled devices you own, this can be a bit of a laborious process and also requires you to decide on the type of connection, i.e. The primary 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz radios provide a theoretical peak throughput of 1.2Gbps of data flow to user devices. We’ve had Orbi in place for 3+ months now and every day has been the same – fast and reliable no matter where we are in the house, which device we are using or how many devices are connected at the same time. Here's How to Fix It. When you use the smartphone app, you can see which device the second satellite is linked to. Community Questions. Ports: Four 1Gbps LAN, USB 2.0, power Finally, the downstairs Satellite went by the TV so that I could connect the Virgin TIVO box and Xbox via Ethernet.