Netgear Orbi 970 Series Quad Band WiFi 7 Mesh System (BE27000) Review

The Netgear Orbi 970 series stands out for several reasons. Not only is it one of the first Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems available, it also offers the fastest throughput performance of any. The three-node version we tested costs $2,299.99, making it easily the most expensive consumer mesh system we’ve come across, Wi-Fi 7 or not. Designed for homes up to 10,000 square feet, Orbi is a quad-band system that comes with Netgear’s Armor network security software. It includes top-of-the-line components such as 10GbE and 2.5GbE network ports and high-performance amplification antennas. However, given the lack of currently available Wi-Fi 7 clients, I don’t see any urgent reason to run out and buy one. (The same goes for the Eero Max 7, an Editors’ Choice winner in this category.) That is, unless you want the biggest, fastest, and most expensive mesh setup on the block.

Design: Choose from black or white

Here we’re reviewing the $2,299.99 Orbi RBE973S, a three-piece system. For smaller homes, his two-piece RBE972S system covers 6,600 square feet and costs $1,699.99. Individual add-on satellites add 3,300 square feet of coverage and are priced at $899.99 each.

The nodes come in white with gold trim or black with black trim and are truly huge by Wi-Fi mesh standards. Measures 11.5 inches tall, 5.6 inches wide, and 5.1 inches deep. The router node has a 10GbE WAN port, a 10GbE LAN port, and four 2.5GbE LAN ports, all of which are equipped with a sync (Wi-Fi Protected Setup, or WPS) button, power button, power port, Reset button. Unlike the TP-Link Deco BE85, this mesh system does not have a USB port.

(Credit: Netgear)

The base has an LED indicator that lights up green when the router is powered on and working properly, flashes red if the firmware is corrupted, and flashes red if the router loses internet connectivity. Lights magenta and flashes white if the sync button is pressed. .

The satellite node is equipped with a 10 GbE LAN port (which can be used for wired backhaul), two 2.5 GbE LAN ports, a sync button for pairing the satellite with the router, a reset button, a power button, and a power port. Masu. The LED flashes white when the satellite is powered on, solid blue when there is a good connection to the router, solid orange when there is a good connection, and solid orange when not connected to the router. Lights magenta.

(Credit: Netgear)

Each node is equipped with 12 high-gain amplification antennas, a 2.2GHz quad-core CPU, 4GB of flash memory, and 2GB of RAM. This is a quad-band BE27000 system. This means you can reach theoretical maximum data rates of up to 1,147 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band, up to 8,647 Mbps on one 5 GHz band, and up to 5,765 Mbps on the second 5 GHz band. Up to 11,530Mbps in the 6GHz band. The total is approximately 27,000Mbps. If your home setup cannot accommodate wired backhaul, both the 6 GHz band and his second 5 GHz band can be used for extended-only wireless backhaul.

RBE973S uses the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology. It supports Multi Link Operation (MLO), which uses the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands simultaneously to reduce congestion and provide optimal throughput. MLO is one of the main advantages of Wi-Fi 7 over previous Wi-Fi versions, but it requires client support, which is currently lacking and therefore not immediately available. Other technologies include MU-MIMO simultaneous data streaming, 320MHz channel bandwidth, 4K QAM, direct beamforming to the client, WPA3 encryption, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission.

Orbi also comes with a free one-year subscription to Netgear’s Armor security software, which protects your network and all connected devices from viruses, password theft, ransomware, and other security threats. . Once the free trial ends, you will need to pay $99.99 annually to renew your subscription. Basic parental controls are also available for free, allowing you to create profiles, pause internet access, and manage your family’s online time, but you can also lock features such as age-based web filtering and websites. To unlock, you need a $7.99/month/$69.99/year premium subscription. Monitoring, device usage statistics, and time rewards for good behavior.

(Credit: Netgear)

You can control Orbi using the same mobile app for iOS and Android devices used in many other Netgear products, including the Orbi RBKE963 WiFi 6E Mesh System. Alternatively, you can use the web-based console. This console allows you to make some additional settings such as configuring a separate IoT network for your smart home devices and configuring a VPN.

The mobile app makes it easy to control your Orbi mesh network using your phone. A dashboard screen opens with an image of the router node and its status (online or offline, number of connected satellite nodes). Tap the router image to see a network map showing each node. Tap a node to see the clients connected to that node, and tap a client to see the bandwidth, link rate, and IP address used by that node.

(Credit: Netgear)

Below the router image are tiles that allow you to view online device information, view Armor security information (potential threats and remedies), configure Wi-Fi settings, assign parental controls, and create a guest network. , monitor network traffic, and run speed tests. .

Orbi 970 Series Test: Multigigabit Wi-Fi for Win

Like most other mesh systems, Orbi is easy to install. First, I downloaded the mobile app and created an account. Next, I tapped “Set up Orbi.” I scanned the QR code on the base of the router node, unplugged the modem, and connected the Orbi router to the modem via the 10Gbe WAN port.Turn on the modem and router, make sure the modem LED is lit, wait approximately 5 minutes until the router LED turns solid white, at which point[続行]I tapped. I allowed my phone to join his Orbi network and gave the new network a name and his Wi-Fi password. I then waited a few minutes for the app to save the information and create the network. The app has verified that the firmware is up to date, so[次へ]I connected the satellite node by tapping . Within a few minutes they were added to the network and the installation was complete.

The RBE973S performed admirably in our throughput performance tests. The router node delivered 2,209Mbps in the proximity test and 916Mbps in the 30-foot test, while the satellite node delivered 1,470Mbps in the proximity test and 1,040Mbps in the 30-foot test. You can compare it to other Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems we’ve tested in the table below. The router node easily led the pack in both tests, while the satellite node was competitive but not class leading.

Test your wireless signal strength using the Ekahau Sidekick 2 diagnostic device and Ekahau’s Survey software. (Note: Ekahau is owned by his PCMag publisher Ziff Davis). This combination produces a heat map showing the router signal strength across the test home. The circles represent the location of the router and satellite nodes, and the color represents the signal strength. Dark green represents the strongest signal, and light yellow areas represent weaker signals. Gray areas indicate very weak or unmeasurable signal reception.

(Credit: Ekahau)

As shown in the map, the RBE973S had no trouble providing relatively strong Wi-Fi to every corner of our test home.

Verdict: Future-proofing comes at a cost.

If you’re looking to upgrade your home network, there’s every reason to consider the Netgear Orbi 970 series, with its incredible performance, future-proof technology, and plenty of high-speed networking ports. The 3-piece RBE973S mesh system provides superior coverage and employs 4 radio bands and Wi-Fi 7 technology to deliver the fastest throughput speeds ever. It also comes with parental controls and network security software, but you’ll have to pay extra to get the most out of both.

That said, it’s hard to justify the $2,299.99 price tag given the lack of available Wi-Fi 7 clients out there. If you want a mesh system that supports 6GHz transmission, but aren’t interested in living on the cutting edge of Wi-Fi 7, you can save by purchasing a bundle with the Wyze Wi-Fi 6E Mesh Router Pro System for $273.99 . It doesn’t use Wi-Fi 7 technology, but it does offer faster throughput and has multi-gig networking and a USB port.

On the other hand, if you need Wi-Fi 7, you should also consider Eero Max 7. In addition to being slightly cheaper and just as easy to set up, it also offers stronger support for home automation.