NETGEAR - Orbi AC2200 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System (3-pack) - White

I live in a house which is 3100 Sf, and the wifi signal has always been an a problem in our home. When the mesh technology, for non-commercial use, was first introduced through Eero, I was excited and thought that my wifi problems were solved. I purchased a three pack Eero. The initial Eero which was setup next to the cable modem had no issues, however as the other two Eeros were setup throughout the house, the speed began to degrade. As time went by, the Eeros' performance worsened. The Eeros also ran extremely hot to the point, that one of the units burned out. I next purchased the Luma system. Lumas were awful off the get go. I get 200 Mbps through my local ISP. The Lumas never exceeded a 75 mbps download speed. I finally purchased the Linksys Velop. The Velop, initially, worked great however, as time passed the speeds began to drop, and the three unit pack was not performing as advertised. My son complained that he was experiencing lag while playing online games on his Xbox 1. There was always a delay, and buffering when watching YouTube and Netflix, through the third Velop node which was located in the family room at the other end of the house. I then bought the Netgear Orbi, AC300 two unit set. The Orbi worked great, but the signal completely dropped in the living room where a wifi enabled TV, along with the Ring doorbell is located. just to note, that there was no Orbi Satelite setup in the living room. I returned the AC3000, and bought the Orbi AC2200 three pack. I have not yet been disappointed. Speed tests are constant with a 238 Mbps download and a 12 Mbps upload. The speed test has been consistent throughout the house. I have owned the AC2200, three pack, for a week, and the Orbis run cool, and the their performance is getting better. In my opinion, and someone making a point through personal experience, I believe that the Orbi AC3000 is an overkill. The three pack AC2200 is the perfect solutions for any person who owns an architecturally challenged home.

In a nutshell, this is by far the best router setup I've ever done and used! I live in a home that is almost 3400 sq-ft. It's 2 story home with an attached 2 car garage as well as a separate 3rd car garage. Coverage with even the best routers has been a challenge. Spotty coverage & inconsistent speed being the worst part of it. The Orbi straight out the box was a nice change. Not only in looks, but how easy it was to understand what was what. Being three separate units, I thought might be a challenge in how it will be setting it up, but overall it was much easier than I thought it would be. The instructions are very easy to understand and everything is labeled and easy to identify. The colored "Light Ring" is a nice touch! Knowing a connection is made by a simple glance at the top of the unit, makes it extremely easy to know if the satellites are connected and working. I placed the main router in the far west of the house in the downstairs office where the modem is located. Note, I have a Comcast modem/router combo but had the router (Wi-Fi) turned off so there would be no chance of interference that can affect the performance, or at least it can in other routers. Once I hooked up the router, I followed the guided setup on the Orbi app I downloaded onto my iPad (free on the app store) and it walked me through the rest of the setup. I put the first (of 2) satellites in the middle of the upstairs landing area. It was a perfect place due to being directly in the middle of the house and close to all the bedrooms, where coverage was an issue with the other routers. After plugging it in, I used the app to help me make sure it was connecting properly and after just about 30 seconds, I got the Blue light ring indicating a good connection was made. I also used the satellite to hook up my Arlo camera base, a AT&T Micro-cell and a desktop PC that Guest can use. (See picture) I then preceded to take the 2nd satellite and plugged in to the far east of the house in the downstairs family room. Doing this gave me a good "triangular" coverage pattern. Again, after just about 30 seconds, I got the blue light ring that indicated another good connection. It was literally that easy of a setup. Once everything was setup and good connections were made, I used the app to rename my network and change the password. (Hint) I used the same SSID and password as my previous router to make it easier to get all my connected devices working again quickly, instead of having to go to each one and connect them to the network like new devices. Super easy! Remember, after initial setup, no light is a good thing! Now for the true test...coverage and speed! With my previous router, my hardwired devices would get very good download speeds. I have business class broadband with approximately 200 mbps download. With hardwired devices, I would get well over 150 mbps, while my wireless devices were getting an average speed of around 30-50 mbps down and 11 mbps upload speeds. Those numbers would drop the further away I got from the router in the office. I have a 7 year old laptop that I use for a network drive with movies and music in a room just above the office that got around 20-30 mbps on the wireless, so it was very slow and if I wanted to stream anything from it to another device, it was a challenge. Music did OK, but video was lagging. With the new Orbi setup, things have improved tremendously! Speeds on average across the whole house is now well over 100 mbps on all devices. My iPad (Air 2) would get many times over 150 mbps download speeds and uploads close to 40 mbps, which is very good! The best part is, my 3rd car garage now gets Wi-Fi with very good coverage. My iPad get around 30-40 mpbs download speeds, which allows me to stream movies and music with no issues. Overall, this is a godsend! I love how easy this is and I have yet to have to "reset" my wireless to get it working again! The units look great and perform even better than I expected! I highly recommend this If you think about the cost having to buy 3 routers, this really isn't any more than that would be. Plus, you’re getting something that truly works and is worth every penny for the simple "hassle free" setup and for something that actually does what it says it will do! Highly recommend this to anyone that has coverage issues and wants something that's easy to set up and that works seamlessly across their home or business! (I received this item for free through the Netgear "Friends & Family" program. My review is 100% honest and has nothing to do with the program itself. I just agreed to give an honest review of this product)

Our house has very obvious wifi dead zones that are always frustrating. We attempted to solve that by using wifi extenders but unfortunately those really didn’t help resolve the issue as they create a new access point which means you have to sign into the new “extended” wifi to gain access to wifi in that area. With the Orbi system, all of that was solved. It creates 1 continuous wifi signal for each location you place one of the Orbi satellites in (including the base unit). No more need for separate wifi access points and weak extended signals. Area’s where before the Orbi we had 1 bar of wifi, we now have full signal, and everywhere else throughout the house, full signal. Not only did this help cover indoor wifi dead spots, but we now also have been able to extend our wifi outside to our backyard and even our garage. This is a huge plus as we like to make cell calls via wifi. Now that our signal is continuous throughout our house we can freely us our mobile devices anywhere. The speed is far beyond what I thought this would provide. I put my wifes phone on the new system and without telling her there should be any speed difference she immediately said “wow this is a whole lot faster”. With a constant strong signal everything feels faster, and with the performance improvements Netgear has made it is faster. Speed tests in all areas were extremely impressive. As well as with all our connected streaming devices. 4 Chromebooks, 3 Chromecasts, 4 cell phones, and 2 tablets, 2 Plex servers all at various times pulling from the internet or streaming media can sometimes create a load on your wifi, but not with the Orbi system. I have yet to hit any issues where we experience latency. In terms of setup, it was actually simpler than I thought it would be. Just pull everything out of the box, download the app, and follow the directions. Within 20 minutes I had it unboxed and setup. Having the app help you set things up makes it very easy. No technical knowledge needed to set up not only the base but the satellites as well. Both satellites synced up perfectly on the first try. I even unplugged a satellite, moved it to a different location and plugged it back in, synced perfectly. I like the freedom of being able to relocate the satellites to new locations. *one note when setting up, makes sure after the setup is complete and you're connecting to the wifi for the first time, to “forget” the wifi settings in your mobile device. When you first set everything up, you connect to the wifi with a default password which your mobile device saves. Once the setup is complete if you changed the password, you mobile won’t know that and attempt to connect without and success. This isn’t an issue with the Netgear product, it's just a caveat that mobile devices don’t know you used a temp password to get in. If in your setup you changed the name of the SSID then this won’t be a problem. But not everyone does. :) This system would be great for anyone from a midsize to large house or even a small business owner as you are able to add wifi to various areas with ease. As a side note, each satellite also provides 4 networking ports as well which is a huge benefit for additional networking hookups. I did receive this for free from Netgear. However, seeing the value and performance I get out of this system I think it's well worth the price. This is not a single router wifi setup. This is a complete whole home, easy to use wifi system.

I recently implemented the Orbi system for my 2-story, 4,000+ square foot home and all I can say is WOW! I’d like to start off my review by providing my previous setup for comparison. Previously, I was using a Netgear AC1750-WiFi Cable Modem Router combo (C6300) and a Netgear AD7200 Nighthawk X10 (R9000) router setup as an access point. I was using this hardware on Time Warner Cable’s (Spectrum) 100mb down and 10mb up plan. The AC1750 was setup upstairs in the study while the AD7200 (X10) was setup downstairs in the master bedroom. The two devices provided a solid range and covered the entire home with Wi-Fi. A few spots in and around the home would get degraded performance but I could still get internet access everywhere. When upgrading to the Orbi system, I disabled the AC1750’s Wi-Fi signal and began using the Orbi router by plugging it into the AC1750 modem (Note: I took the X10 completely out of the equation). Upon implementing the system, I could tell a noticeable difference. Every (let me repeat – EVERY) spot in the house now got the maximum speeds from this service (117.50mb down and 12mb up). The signal is so strong that I also get the same speeds in my front and back porch/yards. Performance-wise, this setup is king! The packaging is exactly what you would expect from a high-end Netgear product. It is nicely put together in a minimalistic, well-organized manner making it easy to unpackage and setup. Netgear has a mobile application that allows you to setup the system but I chose to use the web portal and my laptop. Once you begin the process, it immediately walks you through the setup using the wizard which is incredibly easy (I would bet money that both my 2 year old daughter and 70+ year old father could figure it out). One thing to point out is that the MU-MIMO and Beamforming feature settings are disabled by default, which is a bit odd. However, both can be found and enabled in a matter of seconds from within the advanced section of the setup menu under “Wireless Settings”. The system provides incredible speed throughout your house using the dedicated triband connection between the main router and the satellites. My initial thought was to stick the router in the middle of the house and put the satellites on the far opposite ends of the house to expand the network as far as I could. However, upon further consideration I decided to bring the satellites a little closer to the router to ensure the connection between the devices was optimal and the results were ideal! One of the coolest things about the Mesh system is that the system automatically switches you from the router to the satellites and vice-versa to ensure you are on the fastest connection. In my previous setup, I frequently had to manually switch between devices and bands to ensure I had the strongest connection. With Orbi, it creates a single network and automatically switches between bands and devices so you don’t have to worry about it. I wanted to get a good comparison to see if the Orbi system was truly superior than my router/modem and access point setup I previously had so I did a speed test from 9 different locations across the property (which included my neighbor’s yard). Out of the 9 tests, 3 yielded the fastest speeds I could get from both setups resulting in a “tie”. The other 6 tests resulted in a superior performance from the Orbi system. Whenever you can beat the X10, you have my attention! Along with the performance value, I am impressed with the convenience features that come with the Orbi. The only wire that is required for satellites to function is a power cable. This allows you to place the devices pretty much anywhere and you can move them from room to room based on your needs. Just unplug and take it wherever you want. In addition, each satellite has 4 Ethernet ports so you can hardwire devices where you need a more reliable connection. The system also comes with the standard convenience settings like the ability to provide/add guest networks, apply parental controls (website blocking, Wi-Fi availability scheduling, etc.), visibility into the devices attached to the network, etc. The Orbi system also contains general configuration settings like port forwarding, establishing static routes and setting up VPN service via OpenVPN. I am currently running numerous devices including phones, tablets, laptops, 5 security cameras (Arlo), 6 smart switches (TP-Link), 6 smart lights (Phillips), 5 virtual assistants (Amazon Echo and Dots), 6 Dish Network devices and more. All the devices worked perfectly with the Orbi system without any latency on the first try, making the transition process painless. The RBK5x model apparently has Alexa integration but Netgear has stated that the Alexa integration feature will be coming soon to the RBK4x version in a future patch. All in all, I highly recommend the Orbi system for anyone who has a large home and for small businesses. It exceeded my expectations and the value it offers is worth the cost. If you want reliable, high speed internet across a large space with the luxury of not having to worry about being connected to the strongest connection, then I would seriously consider the Orbi system. I received this product for free as part of Netgear’s First Look Review Program.

Let me start by saying I'm not the most tech worthy guy. I embrace technology and all the things it's done to make our lives better, but I'm always nervous about getting something new or upgrading something fearing running into difficulties I cannot deal with or fix. I was driven to buy this as I have a good sized three story home that was previously serviced by a Linksys WRT 1900 AC Router with extended antennas and a Linksys extender. Worked just fine when I first got them, but either they aged or the additional wireless devices hooked up to them overwhelmed them. And then my Mother complained about the Wi-Fi connectivity of her smart phone while visiting so it had to go. Looked into this and Google routers but needed the additional ethernet outlets this had (3 compared to 1). So bought this and religiously followed the instructions. Everything was going fine. And then I checked the app and discovered only one of my two satellites was connected. To get free 24/7 support for 90 days you have to register new products. So I started that. Towards the end I got a message that there was a glitch so I should try to register later. Well, I needed to register to get the free support so I tried again and got a message saying my product was already registered. Argh! Live support is well hidden on the website and it says it costs (unless you're registered). I called the number anyway and they agreed to help me and fix my registration too all for free. Took one transfer a good deal of time and running up and down three flights of stairs, but finally got everything working. Main router is on the top floor, 1st satellite was on the main floor and the 2nd in the basement. Heavy duty users of bandwidth on all three levels, and they all work wonderfully now. Tough journey to get there, but all is fine now. Were it not for the hook up issues would have given it 5 stars. The one thing I may have done wrong, and there was no mention of this in the instructions, was to hook up the satellites sequentially (one at a time). It takes a while to become discoverable or be discovered. And as I waited for the 2nd one to become discovered, the first may no longer have been discoverable. My advice? after you set up the first satellite, begin working on the second. Don't wait for it to be discovered before moving on to the second like I did.

I bought my Orbi system just a few days ago to solve a very difficult home networking solution (multiple stories, a separate studio apartment in the back yard). It was very easy to set up. I was excited at first to find that all my old dead zones were gone! I was getting full throughput everywhere I needed it. The third antenna really helps the wireless backhaul significantly. The satellites would glow (indicating reconnecting to another access point / the main router) somewhat frequently, but everything seemed to work in spite of it so I didn't worry about it at first. The next day, my girlfriend texted me at work telling me that her connection wasn't working. At first, I shrugged it off. I used remote management and saw that the base station's communication with the ISP was ok, had her power cycle the apartment satellite, and things went back to normal. Today, I get home from work and immediately have to start troubleshooting - my ping to any server is through the roof and my internet access is garbage (<1MB/s). I hear from the rest of the family that their internet has been spotty all day long. After power cycling the modem and rebooting the entire system, my full throughput is back - for about 20 minutes. Before too long, my ping and connection speed had tanked yet again. I'm immediately starting to research this issue and find literally thousands of other users complaining of this issue. This is, hands down, the cheapest and "best" mesh wifi solution out there - on paper. DO NOT BE FOOLED. The Orbi is incredibly unreliable and automatically updates to bad firmware with a multitude of known issues as soon as you set it up. For more information, see here: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Known-Issues-Orbi-Firmware-V-2-1-4-10-update/td-p/1558346/page/2 I'm returning it as soon as I can possibly make time, and I'm never wasting my money on another Netgear product again. I'm bitter at a solution seemingly so elegant and at an attractive price turning out to be such a time sink and ultimately, a dud. DO NOT BUY THIS.

So after having this product for over a week this is my overall impression and opinion on the Orbi ac2200. Note: That this was this sent to me by Netgear to write this review as being a part of their review program. Over that past week, Orbi has been absolutely wonderful! It provided more coverage than I expected. It covered my entire house and my backyard. Anywhere you are in my house you receive a full bar connection. Note that the link speed between you get drops a little the further away from the satellite but you are unable to notice a change in your connection speed, even for gaming! The only place in my house where we can get the cable line is in one of the furthest corners of the house. Because of this Orbi is perfect for someone in my situation. The last router which we bought was the Netgear Nighthawk x6 which is a great router but not great for having it placed where it was. The main reason Orbi is better is that you can place the satellites wherever there is a plug which means the Wi-Fi signal doesn't have to penetration walls as much compared to having a classic router setup. There are few cons to Orb though- The first one being that the setup did not go that smooth for me and I am an IT major. The directions were what I thought very simple. Press the sync button on the main router and run over to a satellite on which there is also a sync button. Press the sync button on each a few minutes apart and it will be connected. The problem I had was that they were just not syncing up even though the lights on the satellites were normal. The main router was unable to find one of the 2 satellites and continued to not being found. The solution was just continuing to run the setup and it finally worked after half an hour. Since then I have yet to have a satellite disconnect or have anything but perfect connect to the router. The only other con being that you do not know if your satellites are properly connected because it shows no colored ring at the top the only time you see a color is when the connection is good, fair, or it was unable to connect to the router. In conclusion, this product is ideal for families or a small business that have large areas with multiple connections, as it provides the best coverage possible for all users no matter how far away or how many people are connected. This is definitely a huge step forward for anyone who is in dire need of a Wi-Fi upgrade. This is really a huge step forward in the Wi-Fi game but it comes with a huge price that is more than justifiable for a business and or if you can afford this particular model of the Orbi.

I installed the Orbi router and satellites in my two story, 4,257 sq ft home and it’s so easy to use. My old setup was a Ubiquiti router, Unifi access point, and Netgear modem for my XFINITY internet connection. I have 25 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload.. The problem with the old setup is that my office is located very far from modem and I cannot easily run a ethernet line in my home. The packaging for the Orbi is phenomenal and very well thought out. They even have little ribbons for you to pull the small box out of the bigger box. The RBK43 system has 1 router and 2 satellite units and they are very well labeled to not confuse the person setting them up. I put one satellite unit in the office and one in our master bedroom. These are the two spaces that we use our devices most, except for the living room (where the modem and main router are located). I connected my Mac mini to one of the ethernet ports on the back of the satellite unit and now I have a very reliable connection. My Mac mini had OK WiFi reception before the Orbi, but not it’s almost like I have a powered antenna connected. Don’t forget that the MIMO and beamforming features are disabled by default. These can be enabled under “Wireless Settings”. These help with performance especially if you have a lot of devices going at one time. My wife and I love that we don’t have 3-4 different wireless names to remember and give to guests. For example, I recently visited my in-laws and their neighbor installed a wireless extender. These were very common a few years ago, but they create a separate SSID. Also, if you want a guest wireless network, the Orbi system can easily configure that too. After doing several speed tests including copying large videos files from my laptop and desktop, and watching 4K YouTube videos, the new system is much faster than what I had before. I also noticed a internet speed increase when I was on WiFi and the speed is consistent. I would typically have to reset the router and modem every few weeks to keep the internet speed up, but now it’s working great with having to restart the products. With the increase in number of WiFi devices in our home now, I truly believe that a mesh system is the right choice, The Orbi has proven it’s the fastest and I think anyone will be impressed by it’s performance and ease of use. I highly recommend it. I received this product for free as part of Netgear’s First Look Review Program.