NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 System (Open Box)

I have been using my Orbi 750 system for years with 3 satellites. The last couple years, I have 1G Xfinity service, which they upgraded to 1.3G. Unfortunately, the 750 router only has a 1G ethernet port. With the high cost of the Orbi systems, upgrading was not an option. I then discovered by chance on a website that the Orbi 750 and 850 systems are compatable with eachother. I could just change the router and keep my existing 750 satellites. Of couse, the 750 satellites are limited to 1.2G speed over 5 Ghz, vs 2.4G for the 850 satellite. It is still an upgrade in speed and not I was able to replace one of the 750 satellites with the 850 that came in this set. I was able to verify that I now have 1.28G internet connection at the router. My speed tests performed at all locations in the house improved. Of course, the area where the 850 satellite is has a much bigger imrpovement. I am aware that I am still using Wifi 6 (802.11ax) vs the newest Wifi 7, but I'm not willing to pay close to $2K to make that upgrade yet for just a couple of devices I have that are Wifi 7 capable. Also, I bought this item as "like-new" from Amazon Resale for a significant discount. The box had been opened, but the router and satellite were brand new. The Netgear stickers that sealed the bag were still intact and it was impossible for me to open the bags without tearing the stickers. I was so happy to find out that the 850 works with the 750 system. I was able to upgrade my system to take advantage of my 1.3G Xfinity service.

Got the used like new option and I am extremely pleased. The product arrived in a nice box, the router and satellites were labeled and had their QR code on the front, each one with its padded bag. The set up was super easy and now we have strong internet outside the house. I primarily purchased ti get WiFi down to a shed around 120 ft away from the house/router without having to wire it. The system works perfectly and now I get full WiFi down at my shed (the house is elevated compared to the shed and there are trees in between), I would highly recommend it to anyone. Also highly recommend the used like new option the seller did an amazing job! Included picture of the shed from the house.

I try other products. For example, tp link. I could have a really bad experience. constantly cutting off, not working properly.(After I installed 970. Everything works flawless. very good product. (Only Downside problem. application does not have. lots of features It's basic but it's working) Would be great If it has other controls without paying extra. but overall I would still Recommend this product. if you have lots of devices. especially for business no brainer. of course, coverage range. Wonderful. connectivity. Very good.

Pros: - Speed, speed, speed. Best WiFi speeds I've ever experienced, I routinely hit peaks at 800MBps+ (see pic) => +5 stars Cons: - Web interface is excruciatingly slow, counter-intuitive and cumbersome. The previous Orbi generation web interface was already pretty bad, but this is worse, the new Orbi supposedly comes with a much snappier CPU and should run the webserver a lot faster, but it doesn't. To add insult to injury, Netgear removed a ton of options readily available in the Orbi first generation => -1 star - Security is not implemented well, the thing leaks like a sieve (see picture, you absolutely don't want the blue squares). I would caution against connecting the router directly to your provider's WAN, you might want to leave a gateway or a cheap yet capable router in the way. That's using the latest firmware available (V3.2.9.2_1.2.4), and with the firewall settings on ("Disable Port Scan and DoS Protection" is off, it makes no difference on or off anyway, I tried both) => -2 stars I own the previous generation of Orbi router/satellites, they are far from perfect, but they are rock solid and reliable when it comes to security. This new product was obviously rushed to market, and consumers are essentially being used as beta testers. Given the amount of similar reviews all over the interwebs, I'm surprised Netgear is not stepping up, the firmware in its current state is either going to lead to extremely negative headlines when someone manages to exploit the security holes on the WAN side, or to a class action lawsuit for selling an unfinished product and not implementing what their website says they did. Netgear keeps saying here in the comments they provide high security and point to their website security "good practices", but they haven't even implemented the first "security measure" listed on their site. I'll come back and update my review as they make progress, in the meantime, I'm putting my RBR850 behind an el-cheapo router with a standard firewall stack (it doesn't take much effort to implement, but I guess it's too much to ask from Netgear for now). This is disappointing to say the least, especially when you have to drop a grand to get a router and 2 satellites. *** 2/24/2020 update *** I did submit a case on the Netgear support website (per their request in the comments), and also pointed out the security issues on their forum. No peep from Netgear, so that's another star that's gone. Some forum users acknowledged they saw similar issues with the built-in firewall, but Netgear reps never took the time to look/respond at the forum either. I gave up and bought an Edgerouter 4 from Ubiquiti and switched the Orbi to AP mode (access point only). The Edgerouter proved to be rock solid and secure, though if you plan to make a similar move, make sure to triple-check your firewall rules on he router before you make the switch. It's unfortunate I had to spend another $200 to get basic security that was available in the previous Orbi generation. One positive note: the guest network in AP mode still works, it has its own subnet and dhcp, I was actually surprised moving to AP mode didn't screw that up (one can argue since guest devices are on a different subnet with its own dhcp, they're effectively being route, so it's not true AP mode for them, but that's the way it should be designed to keep the guest network isolated). *** 3/1/2020 update *** I keep finding new bugs on a regular basis. Latest one: if you plan to use the router in AP mode and plan to use a fixed IP address for the router instead of DHCP, the router will not connect to NTP servers to get the correct time, even if you try to use a third party server and not Netgear’s. Why does it matter? Many devices will not properly connect to WiFi guest due to the fact that the guest network has its own DHCP server (it’s on its own VLAN), I suspect the leases are out of whack due to the time discrepancy between the router and the devices. *** 3/18/2020 update *** Netgear pushed a broken firmware last week and essentially bricked many Orbi's in the process. See Netgear forums, lots of unhappy users over there. We're well into negative stars territory at this point. *** 4/1/2020 update *** Well, I really gave it the old college try, but I eventually gave up and put the thing for sale on fleabay. The hardware is great, but the software is simply not mature enough, and I have better things to do than debug the damn thing on behalf of Netgear. I switched to the Amplifi Alien and things have been rock solid since then. YMMV.

We purchased our forever home 2 years ago and have struggled with WiFi coverage. We purchased google home, placed 4 nodes throughout the home, upgraded to the best internet package with our provider, and still had spotty service with constant drops. Orbi was a game changer. Speed test show a 500% increase!!! Thanks NETGEAR!

Update 23-Aug-2024: For over 20 years I’ve used Netgear routers, WiFi and LAN switches. As I recall just once I had a warranty problem with a ProSafe LAN switch that Netgear gladly replaced for free as it was under the ProSafe Lifetime Warranty. I’ve had a few AC adapters fail after years of use, and I just replaced them. My Orbi 850’s UTP ports (all of them) stopped working. Aside from the UTP ports not working, the unit seemed fine: no error message, no warning lights, I could connect to it via the Orbi app on my iPhone and via a web browser via WiFi with my laptop. The Hardware Warranty expired 6-Jul-2024. I called Netgear, selected Sales, was on hold about 15 minutes (reasonable) and Support answered. I tried to explained I needed Sales, and he insisted on troubleshooting. I did my own hardware troubleshooting; my laptop was able to connect to my ISP via a UTP port, Orbi wasn’t on any of them. I knew the hardware warranty had expired. I just wanted to see if Netgear would sell me a refurb’ed unit at a decent discount given it had only been 7 weeks out of warranty. After a few minutes, the Support Tech transferred me to Sales. And she told me the same thing, your Orbi Hardware Warranty has expired (duh.) I already knew and told the support and sales people same, yet they had a need to tell me after I told them. I was given no options aside from buying new. They didn’t care, that was clear. I felt 7 weeks was reasonable to warrant a discounted refurb’ed, not new, unit. I spent $640 (2-pack) just a year ago. Orbi is a premium product. For now, I can use my iPhone's hotspot for Internet access for my laptop, Now I have some decisions to make. Does this mean you'll have issues with Netgear's customer service? Just sharing what I experienced. Update 25-Oct-2023: I've had no issues with Orbi. I have rebooted a few times, not a big deal, and was probably related to my ISP if they did some maintenance work. When I run backups to my NAS I'm clocking close to 1Gbps wireless - not too shabby at all given my previous WiFi router would do around 180Mbps (wireless) and close to 1Gbps wired. My ISP is 100Mbps and I clock 110Mbps when I do a speed test. I did set-up the Gust Network, no issues at all. The app works well once Orbi is set-up and functioning. Overall, this meets my needs 100%. I don't game, and no kids. Amazon Prime Video has been perfect, no buffering issues like I had with my old Netgear wireless router mentioned below. I would give this 5-Stars if not for the messy, cumbersome set-up. Original 8-Jul-2023: RBR850 router (1Gbps WAN port) and 1 Sat for my 3,800 sq ft house, slab on grade, no second story. I chose the 2.5Gbps WAN rather than the 10Gbps. By the time my microwave wireless ISP offers 1Gbps (currently they offer up-to 200Mbps and soon 500Mbps) and higher it’ll be time to upgrade the Orbi plus by then 10Gbps will be standard. If you have a fibre ISP or over 1Gbps cable service, then the 10Gbps may be reasonable. Buy what you forecast for the next 3+ years and don’t over do it as at some point you will need to upgrade. Others have mentioned set-up was not easy – it was a hot mess. The only instructions for the installation - download the Orbi App and use it, no more, no less. And if you don’t have a smartphone…so sad so sorry, I guess. My ISP only requires providing the MAC address. Once called and updated I started the installation via the App. It failed over and over. I fooled around with reboots of the Orbi and my iPhone – spent an hour and some plus some "choice" language for a $600 rig. For this price, it should be flawless simple. Plus, you can spend over $1,000 if you go with the higher-end Orbi will more sats for a larger house. Bottom line, I had to call Tech Support (7:30PM MT). I was on hold for close to 30 minutes. Once connected the tech was good and walked me through alternative steps. What was needed: I had to disconnect WAN/ISP connection, reboot, connect to the Orbi default Gateway Address (192.168.1.1) via a browser (not possible while the WAN was connected, I tried before calling), then configure via a browser, no Orbi App. The App was useless for MY INSTALLATION. This doesn't mean it won't work for all, it just didn't work for me. I wasted over an hour trying to troubleshoot and then another 30 minutes on hold, and about 15-20 mins with the off-shore tech guy. Once the router and sat were up and running, the App was handy for some things however setting Reserved IP addresses for a few devices had to done via the browser. I set my devices up: DHCP space is 192.168.20->.50, Orbi Router 192.168.1.1 (gateway) to 192.168.1.9 (I used a Reserved Address of 192.168.1.2 for the Sat and space for more Sats if ever needed). 192.168.1.10-.19 are unused, no reason why, I just don’t use them. NAS is 192.168.201/202 (2 bonded 1Gbps wired ports) and the printer is 192.168.1.130, all Reserved Addresses. I don’t have that many devices, and this works well for me. Overall, I have around 13 devices connected, way below the 100 devices Orbi is designed to handle. If I had like 80 devices to connect, I'd go with the next higher up model. I do need to set-up the Guest Network 2.4g for visitors/friends – it’s easy via a browser. The defaults work well for my use, as will for the vast majority. It would have been helpful if documentation, PAPER, recommended "If this happens try 1, 2, 3..." different ways to perform the initial installation, like the tech guy did. Just saying "Use the App" with no other documentation needs to be re-thought by Netgear. Why did I buy Orbi? Overall, I have had good luck for many years w/Netgear. My 4 to 5-year-old AC4000 Nighthawk wasn't allowing use of the 100Mbps of my ISP upgrade, it was capping off at around 15-20Mbps even with the latest firmware. I use a microwave service, no cable/fibre out here in my rural area, and 100Mbps is more than enough - this was an upgrade from 30Mbps, WAY better than the 1.5Mbps DSL CenturyLink has offered for 15 years. I've used Netgear Ethernet ProSafe Unmanaged Switches in my house for going on 20 years. Excellent devices, all 1Gbps. When we built this house 15 years ago, I ran UTP to areas where I knew I wanted wired access. Now with tablets, smartphones, guests, ect, wireless is really needed. Orbi is robust enough to handle my environment. If your home is not wired, then you really need a solid wireless mesh set-up. Yes, Orbi is expensive. I read reviews of other mesh set-ups, asked my ISP what they have experienced with others (they serve rural communities in Colorado, are not a corporate thing, plus they are a small business with great engineers and service) so I decided to spend the money on Orbi. For the price, Netgear should offer 1 year of Premium Support. Typically, once you are set-up, support is rarely needed – it’s the thought that counts when buying premium equipment. One router and a satellite extender was $600, if you buy a 4 or 5 pack or the 10Gbps option it’s very pricey – I expect more for this price tier. And way better installation documentation.

The Netgear Orbi mesh system is awesome. My previous mesh system slowed my internet speeds significantly, sometimes by as much as 300mbps. The Orbi is just the opposite. It gives almost 100% of my allowable speed. Great product!

Very fast, great coverage all over the house. I used a wired backhaul, the wireless backhaul was not as flawless as I would have liked. The built-in security is very good. All in all I would definitely buy it again.

This is the response I sent to Netgear when they emailed me requesting I complete a customer service survey: The biggest issue was that the device was an older production model and had a very old firmware. When the router was installed, it automatically updated the firmware to a v4, but apparently there is no way for it to automatically update the firmware to the newest v7. A lot of the issues I had were due to that inability to upgrade to v7 from v4. I literally spent hours (between 6-8) trying to figure it out, and then on several service calls. It would least would have been nice to include information on how to manually update the firmware since the router couldn't do it on its own. The service people were very helpful and friendly, and I can definitely say the service was great. HOWEVER, had the router come with proper instructions (since it was an older manufactured device, and the firmware was way out of date), it would have saved me hours and hours of time, not to mention a lot of frustration. So, can I recommend the Netgear Orbi? I'd have to say once the product is up and running, it's great, however there's a chance you'll have trouble, and it could take hours and hours of frustrating effort to get it rectified. On the bright side, if you do have problems, the customer service is great. A little more detail: This model had a very old version of firmware, and it was so old that when the router updated the firmware it did so, but not to the most recent version. Subsequent rechecks said that there was no new update, however once I talked to the second-tier agent, they immediately recognized the firmware was still out of date and needed to be upgraded manually since the router was not able to make the jump from v4 to v7. They stayed on the phone with me for over an hour making sure each firmware update worked and that it eventually resolved my SSID issues. Interestingly, there was a nebulous banner on the web version of the router that suggested there was a newer version, but when clicking on the banner it just took you to the firmware update section of the router admin, which then said everything was up to date. Very frustrating. This is the 3rd Orbi router I've had. I have 2 750R and this last is an 850R.

Update. 8-2-24 After getting the 3rd system and having the exact same issue in not being able to connect to the satellite system I knew something was up. Called tech support once again and got a different rep. This time I did the config with the router and the satellite in the same room so there could be no issue with distance or signal strength. What is all came down to was a firmware issue on the satellite. The router module updates the firmware from 3.2 to 7.2 during the initial configuration which leaves the satellite (still at 3.2) unreachable. Even with the satellite hard wired to the router I was not able to complete the setup in the app. Once it was connected, the rep had me login to the satellite config page and then manually download and install the 7.2 firmware from the Netgear support page. Once they were on the same version setup completed with no issues. Disconnected the wire and moved it to it's desired location and everything came up beautifully. Even though it was a pain with the 3 attempts, in the end I was able to update to a wi-fi 6 system and still managed to get the better after prime day deal ! Win Win. Where to start with this. Ordered on Prime day at what I thought as a good deal and received a few days later. Have had an older orbi mesh system in place for about 7 years with no issues so this was supposed to be an upgrade to wi-fi6, ability to connect more devices, etc. Router module connected with no issue and it was only with that satellite that I had the issue. No matter what I tried could not get it to connect. I got on the phone with Netgear and spent about an hour running through their checks until the rep told me "the next step is for you to return to the store you purchased." Enter second glitch. Amazon will only let you return and not exchange for the exact same item. Chatted with a very nice customer support agent and after a few tries with his manager he was able to set up a replacement to be sent to me for no charge. Very great customer service there. The replacement arrived today with the shrink wrap coming off as they did not pack it in an Amazon brown box. Surprising but ok so I started to set it up . Once again, router connected with no issues but yet again, the pesky satellite would not connect at all. I tried all the steps that Netgear walked me through from memory but still no go. Very disappointed. I put the 7 year old pair back in place and they came right back up with no issues. Sometimes upgrading is NOT the best course of action So I'm getting my money put back on my card and final smack to the face was to see that the exact same router is another $80 below the "deal" that I got on prime day. What is up with that ???