WiFi 6 (AX)– With a rated speed of 4200Mbps. 2.4GHz (600Mbps) + 5GHz (1200Mbps) for WiFi devices to connect to the Internet. 5GHz (2400Mbps) dedicated WiFi link for faster data connections between Orbi Router and Orbi Satellite. Slightly offsetting the pedantic nature of these mechanisms, adding satellites to a router is merely a matter of connecting them within wireless connection range or on the same wired network, and they’ll automatically be found and added. Insight sees the Orbi Pro router and its satellites as a single entity, making that part of controlling them remarkably straightforward. The RBK653 and RBK753 use the same WAN ports. When compared to the other two routers, the RBK853 has a faster WAN port. All the routers offer the same amount of LAN ports. WiFi 6 (AX) – With a rated speed of 5400Mbps. 2.4GHz (600Mbps) + 5GHz (2400Mbps) for WiFi devices to connect to the Internet. 5GHz (2400Mbps) dedicated WiFi link for faster data connections between Orbi Router and Orbi Satellite.

A size comparison photo between the RBK763S and the RBK753 we reviewed recently here. We can see the RBK763S is slightly smaller than the RBK753 which while being the better spec model in the lineup. Orbi RBK763S: Setup and ConfigurationAs the baby of the Wi-Fi 6 range, the system runs a dual-band AX1800 network, which means that there’s no dedicated wireless network for communicating between satellites. Instead, clients and network communication needs to share the two networks. However, we think that Netgear missed an opportunity with this hardware by not including PoE technology with it. The main differences, when it comes to the content included inside each new box, are the routers and satellites. Where this option differs from the SXK80 hardware is that the Ethernet switch components had link aggregation and 2.5 GbE Ethernet on that design, but those features are both missing from the SXK30. On its own, the RBR750 router was able to deliver 506.7Mbps at 15-feet to the Dell XPS 15 test system. This roughly tied the Linksys Velop AX4200 (507.7Mbps) and ahead of the Eero Pro 6 (436.1Mbps). None could touch the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 RBK852 router, however, which moved 833.6Mbps.

A good shot of the router and satellites straight out of the box. It’s hard to tell immediately which one is which, so Orbi have handily labelled them for you to get you going. The Orbi app is simple to use and I completed the configuration, including manually entering my ISP’s FTTP connection, WiFi configuration, connecting the two satellites, and a firmware update in about 15 minutes flat. Since my three-bedroom home is somewhat on the cusp of Netgear’s coverage recommendations, I tested the Orbi RBK763 in both two-node and three-node configurations. In both cases, the primary node was installed in my study, connected directly to the internet line and also (via Gigabit Ethernet) to an Asustor Drivestor 4 Pro NAS appliance. In my tests, that proved to be true, with the RBK752 managing decent throughputs of 442.92Mbps at close range, 319.54Mbps on the first floor, and 284.78Mbps on the first floor. That’s just a little way behind the RBK852, although the bigger system still has plenty of streams left for other clients, whereas I was maxing out the bandwidth of the RBK752. If you do have a problem with Wi-Fi punching through walls or interference, then a mesh system makes sense. The Asus ZenWifi AX is the closest rival. This system has parental controls built-in, making it more flexible for now. However, the Orbi will (eventually) get its own parental controls, and Netgear’s range of satellites and app are better.From the outside, the two parts look practically identical. The only significant difference between the router and satellite is that the four Ethernet ports on the router include a single WAN port to connect to the Internet broadband modem. On the satellite, all four are for distributing a wired network.

With the satellite a floor above the router and the test system 50-feet away, the throughput it received was 209.4Mbps, or about half the 405.5Mbps that the Orbi RBK852 was capable of. That said, the Linksys Velop AX4200 (329.2Mbps) was impressive, nonetheless. I do not think my household is special, in that we almost always use a lot of network products: several mobile phones, tablets and PC’s, wireless printer, three TV’s, various network players and wireless speakers. Smart doorbell, robot vacuum cleaner, blinds and garage door. Eventually, smart humidity meters, smoke alarms and district heating will also be installed. And it’s critical that everything talks together – and that it works! When speed was enough Very glad to see the internal boxes cardboard with minimal plastic use inside wrapping the router and satellites inside. Keep these in the box to use them again in the future and not fill up the landfill. The base station included the router, so we tried to connect this directly to the NBN with iiNet, and it worked, sort of. Every day the internet connection would be dropping - the wifi seemed to be working fine, but the router connection to the internet continued to drop out.A NETGEAR limited 1-year hardware warranty is included with the NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (RBK653), NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (RBK753) and NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (RBK853). For a typical ten-person or less office, the SXK30 has enough bandwidth to easily handle most needs, especially if you tie the satellites using wired networking and the building infrastructure isn’t especially challenging for WiFi signals.

Regardless of whether you pay for support, Netgear has a wide array of do-it-yourself options online. They range from how-to videos and FAQs to optimization and troubleshooting tips. Netgear Orbi RBK752 review: Verdict Tri-band connectivity – utilising a single 2.4GHz and 5GHz band for WiFi devices to connect to the internet, and a dedicated 5GHz WiFi link for faster data connections between Orbi Router and Orbi Satellite.The newer RBK653 is slower than the other two Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems. The RBK853 offers the best bandwidth while the RBK753 offers the second best out of this group. Another view of the bottom and top of the router unit. Nothing major to note here other than decent ventilation on the top and bottom which should allow plenty of ventilation for passive cooling as no fans are present in the units. The catch is that this system has fewer wireless streams and it’s only a dual-band system, whereas most of the Orbi line-up is tri-band. Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 Dual-band Mesh System (RBK353) Design and Setup – Simple and easy to get running with the Orbi app A good shot of the router and satellites straight out of the box. It’s hard to tell immediately which one is which, so Orbi have handily labelled the router for you to get you going.