Netgear - Orbi Ac2200 Tri-band Mesh Wi-fi System (3-pack) Review
Our Verdict
The Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 home networking kit is a keen choice if you liked the look of the original Netgear Orbi but were put off past the loftier price and features you'd never employ. This is a premium mesh Wi-Fi kit for smaller homes, and offers a build quality and user feel that other (absolutely less expensive) mesh Wi-Fi kits lack.
For
- Nice design
- Easy to ready
- Very good performance
- Lower price than original
Confronting
- Still pricey
- Fewer Ethernet ports
- Simplistic documentation
TechRadar Verdict
The Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 domicile networking kit is a great choice if you liked the look of the original Netgear Orbi simply were put off past the loftier price and features y'all'd never use. This is a premium mesh Wi-Fi kit for smaller homes, and offers a build quality and user experience that other (absolutely less expensive) mesh Wi-Fi kits lack.
Pros
- +
Nice design
- +
Easy to set up up
- +
Very adept performance
- +
Lower toll than original
Cons
- -
Still pricey
- -
Fewer Ethernet ports
- -
Simplistic documentation
The Orbi AC2200 RBK23 whole home Wi-Fi system is a smaller and more than affordable take on Netgear'due south original Orbi system. As Netgear is keen to stress, this isn't a sequel or replacement product; information technology'south part of the same family unit, but aimed at a unlike market.
While the original Orbi system was designed to spread Wi-Fi far and wide in large houses while using some of Netgear's cut-border technology, the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 is designed for more modestly-sized homes, with a few tweaks to the hardware that proceed the price downwardly; while the commencement Orbi system impressed united states of america with its performance, it had a loftier cost tag that was likely to put many potential buyers off.
The Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 aims to offer a more affordable way to get the Orbi experience for people who don't need all of the original Orbi's high-stop features. It's a fine rest that Netgear is trying to attain: reducing the cost of the Orbi by making some careful cost-cutting decisions, and without cutting too much.
Price and availability
The Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 costs $299 (£299, AU$499) for three units: one router and two satellites, with Netgear promising a coverage area of 6,000 foursquare feet. It's a articulate saving on the original Orbi, which sells for $399 (£399, AU$749) and which comes with two units.
However, that's still a pretty high price for a mesh-like router arrangement (Netgear was slap-up to stress to us that the Orbi is not a mesh Wi-Fi system in the traditional sense). Google Wifi, for instance, is our current pick for the all-time mesh Wi-Fi system, and it costs less at $279 / AU$499 for a setup with three modules, like to the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 offer.
In the UK, yous can get a Google Wifi gear up with two units for £229. Google'due south reasoning is that homes in the UK are smaller, so more two units volition usually exist overkill (although you can buy additional satellites).
Netgear does offering a two-unit set with a coverage area of 4,000 square anxiety, bachelor in the US for $200 at Costco. This will also exist available in the Britain for £229.99 – the fact that this price is almost identical to Google Wifi is likely no coincidence.
While the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 offers a price that's more competitive, it's still a pricey proposition, and there are a growing number of mesh systems that volition be competing with the new (and old) Orbi systems, which could brand the high price harder to justify.
Spec sheet
Wireless Connectivity: Smart Hub two: IEEE 802.11b/g/n/air conditioning, dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz, ii.4GHz 3x3 MIMO 11n, 5GHz 4x4 MIMO 11ac, DECT CATiq 2.one; Wi-Fi Disc: IEEE 802.11b/g/northward/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz, 2.4GHz 4x4 MIMO 11n, 5GHz 4x4 MIMO 11ac)
Processor: Quad-core ARM CPU (each cadre upwards to 710MHz)
Memory: 512MB RAM
Storage: 256MB wink
Beamforming: Implicit and Explicit for 2.4 & 5GHz bands
Ports: 2 x Gigabit Ethernet ports per unit
Dimensions: 5.6 x ii.iv ten 6.6 inches (142.4 10 threescore.9 x 167mm; D 10 H ten W) each
Weight: 476g each
Design and setup
The design of the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 will be instantly recognizable to anyone who's familiar with the original Orbi, with the router and two satellites looking almost identical, just with different dimensions.
The original Orbi router and satellites each measured 6.67 x 2.36 x 8.89 inches, while the Orbi RBK23 units measure 5.6 x two.iv x 6.6 inches. This makes for a far less intrusive router and satellite system, and the blueprint certainly looks nicer when shrunk downwards; the larger white units of the original Orbi were a flake too big to place around the home without them looking out of identify, while these smaller units can be tucked away without calling also much attention to themselves.
As with the original, the three units look the same at get-go glance, only the tiptop of the router unit has a faint blue finish. Each unit of measurement has two Ethernet ports for wired connections, although one of the router's Ethernet ports is highlighted yellow and is labelled 'Net'. This is the port you lot connect your existing modem to.
This means the router unit but has one spare Ethernet port for hooking up wired devices. The original Orbi system has four Ethernet ports for each satellite, and three Ethernet ports (and one reserved for connecting to the modem) on the router unit of measurement. If yous have a lot of devices that yet crave wired net connections, so this reduced connectivity may disappoint. Still, by cut the amount of Ethernet ports, Netgear has been able to reduce the size and price of the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23, and for households that use predominately wireless devices, this will exist a welcome move.
Another port that's been ditched is the USB connection. In the original Orbi (and many other routers) a USB port was included for easily sharing files on a USB stick, or admission to a printer.
It's a nice feature to have, and its absence in the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 will be disappointing to some, but for many people the port would have rarely been used, and if that'southward the case then the lack of the port volition be a price worth paying for the lower cost of the router.
The shrunk-downwards size – both physical and when information technology comes to price – has led to reductions elsewhere. While the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 offers simultaneous Tri-band Wi-Fi, as the original Orbi does, it has four internal antennas, compared to the original's half dozen. Having the antennas housed internally in the body makes for a nicer-looking device, but tin can potentially limit the coverage compared to routers with external antenna, especially ones that can be positioned to point at diverse devices.
The antennas are capable of beamforming, however, which is a feature that cleverly detects the location of devices connected to the Wi-Fi, and aims the wireless network towards that location for meliorate coverage.
Overall, we call back the pattern of the Orbi AC2200 RBK23 translates very well to the reduced size. In fact, we'd say information technology really suits the smaller Orbi AC2200 RBK23 better than the original. The reduction in ports is understandable, in our view, equally Netgear is aiming for a smaller, cheaper router that'due south designed to appeal to more casual users who won't use many wired devices, or want to share USB kit betwixt PCs connected to its home network. If you do miss those features, then Netgear's conventionalities is that you'd be meliorate off putting down money for the original Orbi.
The straightforward setup of the original Orbi arrangement carried over to the new organization, then you go an attractive and easy-to-employ app for your Android or iOS device, which takes you through the process of setting up the Orbi AC2200 RBK23. We plugged the router unit into our modem and followed the instructions. The app was clever enough to set the IP addresses the Orbi hands out to a number that won't disharmonism with the modem, which can often happen when y'all're installing a new router and assuasive it to act as a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server.
This led to a rather painless setup for the router unit. Netgear is plain confident that the setup procedure is straightforward, as the instructions it supplies, either in the form of the concrete (and flimsy) manual that comes in the box, or through the app, are very bones. This can be an event when it misses out an important bit of information, or when something goes wrong and you desire to troubleshoot it, which happened to us.
This is considering later on installing the router unit of measurement, the app asked us if we wanted to install the updated firmware for the unit. We agreed to this, as we wanted to test the router with the well-nigh recent software installed. Nevertheless, this was to crusade unforeseen bug, and nowhere in the documentation were we warned about these.
With the router unit set up and working well, nosotros then went to add a satellite unit of measurement elsewhere in the building to help expand the Due west-Fi. This is achieved in the same way satellites were added to the original Orbi: you plug in the satellite, printing the 'Sync' button on the satellite, then printing the same push on the router and let the units talk to each other; an LED light at the top of each unit lets y'all know when they'eastward connected. The procedure should be uncomplicated, only we hit a snag.
This was that the router unit of measurement just could not find the satellite. We moved the satellite unit closer, simply no luck – even if they were in the same room, the two units wouldn't pair. Nosotros were perplexed, and checked the documentation – and this is where the lack of in-depth documentation acquired an issue, as while the manual explains what colour the LED lights change to if at that place'southward a problem, information technology does not say how to fix that problem.
We ended up searching the internet, and found a post on Netgear's forums that provided the reply to our problems. Information technology turns out that when the router firmware has been updated, it then can't find satellites whose firmware hasn't been updated – and you can't update the satellite firmware without information technology beingness connected to the router.
You need to connect the satellites, and then update the satellite firmware first, earlier updating the router firmware, otherwise they won't sync. And then we had to reset the router to the factory defaults, set it upwards again, connect the satellites, then update the firmware. We did that and everything connected fine, but if there had been a warning near this in the manual or app it would have saved us time and free energy spent fixing this result.
With that problem solved, still, the rest of the setup procedure went well, and the well-made app helped us cease setting upwards the system. If you don't have a compatible phone, y'all can utilize your PC to connect to and set up upwardly the Orbi AC2200 RBK23 system.
The setup process is definitely aimed at casual users, and is made as simple every bit possible. Only while this is great when things work equally they should, if you're afterward more control over your router setup, or need information when things don't go as planned, and then you may stop upward frustrated.
Benchmarks
Here is how the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 fared in our brief suite of tests (conducted on a 70Mbps service):
Ookla Speed Examination 5GHz (Download | Upload):
Within 5 feet/1.52 meters; no obstructions: 68.8 | 17.ix Mbps
Within 13 anxiety/nine.14 meters; three plaster walls: 68.7 | 17.9 Mbps
Performance
While the number of antennas in the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 has been reduced compared to the original Orbi, and so has the speed. While the original was capable of AC3000 throughput (1733 + 866 + 400Mbps), the new RBK23 is only AC2200 (866 + 866 + 400Mbps).
For decorated wireless networks with a lot of traffic and high data throughput, this may be an result, simply for most pocket-sized home setups you may not notice, especially if you mainly use the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 for connecting to a standard home broadband connection, as most people's speeds won't exist limited by AC2200.
The Orbi systems (both old and new) have a dedicated connexion betwixt the satellite and the router, and with the newer version this connectedness is slower. So, if y'all're connecting wirelessly to the satellite, your network traffic is so going through a secondary wireless connection betwixt satellite and router. As we mentioned, for regular internet browsing this probably won't exist an consequence (unless you take a very fast connexion) only streaming gameplay or moving large files effectually may have an impact.
However, we establish that even 1 satellite, never mind 2, may exist superfluous unless you lot have a very big holding. This is because the range of the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 is splendid on its own.
Nosotros tested it in a medium-sized holding in the Uk, with three floors, and with simply the router unit of measurement plugged in we got excellent coverage throughout the building. As yous can see from our examination results, the net speeds remained pretty consistent with our test device continued to the router in the same room, and on the elevation floor.
This is fantabulous coverage that beats many routers we've tried with external antennas. In fact, information technology's and so practiced the extra satellites weren't needed. However, with them set upwardly, it meant nosotros had excellent coverage throughout the building, with our device seamlessly connecting to the nearest satellite.
Even in this pared-downwardly form, many people will consider the Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 overkill. Notwithstanding, if you take a very big property, or want the same Wi-Fi network to comprehend your entire property, and so y'all'll be impressed with this device.
It likewise handled our wired devices well, although nosotros used a network switch due to the lack of ports on the unit of measurement. For people who mainly use Wi-Fi, this won't be an effect.
Verdict
When companies bring out, cheaper, pared-downwards versions of their established products they need to carefully trim features without cutting likewise much, and the skillful news is in creating the Orbi AC2200 RBK23, Netgear has made some skillful decisions.
Cutting the number of Ethernet ports, and dropping the USB port altogether, are sacrifices that we don't think the target user will listen making for a smaller form gene and lower toll.
The cut in the number and speed of the antennas will have more of an affect, but once more Netgear is positioning the Orbi AC2200 RBK23 as a solution for smaller households with less decorated Wi-Fi networks.
And, as our tests showed, the Orbi AC2200 RBK23 remains powerful enough to give all but the largest properties fast coverage throughout – especially when you add the satellites in carefully-placed positions.
The Netgear Orbi AC2200 RBK23 kit is also aimed at people who desire a quick and easy way to ready upwards and expand their dwelling house Wi-Fi, and while this will entreatment to many, if you desire a more in-depth and powerful organization for controlling all aspects of your home network then you'll feel frustrated by the unproblematic nature of this system.
- Best wireless mesh routers 2018
Source: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/netgear-orbi-ac2200-rbk23
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