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CES 2019: Netgear Unveils New Orbi 802.11ax Mesh Wi-Fi System for Gigabit Internet

centauratlas said:
I am glad you but that hardwired (ethernet) part in - I was looking at the Orbi announcement and page and it had nothing, but being able to use them and have them hardwired like that is important if you have ethernet all over.
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I got lucky and the people who wired my house used Cat-5e for all the phone lines... I was able to easily convert a couple with ethernet plugs and I was in business :)
 
nsayer said:
Those things are intensely expensive, and for the most part they want to be ceiling mounted with PoE, which we don't have (yes, you can PoE inject at point of use, but that's just more **** to buy).
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You can get a Unifi setup with USG, Switch and AP for the same price as the Orbi system. The AP's can be used just laying on a desk also. I actually got just as good of coverage with mine laying on a shelf as I did with it now mounted to my ceiling. If I didn't already want to patch the one section of drywall in the area where I mounted it I would have left mine on the shelf. Also if you buy a single pack of a UAP they come with the injector.
 
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tooloud10 said:
That analogy would only make sense if they were only making a handful of units and you literally had to race other buyers to get your hands on one. There are only negative reasons (early adopter price) for rushing to get these when you don't need them.
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Be thankful for early adopters. Without them things would stagnate.
 
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nsayer said:
Those things are intensely expensive, and for the most part they want to be ceiling mounted with PoE, which we don't have (yes, you can PoE inject at point of use, but that's just more **** to buy).
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A Ubiquti EdgeRouter is around $50, a switch from them with PoE is around $100, and an access point is $75. You'd be right around the same cost as the Netgear Orbi, but with much better equipment.
 
MarkB786 said:
Have had bad luck with the Orbi, especially with the Cable modem version. Always having to reset the router for lost internet connection. Went back to my old cable modem and the standard Orbi mesh, and it's better but still stalls and can be slow. Seems to freak out if you add too many units, so install sparingly.
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Yes, and to be clear the issue is not number of connected devices (it can handle just lots of those no problem) or even number of satellites, but the placement of the satellites. A recent firmware update seems to have made this issue worse (or maybe just more predictable).

If a satellite is too close to another (or the router), the satellite will go into a “Sync Config” state. Anything attached to that satellite will have no internet access at all.

The cure is simple: move the satellite further away. Which is kind of the point anyway, to spread the area of coverage with your mesh.
 
The 9 months I spent battling the current generation of Orbi garbage were miserable. The wifi was so unreliable I could never count on it. The max speeds were great, when the units were responsive, so I tried battling the defect riddled firmware in hopes it would stabilize. It never came close. I had multiple replacement units and a friend had the same issues at his house. Do not buy this junk. The product is awful, the support is nonexistent, upgrades take you even further from your goal. These probably took a few months off of my total lifespan, if not more. I think my buddy was nearing divorce until he caved in and bought a functioning replacement product, if his kids didn't kill him in his sleep first. Just awful.
 
I have the current version of the RBK50 and have yet to be disappointed. It's an amazing product and have not come across any dropped signals.

When all my devices have been upgraded to WiFi6 I may end up replacing my Orbi with the new one. But that won't be for another couple of years.
 
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