NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 System RBK852

I went through a couple of “cheaper” iterations of whole home internet using a nighthawk router with extenders before trying to take the dive into mesh with an eero network, which seemed much affordable, but I truly thought maybe even mesh wouldn’t work for our 5000 sq ft home. After several days of lost work time without the ability to make video calls (and even when I could it was on my mobile hotspot with a hefty overage bill from my wireless carrier), and a cranky toddler and wife with inconsistent access to the internet, I decided to bite the bullet and invest in the Orbi 970. One router and two satellites later and I’m getting down-/upload speeds greater than 700 Mbps WIRELESSLY! And my Ethernet connected devices are reaching 1 Gbps! It’s finally reliable, flawless, easy, and extremely capable WiFi. Well worth the cost. I won’t be looking back at the “cheaper” headaches.

El mejor producto de su categoría, llevo poco probándolo pero en este tiempo su desempeño ha sido excepcional, lo recomiendo ampliamente, el precio es caro pero vale la pena cada centavo.

ya hay internet en los rincones donde antes no llegaba la señal, ya no he tenido caídas de internet.

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.

I recently purchased the Orbi 850 after reading rave reviews, and I have to say, it lives up to the hype and more! Setting up the main router satellite and (3) additional satellites was a breeze; the instructions were clear, and the app made the process seamless. The coverage is outstanding. I now have strong WiFi signal in every corner of my home, even in areas where it used to be weak. Streaming movies, gaming, and video calls are all smooth and uninterrupted. The design is sleek and fits well with my home decor. Overall, I’m incredibly satisfied with my purchase. If you’re looking for reliable WiFi with excellent coverage, the Orbi 850 is definitely worth considering as highly recommend.