Netgear Orbi 960 Series Quad-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System Review

When it comes to your home network, it can be a daunting task to work out exactly what you require, as there are so many different technologies to understand, so many different brands, and a dizzying amount of products for every budget. However, today things are pretty straightforward as the Netgear Orbi system (also known as the AXE11000 Mesh WiFi System) is the Saurons ring of routers, with one router to rule them all, and all that jazz. No seriously, this thing is taking no prisoners, with a single unit costing £699.99, it's making claims that it's "The world's most powerful whole-home WiFi system" and frankly, at that price, it has to be. However, it's not £699.99, that's if you only want one unit. You can buy it in a two-pack, three, or four. We have the triple pack, which is good for covering a 7500 sq. ft area, for £1699.99. A lot of money, I know, but as I said, this isn't the sort of router Virgin or BT gives you for free when you sign up, this is on another level entirely. Orbi 960 Series Equipped with the latest WiFi 6E technology (yes, some WiFi 7 stuff exists, but that's like when people were buying 8K TVs a few years back to no avail) it's capable of delivering WiFi of over 10Gbps, over significant distances, making it a potent addition to larger properties with lots of users and devices, especially those with a lot of IoT/Smarthome hardware which often struggle if WiFi signals aren't consistent. There's also 10GbE LAN too, so if you're lucky enough to be on a truly extreme fibre connection, you can reap those benefits too, or at least enjoy 10GbE internal networking. Features The world's most powerful whole-home WiFi system with up to 10.8Gbps† WiFi speeds & coverage up to 7,500 sq. ft., including front & back yardsNEW: Exclusive Quad-Band technology & Dedicated Backhaul WiFi ensures max speeds for up to 200 connected devicesNEW: WiFi 6E opens up a new 6GHz band, delivering dedicated top speeds to the latest WiFi 6E-ready laptops, phones, & tabletsNEW: 10 Gig internet port unleashes the fastest download speeds of today & tomorrow. Connect to the latest cable or fiber Internet service up to 10GbpsPatented antenna design boosts WiFi coverage & delivers high-performance WiFi across your entire home.NETGEAR® Armor™ software provides an automatic shield of security for your WiFi and connected devices (PC, phone, camera, TV, Echo, etc.) for real-time protection against hackers and added privacy with VPN. 1-year subscription includedCompatible with any internet service provider and sets up in minutes with the Orbi app For in-depth specifciations, please visit the official Orbi 960 Series product page here. Packaging The box is surprisingly compact given how big I know each router is, and again, there are three in here. That being said, the box is surprisingly heavy, which I find reassuring if I was dropping £1700 on a product like this, it has a weight of quality about it. It's a durable and nicely designed box too, with clear details on the sides of all the key features and capabilities. Plus, on the interior, everything is packed with meticulous efficiency, all in plain and easy-to-recycle trays too, which is great. Even the power connectors and cables are all simply and cleanly laid out, with the power adaptors and the UK/US plugs all in one box with minimal excess packaging. A Closer Look The Orbi look epic on my desktop, they're a lot bigger than they look here too, with all three of the units matching aesthetically. What's most impressive is just how good they look though, with a design that's sure to easily blend in around your home without drawing too much unwanted attention. There's a black version available too, so you can easily pick which one best suits your home. The off-white finish of the main part is offset with a matte gold finish on the lower section. In some ways, they look like expensive and larger versions of those battery-powered air fresheners you can pop around your home, but honestly, I'm fine with that, they look like something a little decorative and understated, and that's a nice change from most routers, which look like an upturned spider. The top section offers up some ventilation, allowing the routers to be passively cooled, so you won't have to deal with lots of little whirring fan noises dotted around your home. I think it looks like a possible PS5 Slim design from this angle. The units are quick thick, but their size means they'll snug onto bookcases, down the side of a plant pot, on a windowsill, or similar; they'll fix in a standard Ikea KALLAX cube space just fine too. Finally, the I/O, all of them have the same, but only one has the yellow 10G port, which is your line-in from your model, so be sure to place this as your primary router, and the others then sync to this unit as satellite units. Performance Setting up any router should be easy, however, despite the high specifications and prices, the Orbi are very user-friendly to set up. Largely, they're plug-and-play, just hook up your modem, plug it in and you're good to go. Then simply plug in any satellite routers too and they all just join in the party once you sync them. The main thing is to order the correct amount to cover your space. A single unit is good for 2500 sq. ft of coverage, two will do 5000, three 7500, and four will do 10,000. So it's safe to say, the range is certainly capable, and while you'll likely get good coverage with fewer units, it's all about speed. As WiFi speeds go up, the range goes down, this is due to the fact that as frequency increases, it's more easily interfered with or blocked by walls, furniture, and other objects. That means you need more access points, or significantly more powerful access points nearby to maintain the speeds over the same area for WiFi 6E. Thankfully, the Orbi can be both more routers and more powerful, so getting WiFi 6E in the furthest reaches of your property should be a breeze. For townhouses, having a router per floor is going to be a great configuration for you. However, wider properties can benefit from a central main hub, with routers fanning out towards the front and rear of the property. Having one near your garden would ensure you can still stream movies and music even if you're far off into your garden. How many do you need? That's for you to figure out. Most two-bedroom homes would likely do with just a single unit. A larger semi-detached home with front and back gardens two routers, and by the time you're moving up to a property with 3+ bedrooms, a double garage and extended garden space, then three routers+ can easily be required to ensure maximum performance in all corners of your property. There are 12 antennas in these routers, and it shows. I plugged in all three, and it was total overkill, but I'll have to admit, it's great seeing the signal strength effectively pinned to the maximum. The connectivity is excellent over WiFi, and the 10G LAN is a huge benefit too if you have capable devices. That's the key thing, of course, you need the latest mobile phones or the latest motherboards and laptops which have support for these ultra-fast standards. Few PCs have 10GbE LAN, but if you do, and you also have a similarly equipped NAS or second system, the transfer speeds are incredible. But equally amazing that you can now match that over the WiFi 6 connection too. Weirdly though, there are no USB ports on these routers, so you cannot connect an external HDD or printer in this way, which seems like an oversight. However, you do get a year of Netgear Armour, offering additional protection and VPN free for the first year. I don't have 10Gbps internet, Unfortunately, I have to slum it with a mere 1Gbps, which hasn't been running its best recently, so while I usually get 1150Mbps, it is often around 900Mbps recently... not that I can tell if I'm honest. I usually use wired connections on my desktop, but the WiFi is right on the money here, with no issues. From my Samsung S22 Ultra, things went great, with the main part of the house delivering maximum speeds, furthest reaches of my property, about 100ft from the router, there was still no slow down. My notorious "near my cooker" area dropped to 656 Mbps, which is impressive, as currently it's a dead zone on my own router, and WiFi calls will drop the moment I go there. How Much Does it Cost? The Netgear Orbi 960 Series AXE11000 Mesh WiFi System (RBKE963) Quad-Band WiFi 6E System is available now with an MSRP of £699.99 for the base unit, but the triple pack I reviewed is currently £1699.99 on Amazon or £1199.99 for a double pack. You can buy additional satellites for £699.99, but it's £100 per device cheaper if you purchase them as an appropriate bundle, and you can get them in anything from two for £1199.99 to six units for £3649.99, which means you can get up to 15,000 sq. ft of coverage. I wish I had the small fortress that it could cover, but unfortunately, I do not. However, you also get 1-year NETGEAR Armor included, which provides an automatic security shield for your WiFi and connected devices for real-time protection against hackers and added privacy with VPN. Overview This clearly isn't a router a lot of people need, or at least, it's a router a lot of people will want, but at this price, it's simply out of the range of a sensible purchase for many of us, myself included. That being said, I can't fault the price, as this is a flagship product, delivering all the latest speeds and technologies, as well as some truly epic coverage for larger properties that most single units and even many other mesh routers couldn't even dream of. I don't have 25,000ft that needs WiFi 6E, but I'm sure there are people that certainly do. That being said, the mesh aspect of this router is what's pushing the price into the thousands, and while a single unit is still a penny shy of £700 if you want a really high-quality router that doesn't look like an RGB-lit up-turned spider, this is certainly going to put a smile on your face. The setup was incredibly easy, the installation of the hardware is superbly simple, and the aesthetics are certainly on point here. If you drop it in your living room, hallway, or office space, it's going to look great and that's something I can say about very few routers. Plus, despite being expensive, the UI is the same as we see throughout the NetGear range, so getting online support and tips on what to do is really easy, which I like. Overall, this is out of my price range, so I can't say it's a product I would buy myself. However, if you're running 1-10Gbps internet, or ultra-fast 10G LAN in your home network for whatever reason, and you have the latest WiFi 6+ hardware on your PC, Laptops, and the latest phones, then you'll need a potent router like this to get the most out of it. The fact it can be scaled up to cover huge spaces is a welcome bonus for larger homes or properties with WiFi killing thick walls that need multiple hubs to keep the games, movies and calls running smoothly.