There is a second 5 GHz band that is used as a backchannel to allow the router to communicate with the satellite unit. The Orbi system has simultaneous Tri-Band Wi-Fi and support 802.11b/g/n on the 2.4GHz band and 801.11a/n/ac on the 5 GHz band. The AC power supplies are also very big and while they are configured to work well in a wall outlet, the design covered two additional outlets when we plugged it into our power strip.
The router and satellite units each measure 6.7” x 3.1” x 8.9” and weigh 1.96 lbs. Also in the box are two AC power bricks, a 2 meter Ethernet cable and a Quick Start Guide.Įverything about the Orbi system is big. We tested the two-unit system which consists of a main router (RBR50) and a satellite unit (RBS50).
The Netgear Orbi comes in a 2 or 3-unit configuration. Now we take a look at the Netgear Orbi which is not quite a mesh web system but is much more than a router. Over the past months, we have reviewed a lot of routers (see our list here), including the new mesh web systems like eero (read our review here), and the Linksys VELOP (read our review here).
