The Netgear Orbi Whole Home Wi-Fi System with built in cable modem was packaged well. I should mention that I already have an Orbi router and one satellite, but the idea of getting a cable modem/Wi-Fi router combo would mean getting rid of one more device in my cluttered office and it also allowed me to expand my network by one extra satellite. One thing that is noticeable is that this satellite is smaller than the original Orbi satellite, which makes it less noticeable on the shelf in your living room or bedroom.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
As I said, I was already using Orbi at home and I have had a great experience. This prior ownership experience gave me confidence with going with this new Orbi to replace both my modem and my Wi-Fi router. In my old configuration, I was actually using a Netgear cable modem, a TP Link router with Wi-Fi turned off, and an Orbi router for wifi only. It was a bit cumbersome, but I felt like it saved me time with the setup, but I lost some of Orbi's networking features in that process. This new setup is all in on Orbi.
The setup was straight forward. You connect power and the coax cable and you wait for lights to turn blue. I then connected all my Ethernet cables that were feeding my TP Link and I was ready to set it up. I added the satellite that came with this Orbi using a Mac and I then connected to XFinity and it took about 20 minutes for them to set up my new router. I should mention that it was taking so long from my Mac that I logged into the page from my iPhone and the setup went a lot faster. After that, I reset my old satellite from my prior Orbi system and synced it to the new router. It was all straight forward and I was up and running.
I then tested speeds and I was surprised at the speeds I was getting from Xfinity to my iPhone. They showed a 175mbps down and almost 12 mbps up! Very fast! Also, I went out in the yard and had a great signal no matter where I went.
The app, in my experience, has been hit or miss. Yes, I was able to get it up and running and see my other devices on the network, and turn on and off the Guest network. However, when I set it up for Remote Access, so I could control certain features via Alexa, it would work, but after using the feature it would make it impossible to use my apps. In other words, I would tell Alex to have Netgear turn off my Guest Network, which it would do, but then my router became unreachable from the Orbi app. I always need to restart the Obi modem/router to get everything up and running properly again. To me, this defeats the whole point of using Alexa to control the router.
The Circle app (with Disney) would definitely be useful for those with kids. You can block certain sites from individual devices on the network. I tested this by creating a test user on my iPad and blocking Youtube. I could not access it from the app or a webpage. The Circle app has a premium side, too. However, I only tested the free features and they would be useful if I didn't live alone.
All in all, I am happy with the Orbi modem/router and satellite. I don't often manage my network after initial setup, so some of the weird issues I experienced with Alexa aren't really a problem for my typical use. I want a reliable wifi network, that is fast, and easy to setup and the Orbi fits my needs.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
As I said, I was already using Orbi at home and I have had a great experience. This prior ownership experience gave me confidence with going with this new Orbi to replace both my modem and my Wi-Fi router. In my old configuration, I was actually using a Netgear cable modem, a TP Link router with Wi-Fi turned off, and an Orbi router for wifi only. It was a bit cumbersome, but I felt like it saved me time with the setup, but I lost some of Orbi's networking features in that process. This new setup is all in on Orbi.
The setup was straight forward. You connect power and the coax cable and you wait for lights to turn blue. I then connected all my Ethernet cables that were feeding my TP Link and I was ready to set it up. I added the satellite that came with this Orbi using a Mac and I then connected to XFinity and it took about 20 minutes for them to set up my new router. I should mention that it was taking so long from my Mac that I logged into the page from my iPhone and the setup went a lot faster. After that, I reset my old satellite from my prior Orbi system and synced it to the new router. It was all straight forward and I was up and running.
I then tested speeds and I was surprised at the speeds I was getting from Xfinity to my iPhone. They showed a 175mbps down and almost 12 mbps up! Very fast! Also, I went out in the yard and had a great signal no matter where I went.
The app, in my experience, has been hit or miss. Yes, I was able to get it up and running and see my other devices on the network, and turn on and off the Guest network. However, when I set it up for Remote Access, so I could control certain features via Alexa, it would work, but after using the feature it would make it impossible to use my apps. In other words, I would tell Alex to have Netgear turn off my Guest Network, which it would do, but then my router became unreachable from the Orbi app. I always need to restart the Obi modem/router to get everything up and running properly again. To me, this defeats the whole point of using Alexa to control the router.
The Circle app (with Disney) would definitely be useful for those with kids. You can block certain sites from individual devices on the network. I tested this by creating a test user on my iPad and blocking Youtube. I could not access it from the app or a webpage. The Circle app has a premium side, too. However, I only tested the free features and they would be useful if I didn't live alone.
All in all, I am happy with the Orbi modem/router and satellite. I don't often manage my network after initial setup, so some of the weird issues I experienced with Alexa aren't really a problem for my typical use. I want a reliable wifi network, that is fast, and easy to setup and the Orbi fits my needs.
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