NETGEAR Orbi - WiFi System App 4+

Impressed on all accounts

I am blown away by the Orbi system. I switched from a normal tri-band router to this 2 satellite orbi (three piece unit) because I was unable to stream two roku sticks at one time. I have a three story home with one orbi unit on each floor. Not only are my streaming devices spit fire fast, but I’ve got noticeably faster upload and download speeds to my Xbox one console, my computer, work laptop, the families laptops, our tablets and cell phones.

The app is easy to use and understand allowing me to password protect the router, check on the net time and traffic, and even check my speeds and diagnose connectivity with the tap of a block. If my net is down because of the fiber optic work the phone company is doing, my 4g/lte still allows me to connect to the unit!

All in all it’s a very... VERY... powerful unit for what I believe is an affordable price. I feel like I spend less time working on the families computers and more time enjoying them and our streaming services. If you’re a multi level home or a multi player household, or even if you just have lots of friends, family, or company in your home, orbi is a must have in my book.

Great product, but the app, ugh

Router & satellite are amazing compared to Google wifi Mesh. Yes I like Orbi RBK50 design, it does fit into our space nicely. Counting all the Ethernet ports Netgear gave us (7) not including port for modem which makes eight. It really does makes a difference hardwiring smart TV’s, Apple TV and other devices through Ethernet ports like PlayStation. I have notice zero refreshing while streaming cable television or watching Apple TV. All cable providers stations look visually good and thinking about it my 5.1 surround sound sound fantastic. I have 22 devices connected including security cameras etc. I haven’t experienced one single hiccup.

App:
It’s basic but very functional for what’s immediately important. I do question quality of Speedtest just because sometimes it gives ridicules low results compared to browser Speedtests which put Orbi off the map and beyond the stars fast. Maybe update for app will fix issue. I don’t mind having a second app called Circle to manage family members because it keeps apps much cleaner and less junky. What I don’t like is paying monthly subscription and since I don’t use Circle anyways it really doesn’t matter but I do get occasional notifications which is annoying from apps. Security: Running Bitcoin Core drives security features nuts and yet too redundant. I think to open ports and assign static addresses Orbi needs access through a browser. I haven’t needed to do this.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for your feedback. If we can be of further assistance please reach out to us at Netgearteam@netgear.com

Total mess of an app

I had a nightmare with the setup. It didn’t recognize the satellite when it was 10 feet away. This app provides nothing but endless waiting. Search for the satellite? How about watching a spinning circle for 3 minutes? Now do that 20 times and you will start to get the idea. For some operations there is a progress bar, but for most it is just a spinner and a message to wait for several minutes. After a reset the router forgot all admin passwords (including the default!) and was inaccessible. Finally after some combination of resets and new setups and power cycles, it finally found the satellite. Ultimately I started the install around 5pm, and everything was up and running by 9pm. The router has been working well for 8 days, but the app is broken. The device list is populated, but the app says none of them are connected to the network. The network map shows both routers, but no connected devices for either of them. The web interface for the router works as expected and shows all connected devices properly. So it is clearly an issue with the app parsing the data provided by the router. Finally, the app forces you into creating an account, and demands personal information. It automatically signs you up for trials of some virus protection BS, filling my inbox with spam from a company that I never interacted with. Welcome to a world with ads ON your router. This app is pathetically poor, and 2 stars is a very generous rating.