Review on NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Whole Home Mesh WiFi System RBK23 - 2.2Gbps Speed, Router & Extender, Covers up to 6,000 sq. ft. - 3 Pack (1 Router & 2 Satellites) by Brent Shaeffer

Let me start by saying that I change my router every 18 months because my internet speed is increasing, I keep adding more wireless clients and finally Wi-Fi technology keeps changing. Orbi, eero, Velop and Google Wifi are called connected because you can set up multiple hotspots that can communicate with each other and organize themselves. There are three very important things to remember about the grid. First, the access point can be dual-band (2 radios) or tri-band (3 radios), and second, the radio can be 4x4 or 2x2 (rarely 3x3). Third, the radio can be high or medium power. There is a big price difference if you choose different options. For example, the Orbi RBK50 series is 4x4 and tri-band and they are very expensive. I bought a tri-band RBK23 with similar specs. like the last Eero. If your budget is unlimited, buy the RBK50 series and add more satellites. Ignore the square footage stated on the product. This is misleading as the coverage depends on the layout of the house. If you live on 6000 sqm. meters of open space, you probably only need one access point. If you live in an old house with many corridors and the signal fluctuates frequently, you need multiple access points and a high-performance radio for backhaul. There are no secret formulas for the number of access points and home recordings. Now for the installation. It is very important that you survey your home and determine where to place these access points. Don't randomly place them or you'll get the purple ring of death that many reviewers have complained about. Place them strategically and ideally the satellite should be one hop away from the main router. I know this is not always possible. You may have to try different locations. This is the most difficult part of the installation. The installation procedure offered by Linksys is clear and unreliable. If this fails, start the installation process again. I was shocked that I had to place the access points relatively close together to get good coverage in my area. My guess is that the RBK23 doesn't have powerful radios. But I strategically placed them to form a triangle in the application. (against the line) and now I have full coverage in the house. I was also surprised that the convergence of access points takes a long time. I don't know what kind of algorithm is used, but it takes a long time to find out. I had to wait 3-5 minutes for everything to calm down. Finally, if you're using Apple Print and have another gateway (like Verizon FiOS or Comcast), consider making the Orbi an access point rather than a router. Printing does not work correctly when forwarded due to broadcast traffic. Overall I'm happy with this purchase, I paid $200 for a set of 3 APs (RBK23) and they get the job done on 3000sqm. ft. Thanks for reading.