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 Michael Boonme

An early review of the Orbi was, how shall I say, not favorable at all. There seems to be a lot of issues that seem to be fixed in one firmware, but in the next firmware things break horribly. So I hesitated to buy Orbi. I replaced an old Trendnet router that lives in my basement. Since he lives in my basement, I also installed a Trendnet extension to cover the whole house. The main reason for switching to a mesh system is the ability to eliminate the 4 wireless networks that served my home (2.4GHz and 5GHz from the router and repeater). In a mesh system, you have one SSID that covers the entire house. Movement between access points in a mesh system is seamless and seamless. The problem was, which cell system was the best? There are many options from well-known manufacturers, as well as from unknown companies. The prices are the same everywhere. When it came to purchasing, I settled on the Orbi RBR20 for a number of reasons: 1. It's a tri-band system (more devices connected with less speed loss)2. This is AC2200 compared to my old WiFi which was AC12003. The communication between the satellites and the router is incredibly fast, in contrast to using a repeater/extender. It's also a dedicated connection that other devices connected to the 5GHz network don't share. The price was what I was willing to pay and it was lower than other less reliable systems. The installation went incredibly smoothly. I'm someone who prefers to go to the router's homepage and do the configuration myself via the web interface. When the extremely short quick start guide told me to download the phone app and start connecting devices, I knew something was going to go wrong. Tip: After you've ordered your Orbi, download the Orbi app and let it set you up while you wait for delivery. You must create an account and then verify that account via an email link. Once set up, you can simply close the app and wait patiently for delivery. Once you receive the box, unpack it and place the satellites where you need them. They must be plugged into an outlet. DO NOT CONNECT YET! Just spread them out. I bought two satellites and placed one on each floor above the house, practically in the same vertical line to each other. Then grab your base station/router and navigate to your current router. Launch the already configured application and tell it that you want to install a new Orbi system. He shows you step by step what to do. Just follow the instructions in the app and take your time. Once you have everything connected, the app will detect the main device and the satellites. It updates the firmware and asks you to choose an admin password, SSID, and Wi-Fi authentication password to connect to the network. There were several times I was concerned that something was not working and the application was freezing or not working. - especially in the phase of satellite positioning. just be patient Leave the app open and running and everything should work. The total time from unpacking to starting work was around 30-40 minutes. 2 weeks and I had no problems. The speeds are great. The coverage is exceptional (much better than my extender and old router). Knock on wood, this system works just as flawlessly as it does now.