According to the Netgear announcement, the router is the first to utilize what Netgear is calling “Tri-band WiFi”, which the company claims “has the unique capability of providing a dedicated wireless channel between the Orbi router and each Orbi satellite”. This network facilitates the connection and communication between the Orbi router and station, which has a few huge benefits. But now, Netgear has come up with a solution for this problem.
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Then, the devices’ cute little rings actually light up with LEDs to indicate Wi-Fi performance.
The idea here is that there’s no room to lose data and that in practical terms, connecting to the relay unit should give a device exactly the same speed and reliability as it would get connecting directly to the main router. The company has experience in building tri-band routers, such as the Nighthawk X6.
The heart of Orbi is its stylish router unit that supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi at nominal speeds up to 3Gbps. The third radio is a 5 GHz that makes use of MU-MIMO so that Orbi units “talk” to each other at high speed.
Four Gigabit Ethernet ports and a single USB 2.0 port on the back of the “router” and “satellite” units.
Orbi comes with a load of advanced router features too, such as IPv6, Dynamic DNS, port forwarding, parental controls, and access point mode. The system is crafted with self-maintenance in mind and sports security such as 64/128 bit WEP, WPA/WPA-2 PSK, WPA/WPA-2 Enterprise and WPS-protected setup. Netgear said it expects that the router will be able to deliver Wi-Fi signals out in the yard as well. Like Google’s OnHub series, the Orbi doesn’t look like a traditional router that you’d feel compelled to hide in the bedroom closet, though you can. Major retailers are expected to showcase the product on shelves starting September.
Netgear’s VP of home networking, David Henry, explains the spicy price of the gadget. With competitors offering routers at $100, Mr. Henry said: “Today we can’t sell a Wi-Fi router less than $99 because the products less than $99 are no better than what you have in your home”. “Consumers are streaming video to every available screen from an increasing number of OTT video service options”.
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When faced with an nearly ubiquitous expectancy for “high-speed connections throughout the home”, OEMs are driven toward multiple unit Wi-Fi solutions to give clients the best “connectivity and bandwidth that they need”. Netgear thumps its chest over Orbi supposedly being the only system to leverage tri-band Wi-Fi consisting of a dedicated 1.7Gbps 5GHz band for extending connectivity to Orbi satellites, leaving both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, each with 256QAM support, fully available for full-speed access no matter where you are in your home.
