RBK53 Guest Network No Internet and missing checkboxes

All, I decided to return this item due to a number of issues; a sad statement when you consider I was very pleased with my Orbi RBR50 and 3x RBS50 system that was previously in place. For those considering this system as an upgrade, I would wait a bit longer for the software to be at feature parity with the rest of the Orbi line. Moreover, I received ZERO follow up from Netgear after my initial troubleshooting call. For the record, I am a 25 year network engineer so the issues I detail below are not due to inexperience. And I went through every single firmware, one at a time, and every single checkbox to try and solve these issues:

1. You cannot add or purchase a third satellite at the moment (Netgear says this will eventually come)

2. You cannot add previous generation satellites at the moment (Netgear says this will eventually come)

3. Some g and n-devices will not connect to the RBR850 no matter what you try, no matter which of the limited settings you disable. This is especially true for smart thermostats (think Nest and Carrier Infinity), certain LED TV wireless radios, and other IoT devices.These same devices connect without issue to the RBR50 and to hotspots with the exact same SSID and passphrase. 

4. When you use the system in AP mode, your guest network SSID will broadcast, however, you will have no Internet access.

5. All Orbi systems DO NOT work well with Powerline Ethernet Adapters. If you are using these devices to bring a CAT5/6 connection to your Orbi router or satellite, the speed of your Internet to your wireless devices will significantly drop. Not just a little...a lot. You can test it for yourself by performing a simple Internet speed test from a laptop or mobile device whilst connected to an Orbi with a Powerline Ethernet Adapter. You will not see speeds higher than 150-175Mbs. Remove the PEA and go direct with a CAT5/6 to a network switch or your router and you will see the Internet speed triple. Yes...triple. 

6. There is an issue between these Orbi devices and Sonos playbar + surround + subwoofer systems. I could not trace the problem's precise cause but it is some level of high packet loss. While streaming music from Spotify, the Playbar system would simply drop the connection and 10 or so seconds later would resume. Looking at the Sonos logs, the wireless connection would be momentarily dropped as if there was high wireless congestion...yet there was none. Other Sonos speakers (eg Play 3) would continue to play without interuption. As it happens, the Playbar was located closest to the Orbi Router. Moving back to the old Orbi system, the issue went away.

Given the price of this system, I really expected Netgear to move the bar upwards with the WiFi 6 Orbis. both with speed and features. I also expected it to feel more complete. Not the case at all. And while I expected some issues as an early adopter, the software and interface are the exact same we have seen throughout the rest of the product line; transitioning it to the newest flagship model should not have lead to feature loss or instability.  In time perhaps it will improve but for now, sadly, it is not ready.

Please proceed with caution.