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Forum Discussion
Disappointing for advanced Users - Orbi 970 Series Quad-band WiFi 7 Mesh
I recently purchased the Orbi 970 Series (WiFi 7, 3-pack, White Edition). While I appreciate the strong performance and sleek hardware, I’m disappointed by the lack of advanced features, especially considering how high-end this system is positioned.
For general users, it delivers fast, stable WiFi and setup is very simple through the mobile app. If you're looking for whole-home coverage with minimal effort, it's great.
But for more technical users, there are some serious limitations.
No VLAN tagging for SSIDs.
Access Point mode is very limited.
Guest and IoT networks are not flexible enough for segmented setups.
No integration options with third-party firewalls.
These features are expected at this level. It’s frustrating to buy a premium mesh system and find less control than mid-range alternatives.
Has anyone figured out workarounds for this?
Is Netgear planning to expand these features through firmware updates?
Right now, it feels like an expensive system that only fits basic home use, not advanced environments. I’d love to hear if others are running into the same issues or found creative solutions.
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Has anyone successfully configured the Orbi 970 in Access Point (AP) mode with an upstream router and managed to segregate the Main WiFi, IoT or Guest SSIDs?
Also, is it true that Guest WiFi is fully disabled in AP mode — yes or no?
If Guest WiFi does still operate in AP mode, does the Orbi stop assigning IP addresses to guest devices and instead rely on the upstream router’s DHCP?
Has anyone attempted this setup? Would really appreciate any input or experience with this kind of configuration.
Thanks for the reply — I completely understand that Orbi is primarily targeted at residential users. My goal from the start was to use the system in Router mode initially, and then eventually transition to Access Point (AP) mode once I had my upstream Firewalla router fully in place.
What I had hoped for was relatively simple: the ability to disable the Orbi’s internal DHCP server entirely in AP mode, allowing the upstream router to handle IP assignments for all SSIDs (Main,IoT and Guest). This would have allowed me to manage segmentation at Layer 3 (IP-based), even if true VLAN (Layer 2) tagging wasn’t available.
While not perfect, this approach would still allow me to apply firewall policies and group-level rules upstream to keep Guest and IoT devices isolated. Unfortunately, without the option to disable DHCP for the Guest network in AP mode, I lose that flexibility — and I’m forced to either use the Orbi in Router mode (which conflicts with my existing setup), or deploy separate hardware to provide a segregated Guest network.
It’s just disappointing, given the capabilities of the hardware and the price point, that these basic networking options aren’t exposed to advanced users. I still believe the system has a lot of potential, but it would be great if Netgear could offer more control for those of us with more complex needs.
A little too complex for the average home user. Ya, Orbi home systems are mostly for home environments. If you want VLAN SSIDs then NGs Orbi Pro series was the go to, however those went EoL. Not sure if NG will be putting forth anything WiFi7 in the Orbi pro line. There are some WBE series APs that are pro line and supporting of WiFi7. You might take a look if your really wanting more advanced Pro features.
