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Other mesh networks such as Eero and soon Luma support hard wiring your sattelites. I think its extremely important Netgear Orbi does the same. Especially for those of us who can.
Just because you have a structured wired network, does not mean you don't want a rock solid wifi system!
Yes, there are cheaper alternatives and I could be putting in AP's around the house. However, its such a messy setup and can be flakey at times, and depending on where you live hard to find decent AP's. I have tried all the high end routers, X8, X10, Asus AC5300 with and without AP's and its just not worth it. The speeds are relitivly the same as Orbi and I have to buy a router and two AP's to get the same coverage. This ends up being more expensive.
In my area the X8 router costs $499, and a decent AP $50-$100 and still does not provide the same decent wifi coverage and you need two. Orbi costs $550.
Orbi should be covering both wired and wireless, just like every other system does. This would be especially advantagous since Orbi has 3-4 network ports and can replace all the switches in my setup.