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Forum Discussion
Orbi download speeds
I have an Orbi RBR50v2 system. Using the Orbi app I see it is getting downloads from Spectrum at 600mbs which is what I expect. However measuring the speed at my devices its just reaching 300mbs. ...
Thank you. What system do you recommend if I wanted to run 500+ ?
This is what we used to call a "Fork Lift Upgrade", meaning that the entire Orbi system has to be replaced, including the router and all satellites. The good news is that every networking company sells WiFi6 (or WiFi6E or WiFi7) systems.
Recommendations vary from month to month, but generally these systems are frequently recommended:
Amazon eero, Asus, Google Mesh, Linksys Velop, TP-Link Deco, and (of course) Netgear. There are deals at Best Buy, Walmart, Costco, Sams Club.
The very latest smartphones, tablets, and laptops often support the new "6G" frequency band (WiFi6E) and in the next year more devices will support WiFi7. The vast bulk of WiFi devices in the home, of course, probably support only the old 2.4G WiFi and (if lucky) WiFi5. Getting a new WiFi system does nothing for those devices. "They are what they are."
Just personally, I am not confident that I would be able to detect that my WiFi connection was running at 600Mbps rather than 300 Mbps. How fast can a movie stream? Will I notice if web pages load in 2 seconds instead of 3?
After Black Friday, my house will have two smartphones, one tablet, and one laptop that support technology faster than WiFi5 and about 40 devices that cannot. I do not look forward to deciding what to replace my old RBR50 system with.
One comment to make is most users don't need over 300mbps speeds. Streaming 4k or gaming only takes around 40 Mbps (slight higher levels for short bursts). If you only have a few devices, 300mbps wireless will still saturate what you're doing.
If you're not needing the increased speeds other than to say "look how fast my phone/tablet/pc is!!!", your current setup might still be fine.
