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Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

Drj37
Aspirant

How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

Is the orbi better or should I keep the x8 I know one thing before I could get a signal all the way out in the yard with the AC1900
Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router but with the x8 I can't so I'm just wondering would the orbi be better 

Message 1 of 13
Dnis
Aspirant

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

I have the same question.

I currently have the Nighthawk X8 - AC5300.

Is there an advantage to upgrading to the Orbi?

Also, are there any limitations on the number of items that can connect to the Orbi?

I have a number of wireless cameras.

 

Dnis 

Message 2 of 13
spewak
Luminary

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

That is the Router that I replaced with the Orbi. Once installed, the Router and  the Satellite will give you faster wifi speeds at distance than the X8. I had an extender in the same spot I place the Orbi satellite and my download speeds are 5 to 7 Mbps faster.

Message 3 of 13
dpdurst
Luminary

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

I came from the RT-5300 to the Orbi so migh tbe able to give you a good comparison. 

 

The 5300 was pretty decent IMO, one of the best routers I have had in a long time. The speed was great, pretty much I had no complaints with anyting on that router. You could have either a 2.4ghz network and 2 5hgz networks or you could combine them all and have one network and let the device and router sort how they connected ( I ran in this mode ) What I didn't like in this mode is I had 3 names all the same showing up in the wifi list for networks rather than one.

 

On to the Orbi now. Only had a few days so..

 

Speed wise I would say I don't notice much difference at all they are about the same. Where I do notice the difference is that now I have a better signal in the other side of the house where the satellite is located. Their is no Guest network which is really a let down as that gets used a lot and without it its hard to keep the product not knowing if they will ever put it in. Feature wise Orbi does not have as much as the 5300 not sure this is good or bad just something noticed.

 

Would I have done this again and gone with the Orbi, right now its to early to really say. The lack of guest network is a huge letdown, the strengh of the signal on the other side of the house and outside is great, I would say for me this could either way. If it came down to anything it would be the guest network that would have to kill the deal for me and it still might.

Message 4 of 13
DarrenM
Sr. NETGEAR Moderator

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

Hello dpdurst 

 

The guest network is planned for a upcoming firmware but in the mean time you could use your old router as a ap for a guest network as a workaround I know that it is not ideal but just giving the suggestion.

 

DarrenM

Message 5 of 13
dpdurst
Luminary

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

I get that about using the old router, I'd like to say that's a cop out excuse, but it is not.  Folks buy a router to have only one in use not to take up a whole shelf of them for different features. I hope that the future means in the next few months and not a year from now.


Short of the guest access I really do like the setup of Orbi and the constant stable connection around the house and backyard. In this respect so far I give a 5 star rating to the router.

Message 6 of 13

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

hi Drj37

 

if your question is on wifi coverage alone i can tell you that in combination the orbi and its sat do indeed provide better "coverage" that even the best 2156M wave 2 type routers and that is orbi claim to fame

 

you cant however compare the orbi routing features or flexability as its designed primarily to be a set and forget / plug and play type system , the primary user base for this wont care about other features

 

those expecting the orbi to be an x8 with a sat will be disapointed but again thats not who the orbi is aimed at and not what its designed to be

 

i have read many of the posts here and have heard it should have this or should have that , well it doesnt and prob wont and ppl are barking up the wrong tree to expect it

 

the orbi for what it does is great and thats as a whole home wifi solution

 

Message 7 of 13
dpdurst
Luminary

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

My first comparison against the RT5300 outside back yard connected via the Sat and got a full 30 meg download and a 585 meg connection rate. Never could get close to that with the 5300, big win right there!

Message 8 of 13
Drj37
Aspirant

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

So I got the orbi and I like it my speeds are better and the coverage is better 

Message 9 of 13

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

hi guys and as i have suggested the orbi wifi coverage is its strong point and def what its good at and what its designed around and if all you are looking for is better coverage all around your house the orbi is for you , however if your looking for it to work like an r series netgear router feature wise you may be disapointed , all im really saying is dont jump in on the orbi expecting what you get in other top end routers as thats not what your paying for with the orbi

 

pete

Message 10 of 13
TheEther
Guru

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

Wi-Fi transmission power is regulated by the government and walls will play havoc on signals, so there is only so much a single router can do versus a distributed system like the Orbi.  The Orbi is purpose-built for expansive coverage.  The Orbi has a key feature of using a separate, dedicated wireless connection between the base and satellite, so there isn't the usual 50% speed penalty typically experienced with a router + wireless extender setup.  Against a router + wired Access Point, however, the Orbi may not perform as well; the dedicated wireless connection between the base and satellite still can't beat the performance and reliability of a Gigabit Ethernet connection.  IOW, if your house is wired with Ethernet, the Orbi may not provide any significant advantage.

 

Judging from the manual, the Orbi doesn't seem to be lacking too many features.  It appears to have basic features (QoS, port forwarding, site blocking).  Guest networking is the only major omission.  If Netgear is able to add this with full isolation, even through the satellite, then this will be a major advantage over a router + extender setup.  Getting it to work will require Netgear to internally use VLANs, so that's probably the reason for the delay.

Message 11 of 13
hidenseek07
Aspirant

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router

The Orbi does have a guest network feature. Here's the link to the instructions: http://kb.netgear.com/31579/How%20do%20I%20set%20up%20a%20guest%20WiFi%20network%20on%20my%20Orbi%20...

 

Message 12 of 13

Re: How does the orbi compare to the AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router


@TheEther wrote:

 

 

Judging from the manual, the Orbi doesn't seem to be lacking too many features.  It appears to have basic features (QoS, port forwarding, site blocking).  Guest networking is the only major omission.  If Netgear is able to add this with full isolation, even through the satellite, then this will be a major advantage over a router + extender setup.  Getting it to work will require Netgear to internally use VLANs, so that's probably the reason for the delay.


 

yes the orbi does have the basic featureset ( now including guest wifi ) but it certainly doesnt matchup with the likes of the r8500 or asus rt-ac88u for featureset or flexability and thats what im trying to get at , if your coming from a big honking router like the ones above you may well be a little underwhelmed at the gui featuresset and capability

 

the orbi is designed for whole home wifi and thats what it does in spades but if you need full blown access controls and firewall cabilities and or features you would see in a big honking router you may revert to running the orbi system in AP mode and a different router doing the heavy lifting

 

i dont have an issue with the orbi not being so up to spec router wise apart from its expense which you would think it should have all the bells and whistles it could for the price

 

pete

Message 13 of 13
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