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Orbi Mesh Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi 6 For The Gigabit Internet Home - #NETGEARCES2019
Orbi Whole Home WiFi just got even faster! NETGEAR is continuing to lead the new era of Wi-Fi. To kick off CES 2019, we announced plans to pair award-winning Orbi Wi-Fi with the latest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6). This powerful combination will deliver gigabit internet via Wi-Fi across your home and support higher performance simultaneous Wi-Fi streams. Gigabit internet homes will be able to effortlessly support 4K video streaming, always-on smart home devices, ultra-high-speed bandwidth-hungry applications, and continue to support all legacy Wi-Fi devices.
Read our full Press Release:
https://netgear.com/about/press-releases/2019/NETGEAR-ANNOUNCES-ORBI-MESH-WI-FI-SYSTEM.aspx
Learn about AX WiFi (Wi-Fi 6)
https://www.netgear.com/landings/ax-wifi/
Are you excited about Wi-Fi 6 coming to Orbi? Let us know what you think!
78 Replies
Anyone heard on the expected date Orbi WiFi 6 will hit the streets?
wow that sure looks uglier than the old one.
I was hoping for a black case this time around, like the EX7700. :smileyfrustrated:
- I need a WiFi mesh system for my house and waiting patiently for this to come out. Please hurry my current system sucks
Start here: Which Orbi System is right for you?
https://www.netgear.com/orbi/wifi-systems.aspx
30 feet is recommended in between base router and satellite to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
- I just wanted to add my experience with orbi I have three units and they all use the same channel that I can see on my Wi-Fi analyzer. I have 62 devices connected a handful which are Nest cameras streaming uploading all the time to the cloud gigs of data and all products are working flawlessly! As a
av techniciann who installs ubiquity and other consumer networks I can tell you the way o
Orbi operates is absolutely phenomenal. Not only is it very strong Works indoors and outdoors and none of my products disconnect I will not question the basic laws of physics that say it shouldn't work on all one frequency channel, but it does.- Which Orbi System do you have? And do you have them wireless or hardwired.
- RBK53. One router plus two satellites. All wireless. Not perfect but much better than Velop, Amplified,
- Which Orbi System do you have? Are they wireless or hardwired?
Please consider for future plans with your Orbi WiFi systems and the new new AX version to introduce a sleek, BLACK color model in your product line!
I am an Asus convert after almost 2 decades being with them (mostly because of RMerlin's great FW)
But it was a time to leave them after huge disappointment with RT-AX88U.
Currently on RAX12 and impressed big time. Hoping to be able to get those new Orbi AX added to my system.
Does anyone know how to get a pair of them? Beta testing site didn't offer them to me as of today, it is probably way past their beta timeline.
Any advice would be appreciated!When and if they come to beta, it would be thru that beta site and then, you might only get them if approved for beta testing. Nothings been mentioned about it as of yet that i know of.
greggy102 wrote:
I am an Asus convert after almost 2 decades being with them (mostly because of RMerlin's great FW)
But it was a time to leave them after huge disappointment with RT-AX88U.
Currently on RAX12 and impressed big time. Hoping to be able to get those new Orbi AX added to my system.
Does anyone know how to get a pair of them? Beta testing site didn't offer them to me as of today, it is probably way past their beta timeline.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Dustin278 wrote:
How can we become a BETA tester for this!? Dustin_V
ps - you have a cool name
Hey Dustin278! To be considered for Beta testing please visit https://www.beta.netgear.com/welcome/.
Also, those who become Community Superusers typically have priority as Beta testers. If you're interested in becoming a Superuser, please visit https://community.netgear.com/t5/Community-Welcome/NETGEAR-Community-Superusers-Program/m-p/1156353#M3
BTW, you have a cool name yourself 😜
I presume AX systems would be backwards compatible for devices that are connected to this new system. I presume just like when AC arrived years ago, ABGN modes were supported. It's possible that the MESH system maybe only AX supporting between the base and satellite(s). Time will tell when these arrive to market.
I like the idea, but I've been burned with issues with the RBK50 that have never been resolved. It's a shame because I've had to switch to google wifi which is more stable but has less speed.
Maybe next time make a post with details of the problems you are having with the Orbi and maybe we can help you out. Others are having good experiences with there systems.
Good Luck.
kadmus11 wrote:
I like the idea, but I've been burned with issues with the RBK50 that have never been resolved. It's a shame because I've had to switch to google wifi which is more stable but has less speed.
Many on this site have come and gone over the last 2 years with Orbi because they can't fix the device firmware issues. It seems people who don't notice it are the ones clueless. All Orbis are having issues, it doesn't work like that on Tech where just some are for some people. It's some people don't notice it or don't know tech well enough.
Is it possible to upgrade the existing orbi RBK50 wifi systems which I already have? OR I just have throw away the existing systems and buy the new model with wifi 6 standard?
Wifi 6 will have different radio hardware, so there won't be any way to upgrade existing devices to Wifi 6 unless you can swap out components, like on a desktop, or a USB dongle for a laptop. But anything with an integrated radio (laptops, phones, tablets, probably nearly all "smart" devices) will just be capped at whatever level it left the factory with. A Wifi 4 device can only work at Wifi 4 levels, even on a Wifi 5 router. You can still use it with a Wifi 5 or Wifi 6 router, but you won't get all the benefits of Wifi 6 unless both the router and the device are Wifi 6.
(Assuming Netgear gets the firmware fixed on the current models) just keep using them until they fail or are insufficient to meet your needs. Factory reset it and sell it used if you really feel the need to upgrade before hardware failure or end of support from Netgear. There aren't even any consumer devices with Wifi 6 hardware yet, so even if you upgraded to the latest and greatet Orbi, you won't have any devices able to take full advantage of it. Even once they hit the market, it'll depend where you are in your upgrade cycle for phones, laptops, consoles, etc., anyway. If all your devices are Wifi 5 (or lower), there's simply no need to get a Wifi 6 router unless you already need a new router anyway. IMO, the bare minimum requirement to elect to upgrade your router to Wifi 6 (as opposed to a mandatory replacement due to failure) is that you have at least one device with Wifi 6, you are maxing out the Wifi 5 with that device, and you would actually benefit from upgrading the router to Wifi 6. Anything less than meeting all three of those conditions is just throwing money away to have the latest and greatest for the sake of having it now. You'd be better off deferring the purchase for six or twelve months and getting the same Wifi 6 router for less when the price comes down. Or even a better one for the same price. Either way, a better value.
I used my old cable modem for over a decade, and only upgraded it when I got bumped up to a plan that was faster than my old modem could handle. I've only replaced routers when the old one either failed or didn't cover as large an area as I needed.
Clearly the new wireless will be different.
But the AX chipset should be able to provide AC support as well.
So the question becomes can AC based Oribi devices be used with the new AX based Orbi devices.
For example, if one gets a Router plus Satelite AX based pack can AC based satelites that customers already have be used with the new AX based Orbi router?
The hardware is different so you will have to buy the new model if you want Wi-Fi 6.
Jeeze, we will probably never see another firmware update for the current Orbi once this comes out.
On the bright side, it will be another forum the Furry and EK bots can post to!
