NETGEAR Orbi - WiFi System App Reviews

by Slimbergh

Orbi routers are fast and easy to set up (initially). I installed the two-unit system (WiFi6) so that my family of four could all work at home and be on school/work Zoom calls at the same time. The hardware accomplishes that well. But NetGear’s Orbi software and apps, which are they require you to use to set these units up and then keep them running on an ongoing basis, are HORRIBLE! I am a 30 year-experienced technology executive, so I have seen MANY different admin software systems over the years. The NetGear software and apps are among the worst I’ve ever seen. God help you if you ever need to reset your password. Their system simply times out. Or the “default” password, which their own screens provide to you, simply is wrong.

I have decades of experience administering networks and systems, so, while it is certainly possible, it is unlikely, that I have forgotten how to type. But no matter how accurate a typist you may be, if you are planning to set these systems up in a home environment, and you are NOT a tech profession, I would skip NetGear Orbi completely and instead get the Velop or Eero systems. You and your family will both be happier. Their software actually WORKS!

by Snoozy G

NETGEAROrbi is just ok as it applies to the UI. The main issue is that the status that displays in NETGEAROrbi , is sometimes inaccurate, and is usually different than what displays on the web portal.
Overall, I am VERY dissatisfied with both the hardware and the software, because I’ve only had this kit for 18 months and the satellite RBS50, is inoperable after 1.5 years of use. Netgear support admitted that the satellite is now useless and refused to address it, because I didn’t purchase the extra coverage and I am past 1 year. They did not want to discuss it with me, and longer, so they lied and said they would escalate it and email me within 48 hours. The only thing this accomplished was getting me off the phone. It is true that the customer service rep was cordial, but I really don’t appreciate being lied to, not to mention wasting money on something that should last more than a year and a half. Now, the WiFi signal on the router (RBR50) goes out about once a day. I guess Netgear expects consumers to replace technology about once every 2 years or so…Keeps them in business, I guess. But hey, I can’t hurt their business, I’m only 1 customer.

by ChuckSplash

I had a nightmare with the setup. It didn’t recognize the satellite when it was 10 feet away. NETGEAROrbi provides nothing but endless waiting. Search for the satellite? How about watching a spinning circle for 3 minutes? Now do that 20 times and you will start to get the idea. For some operations there is a progress bar, but for most it is just a spinner and a message to wait for several minutes. After a reset the router forgot all admin passwords (including the default!) and was inaccessible. Finally after some combination of resets and new setups and power cycles, it finally found the satellite. Ultimately I started the install around 5pm, and everything was up and running by 9pm. The router has been working well for 8 days, but NETGEAROrbi is broken. The device list is populated, but NETGEAROrbi says none of them are connected to the network. The network map shows both routers, but no connected devices for either of them. The web interface for the router works as expected and shows all connected devices properly. So it is clearly an issue with NETGEAROrbi parsing the data provided by the router. Finally, NETGEAROrbi forces you into creating an account, and demands personal information. It automatically signs you up for trials of some virus protection BS, filling my inbox with spam from a company that I never interacted with. Welcome to a world with ads ON your router. NETGEAROrbi is pathetically poor, and 2 stars is a very generous rating.

by TamC#24

I have been trying for over 3 hours to get this device setup. It won’t connect to my existing WiFi. And there is only a little card as a quick start. No operating manual at all. I can’t go back to any previous screens on NETGEAROrbi . There was no ‘security’ verification in NETGEAROrbi . Orbi shows up on my settings as unsecured device. Right now it’s not worth the $200 I paid for it. I can’t get ahold of any tech support that is advertised. Troubleshooting through their website...gave all info only to be instructed to contact internet service provider. I was on the phone with internet provider for almost an hour and I got so frustrated with them saying that my modem will be turned off when I connect orbi. Well...I got to get the dang orbi connected first. 🤬. ETA…a year later and this thing has given me nothing by headaches. Every couple of weeks I have to reset everything and start over. Now I’m being told that if I want phone support, I have to pay another $140. Because they only allow 90 days of support. I’ve used more than 90 days in this last year resetting this thing. They sure do want your money for a product that is crappy. And then more money to actually help you make it work. During my last reset, all of the info from it got wiped out of NETGEAROrbi . ??? How???

by Colts4u

I was wondering pretty excited about getting this WiFi router. I’ve been hearing such great things about mesh type WiFi routers. Setup was easy and comes in two flavors; the Orbi app or a web browser. I chose the Orbi app and it was easy. Our WiFi was up and running within 20 minutes. Every item we have connected easily to the router and speeds seemed great (no specific speed tests were run, just watched Netflix on each device). I have a 14 year old and needed to setup some limits. I had time limits for each day on my old router where it would allow a connection to the internet between 7am and 10pm on his devices. I also have a few websites blocked through my old router. I could not do this on the Orbi. You had to use Open DNS (separate website) along with the Orbi’s parental controls menu to setup websites or servers. You could not, however, setup times for internet access to devices. This is unacceptable to me. The Orbi has Circle Disney setup on it, which gives you more parental controls at a cost of $5/month?!?! That is also a separate login. Both Circle and what little parental controls within the Orbi router was just too complicated and lacking for me to keep the device, so we returned it and reconnected our old WiFi router. We now will be looking for another router manufacturer for our home.

by Ewestby

Just moved into a 100-year old multi-story house with plaster walls that were eating my old wifi signal alive, so I switched to Orbi after seeing the great reviews. Now that it’s finally set up it seems solid, and the reviews weren’t kidding: the 500Mbps wireless throughput still blows my mind.

But Netgear has got to figure out why it’s iOS setup process is so terrible. I have as simple a setup as one could: pulled the router and satellite out of the box, plugged them in, but it took half a dozen tries for them even to recognize each other. And worst of all, every time the devices refused to cooperate, NETGEAROrbi just sat there with no help, no advice. Netgear is clearly a hardware company, not a software company. I hope they’ll do some serious, advanced testing of their app—especially the new user onboarding process—so others won’t find themselves stuck in a seemingly endless loop of failure and rebooting as I was for nearly an hour.

Finally, their decision not to devote the meager resources to enabling landscape mode in the iPad version of their setup app is a slap in the face to users. I use my iPad as a mini-laptop, with a keyboard case, and their app is one of the only apps I’ve seen that stubbornly refuses to rotate the UI to accommodate my setup.

by Mrkemproad

I bought the Netgear Orbi Ultra-Performance router 11 months ago. Initially when I bought it I expected to have good internet coverage throughout my home. So far, the orbi has exceeded my expectations in that regard. Not only do I have good coverage in my home, but also just about everywhere else on the property. The interior walls of my home are constructed of 4 inch concrete blocks and the exterior walls are constructed of 8 inch concrete blocks with rebar. All devices on the wireless network experience the same network speed everywhere on the property. There doesn’t appear to be any dead spots. This is especially useful for my wireless Reolink home security cameras which I have located on different corners of my home. I can also see all of the devices connected to my network through netgear’s mobile app and I can allow or deny access to any of these devices. Disney’s circle app which can be used with this device is a good free app for enabling different levels of restrictions for devices on the network. Every now and again I would have to restart the router because of a problem with my internet signal at home. Aside from this minor inconvenience this is a great product and I’m happy with my purchase.

by CraigD13

After researching pretty extensively I decided to upgrade to Orbi. Also, I have the Zodiac iAqualink pool automation system with the iQ20 wifi receiver which I installed about three years ago. Problem is upgrading from Apple Airport Extreme to Orbi actually made things worse instead of better. Now my iAqualink system goes offline constantly. After having a pool automation expert look at it he recommended that I purchase the Orbi outdoor satellite. I did that and now have a strong signal at the pool equipment but still the iQ20 will not connect. After talking to Zodiac tech support they said that iAqualink will not work because the Orbi band steers between 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz and that the Orbi needs to be set to static 2.4Ghz. There is no easy way to change to static 2.4. I ended up setting up two separate SSID’s: one for each band. Now the iQ20 will connect about 10 percent of the time.

On the positive side, in the house I have great signal in all rooms and streaming shows and movies work fine.

The reason NETGEAROrbi gets 3 stars is because only the most used settings can be changed there. Have to go to a web browser for advanced settings.

by Redeemed_By_Him

I have 2 Satellites to have a triangulation of coverage in my two story house, which should provide excellent overall coverage. But the problem is, when a device is connected to the WiFi, which ever Hub or Satellite was closest on first connecting... that’s where it forever stays. Simply put, no matter where I go in the house, say with my phone, if I’m closer and better connected to a different satellite, the system doesn’t automatically switch my connection to the best connection. It keeps me at the first, which may be bad at the other side of the house. This is retarded and defeats the purpose of adding more satellites... other than to just extend that initial link, which is fine for a static device, but seriously, mobile devices need to be able to get the best connections always. I should also be able to manage at least manually how a device is connected with whichever base or Satellite I want. Give me the control if the system itself fails to optimize the connections automatically. This to me is a huge oversight and failure of the company and product. This needs to get fixed, if they want to be seen as a premier WiFi connection company.

by Carbonbreath

Router & satellite are amazing compared to Google wifi Mesh. Yes I like Orbi RBK50 design, it does fit into our space nicely. Counting all the Ethernet ports Netgear gave us (7) not including port for modem which makes eight. It really does makes a difference hardwiring smart TV’s, Apple TV and other devices through Ethernet ports like PlayStation. I have notice zero refreshing while streaming cable television or watching Apple TV. All cable providers stations look visually good and thinking about it my 5.1 surround sound sound fantastic. I have 22 devices connected including security cameras etc. I haven’t experienced one single hiccup.

App:
It’s basic but very functional for what’s immediately important. I do question quality of Speedtest just because sometimes it gives ridicules low results compared to browser Speedtests which put Orbi off the map and beyond the stars fast. Maybe update for app will fix issue. I don’t mind having a second app called Circle to manage family members because it keeps apps much cleaner and less junky. What I don’t like is paying monthly subscription and since I don’t use Circle anyways it really doesn’t matter but I do get occasional notifications which is annoying from apps. Security: Running Bitcoin Core drives security features nuts and yet too redundant. I think to open ports and assign static addresses Orbi needs access through a browser. I haven’t needed to do this.

by Pir0tiv

Have the xfinity xfi gateway 1gb plan and their WiFi service is not very good on its own, coverage for a big home was terrible and in an act of despair, having had multiple calls to xfinity customer service, it was recommended that I purchase the xfi xpods mesh system to help upgrade the WiFi experience; long story short, the WiFi in our home got worse, continued intermittent connectivity dropouts, family members upset bc their games didn’t work or dropped, etc. I had to reboot the XB6/gateway everyday but that really didn’t help much. Beyond frustrating! Enter the Orbi Mesh RBK753. Before plugging in the Orbi to my network, I had to first disable WiFi at the Xfinity gateway completely then put it into bridge mode. From there, I followed the directions for the Orbi router setup and placement of the two satellites with the guidance of the Orbi iOS app. I was able to get everything up and running within 10-15 minutes. No more WiFi dropouts and four times the speed throughout the house. The iOS Orbi app is stable but I wish it had parental controls included otherwise I would give this five stars.

by Janeybopster

I love the control and insights that are provided by the Orbi app. I can see my Network map and actually understand it. I get pings when one of us unwittingly opens a website that may be malicious. It is nice to get advanced warnings from invisible cyber threats. It is hard to know otherwise. I can perform updates without going to a website and so far all updates have been minimally intrusive. My only complaint is the Armor, Netgear, Bitdefender rabbit hole you wind up in once you pay for a device. There is no way to define/understand these individual, free standing products when they get bundled into a subscription. And good luck getting support when you get a message that your device isn’t protected when you thought it was. This can be troublesome. It gets worse when it is about to expires. Then you get emails telling you to renew...I shut off auto-renewal in all my accounts so I can be a good consumer at the end of a contract. I won’t spend money to renew if a product drops in productivity. However, in the case of Orbi, I have little concerns. If there was a way in my account that I can see Orbi, Armor, Bitdefender all in one place, I would give this 5 stars.

by Boeser14

I give it a perfect rating for setup and initial configuration. I bought a Netgear Orbi AC3000 router with an additional satellite. I plugged them in, followed the prompts on NETGEAROrbi and I was up and going with excellent WiFi in no time! Once you’re in there’s not much to NETGEAROrbi other than monitoring the speed and connection.

My one critique is their insistence on downloading a separate app called “circle” to utilize most of its unique features. If you want to pause internet, set up parental controls, and manage specific devices, you must download Circle. First of all why cant all of this integrate with the Orbi app? And second, upon downloading Circle (and setting up yet another account), you must pay a monthly subscription if you want to use it. (Yes there’s a free account option but it’s extremely limited - not worth it). Call me old fashioned I assumed all this would be included with a very expensive router but I guess not. It’s not the end of the world, but the circle thing felt like a bait and switch.

Over all, I give it a good rating because it works well, but not perfect because I don’t want to pay a monthly subscription.

by Danny Big TX Zombie

Well my last router I had was a eero I really liked it when I had 300 mbps plan. Than I moved to 1 gig speed but the eero could not handle the speed. Than I read about WiFi 6 and it could handle 100 devices and handle 10 or 12 devices at once without losing speed.. I had to have it. I set up Orbi very simple and set up right away. At first speed was at 500 mbps but as it settled in my iPad wirelessly running 400 mbps and my step son wired his computer into Orbi and he’s running 960 mbps.. love it finally have a router that can handle 1 gig speed.... come on 5G I am ready now!! It’s very expensive but honestly if you can afford it it’s worth it.. I was just wasting money on 1 gig speed because I just find the right router. I have it now.. we usually have 20 devices and more on our router and eero did a good job managing what devices were used but kids with Xbox pull so much from your internet also 10+ devices the eero could not hold speed.. Orbi WiFi eats up all devices and spits it out....handles it all... very happy.

by Raybo72

I was having all sorts of problems in working from home with 4 adults spread from the second floor to the basement. The issue was that with other systems there was coverage of the whole house, the speeds really dropped when you got away from the router. Also when I added a range extender, there was coverage but still very slow speeds. My fire sticks also reported weak signals. All solved with Orbi. The key is the very fast back haul between the two routers and the better range on each router at the fastest speeds. Even if you don’t have any or many devices that use WiFi 6 , the Orbis do use it on the back haul to connect the satellite to the main. I also upgraded my cable internet to 300 megabit and I get that speed in all but one room now. The one room that doesn’t has a 50 megabit speed. I’m going to get a second satellite and see if that solves the problem and also gives me coverage in the backyard during the summer months.

by Ga Tech Girl

After 6 months on I will say I am impressed! I purchased this because of the WFH order but with everyone home I was struggling to actually work! I have not had one Teams, WebEx, Skype or Go To meeting lag time meeting since instillation and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Watching a moving using my Firestick and Dish has never been better! I decided not to take a star away for the lack of instal directions but to simply include them in hopes others can have a less frustrating install. -Unpack it completely and place your Orbi’s where you will use them and leave them there don’t plug into electricity. -Download the software -Go to your ISP and disable their WIFI signal. -Begin with the included directions to this point. KEY! If you have to start over.. use a pin to reset the Orbi holding it in for 5-10 seconds until the lights change. If you do not turn off your WiFi signal Peace be with you! You will go in circles! And don’t name it the same! Worst advice!

by Chibrownstone

8500 sq ft of steel frame, plaster lathe walls, brick, 5 floor brownstone. Router in basement next to phone, cable, Ethernet distribution system. Have had many routers - latest was tri-band nighthawk. Bought that with 5 access points. Problem was either use 1 ssid, but then your might not be logged into strongest signal. Or, have different ssid’s for each access point so you always knew which ap you were connected to, but of course that meant you had to change to closest ap to get best signal. Fine for me, but drove wife and kids crazy. Bought Orbi ac3000 router and 2 satellites at Costco for 299. Have since purchased another satellite. Router in basement, switch in media room so all lan, satellites on floors 2-3-4. Now strong signal throughout the entire house. Everyone happy as they log in once and have great connection wherever they are. Especially great now that 2 kids are working from home and using Zoom, etc., all day long for classes and work.

by Onelos57

I've had the Orbi WiFi station with two satellite units for about ten months now. The setup presented me with a bit of a rough start but it could be contributed to my not understanding the instructions fully. Once I was done setting it up, everything worked great!! I love NETGEAROrbi as it allows you to monitor your Wi-Fi network and it shows all devices connected to your network. NETGEAROrbi also allows you to turn off individual connected devices. You can also see each device and which satellite it's connecting to or if that device is connected to the base station. You can also reboot the Orbi router from NETGEAROrbi . I really like this setup and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for complete whole house coverage of their WiFi modem signal. I live in a 3100 square foot house. There is a pretty good distance between my Wi-Fi base station and other rooms in the house. I had weak signals in several areas of the house but this Orbi fixed that problem once and for all.

by Jaqualynn

I am blown away by the Orbi system. I switched from a normal tri-band router to this 2 satellite orbi (three piece unit) because I was unable to stream two roku sticks at one time. I have a three story home with one orbi unit on each floor. Not only are my streaming devices spit fire fast, but I’ve got noticeably faster upload and download speeds to my Xbox one console, my computer, work laptop, the families laptops, our tablets and cell phones.

NETGEAROrbi is easy to use and understand allowing me to password protect the router, check on the net time and traffic, and even check my speeds and diagnose connectivity with the tap of a block. If my net is down because of the fiber optic work the phone company is doing, my 4g/lte still allows me to connect to the unit!

All in all it’s a very... VERY... powerful unit for what I believe is an affordable price. I feel like I spend less time working on the families computers and more time enjoying them and our streaming services. If you’re a multi level home or a multi player household, or even if you just have lots of friends, family, or company in your home, orbi is a must have in my book.

by SD Speeder

My previous WiFi setup included a router and range extender. Well that setup kept causing me grief, after awhile, my family kept telling that they couldn’t get on the internet and which I was always forced to restart my modem and router. Also, I am an IT consultant by profession and I would get the peanut gallery remarks that I could fix other systems but not ours. I was done with that!
So, my next solution was a mesh network and which I researched for choices of hardware. The Orbi by Netgear was the clear choice. I checked network speeds at different points in my house with my prior network setup and after the install or the Orbi router and satellites. I was amazed to say the least! Although my upload speeds remained near the same, my download speeds were four to five times faster. I am impressed!! I’ve only had it in for a day, but I don’t expect any degradation as more of my family’s devices join the network.

by Pmotz

NETGEAROrbi is a disgrace for Netgear. It allegedly lets you set up an Orbi system, but let me back up slightly. When you open the Orbi box there is no instructions on setting up, just “download the Orbi app”. Ok, I do that and go through the process ... and the wi-fi is VERY buggy. After much wasted time I figure out how to login via the internet as an admin. Of course this information IS NOT included in NETGEAROrbi . On the admin site I discover how to set the ORBI as an Access Point. Very, very, very important step in porter to use with my cable router (for internet, TV, phone). Ok, get this going. Still have problems but I get the system sort of working. Then I discover on the Netgear site that there is a User Manual for the ORBI. Why isn’t this linked in the “Getting Started” piece of crap they include with the hardware or on the Orbi app? This is just disgraceful! As a part of my searching for information I discover there are updates to the firmware on the Netgear site, but for some reason NETGEAROrbi and the admin site do not see these, huh? After finally getting the system essentially stable my wife accidentally unplugs the power cord. Now the system is totally unstable and NETGEAROrbi is ZERO use. If I can, I will return the Orbi ....

by Created Nickname 01

I love the Orbi system. But NETGEAROrbi does a real disservice to the Orbi system experience.

I just lost more than an hour of my time trying to find out why my daughter’s iPhone won’t connect or show up in the list of connected devices after being paused. NETGEAROrbi ’s features are very basic. I got rid of a Luma system, which had a far better app...that’s the only thing I miss about Luma. I was expecting a much better app with this system. I just recently upgraded to the RBK40 cable modem/router combo. This is an awesome system, but your app needs a lot of work. I deleted NETGEAROrbi , reinstalled it, reset my daughter’s iPhone, forgot the network, re/entered the password, and it’s still not showing up. Now her phone is locked out of our home WiFi including the guest network. What gives? For the love of everything sacred, Netgear... revamp NETGEAROrbi and give the Orbi system and your customers NETGEAROrbi we deserve.

by Dwightl

First,I am not a router technician but I do know if they’re working or not and this router is very reliable (except smart home devices-see below). The set up is quite easy and coverage pretty good but I have a ranch style house and still needed one additional satellite for full coverage. I have over 25 devices on the network and it handles them well. Also, whenever there’s a power outage Orbi signs back on with no problem without any assistance from me when the power is restored. Again, I’m not a technician but it works for me. Also, one last note, if you use devices for a smart home like cameras, lights or thermostat Orby is not compatible with many of them and you should know that upfront. Read the list of devices that Orbi will not recognize. I found that my nest cameras work on the Orbi network even though it says it’s not compatible but the connection is not as stable as it is with other devices.

by RS0213

I’ve been a fan and a user of netgear routers and modems for years and decided to try out an Orbi system in my house. While it’s probably overkill for my place, being a gadget junkie, I needed to get one to get my fix for something new to play with. Setup was easy and was up and running within 15 minutes. No issues with any of my devices that only run on 2.4ghz and everything else connected like it should. Had it up for a week now and only issue I see is NETGEAROrbi and I take off two stars since NETGEAR should be better than this at this point. Why do some of my devices completely disappear from the list connected devices in the orbi app?? They are definitely connected cause I can control them with their respective app but they disappear from the orbi app for absolutely no reason. This is amateur level programming on netgears part and I’ve never had this issue while using the Nighthawk app with my nighthawk router. Seems trivial and shouldn’t make a difference since everything needs to work like it should.

by Concierge2000

Easy to set up. App is not only simple for basic user - there are advanced tabs to get into advanced settings and adjustments for power user.
Getting great speeds from main base (238) AS WELL AS from the satellite unit 218. I had signal issue in large house due to distance and walls blocking - this Orbi has Excellent speeds from base AND satellite in other end of house. I’ve tested signal all over the house with iPhone App and this Orbi System is working great.
I have Velop in another house and it never worked well - signal degraded to almost zero when away from parent node - it couldn’t get signifigant signal because of a wall and it had trouble getting thru Glass Window!! But the Orbi is delivering Great signal - Netgear has some of the beat reviewed WiFi systems and the speciality in this area is apparent in this Orbi Mesh. Excellent all around. (I have been testing for 3 days - if anything falls apart I will update)

by Taw1159g

Recently purchased RBR/S 50 and added an outdoor satellite. While the system is new and requiring a few firmware updates, it seems to be functioning as advertised, which is to say excellent. I had to spend a great deal of time on the phone with customer support, which is a major negative, but for once in my life I can say the customer support was absolutely outstanding. Yes, it was with an IT guy in India, but he patiently worked with me (I’m NOT a computer guy) for over two hours and walked me through the step by step process to update the firmware to get the system functioning properly. My hat is off to their support team over there, it was 5:30am and his shift was ending yet he slugged it out with me and got everything up and running. Huge thanks and much appreciation. Now, if someone can figure out a way to get better internet bandwidth in Mexico, I’m all ears.

by OberSkier

I love my Orbi mesh networks. I have set up Orbi’s in 2 locations both w 3 Satellites. Yes me also has an outdoor satellite. They are easy to set up and thru pilot is great.
I also have several Sonos ones in both locations. The first Sonos set up took minutes and went smoothly. The second setup was not a fun experience. To make Sonos work I ended up shutting down all satellites and other devices in the Orbi network. I had to factory reset my Sonos one’s and Sonos move (most likely because I tried to many time to connect each one). Once I did all that I was able to get all the Sonos speakers to connect. This may be partly a Sonos issue but the Orbi forums lead me down paths that were way off and included telnet SSID editing. Luckily I called an IT friend who gave me the idea to shut everything else down and start from scratch.