Orbi 970 Series (RBE973S) Review: Good But Stupidly Overpriced | Dong Knows Tech (2024)

First available in late September 2023, the Orbi 970 Series, Netgear's first Wi-Fi 7 mesh system, proved complicated to test.

For one, it's stupidly expensive. A 3-pack (model RBE973S) that includes a router (RBE971) and two satellites (RBE970) retails for $2299.99.

Alternatively, you can pick a 2-pack (RBE972) for $1699.99 and each separate satellite for $899.99 a pop.

Secondly, supporting the latest Wi-Fi standard, the hardware's traditional Orbi approach, namely the permanent dedicated backhaul band, plus its limited Wi-Fi customizability, made it hard to evaluate each of its bands separately.

And finally, the hardware was still quite buggy, even months after launch, with multiple firmware updates.

Here's the bottom line: The Orbi 970 series is the fastest Orbi to date. But this mesh system has far less to offer than the enormous expectation created by its sticker-shock price.

Peformance-wise, it's relatively safe to get it for a large home—I do not doubt that eventually, via further firmware updates, it'll work entirely as intended. However, keep in mind that there are and will be many other significantly less expensive options, such as the TP-Link Deco BE85 mentioned here, that can deliver the same performance and much more in network settings and features.

In a way, this new Orbi mesh set is a punishment for those who want the greatest and latest at all costs and are gullible enough to believe it fits the bill.

Dong's note: I first published this post on September 19, 2023, as a preview and updated to an in-depth review on January 18, 2024, after thorough hands-on testing.

Netgear Wi-Fi 7 970 series: The first Orbi that’s truly multi-Gigabit

The Orbi 970 series is not the first Wi-Fi 7 mesh system on the market. Before this, I already reviewed a couple from TP-Link, the Velop Pro 7 and the Asus RT-BE96U router, of which you can get two or more units to build a robust AiMesh set.

At first glance, the Orbi 970 seems similar to the TP-Link Deco BE95—both are Quad-band. As it turns out, the TP-Link is quite different. It uses a new configuration where the 6GHz band is split in two.

On this front, the Orbi is old-school, and it has to be considering its patented 5GHz permanent wireless backhaul.

New hardware, old Quad-band configuration

Like most previous Orbi sets, the new 970 Series has two 5GHz bands plus a 2.4GHz and the latest 6GHz band.

The way the Orbi family works, the upper portion of the 5GHz frequency is used permanently for wireless backhaul. This portion of the frequency, called "5GHz-1" in the case of the 970 series and "5GHz-2" in previous Orbi sets, is never available to clients.

So, regarding the number of Wi-Fi bands, the new Wi-Fi 7 mesh system is very similar to the Wi-Fi 6E Orbi RBKE 960 series. Outside of that, it's much superior on all counts.

For one, the 970 series supports Wi-Fi 7 and has all the features currently available, namely everything except AFC.

Secondly, the new hardware forgoes Gigabit ports to go full multi-Gigabit. Specifically, the RBE971 router unit includes two 10GBASE-T and four 2.5GBASE-T ports, and the RBE970 satellite has one 10GBASE-T and two 2.5Gbp ports. In other words, 2.5Gbps is the slowest wired connection you'll get from it.

Unlike the TP-Link Decos, the new Orbi 970 does not support SFP+, which is a minor point in most cases.

The table below shows how the Orbi 970 series differentiates itself from the previous RBKE960 and the TP-Link Deco BE85.

Netgear Orbi 970 Series vs. TP-Link Deco BE85 vs. Orbi RBKE960 Series: Hardware specfications

	TP-Link Deco BE85 BE22000 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System	Netgear Orbi 970 Series	Netgear Orbi RBKE960 Series
Model and Mesh Composition	Deco BE85 2-pack or 3-pack (identical routers)	Router: RBE971 Satellite: RBE970 Router + Satellite(s) 2-pack (RBE972S) 3-pack (RBE973S)	Router: RBRE960 Satellite: RBSE960 Router + Satellite(s) 2-pack (RBKE962S) 3-pack (RBKE963S)
Pre-Synced Hardware	Yes
DedicatedBackhaul Band (default)	None	5GHz-1 (Upper Channels) Enhanced via MLO (6GHz+5GHz)	5GHz-2 (Upper Channels)
WiredBackhaul	Yes (all bands are available to clients)	Yes (backhaul band unavailable to clients)
Multi-Gig Wired Backhaul (before a switch is required)	10Gbps throughout via daisy-chaining	10Gbps (first satellite) 2.5Gbps (2nd satellite)	2.5Gbps (first satellite only)
Dimensions (each unit)	5.04 × 5.04 × 9.29 in (12.8 × 12.8 × 23.6 cm)	11.58 x 5.68 x 5.15 in (29.40 x 14.42 x 13.8 cm)	11 x 7.5 x 3.3 in (27.94 x 19.05 x 8.38 cm)
Weight (each unit)	3.22 lbs (1.46 kg)	3.96 lbs (1.79 kg)	3 lbs(1.36 kg)
Wi-Fi Designation	Tri-band BE22000	Quad-band BE27000	Quad-band AXE11000
1st Band (2.4GHz)	4×4 BE: Up to 1376 Mbps (20/40MHz)	4×4 AX: Up to 1147 Mbps (20/40MHz)	4x4AX: Upto1,147Mbps (20/40MHz)
2nd Band (5GHz upper channels)	4×4 BE: Up to 8647 Mbps (20/40/160/240MHz)	5GHz-1 4×4 BE: Up to 8647 Mbps (20/40MHz/160/240MHz)	5GHz-2 4×4 AX: Up to 2400Gbps (20/40/80MHz)
3rd Band (6GHz)	4×4 BE: Up to 11530 Mbps (20/40MHz/160/320MHz)		4×4AXE: Upto4800Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz)
4th Band (5GHz lower channels)	None	5GHz-2 4×4 BE: Up to 5765 Mbps (20/40MHz/160MHz)	5GHz-1 5GHz-2 4×4 AX: Up to 2400Mbps (20/40/80MHz)
BackwardCompatibility	802.11axe/ax/ac/n/g/a/b		802.11ac/n/g/a/b
MobileApp	TP-Link Deco	Netgear Orbi
Login Account Required	Yes
WebUserInterface	Yes (limited)	Yes (full)
Features	HomeShield premium subscription via mobile app	Armor, Parental Control premium subscriptions via mobile app
APMode	Yes (as a router or a mesh)
USBPort	1x USB 3.0	None
Gigabit Port	None		Router: 3xLAN Satellite: 3xLAN
Multi-Gig Port	2x 10BASE-T, 4x 2.5GBBASE-T (all ports are WAN/LAN autosensing)	Router: 1x 10GBASE-T WAN, 1x 10GBASE-T LAN, 4x 2.5GBASE-T LANs Satellite: 1x 10GBASE-T LAN, 2x 2.5GBASE-T LANs	Router: 1x 10Gbps WAN, 1x 2.5Gbps LAN Satellite: 1x2.5Gbps LAN
Link Aggregation	No
Dual-WAN	No
ProcessingPower	Undisclosed	Quad-core 2.2GHz CPU, 4GB flash, 2GB RAM	Quad-core2.2GHzCPU, 512MBFlash, 1GBRAM
Internal Fan	Yes	No
Firmware Version (at review)	1.0.14 Build 20231124 Rel. 32537	V9.10.4.1_1.1.17	6.0.3.68_3.1.9
Power Consumption (per 24 hours, measured at the router unit)	≈ 485 Wh	≈ 550 Wh	≈ 420 Wh
Release Date	May 2023	September 2023	October 2021
US Retail Price (at launch)	$1499.99(3-pack) $999.99(2-pack	$2,299.99 (3-pack) $1699.99 (2-pack) $899 (single satellite)	$1,499.99 (3-pack) $599 (single satellite)

Orbi 970 Series: A more streamlined naming convention

As you might have noticed, with the 970 series, Netgear has decided to change the naming convention of the Orbi lineup once again. The cabinet below shows the current stage of the family's monikers.

While the new naming convention of Wi-Fi 7 hardware is shorter and makes more sense, it'll likely cause the whole ecosystem to be more confusing for the foreseeable future.

Wi-Fi 7 with the Enhanced Dedicated Backhaul

As mentioned, the Orbi 970 series continues the dedicated backhauling approach where one of its 5GHz bands works solely as the link between the mesh hardware units. However, this link is now "enhanced" thanks to Wi-Fi 7's Multi-Link Operation (MLO).

By default, the Orbi 970 series' combines the 5GHz-1 and 6GHz into a Single Radio MLO link wireless backhaul. On the front-haul side, it also combines the 5GHz and 6GHz frequencies for MLO-enabled clients. And considering the split 5GHz, the whole thing is complicated.

Still, in real-world testing, my Orbi RBE973S set indeed had an excellent wireless backhaul link, as you'll note in the performance section below. However, it wasn't decidedly better than other Deco BE85, which has no band-splitting. That's likely the nature of Wi-Fi 7, which has much more bandwidth than previous Wi-Fi standards.

Not true 10Gbps wired backhauling for a 3-pack mesh

Other than the powerful wireless backhauling capability, the Orbi 970 series supports wired backhaul. In this case, the system only has 10Gbps wired backhauling with a 2-pack out of the box. Since there is only one 10Gbps LAN port on each hardware unit (router or satellite), when you use a second satellite, it'll get a 2.5Gbps backhaul unless you get a 10Gbps switch.

Considering the large physical size and the existing number of ports, I wish the new hardware had at least one more 10Gbps LAN port on each unit. That'd make a huge difference. Still, as is, the 970 series is much better than any Orbi I've seen on the Multi-Gig port front. And a 2.5Gbps wired backhaul is plenty fast.

What has remained the same, however, is the fact that even when you use wired backhauls, the 5GHz backhaul portion used for the wireless Enhanced Dedicated Backhaul mentioned above is still not available to clients. It's there as the dedicated backhaul band in case you put a wireless satellite in the mix. This has been the case with all Orbis, making them a bit of a wrong choice for a wired environment.

Netgear told me that using an RBR970 unit as a standalone would be the only situation where this band is open to the client. That wasn't the case in my testing. This could change via firmware updates, though it is unlikely. In short, if you use any Tri-band or Quad-band Orbi, expect half of the 5GHz frequency to be permanently withheld from clients.

A typical Orbi with lots of subscription nags

Despite its support for Wi-Fi 7 and Multi-Gig ports, the Orbi 970 is a familiar mesh member, and that's both good and bad.

The good is that if you have used an Orbi before, you'll feel at home with it. All Orbi hardware shares the same set of features, app, setup process, and ongoing management as I described in this primer post on the Orbi family.

Specifically, with the 970 series, you can expect the following:

1. Pre-synced hardware with easy setup: You only have to set up the router unit. After that, the satellite(s) will automatically be part of the system when plugged in. You only need to add additional satellite units manually.
2. For Wi-Fi, there's a single primary SSID, a Guest SSID, and an IoT SSID, all with limited customization.
3. You can use the local web user interface to set up and manage the system with all basic network settings and a few advanced features, namely, IP reservation, port-forwarding, and Dynamic DNS.
4. The Orbi mobile app, which requires a login account with Netgear, is needed for limited remote management and to handle some specific features, such as the year-long free trial of Netgear Armor and Parental Control (another subscription required).

On the downside, the new Wi-Fi 7 system seems stagnant. Other than the more powerful hardware specs, it has nothing new in features or settings to offer compared to the previous Orbi, yet it comes with too much upselling spam.

My 3-pack RBE973S includes a one-year trial of Netgear Armor—as indicated by the "S" in the model name, which is short for "security".

Out of the box, the first time I used the Orbi mobile app with it, I found Armor already activated. I didn't remember enabling it myself, but I might have tapped on an OK button inadvertently—the trial period didn't require a payment method. And that was fine. At least, logically, that'd mean I'd no longer be nagged to subscribe, like in the case of previous non-"S" Orbi sets. Or so I thought.

Before I could learn more about Armor and enjoy its benefits, I ran into pop-ups suggesting that I pay for the post-trial-period Armor subscription with a discounted yearly cost from the original $99.99/year. Additionally, every time I started the Orbi app on the phone, I had to go past a nag screen to subscribe for the Parental Control feature, which is not part of Netgear Armor and costs another $7.99/month or $69.99/year.

It's worth noting that this nag screen offered no way to turn it off permanently but only to start the trial or get reminded later, which would create a reminder in the phone's calendar. In short, calling it annoying would be an understatement. Imagine if you have no minor children or no interest in policing yours.

So, the included year-long trial of Netgear Armor seems more of an excuse for Netgear to get users hooked on the feature than to offer any benefits. Based on the trial subscription, the system keeps nagging users to enter their credit cards and pay for future usage.

In the end, it was clear to me that Netgear has put a lot of effort into cunningly nickel-and-diming their users who have already paid dearly for the hardware itself.

The whole experience was tiring, if not disheartening. But you can avoid most of that by not using the Orbi mobile app.

Netgear Orbi RBE973S: Mixed performance

For this review, I tried a 3-pack RBE973S with the latest firmware for over a week, and for the most part, it worked well—much better than with previous firmware releases. It was the first system tested with official Wi-Fi 7 clients, so I decided to retest a few others, including the TP-Link Deco BE85 and Linksys Velop Pro 7, for comparison.

The new Orbi was undoubtedly fast, but it wasn't speedier than the TP-Link counterpart, which costs $1000 less. And considering the fact we only have 2x2 Wi-Fi 7 clients, the Linksys, which is even less expensive, would offer a similar experience.

Real multi-Gigabit experience

As a single router, the RBE971 router proved to be excellent in throughput speeds. It sustained high Gig+ and multi-Gigabit most of the time. Though it wasn't the fastest Wi-Fi 7 broadcaster I've tested, it was right up there, especially at a close range.

And the RBE970 satellite unit did well, too, with high Gig+ sustained rates in most cases. That was because the mesh had an excellent wireless backhaul link thanks to Wi-Fi 7 and its MLO feature.

In terms of coverage, Netgear says a 3-pack can blanket up to 10,000 ft² (929 m²), but that claim proved to be a huge stretch in my trial. In reality, the Orbi 970 series shares about the same range as the Orbi RBKE960 series. However, since it has a much higher backhaul wireless bandwidth, you can place the satellite farther from the router and still get a good connection.

That said, your mileage will vary, but the new mesh's coverage is similar to that of the TP-Link Deco BE85. Specifically, depending on the hardware arrangement and environment, you can expect each hardware unit to cover some 2000 ft²– 2500 ft²(232 m²) of space with decent wireless real-world rates. You can determine that rate by testing the backhaul link, as I mentioned in this post on Wi-Fi testing. The chart below will give you an idea of what you can expect with the satellite at 40 feet (13 m) from the router.

A bit buggy, runs cool and quiet

It's worth noting that my Orbi RBE973S mesh set wasn't flawless during my week-long testing.

First, not all Wi-Fi 7 clients are well-supported. My Pixel 8 Pro, for example, got disconnected briefly now and then for no reason—likely because the MLO feature wasn't fine-tuned enough. Additionally, clients of all types randomly lost Internet access while still connected to local resources.

This disconnection issue didn't happen all the time and was relatively rare. However, they were enough for the RBE973S to fail my standard 3-day stress test.

Secondly, the Guest Wi-Fi SSID didn't work as intended. Specifically, it wasn't isolated—clients connected to it could still connect to my intranet. I was able to use it to access my local server's shared folders, which were part of the primary network.

Future firmware will likely fix these issues, and I will say that the latest firmware was already much better compared to the multiple versions that came before it. The system was unbearable at launch and a few months after.

The new Orbi hardware was completely silent during my testing. Both the router and satellite units seemed not to have an internal fan—I didn't open them up to check—yet they remained cool even during heavy operation. The large physical size likely contributed to this.

Conclusion

The new Orbi 970 series, represented by the 3-pack RBE973S I used for this review, has lots to offer in its hardware. It's easily the best Orbi to date on the performance front.

Unfortunately, its firmware and app have been made with a focus on Netgear's bottom line rather than bettering user experience. Imagine forking out over $2500 for a 3-pack (taxes included) only to find out that you'll eventually need to pay another $70/month to $170/month to have everything the hardware can offer. Ironically, most of that used to be free or is still free in other hardware brands.

Additionally, with Wi-Fi 7, the Orbi approach itself now has a predicament:

It suits best homes without wiring, but only to an extent—wireless hardware placement is always tricky. For consistent multi-Gigabit performance, you'll need to run network cables to link the hardware units. But in this case, its permanent dedicated backhaul band (5GHz-1) is useless. Additionally, thanks to the Wi-Fi 7's much higher bandwidth and MLO features, other less-expensive systems without band-splitting, such as the TP-Link Deco BE85, can deliver the same performance in a fully wireless configuration anyway.

The point is that the Orbi 970 series seems to fit in well in no situation, considering its cost, unless the high cost itself somehow is the allure.

Now that Wi-Fi 7 has been finalized, there will be many more affordable options soon. Still, if, for some reason, you can't wait or are too lazy to consider the alternative, the Orbi 970 series is a proven multi-Gigabit home networking option to bring home today, and it'll likely only work better via future firmware updates.

With it, though, it's safe to say you'll soon learn that patience, even just a tiny amount, is indeed a virtue.