Last Updated: August 17, 2019 (Refresh Now)
Netgear Orbi RBK40 IEEE 802 11ac Ethernet Wireless Router
Last Updated: August 17, 2019 (Refresh Now)
7.6
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
1000
Old Reviews
0
Unverified
301
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WIFI
Review Analysis - 699 recent, verified reviews
Detailed Mode
Network
404wifi, orbi, satellite, mesh, throughout
+82%
-18%
" ... I've got a reasonably large house (about 5,000 sqft) with 3 floors. ... I bought this Netgear Orbi (RBK40) Mesh system in the hopes that it would give us better WiFI coverage everywhere on a single network SSID (network name). ... I was a bit concerned as this system is much more expensive than a standard router, but decided it would be worth the investment if we could get better coverage. ... and quickly and easily found a spot on the third floor that gave great coverage everywhere. ... Now I have full signal on all 3 floors, front to back, east to west, garage to deck. ... "
" ... I have been using 3 of the same Linksys Routers for the past 10 years. ... My home is 2800 square feet inside the home plus another 700 square feet in the Outdoor Living Area and another 512 square feet in the garage and I get incredible signal in all of these areas! ... I might could have purchased just the Router and one Satellite but I'm glad I went with two Satellites. ... "
" ... Since installing our Orbi, our internet has not dropped once and the speed has improved too. ... "
" ... just moved in a large house and went with the best netgear had to offer for $400, had problem getting separate 2.4 ghz wifi to connect my smart plugs. ... Good luck Netgear ! ... "
" ... We have not been able to get good coverage across our house with any other system. ... "
" ... I live in an older home with plaster walls and the internet service guy recommended this system. ... "
" ... You can pick up my wifi network 300+ yards away from my house. ... "
" ... Significant signal strength. ... "
Capacity
223orbi, satellite, wifi, throughout, sq ft
+96%
-4%
" ... I don't have huge house (1400 some sq ft). ... "
" ... Very impressed that we now have full bars everywhere!! ... "
" ... I bought this to get better WiFi coverage in my house, as my aging Airport Extreme was having trouble getting to the farther bedrooms. ... "
" ... 1 satellite and router work great on my 2500 sq ft home. ... "
" ... As a result, our wifi speed in a 3500 square feet home was terrible for more than half the house. ... Orbi changed that and now provides the same signal throughout the house, even in a distance basement office where it's most important to me! ... "
" ... I'm using it in our 2800 sq ft house and it seems to work pretty well. ... "
" ... My home is 1,700 sqft and is shaped like a rectangle. ... What a difference in signal strength, coverage and reliability. ... "
" ... Hooked up my Orbi AC2200 router and satellite and have whole house coverage (3200 sq ft) plus WiFi outside! ... "
Setup
221easy, orbi, easy to install, easy to set, app
+93%
-7%
" ... Even if you do NOT need help setting the Orbi system up, you probably will want to contact tech support to maximize the speed and processing advantages the Orbi offers. ... "
" ... Super easy install. ... "
" ... Added great coverage to my house and they make the setup of this system so easy. ... "
" ... The setup was simple. ... Setup took 15-20 minutes. ... "
" ... Easy to install with the app. ... "
" ... Now that it's setup, the system seems to work well, but setup was a bit of a hassle. ... "
" ... It took under 20 minutes from unboxing to configuration and satellite placement, with super easy setup that yields blazing speeds. ... Setup guest network. ... "
" ... The initial setup was smooth, it set itself up for the most part and I entered a few things and BOOM! ... When testing the system upon initial setup I had the low speeds mentioned above in the master bedroom, averaging around 40-50mbs download. ... So I'm really not sure what the deal is with this setup . ... "
Wifi
213orbi, wi fi, satellite, coverage, mesh
+80%
-20%
" ... So good, Wifi one SSID to access any where in my home. ... "
" ... I researched the various mesh wi-fi products out there and read through the various reviews it slowly became clear that we would simply have to try a system we liked for a while and return it if it did not work. ... I think the main thing we gave up (in comparison with the previous router and repeater set up) was the configurability of the router itself, but as a trade of it is plenty worth it in my opinion. ... "
" ... The Orbi has solved our wifi issues and was extremely easy to setup. ... "
" ... Since the Orbi satellite comes with the Orbi wireless router, I thought I had a better chance at getting it to work. ... "
" ... After doing a bit of online research on Mesh Wifi Systems, it came down to either this Netgear Orbi RBK40 system (2 units total - the router + 1 satellite) or the Google mesh wifi system (3 units total including the router + 2 satellites) . ... Couldn't be happier with this Netgear Orbi mesh wifi system!!!! ... We replaced an older Linksys AC1200 dual band router + wifi extender which sucked . ... but after resetting the router and the satellite, I was able to login and have the system recognize that both the router and the satellite required a firmware update . ... so thrilled with our new wifi network . ... "
" ... I have 2.4GHz dedicated / fixed devices and 5GHz mobile devices operating on the network. ... "
" ... Somewhat tedious to set up but seems to have significantly increased our wifi range and network speed. ... "
" ... I bought the Netgear Orbi home WiFi system on 11/30/2017 and it was delivered on 12/15/2017. ... I’ve been researching this WiFi system for more than a year. ... The need for more WiFi became an important part of our well being and sanity. ... If you want more control and about the same coverage I recommend the Netgear Nighthawk series. ... "
Ease of Use
136setup, easy to install, easy to set, set, easy to setup
+96%
-4%
" ... Setup of the ORBI60 plus an add-on satellite was extremely easy. ... "
" ... It was sooooo easy to setup, and then outperforms my old system. ... "
" ... It was a little trial and error to customize as an advanced user, but not too difficult. ... "
" ... The Orbi was easy to set up, and unlike other mesh systems doesn't require an account on some web site. ... "
" ... The setup was simple. ... "
" ... I am not tech savvy and this was easy for me to setup! ... "
" ... I bought the Orbi because I thought it would be very easy to set up. ... "
" ... Setup was relatively easy. ... "
Software Platform
104orbi, google, setup, satellite, firmware
+58%
-42%
" ... That's a good time to change your network name and secure the admin login credentials. ... "
" ... I absolutely love my new Orbi system! ... "
" ... Have units installed a week synced up well, connections seem good, like the desktop interface. ... "
" ... It also has been working well with Alexa! ... "
" ... Did I mention it has a app for your phone! ... "
" ... As I went through the initial set up I installed the available update for both the router and the satellite. ... "
" ... Setup was a breeze right out of the box and the app was very nice when seeing everything up. ... "
" ... Powered all 4 devices on while sitting next to each other and performed a firmware update then placed them all over the house. ... "
Device Compatibility
104connected, connect, smart, satellite, orbi
+68%
-32%
" ... Was definitely skeptical going into this purchase as I have read all the reviews that seem to indicate a lot of trouble with IOS devices and frequent drops. ... "
" ... After connecting 30+ devices, I am still receiving high speeds. ... "
" ... My streaming works great and all is well. ... "
" ... For home use and multiple devices connected. ... "
" ... With the Orbi system, I can open my laptop and walk from the farthest corner of my house, to the opposing farthest corner of my detached garage (and workshop) without ever losing my signal. ... "
" ... BTW - 4 MacBook Pros, 1 Mac Mini, 1 Apple TV, 6 iPhones, 2 iPads, 1 Xbox One, and a Roku stick all using at the same time with no issues or noticeable drop in speed. ... "
" ... Secured smart home devices. ... "
" ... I now have the same download speeds on my wireless laptop as I do on my wired PC! ... "
ISP
85netgear, modem, orbi, provider, xfinity
+66%
-34%
" ... However, once everything was connected and "talking", my internet downloads DOUBLED in speed! ... "
" ... I needed to bridge my Xfinity router/modem and needed support to walk me through configuration and install. ... "
" ... So happy to switch from my fios router. ... "
" ... My internet speed has even increased. ... "
" ... The NetGear Orbi is by far the best one so far. ... "
" ... I also liked the fact that you can set it up without an active Internet connection. ... "No problem" I though, I will just direct connection. ... "
" ... Works better than Xfinity modem . ... "
" ... My upload speed doubled and my download speed quadrupled! ... "
Product Reliability
81months, weeks, satellite, orbi, ago
+33%
-67%
" ... Update after 6 months. ... "
" ... Had it all working welI, a day later it updated and broke everything again. ... "
" ... So far I have tried this system out for about a week and it has been nothing but trouble. ... "
" ... The product appears to be working as advertised at this point, but the effort required to get it to work is unreasonable. ... "
" ... Anyway regardless I tried to continue to set it up and was unable to constant magenta light blinking. ... "
" ... I can't return it now because it takes a few months to stop working. ... "
" ... After doing so, the satellite stopped working entirely, continued to flash white, and was told that the device was defective by technical support. ... I've ordered a replacement item which hopefully will not be defective. ... "
" ... Same problems both ways. ... "
Firmware
68update, netgear, satellite, updates, update the firmware
+29%
-71%
" ... Upgraded basestation and satellite, router firmware upgrade went smooth after upgrading satellite firmware it won’t connect to base station was on phone either tech support for 1 hour without any resolution. ... "
" ... Finally got new firmware and still same issue. ... "
" ... Bricked completely when the “new and improved” mobile app told me I needed an upgrade to the firmware. ... "
" ... One other point - the system auto updates firmware. ... Not having the ability to turn off auto updates is a really bad idea, especially for a company that has more than once released firmware that fixed one or two issues but caused new ones. ... "
" ... After the 2.0 firmware upgrade, this router became total garbage. ... "
" ... Do not purchase this item for the time being - the firmware updates do more harm than good and ive spent the past 3 days just trying to get it stable. ... "
" ... Second and more importantly, once I upgraded the firmware, the satellite would no longer pair to the main router ... "
" ... I read online that people have had connection issues until they updated the firmware. ... My firmware settings had been set to automatically update, but when I logged into the router, I found that it was on an older version firmware. ... I updated the firmware in the router to the latest version, but when I wanted to update the firmware in the satellite, guess what . ... "
Returns
56returned, send, amazon, replacement, sent
+9%
-91%
" ... I just printed out the return label . ... "
" ... returned and requested refund immediately. ... "
" ... I'm returning and not recommending. ... "
" ... I was instructed to send it back to where I bought it from, which I did. ... "
" ... Returned the set (RBK53). ... "
" ... Spent days communicating with the support and finally returned it. ... "
" ... They told me the product was defective and they would replace it. ... "
" ... I packed it up and returned it. ... "
Apps
48orbi, setup, mobile, easy, web
+77%
-23%
" ... The instructions were easy to follow and the phone app worked flawlessly. ... "
" ... Just downloaded the app onto my mobile device and followed the prompts. ... "
" ... Have got to 28MBPS in game updates.for big File Downloads and on my DNLA transferring @ 50MGPS, while my wife is updating and playing WoW . ... "
" ... Setup was a breeze right out of the box and the app was very nice when seeing everything up. ... "
" ... App is well developed and has good features. ... "
" ... The app walks you through each step. ... "
" ... Finally had to uninstall the Orbi app and restart my phone. ... "
" ... I finally called the support number in the app and had a very helpful and knowledgeable support person walk me through the solution to the problem - conflicting default IP addresses for the Orbi and my Xfinity router. ... "
Overall performance
46speeds, fast, performance, orbi, consistently
+98%
-2%
" ... Performance has been simply awesome. ... "
" ... very fast speeds throughout my home . ... "
" ... Once up though, it has performed flawlessly. ... "
" ... It does exactly what I want it to do, it covers the full house and the speed is not wasted in the process, it is covering a total area of 500 Square meters on 3 floors !! ... "
" ... This system did the trick and using the Netflix speed test I am consistently getting 120Mbs download speed. ... "
" ... So not super fast, but still much more consistent throughout the house, and finally I will have a more reliable connection in my office. ... "
" ... Once up and running, great speed throughout my entire home. ... "
" ... I have no issues with connections and streaming performance had been consistently solid. ... "
Ports
39satellite, router, orbi, ports, ethernet ports
+77%
-23%
" ... Since I needed more lan ports I chose the Orbi. ... "
" ... Set up was super easy once I realized you MUST use the cable provided in the box to connect to you cable router. ... "
" ... If ever there was a product that exceeded my expectations, the Orbi AC3000 (3 hub system) is it. ... I pay for 100Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload from my local Cable provider. ... "
" ... I connected the Ethernet to one of the satellites and my issues were totally resolved. ... "
" ... It also supports ethernet backhaul, which the xFinity pods did not. ... "
" ... I have a new generation Orbi system (router + 1 satellite) and needed a remote ethernet connection for a TiVo, so decided to just add another satellite and extend my wifi power even more. ... Some of the nooks and crannies that were not super-reliable became full-strength and the extra ethernet ports allowed my TiVo to stream stronger than the WiFi signal was working. ... "
" ... And having the satellite have it's own wired ports is great for stashing away my NAS devices a top cupboards without a mess of wires running up the wall. ... "
" ... I replaced the power line adapter with the wireless back-haul on the Orbi and the speed on the second floor is just as fast throughout the house. ... "
Price
38cost, well worth, waste, worth the price, worth the money
+71%
-29%
" ... I read many reviews and decided upon the Orbi AC2200 because of the features at my price point. ... "
" ... For the high price and good reviews, I assumed this was a great buy. ... "
" ... While this system is now available for noticeably less money than I paid for it ... "
" ... I am giving this a 4 because honestly I feel the price point is to high. ... "
" ... Worth the money! ... "
" ... Great investment and worth every penny ... "
" ... Money well spent! ... "
" ... Totally worth it. ... "
Marketplace
24seller, return, advertised, thank, later
+58%
-42%
" ... Very happy to date! ... "
" ... Amazon's return policy is great, by the way. ... "
" ... Well worth the $265.00 paid on Amazon.com. ... "
" ... And having it shipped with Amazon Prime allowed me to receive it sooner rather than later. ... "
" ... Thanks Amazon, we are happy seniors. ... "
" ... This is the first product that has used that works as advertised. ... "
" ... For the best deal wait for Cyber Monday. ... "
" ... Last but not least, I have no idea how Amazon managed same day delivery but I ordered in the morning and received the products less than 8 hours later. ... "
Internet
14speed, speeds, connectivity, improved, download
+71%
-29%
" ... Internet refreshing is no longer a problem and expanded coverage is much improve. ... "
" ... My internet speed has even increased. ... "
" ... Recently changed internet providers and this system has improved connectivity and speed. ... "
" ... What speed of internet I’m paying for: ~100mbps. ... "
" ... We have multiple people using it frequently and it seems to be very efficient at managing internet traffic. ... "
" ... Greatly improved overall Internet speeds - doubled download and increase upload by 50% according to speedtest.net. ... "
" ... Maximizes our internet speed very well. ... "
" ... Our internet is faster and completely reliable now. ... "
Lagging
10buffering, reset, system, sometimes, back
+30%
-70%
" ... Had to reboot many times during use. ... "
" ... After ONLY 4 DAYS, it began to reboot itself and change its settings at random!! ... "
" ... Sometimes they will come back online after a power reset, sometimes not. ... "
" ... Required multiple reboots a day to keep working. ... "
" ... I have to reboot them every other day. ... "
" ... It drops and has to be reset constantly. ... "
" ... We had nonstop buffering and delays when streaming. ... "
For Running
8get, system, working, took, time
+88%
-13%
" ... it was up and running. ... "
" ... Had everything up and running in about 15 minutes. ... "
" ... Took a while to get it running and work. ... "
" ... So far it has been running great! ... "
" ... I have had this system running in my house about a month, and it is working great. ... "
" ... Awesome once you get it up and running! ... "
Features
7good, get, control, block
+57%
-43%
" ... The beam-forming technology really works. ... "
" ... It has good features such as parental control, traffic meters, and allows you to block certain users. ... "
" ... Personally I love the fact that I don't have to cover a power or status LED up with black electrical tape to eliminate "light pollution" at night. ... "
Remote
6main, connected, via, rbr50, located
+100%
" ... Main RBR50 on main floor centrally located and one remote hub upstairs as well and one down, each linearly located approx 40 feet from RBR50, and backhaul through one of the 5GHz channels (remote hubs not connected to main hub via wired connection). ... "
" ... I have two devices in my entertainment center that always get connected to the “main” unit rather than the remote unit – which lives 5 feet away from the devices. ... "
" ... Setting up was easy and the remote management is great. ... "
" ... I can now use "remote access" to stream my media on my phone anywhere I am. ... "
Cables
6cord, back, wire, wall, system
+83%
-17%
" ... Just upgraded my cable speed to 300+. ... "
" ... The system went in easily, although I did expect more than a single cat5e cable (I used cat 7). ... "
" ... If you're comfortable doing so, you can connect over an rj45 cable. ... "
" ... in wall/ceiling with hidden wires). ... "
" ... My family became a cord-cutters this year. ... "
Call quality
6caller in line, call, support, phone calls, emails
+17%
-83%
" ... Once you buy their product, they are useless, drop calls, etc. ... "
" ... Emails and phone calls to tech support and nobody there has a clue what they are doing. ... It took 2 phone calls and 2 emails to get the project registered. ... "
" ... you are the 7th caller in line . ... you are the 2nd caller in line . ... "
" ... I continually ask to escalate the case or speak with a supervisor and usually get disconnected. ... "
" ... The hour long phone call with support resulted in the agent hanging up on me and not calling back once she finally determined i needed a replacement unit. ... "
Build Quality
6steel, reinforced, plastic, base, 8
+50%
-50%
" ... The only downside is the plastic wrap around the base and satelite units. ... When you pick up the unit out of the box you grab the plastic and the until slips out and falls to the ground. ... So be careful! ... "
" ... but if you can't be bothered to stand behind it I feel the need to warn everyone out there NOT to buy it. ... "
" ... Had it all working welI, a day later it updated and broke everything again. ... "
Gaming
5games, game, drops, upstairs, streaming
+80%
-20%
" ... I have a satilite in my wife's shop and the game room build. ... "
" ... They are great and the wireless backhaul has solved our previous bandwidth problems, even with my son's gaming rig upstairs. ... "
" ... Gaming isn’t an issue and neither is streaming all through the house. ... "
" ... Well the truth is that it Works and it does not have any drops i can use for downloads, Games with no lag. ... "
Video Playback
5streaming, watching, house, youtube, would
+80%
-20%
" ... I can now walk around the whole house on a video conference call while my kids are streaming Youtube and my wife is watching Netflix and I have absolutely no degradation in call quality. ... "
" ... 100 yards from base and no problems with streaming video. ... "
" ... I work from home, and I can't overstate how big a difference this has made for my work and for streaming music and video. ... "
Product As Described
5work, works
+60%
-40%
" ... This is the first product that has used that works as advertised. ... "
Data reception
5wifi, home, connection, connected, modem
+20%
-80%
" ... I will be browsing the internet on an iPad or other device and the WiFi will just drop randomly. ... "
" ... intermittent internet connectivity drops from day one. ... "
" ... I have used this with a 500/500 Internet connection, for my vacation home. ... I have Verizon GB internet at home. ... "
" ... not transmitting any data even though you're connected to the wifi network), despite having internet connection when I connect directly to the modem with my ethernet cable. ... "
Controls
4work, using, parental, one, controls
+50%
-50%
" ... I've spent an hour on with support, pushing buttons, logging into the network admin and nothing seems to work . ... "
" ... I tried reconnecting several times using the Sync buttons, but no joy. ... At one point I was asked to reset the satellite and router using the Reset buttons. ... "
Pedometer
4step, app, directions, breeze
+75%
-25%
" ... Upon contacting them, they insisted that I repeat all of the installation and configuration steps with them on the phone to "verify" that I was doing it correctly. ... "
" ... The app walks you through each step. ... "
Defective Delivery
4twice, satellite, replacement
-100%
" ... I can’t even rate this product as it was defective. ... "
" ... Twice I purchased this and twice the satellite was defective. ... "
" ... they were only willing to replace defective items. ... "
" ... I've ordered a replacement item which hopefully will not be defective. ... "
Camera
4camera, works
+100%
" ... Does work fine with Wyze Cameras!!! ... "
" ... The doorbell and camera fought it for a while. ... "
" ... So I just bought another camera that was compatible with the 5G and we're good to go. ... "
" ... Works with my my 4 ring cameras like a charm. ... "
Design
4orbi, looks, look, like, design
+100%
" ... The look and size of the Orbi is fine. ... "
" ... Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised with the devices' quality and appearance. ... It's rare to see a networking that doesn't have a cobbled together appearance, but the Orbi just looks good. ... "
" ... The appearance is more pleasing than other options. ... "
" ... UNOBTRUSIVE DESIGN: The simple "egglike" design just blends into the background. ... "
Comfort
4head, set, orbi
+25%
-75%
" ... I'm sure this works for some but for me it has been a pain. ... "
" ... If I had to rely on a system like this at work we would have a revolt on our hands! ... "
" ... Might head there next. ... "
Memory
3network, nasd, instead, accessible
+67%
-33%
" ... NO EASY NASD: If you want to easily store files on your internal ORBI network that are accessible by all computers on the network, you can't use a simple USB stick as a Network Accessible Storage Drive (NASD) -- you've got to buy an additional full-on ethernet NASD. ... "
" ... Yes they are adding better processors and memory. ... "
Device Stand
3one, mounted, mount, bought, behind
+67%
-33%
" ... This is why I bought this one over the wall-plug stripped down satellite. ... "
" ... The Extreme was on our sunporch, wall-mounted and centrally located, with the first Express within a sight-line on the same floor and the second Express upstairs in my office. ... "
Cable Length
3power, satellite, cord, cable, back
+67%
-33%
" ... in wall/ceiling with hidden wires). ... "
Delivery
3ordered, delivery, delivered, 2, price
+100%
" ... Package came in good shape and well packed. ... "
" ... Shipping box arrive no apparent issues. ... "
" ... Ordered these and delivery was fast. ... "
Display Clarity
3support, resolution, hours, google, display
-100%
" ... I keep getting a screen on google.com that asks me for my user name and pw. ... "
" ... Over 6 hours with the support team so far and no resolution. ... "
" ... No number to call, they try to push you to a forum, which was a useless as a screen door on a submarine. ... "
Fit
3like, good, fits, fit, box
+67%
-33%
" ... Fits the bill just right. ... "
" ... Everything fits together in a sturdy box that doesn't require a chain saw to access. ... "
Battery Life
3+33%
-67%
" ... I spent HOURS . ... "
" ... That seems to help it for between 4 to 24 hours most times. ... "
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Specifications
Connectivity
WiFi: Yes
Recommendations
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