NetGear Orbi 870 Series Review

NetGear Orbi 870 Series: Introduction

The first many of the Wi-Fi 7 devices were almost comically expensive. Certainly they were very fast under the right circumstances, but the prices win a little even for rich people. There are emergence of cheap Wi-Fi 7 devices, but often compromise on performance. So it’s a good thing to watch the NetGear Orbi 870 series. This is a more appropriately priced Wi-Fi 7 mesh system without the sacrifice of critical features.

Certainly, this mesh system isn’t cheap, but it’s about half the price of its brother, the Netgear Orbi 970 series, and it can’t cut features significantly.

Setup and specifications

• Available in 2 or 3 packs
• Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7
• 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet

Like other ORBI systems, the NetGear Orbi 870 series is available as a 3 pack (I have it here) or as a 2 pack. If you want to expand even further, add-on satellites are also available. Unlike the Eero system, other ORBI-range satellites cannot be mixed and matched, so you don’t reuse older satellites or put in cheap 770 series satellites that don’t require the same level of performance.

The NetGear Orbi 870 series consists of one router device and one satellite device, using a similar tall, thin tower design to the Orbi 770 series. Each one is the same size and has a mount below for wall hanging.

With a router, you get a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port for your internet connection and four Gigabit Ethernet ports for your home networking. This is a great upgrade. It also has one 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port than the 770 series.

It’s a bit disappointing that the 970 series doesn’t have one 10 Gigabit Ethernet WAN port.

The satellite looks the same as the router, but it doesn’t have WAN ports and just has four 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Internally, both systems have the same Wi-Fi 7 specifications, 4x4GHz (11,520mbit/s), 4x45GHz (8647mbit/s), and 2×222.4GHz (688mbit/s). This means that the 870 series will have double the bandwidth of the 770 series on 5GHz and 6GHz channels.

What you don’t get is the dedicated wireless backhaul channels that the 970 series has, with the available network bandwidth being shared between clients and intersatellite communications. When wiring ORBI devices together (wired backhaul), the lack of dedicated wireless backhaul is not such a problem.

Features

• Optional Parent Control and Security
• Integrated IoT Network
• The app doesn’t do everything

Setting up the NetGear Orbi 870 series means using the ORBI app. It’s almost easy to use and the basic configuration is simple. This app took me by getting an internet connection, placing satellites and getting a secure wireless network.

From the app, I checked which devices were connected, changed the wireless network name, switched between guest and IoT network (the latter providing a secure, separate network for smart devices).

All of this requires you to connect to the web interface if you set up port forwarding or change the wireless channel manually. That’s a shame, and it feels a bit old-fashioned. In comparison, all Eero features are accessible through the app.

Like any other ORBI device, you can use the free version of Parent Control to set up and manually stop a profile for household members. If you need web filtering and scheduling, you will need to upgrade.

Similarly, if you want to turn on security, you must subscribe to NetGear Armor. The service adds BitDefender-powered security to your network, and software for 50 client devices protects you when you leave your home.

This security package is a major boost from comparable Eero services, offering software to only three devices. There is a new Armor Plastia, which will also be added to VPN, Adblocker and Anti-Tracker. Prices vary depending on the region and current offer and currently not all standard prices are currently available.

performance

• Fast closeup
• Speed decreases over the range

The performance is as expected. It’s considerably better than the 770 series, but it’s behind the 970 series. Tested using an iPhone 7 with Wi-Fi 7 enabled and running the OpenSpeedTest server on a computer connected with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, I got a very fast speed at close range of 1550MBIT/s. This is better than the 770 series, a little behind the Eero Max 7, and is a long way from the 970 series.

When I moved to the first floor, the speed dropped to 199 mbit/s. This is close to the speed of the Eero Max 7 and is a great way to get ahead of the 770 series. On the second floor of my house there was a satellite on the floor below, and I could see a speed of 613.55mbit/s. This is faster than we saw with the 770 series, but the 970 series and the Eero Max 7 did better. Switching to wired backhaul will improve performance if possible.

Final Thoughts

Priced for the PerfoHalf 970 series, the NetGear Orbi 870 series is an excellent mesh system that offers a gap in the company’s lineup. This is the ideal system for anyone looking for excellent Wi-Fi 7 performance without paying the best price. Speeds drop across ranges, but this is not an issue for those who own small homes or those who have Ethernet everywhere.

Testing method

When publishing reviews, you can reassure them that they are the result of a long-term test “live.”

As you test your smart home kit every day, you know how a particular mesh system compares to the alternatives you may be considering too.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair, and of course, you will not be paid directly to review your device.

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