Orbi 370 Series Dual-Band WiFi 7 Mesh System – 3 Pack – RBE373 Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by S Osborne
Orbi 370 Series Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System
Introduction
Most homes today have a large number of devices that place more and more demand on the network equipment we use to service them. This can be everything from a wireless lightbulb to a your 4k tv or your teenagers gaming computer or console. The devices need to be able to support the number of device but be cable or providing a stable consistent connection because nobody wants their TV stuttering during the best part of a move and disconnecting during those important online gaming battles. To keep up with these demands it is important to be using the latest technology and for the moment this is Wi-Fi 7. Wi-Fi 7 has now matured as a technology and provides fast stable speeds with good coverage and 4500sq.ft would more than cover most houses in the UK.
Quick and Easy setup
I’ve tested a number of Wi-Fi systems and the net gear systems have always been surprisingly easy to configure. All you need to do is download the application on your mobile, scan the QR code on the main device and follow the instructions. The process auto detects the device model, asks to set a new password on the Wi-Fi and after which you power on the other two satellites and after around 5-10 minutes your whole house has full WFI7 coverage.
What comes in the box?
The mesh system comes with a router system that has a WAN 2.5Gbps Port and a LAN 2.5Gbps Port. Also included is the 2 satellite devices that each have a single 2.5Gbps LAN port. There is an AC adapter for each of the devices and a single Ethernet cable to connect the WAN.
The pack also includes a quick setup guide card to help you start configuring the mesh.
Is it powerful enough?
This is not Netgears most powerful Wi-Fi Mesh system but it does utilise Wi-Fi 7 which is the latest and most widely used Wi-Fi standards that provides excellent coverage with this model supporting up to 70 devices. The router and satellite devices all have 2.5Gbit Ethernet Port and the Wi-Fi dual band 5Ghz radios provide speeds up to 3.6Gbps (BE3600) and there is also a 2.4Ghz Radio for any legacy or IoT devices that you might have. You generally won’t get domestic Broadband connections that exceed 2.5Gbps so the Router is fully capable of matching this speed and also more than capable of achieving up to this speed through the Wi-Fi and the Ethernet connections. With all this in mind it is clear that the system is more than capable of handling whatever could be thrown at it by even the most technologically advanced household in the UK.
What about security?
The Orbi 370 offers the ability to secure your network connections with the WPA3-Personal authentication Protocol which is the latest method of securing your wireless network from Brute force attacks and the SAE prevents the ability to crack your passwords offline.
Netgear Provide easy access to firmware updates to key your device up to date and free from Vulnerabilities and the firmware can be updated with a few clicks within the phone application.
Netgear also offers additional services to protect your network with their Armour product that monitors your network to protect it from cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities in your devices, blocking malicious websites and most importantly protecting your data.
Performance
I tested The Wi-Fi by connecting it to My existing router which is connected to my 2.3Gbps full fibre broadband connection. I spread the devices out around the house with the two most furthers devices being around 18 Meters apart. The Internet test came in at around the full speed of 2.3Gbps and the average Wi-Fi speeds around the house came in at around 1.2-1.5Gbps. This is far from the maximum 3.6Gbps but outperforms a Gigabit switch without the hassle of all the cabling.
Conclusion
The Orbi 370 Dual band Wi-Fi mesh system is system and a very good price point for the speed and performance offering some of the most up to date technology capable of handling the demands of most households but yet having a very affordable price. The device meets the demands of today, but this model is not future proof and won’t be capable keeping up with any future advancements of UK broadband speeds whenever they might occur. The system offers a great security service with it but it is just a shame this isn’t included and is an additional cost. The Price Point makes this mesh system a very affordable Christmas gift idea that will satisfy the requirements of even the most tech Savvy individuals looking to leverage the capabilities of a Wi-Fi 7 mesh system.
Orbi 370 Series Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System – 3 Pack – RBE373
RRP £299.99 currently on sale at £249.99
Rating: 4.5/5