Netgear Orbi 970 Series (RBE973S, 3-Pack)
Genuinely the coverage king, and genuinely hard to justify. If your home is large enough or awkward enough that the Deco BE85 cannot cover it, this will. If it can, buy the Deco and keep the difference, which is substantial.
Our editorial rating, not aggregated user reviews
The performance is not in doubt. Reviewers put the throughput and the coverage near the top of the class, and the dedicated backhaul does exactly what it promises in a big house. Two things keep it out of the eights. The price is extraordinary, and more than one reviewer says so in language we would not print. More seriously, owners report sporadic disconnections and slower speeds once a lot of devices are connected, which is a reliability complaint about a product whose entire pitch is reliability at scale. Security and parental controls then want a further subscription on top.
Pros
- Coverage and roaming near the top of the class; a 3-pack is rated for very large homes
- Quad-band with a dedicated 6GHz backhaul, so edge rooms stay fast
- 10 Gig WAN port, plus 2.5G ports on router and satellites
- Setup is straightforward for a system this capable
Cons
- The price is the story. Reviewers describe it as excessive, and it is far dearer than the Deco BE85
- Some owners report sporadic disconnections and slower speeds with a lot of devices connected
- Security and parental controls need a paid Netgear Armor subscription
- Physically large satellites that need real space
Specifications
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 7
- Bands
- Quad-band, with dedicated 6GHz backhaul
- WAN
- 10 Gig internet port
- Coverage
- Rated up to 10,000 sq ft (3-pack)
- Subscription
- Netgear Armor for security