This is the first of my posts associated with different technology for the home. I am an early adopter. I have 2 Nest Thermostats, a Nest Protect, a Nest Cam, a Rachio Smarter sprinkler Controller and several WeMo light switches. Oh, and an Amazon Echo and a Logitech Harmony Remote.
Anyway, We have a pretty big house - some 5300 square feet, and it is kind of long and irregular shaped. Our WiFi router is in my office which is at one end of the house. Needless to say, with 2 levels and lots of angles with 2 staircases, this home is a nightmare for WiFi.
Well, for Christmas I decided to give the gift that keeps on giving - whole house WiFi! I bought the Orbi Home Wifi System by Netgear and gave it as an early Christmas gift. I admit I was a bit skeptical of these "WiFi Systems" (others include eero, Luma and Google WiFi has one too).
After all, how was it that different than the $60 range extender I have....why would I need a $400 system???
All I can say is WOW.
My kids and wife used to complain that the WiFi sucked. Can't get it in our bedroom, or living room, or even the kitchen. Endless buffering. And this is after I installed a WiFi range extender that was supposed to help. It didn't.
The Orbi is different because it creates its own WiFi network that more efficiently distributes the signal throughout my house. The Tri-Band Mesh WiFi creates a dedicated wireless connection between the Orbi Router and Satellite delivering the fastest Internet speeds, similar to a wired Ethernet connection. I am not exactly sure what the Mesh WiFi is or how it works, all I know is it works. After doing the install with the satellite placed upstairs in the hallway on a desk, which took maybe 15 minutes, here are the results for download speeds (my uploads are capped at 10 mbps).
- My office - 195 mbps
- Family room - 190 mbps
- Kitchen - 75 mbps
- Dining room 50 mbps (towards the end of the house)
- Living room - 162 mbps (furthest away from my office)!!!
- Master bedroom - 50 mbps
In other words, I have a strong signal everywhere! Anything over 20 mbps is good.
There are other options out there, including Google's cheaper version, but I am happy with the Orbi I bought. And while it says it covers 4000 sq ft, the 2 units I have are doing just fine with my 5000+ home. You can add on another satellite if you need it. Pretty cool and can help you maybe alleviate some frustration too!
Enjoy!
