The downsides of mesh routers are that mesh routers and mesh Wi-Fi systems puts the brains of where the devices should connect on the network side, instead of letting your device try and find and sometimes fail to find the device.
Other downsides of mesh routers and mesh Wi-Fi systems are higher costs, more complex setup, limited advanced configuration options when compared to traditional internet routers and possible for slower speeds due to the wireless backhaul.
Mesh Wi-Fi systems are great, especially for larger areas and larger homes, although for some smaller homes they can be overkill.
Many mesh routers and mesh Wi-Fi systems are also designed for simplicity, which also means that they lack advanced features, which power users may need, like VLAN tagging or custom DNS settings.
The mesh routers are also dependent on your internet speed as the mesh routers and mesh Wi-Fi systems cannot provide a faster speed than your ISP provides.
If you have a slow internet connection from your ISP, the mesh system won't make it any faster.
The best mesh WiFi system is the Netgear Orbi 970 series router and mesh Wi-Fi system, which is also great for high performance in large houses.
Other best mesh WiFi systems are the TP-Link Deco S4 and Eero 6 Plus as well as the Asus ZenWiFi BT10 and even the Asus ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro is also great.
The benefits of Orbi WiFi are whole home mesh WiFi coverage, faster WiFi speeds due to dedicated backhaul channels and even support for many WiFi devices to be used simultaneously.
The Orbi router system uses whole home mesh coverage, which eliminates WiFi dead zones and the Orbi router system also provides you with a single network name for seamless WiFi roaming as well as enhanced security features and Orbi routers are also compatible with most internet provides as well as new device technologies such as Wi-Fi 7.
The Orbi that you should buy is the Orbi 970 Series, especially if you have a large home and need maximum coverage and speed.
The Orbi 870 Series is great for high internet speeds in larger areas and the Orbi 770 Series is a great Wi-Fi 7 option for future proofing of medium to large homes.
The Orbi 860 series or even a standalone Orbi router can be great for medium sized homes.
I have an Orbi 970 series and it works great for me and is a great router.
An Orbi satellite can be as far away as between 60 to 100 feet maximum away from the Orbi router.
Although for best results you should place the Orbi satellite no more than 30 feet to 50 feet away from the Orbi router for best performance, best signal strength etc.
The signal strength will decrease, the farther away the Orbi satellite is from your Orbi router.
Although for wired internet connections, the Orbi satellite can be farther away, and up to 328 ft with Ethernet cable for 1 Gbps speed.
You should place your Orbi router in a central and elevated as well as open location, which will maximize the Wi-Fi signal and avoid placing the Orbi router near walls, large appliances and metal objects.
For the Orbi satellites, position the Orbi satellites around 30 feet to 50 feet away from the Orbi router to find a balance between the Wi-Fi signal strength and coverage.
You should also use the Orbi app or the Orbi's LED light to confirm you have a strong connection.
The amount of devices you can connect to an Orbi router is between 40 to 100 devices, although it also varies depending on the model of Orbi router and some Orbi routers can handle up to 240 to 250 devices.
Also the more devices you have connected to the Orbi router the less performance you will often have and your internet speed may slow down, especially if the devices are streaming and or using high bandwidth.
Orbi is it's own WiFi and Orbi systems create their own WiFi network and can be a single, whole home network or replacement for your existing router's WiFi.
An Orbi router connects to your internet modem and the satellites wirelessly connect back to the router to extend the same network name and network password throughout.
As a result, it eliminates any need to switch between different WiFi networks as you move around.
The Orbi router system provides one network name or SSID and password for your entire home, so any devices you have can connect automatically to the strongest signal as you move around.
The Orbi router system also uses a dedicated WiFi band for the router and the satellites to communicate, which also improves performance and stability between the units.
Orbi also uses a mesh Wi-Fi system where the Orbi router broadcasts the WiFi signal and the satellites then pick it up and extend it to cover a larger area than a single router alone.
The Orbi router replaces your existing internet router and you connect the Orbi router to your modem to provide your internet with WiFi internet coverage.
Orbi is a good router and is also a very fast and reliable internet router and also provides better Wi-Fi coverage through your home.
An Orbi router is a type of internet mesh Wi-Fi system that is made by Netgear to provide high performance Wi-Fi coverage for an entire home and not just a single area.
Unlike the regular internet routers that can create dead zones for Wi-Fi, the Orbi routers use a main router and one or more satellites to create a single, seamless network with one Wi-Fi network name and one password.
Using an Orbi router helps you cover a larger area in and around your home with Wi-Fi, which also helps ensure that you have strong and consistent Wi-Fi internet coverage in every room and around your home.
The Orbi internet routers are designed to eliminate any Wi-Fi dead zones and they do this by using multiple units, which include a router and satellites to broadcast a single network throughout your whole house.
With an Orbi internet router you can also move throughout your home without losing connection because your devices will switch automatically to the strongest Wi-Fi signal without a change in the Wi-Fi network name.
The Orbi internet routers and systems are also fast and reliable and are built for high performance, and some models of Orbi routers support very fast internet speeds and connect to a large number of devices simultaneously.
You can also easily add more Orbi satellites to an existing system to help you expand your Wi-Fi coverage if you need too.
And some Orbi router models also combine a cable modem and a router into a single device, which can also replace your existing modem and also save you money on any rental fees.
And the Orbi app also allows you to setup and manage your network with ease, including running internet speed tests and managing of connected devices.