The Netgear Orbi Mesh Wi-Fi System (RBK50V) ($429.99) is a tri-band mesh Wi-Fi system with a twist: Its AC2200 satellite node contains a powerful speaker array and circuitry that allows it to do everything that an Amazon Echo, Tap, or Dot can do. At $429.99, this system doesn't come cheap, but it provides Wi-Fi coverage for homes of up to 4,500 square feet and delivered solid scores on our throughput performance tests. It also offers free and fee-based parental controls and is easy to install. But if you're willing to sacrifice the built-in speaker, you can get the same wide coverage along with the malware protection and home automation features of the Editors' Choice TP-Link Deco M9 Plus for $130 less.
Smart Mesh
The Orbi RBK50V consists of two components, an RBR50 router and an RBS40V satellite. The router is the same one that comes with the original Orbi RBK50 system we reviewed back in 2017. At 8.8 by 6.7 by 3.1 inches (HWD) it's much bulkier than the low-profile routers that come with systems such as the Deco M9 Plus, the Eero ($309.99 at Amazon) , and the Asus Lyra Trio, but its big frame is loaded with wireless goodness, including three Wi-Fi radio bands, a quad-core CPU, 4GB of flash memory, 512MB of RAM, six internal antennas, three gigabit LAN ports, a gigabit WAN port, and a USB 2.0 port. It also has Sync, Power, and Reset buttons.
The router is an AC3000 tri-band device that can reach throughput speeds of up to 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 867Mbps on one of the 5GHz bands. The second 5GHz band is used for backhaul communications with the satellite and can reach speeds of up to 1.7GB. The RBK50V supports MU-MIMO simultaneous data streaming, direct-to-client signal transmissions (beamforming), and automatic band steering. An LED ring at the top of the device is solid white when booting up, blinks amber when it loses its internet connection, and is dark when everything is working properly.
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At 8.6 by 6.4 by 4.9 inches (HWD), the RBS40V tri-band satellite has a bit more depth than the router. It's covered with gray fabric and sports two gigabit LAN ports and Sync, Power, and Reset buttons. Under the hood are a Harman Kardon woofer and tweeter, a bass reflex port, four far-field microphones, and four Wi-Fi antennas. It's an AC2200 device that supports speeds of up to 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, 867Mbps on one of the 5GHz bands, and 867Mbps on the 5GHz dedicated backhaul radio band, and it supports MU-MIMO and beamforming.
What separates the RBS40V from every other mesh satellite node is its ability to serve as an Amazon Echo ($0.00 at Amazon) device that supports Alexa voice commands. That means it will do everything that an Echo device will do including play music; supply voice-activated news, sports, and weather; and control Alexa-enabled smart home devices. The RBS40V has an LED at the top that glows solid cyan when Alexa is listening, quickly pulses blue and cyan when Alexa is thinking, slowly pulses blue and cyan when Alexa is speaking, and turns solid red when the microphone is muted. Also on the top of the satellite are a volume control slider, an Alexa trigger button, and a microphone On/Off button. The RBS40V supports Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Deezer, and Tunein music services.
The Orbi mobile app lets you control lots of settings using your phone, but if you want to tweak advanced controls such as VPN Service, Port Forwarding, Static Routing, and VLAN/ Bridge settings, you'll have to use the web console. The mobile app opens to a Home screen that shows the status of the router (online, offline) and the number of connected satellites. It also has tabs for Wi-Fi Settings, Device List, Guest Wi-Fi, Parental Controls, Internet Speed, Traffic Meter, Voice Controls, and Network Map. In Wi-Fi Settings, you can edit the network SSID and password, change the security method (WPA2, WPA/WPA2), and share Wi-Fi access using a text message or QR code. The Device List displays all connected clients and their connection method (wired, wireless), and Guest Wi-Fi allows you to create a guest SSID that gives guests access to the internet, but not the rest of your network devices.
There are two methods of parental control on the Orbi system. The free Basic Disney's Circle app gets you Filter, Pause, and History options. Filter lets you parse web content by age and category, and Pause lets you disable internet access with the push of a button. The History option lets you see what sites are being visited and by whom. For more robust parental controls you'll have to subscribe to the Disney Circle Premium plan, which carries a $4.99 monthly fee. Premium features include Usage Reports, Time Limits for app and websites, Bedtime and Offtime settings that disable internet access for specific times of the day, and Rewards, which lets you award extra screen time when certain criteria are met (homework, chores, etc.). You can also use the OpenDNS Parental Controls by downloading the Netgear Genie app to apply website filtering for each connected device.
The Internet Speed tab lets you run Ookla's Speedtest utility to measure upload and download speeds, and the Traffic Meter displays total and average network data transmissions. The Voice Controls tab takes you to the settings page for the Orbi Voice Satellite, where you can select an equalizer preset, link to your Amazon Alexa and Spotify accounts, and check IP and MAC addresses for the satellite. The Network Map tab takes you to a screen that shows each Orbi device by name. Tap any device to see which clients are connected to it. As with the Orbi RBK30, this system uses Wi-Fi MultiMedia (WMM) settings for QoS and lacks the client- and application-specific QoS settings that you get with the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus .
Respectable Performance
The Orbi RBK50V system was just as easy to install as its predecessors. I started by downloading the mobile app and creating an account, then followed the on-screen instructions. I tapped Yes to add a new device and used my phone's camera to scan the QR code on the router. I then rebooted my modem, connected the Orbi router to the modem and to my desktop PC, and powered up the Orbi. Next, I placed the voice satellite in my living room (about 30 feet from the router), powered it up, and clicked Join when the app asked if I wanted the satellite to join the Orbi network. I waited several seconds for the satellite to pair with the network, created an administrative password, answered a few security questions, and was done.
Because the RBK50V system uses automatic band steering, our throughput tests were based on its 5GHz performance. The RBR50 router's score of 420Mbps on the close-proximity SU-MIMO test was slightly faster than the Orbi RBK30 (AC2200) that we reviewed last August, but trailed the Gryphon Mesh router and TP-Link Deco M9 Plus router by a wide margin. At a distance of 30 feet, the Orbi RBR50 router garnered 180Mbps, once again beating the Orbi RBK30, but not the TP-Link or Gryphon routers.
The RBS40V satellite scored 319Mbps on our close-proximity test, besting all but the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus satellite. Its score of 297Mbps at 30 feet was identical to the TP-Link satellite and faster than the Gryphon and Orbi RBK30 satellites.
The Orbi RBK50V system performed admirably on our MU-MIMO tests, in which we use three identical Acer Aspire E15 laptops equipped with Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 wireless 802.11ac network adapters as clients. The RBR50 router averaged 138Mbps on the close-proximity test, surpassing the Gryphon and TP-Link routers, while coming in right behind the Orbi RBK30. At 30 feet, the RBR50's score of 95Mbps led the pack.
The Orbi RBS40V satellite scored 126Mbps on the MU-MIMO close-proximity test, beating the Gryphon and TP-Link satellites, but not the Orbi RBK30 satellite. On the 30-foot MU-MIMO test, the Orbi RBS40V satellite's score of 112 was the fastest of the bunch.
The satellite node works flawlessly as an Alexa device, promptly delivering news, sports, and weather updates when asked, and turning linked smart devices such as Philips Hue lights and a Big Ass Haiku smart fan on and off when requested. Amazon and Spotify music sounds awesome: The Harman Kardon speakers deliver nice bass and bright midtones, and there is no obvious distortion when the volume is cranked all the way up.
Mesh and Sound System in One
You'll pay more for the Netgear Orbi Mesh Wi-Fi System With Orbi Voice Smart Speaker RBK50V than you will for most other Wi-Fi systems, but when you consider that it provides 4,500 square feet of coverage and serves as an Amazon Alexa device with a powerful speaker system, the price is not all that unreasonable. It delivered relatively good performance on our SU-MIMO throughput performance tests and rocked our MU-MIMO tests, and the satellite provided excellent sound quality.
That said, this system comes up short on QoS and anti-malware features. Our Editors' Choice for Mesh Wi-Fi systems, the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus, doesn't offer Alexa functionality, but it does offer superior performance, robust parental controls, and anti-malware protection, and it doubles as a home automation hub. It's also much more affordable than the Orbi RBK50V system.
The Orbi Mesh Wi-Fi System With Orbi Voice Smart Speaker (RBK50V) pairs Netgear's tri-band router with a unique satellite node that doubles as a powerful Alexa-enabled speaker.
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