Netgear’s Orbi Wi-Fi System is due to launch worldwide in September, and promises users “a whole new way to experience Wi-Fi”.
Local distributor Duxbury Networking said the Wi-Fi system, which features a router and a satellite, will sell for between R10,999 and R11,999 – depending on exchange rate fluctuations.
The Tri-band mesh network of the Orbi system will give users high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity “throughout their entire home”.
Netgear said the system will eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones in a home thanks to its Tri-band Wi-Fi capabilities – which allow the Orbi router to have a dedicated wireless channel to each of the system’s Orbi satellites.
This gives users “maximum speeds no matter how many devices connect”.
Features of the Orbi system include:
- Single SSID for entire network (2.4GHz and 5GHz bands).
- 802.11ac AC3000 Wi-Fi speeds up to 3Gbps.
- 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 1 USB 2.0 port each on the router and satellite.
- IPv6, Dynamic DNS, port forwarding, parental controls, and access point mode.
- WPS-protected setup, 64/128 bit WEP, WPA/WPA-2 PSK, WPA/WPA-2 Enterprise.
This article was republished with permission from MyBroadband.
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The bigger question is, how do the “satellites” link in? Network cable? WDS?
This isn’t a new concept, considering “extenders” and wifi relays already exist on the market as optional network expansion nodes, and can in a number of cases be used to convert existing connections (router + switch + extended) to “mini wifi” areas.
The issue with WDS is signal strength between extenders / relays / “satellites” and the more you split WDS spectrum (eg. multiple units), the slower your throughput capacity / latency per point.
If you would need to use network cables, then this is merely a marketing gimmick since configuration depends (from what the article explains) only on the centralized router / “Orbi” unit.
At R12k, you may as well just forget the extenda’s and run multiple regular routers connected via cable as AP with same channel / SSID and allow your devices to roam and auto-connect depending on signal strength without dropping connection. (Not even a dropped packet)
R2k a router x 4 = R8k and shell out another R1k for enough CAT5e / RJ45’s for your setup, and you’re still sitting at a R3k difference.
Gigabit? Maximum throughput capable? Home users don’t need that. Like buying a Bugatti or Ferrari to drive around the block to buy milk – a waste of money and potential.
How tragic is the ease at which the uninformed can be exploited?