Netgear Orbi RBK852
The Orbi RBK852 delivers barnstorming coverage… and not much else
SCORE
PRICE £583 (£700 inc VAT) from pcpro.link/318net3
We’ve already sung the praises of the Orbi RBK752 mesh kit ( see p83); the RBK852 is all of that and more. If you go by the datasheet alone, the only difference appears to be that the radios are upgraded from 2x2 MU-MIMO to 4x4, but we suspect that Netgear has also made some tweaks to the transmission power or the antenna design.
We say that because, while the RBK752 is a very capable mesh system, the Orbi RBK852 is conspicuously faster. Across our Wi-Fi 6 tests it bested the RBK752 in every location, by a sizeable margin of 6.8MB/sec on average. Even in the worst-served parts of the house, data rates never fell below 43.5MB/sec – which is a phenomenal level of wireless coverage that nothing else in this month’s Labs can match.
The Orbi RBK852 wins out for wired connectivity too. Where the RBK752 has three LAN sockets on the router node and two on the satellite, the RBK852 pushes the boat out with a full four on each. The WAN socket even supports 2.5GbE, just in case you happen to have a multi-gigabit internet connection.
We’d have loved to see Netgear finish this ensemble with a USB connector, but alas it seems USB is permanently off the menu for Orbi systems. Wireless band-splitting is equally verboten, and there are no parental controls at all, albeit software support for the Circle app could be added at some point.
Nevertheless, you do get the regular bevy of standard Orbi features. That good old Netgear VPN server is present and correct, along with voice support via Alexa and the option to subscribe to the Armor online security service.
If you don’t demand anything too special from your mesh platform, you should get along with the Netgear
Orbi RBK852 just fine.
The only sticking point is, for this price, you should be able to make demands. Considering how the Orbi RBK852 is positioned within the mesh market, it’s not unreasonable to expect more in the way of top-shelf features and distinctive design flourishes. If you’re dead set on peerless performance, you’ll just have to pay the asking price regardless. However, if value for money is any sort of concern, the RBK752 hits a sweeter spot.