Crank up your broadband to 11

IF YOUR ultrafast broadband isn’t as quick as you thought it would be, chances are you’re relying on the free modem that was bundled with its installation.

Free modems were enough to get by on with ADSL or VDSL broadband connections. But if you want not only fast but also reliable internet speeds around the house, invest in a premium router with satellites that extend your fibre box signal to every room (and even outdoors).

Because most modems are at the end of the house where the fibre box was installed, their signal spread is limited – and wasted, with typically half of it being distributed outside.

Router/satellite systems expand coverage to every corner of your home, upstairs and down, and allow you to optimise performance by placing the satellites where they’re most needed.

One of the best, albeit costliest, options is Netgear’s Orbi, which starts from $799 for the RBK50.

It’s the world’s first tri-band home wi-fi system. Other systems use dual bandwidth and mesh technology, which makes them prone to slower internet speeds when more devices, satellites and users are added to the network.

Orbi’s dedicated third band, however, maximises speed by providing a congestionfree route from your laptop, tablet or smartphone to the internet regardless of how many other people in your home are online.

And it optimises this signal to every corner of your home – up to 465 square metres – without buffering or dropping out.

In a typical router/satellites set-up, signal loss occurs when the satellite has to both receive the wi-fi feed from the router and rebroadcast it to another part of the house.

The more satellites you daisy chain on only one or two bands, the more the wi-fi distribution degrades.

But a MacWorld magazine comparison shows that with a MacBook Pro, the Orbi’s tri-band technology notched up 208Mbps – twice the speed of the next best mesh wi-fi router.

And PC Mag rated the RBK50 ‘‘our top pick for home wi-fi systems’’.

Moreover, the Orbi is incredibly simple to set up and relatively decor-friendly.

The router and satellites are not minuscule but have a pleasing, cylindrical, white plastic appearance that won’t look out of place in most living rooms.

And if you do find them obtrusive, they can be tucked out of sight, as walls, stairs and doors don’t limit their reach.

Best of all, the router and satellite are pre-paired, so they’ll virtually work straight out of the box.

Using an Ethernet cable, connect the router to your modem and plug it into the mains.

Plug in the satellite in a central part of the house, sync it with the router simply by pushing a button, and register your device and password details with the Orbi website.

It’s this plug-and-play convenience that distinguishes the Orbi from traditional router technology, which can be complicated and a chore to configure and connect.

And with the router and satellite’s combined Ethernet ports, you can connect up to seven wired devices.

The Orbi isn’t cheap but it’s fast, foolproof and user-friendly enough to turn tech sceptics into converts.

The Orbi RKB50 and additional satellites are available from Noel Leeming.