Netgear’s new Wi-Fi 6E router costs $1,500 — wait, what?

Netgear's new Wi-Fi 6E router costs $one,500 — wait, what?

Orbi Quad-Band WiFi 6E is a $1,499 mesh router

(Image credit: Netgear)

The home networking category is no stranger to large numbers and impressive claims, but the new Netgear Orbi Quad-Ring Mesh WiFi 6E mesh organisation may take you lot doing a double take, thanks to its $1,499.99 price tag. That's more than twice what you lot'll pay for the already-impressive Orbi Wi-Fi 6 (RBK852), ane of the best mesh networking kits you can buy.

For a iii-pack mesh system, what on world could justify paying $500 per unit? Only the almost impressive specs and promised functioning we've always seen. Let's run down the highlight list.

Bank check out the all-time mesh routers we've reviewed
Tested: Best Wi-Fi 6 routers (including Wi-Fi 6e)
Latest: Apple tree 'Unleashed' event set for Oct 18 — how to sentinel and what to look

The newest Orbi isn't the first Wi-Fi 6E mesh router to hit the marketplace (though it's one of the earliest to arrive), but it is the first quad-ring mesh router nosotros've seen, and the outset to offer that combination of both in a mesh organization.

Wi-Fi 6E, for those who don't feverishly follow every technical modify in router technology, is a major stride up from the already speedy Wi-Fi six standard, calculation a new 6GHz manual band to the ii.5 GHz and 5GHz bands already in common usage. (Cheque out our commodity What is Wi-Fi 6E: Routers, devices and how it's better than Wi-Fi 6 to larn more.) It's the same standard used by the honor-winning Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500, but in a multi-device mesh organization for bigger homes.

Unlike those mutual slices of spectrum, the 6GHz ring is nigh unused in consumer products, so it's not just an extra lane on a crowded road — it'due south a iv-lane highway, and 6E-equipped devices have it all to themselves. Congestion is non-existent, especially in crowded environments, like flat complexes and cities.

The quad-ring designation is just equally important. Where most mesh systems employ one or ii wireless bands, the new quad-ring Orbi uses three for users — 2.iv, five and 6GHz — with a fourth 5GHz ring dedicated for sharing data between the router and satellite units for an AXE1100 rating. This backhaul channel eliminates the bottlenecks encountered when moving data between devices, ensuring that you get the best speeds for your devices, no matter where you are in your habitation.

Netgear Orbi WiFi 6e (RBKE963) — (Prototype credit: Netgear)

Netgear steps that upward further with 12 internal antennas, supporting up to 16 simultaneous Wi-Fi streams, meaning that this mesh kit will exist able to go along up, even when you have a house total of guests all trying to go online. For a household full of devices that connect and stream, it'southward the answer to today'due south increased bandwidth demands, easily supporting TV streaming, gaming, video conversation and content uploading without slowing anything down.

The rest of the Orbi Quad-Band Mesh WiFi 6E RBKE960 series spec list only emphasizes the supreme capabilities offered by the new mesh system. The Orbi can handle up to ten.8 Gigabits per second, and covers upwardly to 9,000 square anxiety with the standard 3-pack of devices. The main unit of measurement can accommodate an impressive 10 Gigabit WAN, and every unit has a 2.five Gigabit port, likewise every bit multiple Gigabit Ethernet connections for connecting PCs, game consoles, and any other wired device at top speeds.

Netgear and then adds its Smart Parental Controls and Armor security, forth with piece of cake fix-up and direction through the Orbi App.

The new Orbi even comes in black, if you want something unlike from the dozens of white networking devices on the market place. The black edition of the Orbi Quad-ring WiFi 6E is a limited edition, and offered only through the Netgear website, but doesn't toll any more than than the standard white model.

The Orbi Quad-band 6e mesh kit sells as a three-pack (ane main router with ii satellite units) for $ane,499.99 (£1,499 / €1,699). The standard three pack (model number RBKE963) and the limited edition black version (model number RBKE963B) both sell for $1,499 through Netgear.com, and the white model volition be coming to major retailers later this month. A smaller two-pack (1 main router with one satellite unit) will be selling for $1,099 and single add together-on satellite units (model RBSE960) will sell for $599 each.

Just the existent question is whether anyone even needs this level of functioning. And for most people, the reply is no. Gigabit speeds are normally the fastest available to almost broadband customers, and the biggest do good from Wi-Fi 6E volition come up from Wi-Fi 6E-equipped devices, which are notwithstanding few and far between. That all translates into unused adequacy, effectively serving as a actually, really proficient Wi-Fi half dozen mesh kit for most users and devices.

Is that worth the actress $1,000 or so you'll pay for this quad-band behemoth? Not at present, merely maybe in a year or two. As data-intensive uses like 8K streaming, online gaming and the ever growing demands of online life grow rapidly, information technology won't be long before this sort of performance goes from overkill to essential, making this a cracking (if expensive) way to future-proof your habitation network.

We'll be reviewing the new Orbi quad-band Wi-Fi 6e mesh organization in the coming weeks, so proceed an eye out for our in-depth evaluation.

Brian Westover is an Editor at Tom'southward Guide, covering everything from TVs to the latest PCs. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he wrote for TopTenReviews and PCMag.