Netgear orbi rbk23 review in Spanish (full analysis)

Little by little, even before the Wifi-AX standard is incorporated, the use of mesh networks is being standardized in the form of manufacturer-specific products, proprietary solutions among which the Netgear Orbi family shines. Perhaps the most efficient and award-winning Wifi-AC system with “mesh” technology in the world. Today we visit one of its most powerful models, consisting of a router and two satellites, the new Netgear Orbi RBK23.

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We appreciate Netgear's trust in the loan of the product for its analysis:

Netgear Orbi RBK23 technical specifications

Mesh Networks

A mesh or mesh network is nothing new, it has been in the 802 standard since the days of Ethernet, but it has not become fashionable in the Wifi world until this technology has become the axis of operation of companies and homes with the arrival of Internet access speeds, ultra high definition video and many other advances that we see now as something common but that require increasingly higher bandwidths.

A mesh network is a set of devices that work in unison and that allow reducing the expansion of a wired or wireless network. In the case of a wireless network, which is the one in question, it translates into various devices that offer us a single wireless network, with a single SSID, which expands through the different points that make up the network.

We do not have to configure different networks, we are always offered the point that offers the best coverage to the client and the allocation of bands is also made transparent depending on the capacity of the clients and the points that form the network. The links can be spread over wired, wireless networks or, as in this case, have a dedicated band accessible only to them to maximize the access speed of different clients.

The mesh or mesh network offered by Netgear's Orbi systems is essentially that, a way of repeating a single network, which can use different bands in a completely transparent way for the user where in addition Netgear offers a really simple and accessible form of configuration.

RBR20 router and RBS20 satellites

Netgear Orbi modules are compatible with each other and the brand sells both single modules and various kits for complete and quick assembly of the entire system. The network is made up of a router, which acts as the master link, and different satellites that connect to it first. The master expands the configuration between the satellites and is able to keep them automatically updated as improvements at the operating system or firmware level arise.

The Orbi system has different router options, the one that includes the RBK23 set is the RBR20, one of the simplest in the range, but still with great wireless power and adequate versatility for what this solution is seeking to compete with. other mesh solutions such as the Google router that we can soon buy in Spain.

The Netgear Orbi RBR20 offers three wireless bands, with a 4 × 4 MU-MIMO configuration, develops a speed of up to 2200mbps through three wireless links, two of 5GHz and one of 2.4GHz. The 5GHz bands have a 2 × 2 configuration with speeds of up to 867mbps. One of them is dedicated to Netgear's FastLane3 technology where one of the bands is dedicated to the exclusive use of the links in the mesh. The other two bands are dedicated to clients.

The Netgear Orbi RBR20 also has two Ethernet connections, one for devices that we want to add by network to the mesh and the other the WAN link to have Internet in the entire mesh. Both connectors are Gigabit Ethernet. It is not a router that we are going to be able to use as a substitute for the home fiber router, not in many cases, and it is not necessary to use it as a router since we can take advantage of your system also as an access point of our own network.

Before talking about the router configuration possibilities, I will dedicate some lines to your satellites. The Netgear Orbi RBK23 kit features two Netgear Orbi RBS20 satellites that have the same wireless capabilities as the RBR20 router. Two 5GHz bands, one dedicated to communication between mesh links and two dedicated to clients. The satellite also has two Ethernet connections, but in this case only dedicated to devices that we want to introduce into the network through Gigabit Ethernet connectivity.

The units have a system of LEDs on the top, off most of the time but with diagnostics when there are problems, updates, etc.

Both the satellites and the router have a design that seeks not to look like a conventional router and even its operating communication system simulates home RGB lighting systems. We can even find different wall supports on the market to place them as part of office or home furniture.

Together these three points of the mesh offer a coverage of 350m2, with the usual prudence when we talk about wireless coverage systems. There are other Netgear models, within this same Orbi family, that offer up to 3000mbps (together with the three available bands) and also lower models than this with more compact formats for direct plug-in placement.

The hardware seems simple, but it is combined with a very simple management system, with a few button presses or a completely autonomous configuration and in a few taps from the Orbi application for Android or iOS. Simplicity that is also complemented by a control system typical of a router and aimed at somewhat more advanced users or also through its integration with Amazon's Alexa assistant, or Google Assistant, which are yet to be officially presented in Spain.

Management

Netgear has designed the Orbi system to be of maximum simplicity when configuring it and adding new elements to the network. We can do it with a few clicks of its synchronization buttons that both the router and satellite systems have, or through an application for mobile platforms that allows us to manage and monitor the system from the mobile or tablet.

You just have to scan a QR code, from the application itself, which is located on the router to configure the system in seconds.

The orbi application receives us with a quick configuration wizard that allows us to customize the name of the wireless network, its password and also the integration of the satellites in the network. Management is centralized, for the entire network, and we don't have to have any router administration ideas to take advantage of it. We do not have to know what IP is being used, nor worry about access codes, nor complicated concepts that we do not know, nor do we want to know.

All the basic functionality is accessible from the "app", if we want something more complete, we will have to use the router's Web interface.

In three or four touches of screen we will have the configured network, the synchronized satellites and our phone connected through the new wireless network. We can add new devices in the traditional way, by sharing the access key, or through this same application that is managed through the Netgear cloud.

The App generates network maps and allows us to measure the access speed of the satellite or router to which we are connected. In this case you see how it almost takes full advantage of our 600Mbps access.

The update is completely centralized. Automatically detects more modern software versions for any point on the network and updates them centrally.

The mobile application allows us to manage the network, know the connection status of clients, establish guest networks with a few taps, measure the Internet connection speed, paralyze Internet access for any of the clients and also two parental control methods, one through OpenDNS and the other through Circle, a Disney application, of which we will give you all the keys in an article dedicated to it.

The classic management, the one that many of you use on a daily basis, is also present and perhaps it is one of the weakest points of this system since it may fall somewhat short in configuration possibilities for more advanced users who may not find all the options. configuration and routing functionality found in other models of the same brand.

What I can say is that it supports IPTV methods by VLAN by labels or by bridge in one of the connectors. Good news for those who have contracted television services with their fiber connection, although they will have to connect the decoder, yes or yes, to the router's Ethernet port.

The configuration of Internet access in router mode requires a modem, they also serve 4G modem since it has a good traffic control system, with monthly limit activation if necessary.

The configuration website has a basic and an advanced mode, if you have wanted to enter here you are surely looking for the advanced mode, but at first it offers us its lightweight interface for less seasoned users.

The advanced configuration does not offer great possibilities either, although we will have access to basic and important configurations such as different parameters of the wireless network, which includes settings such as output power, working frequencies, use channel, roaming, activation of MU-MIMO mode, etc.

It is not the most powerful wireless network management system I have ever seen on a router, but it does have the essential settings to customize Wifi network connectivity well.

The guest network configuration allows us to isolate them from our own network, something essential if we are going to activate this wireless access mode temporarily or permanently.

It has NAT mode configurable by ports, configuration of static routes, DMZ system for us to send all the input to a specific IP, uPnP for automatic configuration of ports, QoS system and VPN service through OpenVPN, an important and very interesting addition to maintain the security of our network.

We can also choose, as I told you before, to use it in access point mode, without routing, and keep your current Internet access configuration with the advantages of a powerful mesh system that is responsible for managing the wireless network and connecting our ethernet devices to the network in "bridge" mode.

Scope and performance

The range of this type of units, like that of any other router, repeater or Wi-Fi hotspot, depends a lot on the environmental factors where they are located: configuration of the walls, materials, height, obstacles, capacity of the connected devices and, above all, the distance.

The mesh network, or mesh, always uses the same SSID, the same network name. Here in this image we can see the convergence of the 5GHz network, there is another 2.4GHz for older devices. On the left when we are closer to one of the satellites, on the right when we move away from the network. The coverage converges and the system will assign the client the most suitable access point.

The speed of Internet access and also the speed of the different services that we may have on our local network will depend on all these factors, which can be a simple shared folder, video surveillance cameras, a DLNA multimedia server and a long etcetera.

The advantage of this type of network is that we do not have to configure our devices as we move through the coverage mesh and in this case we have a dedicated channel only for communication between links and that maximizes coverage and bandwidth in the devices. Orbi like we've never seen before on a mesh wireless network.

We have positioned the router and one of the satellites at distant points on a single floor and the other satellite on a floor below for our testing. In total they must cover more than 300m2 of offices. The result, as you will see in our tests, measured with Netgear's own Orbi application, in addition to coverage data with Wifi Analyzer, shows us a powerful signal even from outside the building that is also capable of taking advantage of, or almost, of all the 600mbps bandwidth we have for Internet access.

In the three measurement points we have obtained speeds higher than 400mbps in a sustained way, we have not detected packet loss and the coverage has always been around 60-80%. All the wireless networks generated by the mesh are in channel 36 while the network used by the links themselves is hidden and protected. It is not accessible by the client, only by the units synchronized in the mesh.

Final words and conclusion Netgear Orbi RBK23

A few years from now all devices will enjoy the ability to work there, or "mesh", regardless of brand, as we do now with bridges, repeaters, access points, etc. This technology will be integrated into the Wifi-AX standard and, as a standard, it will work with whatever device we use, as long as it complies with the standard.

Now we have to rely on proprietary solutions like this Orbi technology from Netgear. A very solid system to make global coverage simple, previously only accessible on very expensive devices for companies, with spectacular results and surprising management simplicity. It is so far the most successful mesh system we have tested and also the one with the best performance results.

We recommend you read the best routers on the market

This three-point system, the Netgear Orbi RBK23, is an expensive system, just over 300 Euros, but if you have been suffering with multiple repeaters, PLCs, pulling cable… believe me you would have wanted to make this initial investment and have forgotten about the problems of coverage of your house forever.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ A mesh system that perfectly demonstrates the advantages of this technology	- High entry price
+ Router mode with IPTV support and access point mode that integrates into our current network	- The router lacks some functionality, such as storage and download management
+ Powerful parental control system
+ Configuration in minutes, with a very complete and accessible mobile application