Orbi 850: WiFi 6 setup & review
The RBK853 kit, whole-home coverage and the trade-offs in cost and size.
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Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)Practical technical support
NETGEAR Orbi review: is upgrading your mesh WiFi worth it?
Two real-home reviews, a mixed upgrade story and a look at the newer Orbi 970—so you can choose what your network actually needs.
Last reviewed:
This guide draws on Paul Freeman-Powell’s hands-on Switched On Network reviews of the Orbi 850 and 860 series. Both worked well as mesh systems, but the newer model did not deliver a clear improvement everywhere in his home. That distinction matters when deciding whether to upgrade.
Review disclosure: NETGEAR supplied the kits featured in these videos. In the 850 review, Paul stated that it did not pay him or control what he said; in the 860 review he again stated that he was not being paid. This page contains Amazon affiliate links; we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Watch both hands-on Orbi reviews
These reviews are from 2022 and 2023, before the newer 970 series. Each video stays unloaded until you choose Load video. Loading connects to YouTube/Google. Video privacy details.
Orbi 860: worth the 10Gb upgrade?
Head-to-head tests against the 850 series, with some mixed results.
Published
Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)What is the Orbi RBK853, and what comes in the box?
The reviewed three-pack combines an RBR850 router with two RBS850 satellites. Instead of asking one router to cover every room, you place the satellites around the house to extend the network. The kit is a tri-band WiFi 6 system with a separate 5 GHz wireless link between the router and satellites.
The router has a 2.5 Gbps internet port and four Gigabit LAN ports. Each satellite also has four Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired devices. You can use Ethernet backhaul between units if you already have suitable cabling. See NETGEAR’s RBK853 specifications for the exact kit details.
Did Orbi improve WiFi coverage in the review?
Paul tested the system in a three-bedroom semi-detached house with a fourth bedroom in a loft conversion. With a router or satellite on each floor, he reported strong signal throughout the house and WiFi speeds close to his incoming internet connection’s speed.
There is a useful qualification: his previous WiFi 5 Orbi system had already provided good coverage and speeds. The video does not establish a measured speed increase over that older system. It presents WiFi 6 as extra capacity for a growing collection of compatible devices.
These are observations from one home, rather than a room-by-room benchmark with published Mbps results. Walls, placement, neighbouring networks and your devices can give you different results. Try our internet speed test in the rooms you actually use, then compare with Ethernet where possible.
Was the Orbi 860 clearly better than the 850?
The follow-up video, published on 12 March 2023, answers that more carefully than the headline upgrade might suggest. Paul tested an RBK863 kit against his 850 series in the same router and satellite positions, using the same OnePlus Nord phone around the house, driveway and garden.
He ran OpenSpeedTest on a Synology NAS to measure transfers within his home network, rather than letting his then-350 Mbps internet connection cap the comparison. Each location had three repeated tests, giving six upload/download readings to average. This is a different measurement from our internet speed test, which measures the connection to an external service.
| Reported measure | 850 series | 860 series |
|---|---|---|
| Average of the location averages | 279.49 Mbps | 276.73 Mbps |
| Highest recorded speed | 651.7 Mbps | 674.4 Mbps |
The 860 was faster at some locations and slower at others. Averaging the percentage changes at each location gave a positive result of 28.21%, while comparing the overall mean speeds above gave a slight decrease. Those are different summaries of the same tests: the percentage average gives each location equal weight relative to its own starting speed. It does not mean every device or room became 28% faster.
At the bottom of the garden, the 850 had achieved nearly 50 Mbps, while the initial 860 tests were substantially slower. Paul explicitly acknowledged that WiFi conditions could have changed between test days. He also reported more interruptions on a weakly connected security camera after the initial switch.
Did changing the WiFi settings help?
Paul repeated the 860 tests on another day after disabling 20/40 MHz coexistence. He reported an improved average of about 314 Mbps, compared with about 276 Mbps in the earlier 860 run, and said the camera seemed more reliable.
That is useful troubleshooting experience, rather than a universal setting to copy. The tests happened on different days, and channel-width behaviour depends on neighbouring networks and interference. Keep the normal coexistence setting unless you understand the trade-off, consult the NETGEAR guidance, and compare results in your own environment.
The 860 also added a 10 Gbps WAN port, up from 2.5 Gbps on the 850. Paul could not test that extra internet capacity on his 350 Mbps connection. Its LAN ports remained Gigabit, so a 10 Gbps internet socket did not turn each wired-device connection into 10 Gbps. See the 860 series specification sheet.
His conclusion was to keep a working 850 system unless a particular need justified changing it, such as an incoming connection above 2.5 Gbps or coverage problems that could not be addressed sensibly. An existing good system does not become a poor one simply because a newer box arrives.
Why use mesh WiFi instead of a basic extender?
A mesh system provides several access points managed as one network, so you can move between rooms without manually selecting a different network name. The RBK853’s dedicated wireless backhaul gives the units a separate link for carrying traffic between them.
That avoids the shared-radio bottleneck found in some basic extenders. It does not make every mesh system faster than every extender, or remove interference and weak placement. A satellite still needs a good connection back to the rest of the network; placing it inside the dead spot may not help.
Is the Orbi easy to set up?
In the video, Paul found the smartphone-app setup straightforward: connect the router, follow the prompts and scan the device’s QR code. The app also showed connected devices, offered device pausing and could test the internet connection at the router.
Reusing an existing network name and password can reduce the work of reconnecting devices, provided their security settings are compatible. Follow the current setup instructions for your ISP’s modem or gateway. Replacing WiFi does not necessarily mean removing the modem, and router mode versus access-point mode depends on your existing network.
Optional security and parental-control services may involve subscriptions. Check the current inclusions, trial terms and ongoing price for the exact model you choose.
What are the drawbacks?
- Cost: the reviewed kit was a premium purchase. Buy enough coverage for your home rather than the largest pack by default.
- Size: Paul liked the appearance but highlighted how large the units were compared with smaller mesh systems. Leave space for them in sensible, open locations.
- Existing good WiFi: if your current network already covers every room at the speeds you need, an upgrade may make little noticeable difference.
- Wired limits: both reviewed generations have Gigabit LAN ports. A faster internet port alone does not remove that limit for a wired device.
- Control and outdoor use: in the 2023 review, Paul wanted a way to pin a device to a chosen satellite and a matching outdoor satellite option. These were limitations he encountered at the time; check current model compatibility and firmware before buying.
What does the newer Orbi 970 add?
The 970 series is a newer generation than either system in these videos. Its WiFi 7 support and multi-gigabit LAN ports make it a more substantial hardware change than simply adding a faster internet port.
| Feature | 850 series | 860 series | 970 series |
|---|---|---|---|
| WiFi generation | WiFi 6 | WiFi 6 | WiFi 7 |
| Bands | Tri-band | Tri-band | Quad-band, including 6 GHz |
| Router WAN | 2.5 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| Wired LAN | Gigabit | Gigabit | 10 Gbps and 2.5 Gbps ports |
| Evidence here | 2022 / 2023 home use | 2023 home comparison | Manufacturer specifications |
Compare the NETGEAR Orbi 970 WiFi 7 system (opens in a new tab) (affiliate link) if you want that extra headroom and have the devices and budget to use it. It is a premium option; a higher specification does not establish how much faster it will be in your home. Our two videos do not test it. Check NETGEAR’s current 970 specifications, the pack size and price before buying.
Should I buy Orbi, or run Ethernet cables?
Use Ethernet for a fixed desktop, games console or other device where a reliable cable run is practical. Mesh WiFi is useful for phones, tablets and rooms where running cables is difficult. You can combine both, including a wired connection between mesh units.
Want to run your own cables? The Switched On Network cabling guides playlist (opens in a new tab) shows how to fit RJ45 plugs, make Ethernet patch cables and wire up wall jacks.
Both reviews show why Paul liked Orbi for whole-home WiFi, while the 860 comparison gives a reason to measure your actual problem before paying for an upgrade. If you are considering the original 850 kit, check the Orbi RBK853 WiFi 6 three-pack (opens in a new tab) (affiliate link), its condition and current firmware support. If you want newer WiFi and faster wired ports, compare the 970 above rather than assuming the 2022 kit is the newest option.
Before spending anything, measure the problem: compare WiFi near the router, WiFi in a weak room and a wired connection using our speed test. For interruptions rather than slow transfers, try the connection stability test. Mesh WiFi can improve coverage; it cannot fix every ISP or internet problem.