Name: Netgear Orbi 770
Brand: Netgear

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I recently got my hands on one of Netgear’s latest routers, the Orbi 770. It’s a mesh router system that boasts WiFi 7 compatibility, making it a tempting option for those who want the very fastest speeds across greater distances.

I wanted to put this router through its paces and see how it delivered on these fronts, and if it was ultimately worth the arguably hefty price tag. Here’s what I found.

NETGEAR Orbi 770 WiFi 7 – 3-pack

4 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

Standard: WiFi 7
Frequency Bands: 6GHz, 5GHz, 2.4GHz
Max Speed: 11Gbps
LAN Ports: 3x 2.5Gbps (Router), 2x 2.5Gbps (Satellites)

WAN: 1x 2.5Gbps (Router)
CPU: Quad-core 1.5GHz processor
Memory: 4GB flash and 2GB RAM
USB: N/A
Dimensions: 251.2 x 134.2 x 100.4mm (9.88 x 5.28 x 3.95 in) each
Weight: 0.916 kg (2.02 lb) each

What We Think

Overall, the Netgear Obi 770 is an incredible piece of kit, with a sleek, minimal design that will look great in practically any environment. I was impressed with its performance, specifically the signal strength, but also the ease of setup, app, and helpful guides that were included.

This system is focused on providing maximum range while minimizing potential security issues. Being able to set up separate networks and using Armor security is an excellent offering in this regard. Having some of these nice-to-have features only available via subscription may be a surprise to some, however, it’s clear that this a system for those who want to invest in the best when it comes to connectivity and security.

Reasons to Buy

Easy to set up and use including connecting to mesh
Strong performance across the board
Fast 2.5Gbps RJ45 ports for connecting satellites or other devices

Reasons to Avoid

The expensive cost is above the competition and still locks important features behind a paywall
Only comes with 30 day Armor trial
Limited LAN connections and no USB

Design

We got the three-pack of the Orbi 770, consisting of the main router and two satellites. They are all tall white triangular pillars, standing tall and certainly different from the Orbi RBKE963 we previously reviewed. Instead, it has a smooth design with a prominent front featuring just the branding and a gentle light illuminating from the bottom edge. There’s even a handy QR code on the top of the main router to easily connect to the default network.

There’s a sync and reset button for operation. Below that is the line of RJ45 ports, which change between router and satellites. The former has four 2.5Gbps ports, one is the WAN ethernet for your gigabit internet input. The others just have two multi Gbps LAN ports, which can be used to bring broadband up from the main one or output to your devices from them. Lastly, there is a barrel plug at the bottom with a status LED for the power.

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The top and bottom are nothing special either, there’s just an edging to them opened up for the venting and cooling of the towers. They also measure 251.2 x 134.2 x 100.4mm (9.88 x 5.28 x 3.95 in) each taking up some height but the table space is a lot less, meaning you should be able to fit it into pretty much any place considering its subtle and easy looking design.

Even from the get-go unpacking the routers is an easy task. With instructions guiding you through what to do and an easy way to unpack and take out making it obvious which one is the main router versus satellites. With the app you download taking you through the task of setting up, it might take a bit of time to do, but it’s easy enough. Along with making sure things are up to date and connected with each other.

great performance that brings some of the latest specs and connectivity

Other features

When it comes to the rest of the specs, the router also features a quad-core 1.5GHz processor along with 4GB of flash storage and 2GB of RAM. Certainly moving up there with the specs to improve the capabilities and processing power of the device.

For the antennae, it uses an array of them around the top, surrounding it to create a 360° coverage and spreading out those signals as far as possible. With all three set up, it does suggest it can cover 6,720 sq. ft. as each individual provides around 2,250. Creating a 6-channel stream of WiFi, with one main network you create automatically connects your device to the fastest option. But you have a guest and IoT network available to you that can provide another layer of security and keep your main one clear of traffic.

That is one of the focus points of these routers too, as Netgear informed us of the growing attacks on home networks. That’s why these offer automatic firmware upgrades, WPA3, and firewall protection. Along with Armor security getting upgraded with better protection, including AI top assesses traffic, releasing live patches rather than waiting for whole updates, and improving response times.

That is still locked behind a paywall though, as you only get a one-month trial included and then have to pay for the subscription. Unfortunately locking behind some of the nice-to-have features including the parental controls. By themselves, it’s great to have a profile for each person adding devices and customizing for them, but that requires the subscription to function.

Pricing

Looking at the pricing, it’s quite a high cost for the whole mesh system. But considering you do get a great range of coverage, and some of the latest networking, it’s not all that surprising. The triple pack will cost you $999.99/£899.99 and that’s without a good amount of Armor support, as that comes in at $99/£85 for the year on top.

Performance

Then we put it to the test through our testing lab. Connecting it up to our office broadband and setting up the new network. Using both a network-connected PC and a Samsung S21 FE we test out the capabilities. The phone doesn’t support the later WiFi technologies so we could only do 5 and 2.4GHz to compare it to others. If you’re interested in the breadth of the tests you can read further on our how we test routers page.

Signal strength and latency

Starting with the signal strength of the phone to the router. Measured in dBm, the closer to zero it is, the better the connection between the two. Checking it across the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum across different distances and obstacles in between we can see how far the router reaches and its connection strength.

For the Orbi 770, we see a bit of a weaker connection, although it’s not much different from the others tested previously. Even compared to the Orbi RBKE963 we reviewed, it falls behind a bit, but it is not the worst. At 2.4Ghz it ranges from -46 to -75dBm, with 5GHz staying similar between -46 to -69dBm but failing to connect at the furthest distance and obstacles. But that is why it doesn’t come standalone, and using those satellites will boost its reach and capabilities.

As for the latency though, the time it takes for messages to transfer data between your device and router, the Orbi 770 does well on both frequencies, if not a bit slower at the 5GHz band. As there it ranges from 12-17ms, slightly above the average in our tests. On the other hand, the 2.4GHz gets a range of 13-30ms of latency, sitting in the middle of our tested routers. These are still quite responsive and unlikely to give you a noticeable difference in day-to-day tasks.

Speeds

As for the speeds of the network we achieved through the router, there was a fairly average for our broadband and in comparison to most of the others too. With the first test comparing the PHY speeds, checking the connection speeds between the router and phone itself. At 2.4GHz that spanned a 229-25Mbps download, with the upload similarly at 258-34Mbps. With the 5GHz achieving a higher 960-216 download and 1200-432Mbps upload, so it shows it has the speed without the reliance on our network.

When it comes to the actual internet speed tests that drops as expected with reliance on our limited broadband. We see the 2.4Ghz achieve a 50 to 15Mbps download with the upload ranging 62-3.5Mbps. As for 5GHz that spans a 237-198Mbps download and a 264-110Mbps upload.

Then we tested the LAN speeds and found it to perform admirably and high up with the maximum we’d seen beforehand. The download reached just under 280Mbps and the upload got to 285Mbps. Showing that as expected the fast ports on the router have no issues, just the wireless that can vary.

Conclusion