Netgear Orbi 970 review: the best mesh money can buy, and priced like it
A dedicated 10Gbps backhaul band and enormous coverage, for a price that only makes sense in a large home. Our score: 8 / 10 Coverage that mesh kits usually cannot match The Orbi 970 is quad-band Wi-Fi 7 with a dedicated wireless backhaul, and it blankets a large house with fast, stable coverage. The satellites hold near-full speed at range, which cheaper two-band mesh systems struggle to do. The price problem A three-pack costs as much as a decent laptop. If you have a big home, genuine dead zones and a fast connection, it earns that. In a normal-sized house, a TP-Link Deco does 90% of the job for a third of the money. The good and the bad What works Dedicated 10Gbps backhaul band Huge coverage with minimal speed loss at range 10Gbps WAN port Reliable once set up What doesn’t Very expensive Large nodes Some advanced features are subscription-gated Who it’s for Buy it if you have a large home with real dead zones and a multi-gig connection. Skip it if you live somewhere a cheaper two- or three-pack mesh would comfortably cover. Alternatives worth a look TP-Link Deco BE85, most of the performance, far cheaper. Amazon eero Max 7, simpler setup, still pricey. The verdict: The best, for the specific person who needs the best. Everyone else should buy cheaper. Sources Netgear