Netgear Orbi Pro tested

Jan

Jan

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I upgraded my home to Mesh Wi-Fi 6 — with incredible results

Upgrading a home network from using two different routers to a Mesh Wi-Fi 6 system resulted in significant performance improvements and significantly better coverage.

I recently replaced my old Wi-Fi system, which used two old routers with multiple networks, with a modern mesh-capable system comprising a router and an access point.
 
Wi-Fi 6 ftw.

Also have a similar mesh network setup and everything is flying.

'Futureproof' it is not however.

It cannot broadcast on 6Ghz, and Wi-Fi 7 is on the horizon.
 
Glad the writer is happy with the purchase, but for others I would like to caution against many of the brands in this space.

Netgear, much like D-link, Xiaomi and Tenda have terrible track records on security and patching those updates. Look at one of the small business brands like ubiquiti, mikrotik or Reeyee as they have much better track records on supporting their products.

Also even when deploying the mesh kits, it's significantly better to have them wired directly to your router. Reach wireless hop adds latency and packet loss to your connection.
 
I need to setup a mesh system. I'm using a Tenda f9 on a 100/100 Vuma + Afrihost line. What is the best brand for a budget of R2500 max?
 
randomcat said:
There seems to be a few models. There is s3, m4 and e3, etc. Which one should I get? I'm a bit of a noob on the networking side of things.
Click to expand...
S4 is the newer one 3 pack is around R3000.

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Gtx Gaming said:
S4 is the newer one 3 pack is around R3000.

Everyshop - HiFiCorp

Welcome to HiFiCorp....Widest Range Of TVs, Audio Devices, Home Appliances & More. Don't Miss The Best Deals. TVs, Electronics, Homeware & More. Everything at Great Prices. Buy Online Now. Nationwide Delivery. Click & Collect in Store. High Tech, Low Prices.
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Click to expand...
Shot bru:thumbsup:
 
Sapphiron said:
Glad the writer is happy with the purchase, but for others I would like to caution against many of the brands in this space.

Netgear, much like D-link, Xiaomi and Tenda have terrible track records on security and patching those updates. Look at one of the small business brands like ubiquiti, mikrotik or Reeyee as they have much better track records on supporting their products.

Also even when deploying the mesh kits, it's significantly better to have them wired directly to your router. Reach wireless hop adds latency and packet loss to your connection.
Click to expand...
I have to agree here. I used 2 x Unifi UAP-LR (802.11n) access points for 7 years, receiving device updates for all that time. I only recently upgraded to Unifi ac-lite models when they finally dropped support for the older models. Combined with the free unifi controller software and a unifi router, you have a pretty good setup for home use, everything integrates really well making monitoring a breeze. The hardware is not the cheapest but your bang for buck is damn good.
 
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randomcat said:
I need to setup a mesh system. I'm using a Tenda f9 on a 100/100 Vuma + Afrihost line. What is the best brand for a budget of R2500 max?
Click to expand...
scoop.co.za

Reyee Dual Band WiFi 6 1800Mbps 6dBi Gigabit Mesh Router | RG-EW1800GX Pro

Reyee's RG-EW1800GX is a WiFi 6, dual-band, MU-MIMO Gigabit router featuring speeds up to 1800Mbps. It can be used as a stand-alone router or access point but can also be used in a mesh topology.
scoop.co.za scoop.co.za

Two of the above should be a good upgrade. This will also replace your Tenda as it's a full router
 
The problem with these consumer mesh systems is that many of them don't support VLAN's, making it impossible to separate out your network into different segments for IOT devices, guests, etc. Far better to spend the extra cash and get an Ubiquiti Unifi network if you're really serious about kitting out a home properly.
 
This is what I get on my Wifi 5 network. I don't see the need for WIFI6 yet.
Screenshot_20220128-132736_Speedtest.jpg

On a 500/50 fibre line, using 2 x Ubiquiti UAP-AC-LR access points.
Same SSID's on both AP, but multiple SSIDs to separate Home, Guests and IoT etc.
 
Wifi 6 is more about adding capacity for multiple devices working at the same time.

I have 3 unifi AP's at home (very thick old Dutch home). on the two UniFi NanoHD's which are 4x4 antenna setups I get about 910Mbit when testing from two 2x2 devices, where with my AC-LR with a 3x3 antenna it tops out at about 500mbit for the same two laptops. 2.4 Ghz channels top out at about 40Mbit regardless

running 3 SSID's, my main network, a guest network and VLAN and an IoT network with L2 isolation so those devices can only talk to the internet and nothing else.

Edit, All the AP's are mounted in at the top of the roof space so they can get over the thick walls. you cant do that with consumer AP's as they cant handle the 50C+ heat in the roof in summer, like business grade gear can.
 
Sapphiron said:
Glad the writer is happy with the purchase, but for others I would like to caution against many of the brands in this space.

Netgear, much like D-link, Xiaomi and Tenda have terrible track records on security and patching those updates. Look at one of the small business brands like ubiquiti, mikrotik or Reeyee as they have much better track records on supporting their products.

Also even when deploying the mesh kits, it's significantly better to have them wired directly to your router. Reach wireless hop adds latency and packet loss to your connection.
Click to expand...

I keep hearing murmurs of these security issues, but have never actually seen a real issue develop. Realistically speaking, what are the dangers?
 
Speedster said:
I keep hearing murmurs of these security issues, but have never actually seen a real issue develop. Realistically speaking, what are the dangers?
Click to expand...
I have seen routers infected with Crypto mining malware, pegging the CPU at 100% and dropping packets

I have seen router carrying out DDoS attacks on other networks.

I have also seen Router's poison DNS requests, to alter the advertisements they see on webpages, or to mess with their search results.

www.wired.co.uk

Your old router is an absolute goldmine for troublesome hackers

In the last three years, cyberattacks against insecure routers have rocketed. Last year there were 35 families of threat and the number is only set to increase
www.wired.co.uk www.wired.co.uk

Mikrotik also had a problem about 3 years ago. In response they released a patch for all their devices, even 8 year old ones in less that 2 weeks. In response they also rolled out an auto-update method so clients don't have to manually download or run the updates.
 
Sapphiron said:
I have seen routers infected with Crypto mining malware, pegging the CPU at 100% and dropping packets

I have seen router carrying out DDoS attacks on other networks.

I have also seen Router's poison DNS requests, to alter the advertisements they see on webpages, or to mess with their search results.

www.wired.co.uk

Your old router is an absolute goldmine for troublesome hackers

In the last three years, cyberattacks against insecure routers have rocketed. Last year there were 35 families of threat and the number is only set to increase
www.wired.co.uk www.wired.co.uk

Mikrotik also had a problem about 3 years ago. In response they released a patch for all their devices, even 8 year old ones in less that 2 weeks. In response they also rolled out an auto-update method so clients don't have to manually download or run the updates.
Click to expand...
Yeah no that will just be because people don't change the default admin password.
 
backstreetboy said:
Yeah no that will just be because people don't change the default admin password.
Click to expand...

The WAN interface shouldn't have any ports open to the Internet in the first place. Still shocking how many cheap routers don't enable this by default.
 
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