Orbi RBK353

I'm moving to a new (larger) house and need to update my TP Link router that has done me proud for a few years but unfortunately I don't think it's going to cover the 1800 square feet and extra rooms. Costco are doing the Netgear Orbi RBK353 for £268 at the moment . It's probably their cheapest Mesh system but should meet my needs hopefully. Just wondering what anyones thoughts are as I have also been considering the Google system.

My needs are pretty basic, working from home, laptop, phones and a couple of 4k TV's that I stream but no gaming with a 60MBPS FTTC connection.

I just need a reliable wi fi

I don't have this but I do have a wireless mesh system from a TP-Link Deco M5 which appears to be a lower spec. Using this has been the first time since I've had broadband that I've had wifi that wasn't a source of niggling problems and parts of the house with no coverage. I'm definitely a fan of mesh wifi.

I also don't have this version but he older RBK53, but it's been the best thing I've done for years moving over to mesh wifi, just seamless transition when moving around the house with a mobile phone. I've used powerline adapters, access points etc, but my mobile phone always clung on to the last access point even though it had a poor signal compared to the nearer one. Constantly swapping SSID on each access point was also a pain.

If you can run an ethernet cable between your router and the mesh node (or using powerline adaptors), then an Asus router connected to another Asus router working as an AiMesh node will work well. I have an Asus RT-AC68u as my main router connected via ethernet to another RT-AC68u in the loft which provides coverage for all upstairs rooms. It works very well and is cost effective as I bought the second router used on Ebay.

Edited by joconnell (Wed 26-May-21 09:19:16)

In reply to a post by BB4Tickton:

I also don't have this version but he older RBK53, but it's been the best thing I've done for years moving over to mesh wifi, just seamless transition when moving around the house with a mobile phone. I've used powerline adapters, access points etc, but my mobile phone always clung on to the last access point even though it had a poor signal compared to the nearer one. Constantly swapping SSID on each access point was also a pain.

We've been down the same route and have exactly the same experience. We have a couple of Tenda mesh nodes installed, have the WiFi turned off at the router and the experience is now completely seamless and pain free.