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Netgear NBK752 Orbi 5G WiFi 6 Mesh System Review Ratings
generalize
The capabilities of the Netgear NBK752 Orbi 5G WiFi 6 mesh system are unmatched. Mobile data failover worked flawlessly in my tests, and I think it’s a feature that has become essential for small businesses and people working from home.
advantage
- 5G connectivity can serve as both a primary form of internet and a backup for seamless handover
- Three Ban WiFi 6
At the end of 2020, I reviewed 4G Netgear Orbi LBR20, we’re in some form of tiered lockdown, and my partner and I are both working from home. During this review, our Virgin fibre was out for a whole day and the LBR20’s 4G failover saved the day.
Netgear has now launched the new high-end NBK7 Orbi.This system has gone up a few notches and it’s now a three-band WiFi 6 mesh system A satellite is now included, and the modem has been upgraded to 5G. As with the previous system, you can use it with mobile data as the primary form of connectivity, or you can use mobile data as a backup over the WAN port to fiber optic lines.
It’s a major upgrade over the LBR20 and, as you might expect, prices have soared to the top-end list price of £1,100.
As a miserly northerner, I can understand if you think the prices are overpriced, but I think one thing we’ve learned over the past two years is how important the internet is to our daily lives.
The Netgear NBK7 appeals to anyone working from home and can’t afford to be disconnected from the Internet, or anyone unfortunate enough to rely on BT’s aging copper VDSL connection. It will also be hugely appealing to small business offices, where you can easily lose productivity if the Internet goes down and your employees can’t work.
Netgear NBK752 Orbi 5G 5G WiFi 6 Mesh System Specifications
- Orbi AX4200 Router and AX4200 Clone
- Tri-band WiFi 6:
- 5Ghz 2×2 Client @ 1200Mbps
- 5Ghz 4×4 Backhaul @ 2400Mbps
- 5G NR SA/NSA
- LTE Cat 20
- 4G LTE frequency bands: B2, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 29, 30, 41, 48, 66, 71
- 5G frequency bands: n2, n5, n25, n41, n48, n66, n71, n77
- MU-MIMO enables simultaneous data transmission
- Implicit and Explicit Beamforming in 2.4GHz and 5GHz Bands
- Powerful quad-core 1.4GHz processor
- 512MB NAND flash and 1GB RAM
- Six (6) high-performance internal antennas with high-power amplifiers
- port:
- Router: 2x Gigabit LAN + 1x Gigabit WAN
- Satellite: 2x Gigabit LAN
- Control your WiFi with voice commands when you have Amazon Alexa™ or Google® Assistant
- Complete antivirus and data theft protection for your PC, Mac® and mobile devices with NETGEAR Armor
- Guest WiFi network makes it easy to set up independent and secure Internet access for guests
set up
Because I just reviewed Netgear Orbi RBKE963, I already have the Orbi app. Then I need to build a new system.
Like all Netgear products, I just scan the QR code and the app does the rest. It took a while to connect, but the router automatically detected the mobile connection without me adding an APN setting. When I switched SIMs, I restarted the router and it automatically connected to the new network.
When I first set it to be mobile only, I need to change this under Internet type when I use mobile for failover.
LTE 4G speed test with built-in and outdoor antennas
Since my house doesn’t have a 5G signal, I had to use 4G for most of my mobile data testing.
I want to see how the NBK7 performs on the web compared to my speed pixel 6 Also see if there is any benefit to using an outdoor antenna.
The outdoor antenna I used was the cheapest, semi-rated 5G/4G omnidirectional antenna I could find. It turned out to be the Poynting XPOL-1 V2 5G, which was £66 when I bought it and is now £99. My installation location is not ideal, I installed it outside my office window. Mounting it in a higher exposed location on my property may have yielded better results.
I also referenced the results of my Netgear Orbi LBR20 4G review.
- three
- Mobile Speed: 71Mbps DL, 30Mbps UL, 75ms ping
- Netgear Internal Antenna: 74Mbps DL, 40Mbps UL, 64ms ping
- Netgear with Poynting Antenna: 74Mbps DL, 44Mbps UL, 71ms ping
- Vodafone
- Mobile Speed: 121 Mbps DL, 28Mbps UL, 36ms ping
- Netgear LBR20: 110Mbps DL, 28Mbps UK, 39ms ping
- Netgear LBR20 with cheap external antenna: 130Mbps DL, 35Mbps UL, 35ms ping
- Netgear Internal Antenna: 154Mbps DL, 34Mbps UL, 26ms ping
- Netgear with Poynting Antenna: 123Mbps DL, 40Mbps UK, 34ms ping
- EE
- Mobile Speed: 60Mbps DL, 11Mbps UL, 24ms ping
- Netgear Internal Antenna: 73Mbps DL, 25Mbps, 26ms ping
- Netgear with Poynting Antenna: 90Mbps DL, 33Mbps Ul, 29ms ping
The EE results are annoying, they should have the best signal in this area, and they have 5G outdoor coverage a few streets away.
However, all the results are good. They are all better than the best VDSL speeds quoted by BT, which are 36Mbps-50Mbps downstream and 7-9Mbps upload. BT will have a lower ping and probably more consistent speeds, but for general internet activity and working from home, 4G mobile data will work better for me than VDSL.
Outdoor antennas have little impact on overall performance, and EE is the only vendor to achieve significant speed gains. Then Vodafone’s download speeds are much lower.
While the benefits of an external antenna are minimal, if my internet depends on mobile data, I’d be inclined to buy the best antenna I can afford and install it properly. However, based on my mixed results, some experimentation is required.
5G connection
After looking at the 5G coverage map, I found a friend’s house that was covered by 3.
The router is in a window on the first floor, and I achieved 356Mbps download, 21.1Mbps upload, and 60ms ping.
This result is about the same as when my phone was connected directly. Download speeds are certainly impressive when you look at VDSL solutions, but high ping and low uploads are disappointing compared to 4G Vodafone. If there are multiple 5G options in your area, it’s best to try which one is the best.
Mobile data failover
Just like the Orbi LBR20, you can run the NBK7 with an alternate option of LTE and primary fibre internet.
With this review, my internet didn’t conveniently cut me off to test the system, so I had to replicate the issue myself.
I started downloading the Windows 11 ISO and unplugged the ethernet cable from Orbi. I also ran Speedtest on my phone right away.
In both cases, there was no noticeable downtime for the connection. Chrome continues the download as if there were no errors.
Put the cable back in and there seems to be a slight delay between the Orbi going from the mobile to the fiber. However, both my phone and desktop registered my Virgin speed in about 30 seconds.
Mesh WiFi performance
Mesh performance is similar to what you get on other tri-band WiFi 6 Netgear Orbis.
In this case, I left the router in the office window and set up the satellite in my front room, which is downstairs, and two rooms in a brick house.
Using mobile data, I achieved a download speed of 71.7Mbps, an upload speed of 22.6Mbps, and a ping of 35ms.
Other router features
Just like all other Arcane and Nighthawk products, the NBK7 has a variety of extras built in. The main two are Netgear Armor and Smart Parental Controls. I cover this in more detail in my RBKE963 review. They are useful additions, and if I have kids I can certainly see how the parental controls can be useful. Both services require a monthly fee, and I think most people can live without them.
Price and Alternatives
This Netgear Orbi NBK7 has an MSRP of £1,099.99which is undoubtedly very expensive.
The Netgear Orbi LBR20 has an MSRP of £399.99, but it’s a single router without satellite, WiFi5 and 4G. This Orbi needs to be paired with other WiFi 5 Orbi, currently I can’t find any satellites that can be purchased separately. Netgear seems to have fully supported WiFi 6 and discontinued a lot of older hardware.
There is no other 5G-equipped mesh system on the market. If you want a similar setup from a different brand, you have to get a 5G CPE/router and add a mesh system from there. The Huawei 5G CPE Pro 2 is the most popular and costs £500 for itself. The TCL LinkHub HH500E 5G CPE doesn’t get very good reviews and costs £390.
However, as far as I know, none of these options have WAN failover or network load balancing. So it’s just a viable option for people who want 5G connectivity as their primary way to connect to the internet.
An alternative failover solution I can think of is to use a dual WAN router, such as a Vigor 2925, but that cost £320 at the time. You’ll also need a 5G modem and a separate mesh system.
Then the tri-band mesh WiFI 6 mesh system is also quite expensive. The Asus ZenWiFi XT8 is £385 and the TP-Link Deco X90 is £350.
This Netgear RBK752the system was based on an MSRP of £499 and is currently £330.
So a similar system will cost you around £850, but it’s a messier solution and lacks Orbi’s failover capabilities.
I reviewed before AVM FRITZ! Box 6890 LTE Router, priced at £408, limited to 4G connectivity and mobile failover.This is a great solution especially if you want phone functionality, but it doesn’t compare to Netgear’s solution
comprehensive
My glowing review of the Netgear Orbi LBR20 is in large part because it saves a day of productivity.
The Netgear Orbi NBK7 is the same concept, just packed with all the latest and greatest tech at a price that matches its high-end specs.
If you’re in a location that could benefit from 5G, it’s an amazing system, either as your primary form of internet or as a high-speed failover for fiber connections.
While home users might not want to spend £1,000 on 5G data failover, I think it’s an essential feature for small businesses and many people working from home.
I used to freelance for a marketing company with five employees. Billed hours are £50/hour and the office has semi-regular internet disconnects of varying lengths. I suspect over the course of a year it cost them thousands of dollars. Based on this experience, I think a system like the Netgear Orbi NBK7 is an essential purchase for any SMB.
There’s also nothing else like it on the market, so if you’re interested in these features, this is the best and only option on the market.
