Wi-fi 7 in the whole house: this is what NetGear once again offers with its Orbi 770 kit. What to get the best out of recent PCs, smartphones and tablets … even if everything is not yet perfect.
Wi-Fi 7 has not finished talking about him. The standard rises aboard an ever increasing number of devices. If on the smartphones side, it is still the high-end models that favor it, in the world of laptops, Wi-Fi 7 tends to impose itself on recent models.
It must be said that the famous PC Copilot+ animated by second -generation Intel Core core chips (Lunar Lake) or the Snapdragon X processors of Qualcomm immediately integrate it. And for all those who plan to renew their equipment this year, migrate to a powerful Wi-Fi router at home can be advantageous. A question to be studied in particular if there is a fiber connection and an aging Wi-Fi network provided by the box or a slightly old router (Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6). For those who already operate a 6th Wi-Fi wireless network at home, going to Wi-Fi 7, however, proves to be less relevant. The theoretical flow proposed in Wi-Fi 6th displays 9.6 Gbit/s which is already very comfortable and sufficient for most current uses. Wi-Fi 7 can reach the theoretical 46 Gbit/s. It also offers better coverage and lower latency.
To further increase housing coverage, you can count on MESH Wi-Fi systems that offer a mesh Wi-Fi network. The installation consists of a router to connect to the box and one or two satellites to be placed in the parts the least well served by the wireless network. This is exactly the solution offered by Netgear with its Orbi 770 that we test here. Available from 699 euros (for the router and a satellite), it displays a much more reasonable price than the Nighthawk RS700S which we had tested a few months ago (900 euros) or the high -end orbi 970 high -end kit billed 1700 euros!
This solution is not yet most affordable and rather represents an investment for the future by promising comfortable coverage and the possibility of connecting a large number of devices with the best possible speed. To verify this, we installed the Orbi 770 in an apartment saturated by the surrounding wireless networks with an internet box authorizing a flow of 1 Gbit/s. Several Wi-Fi 7 smartphones (Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, S25 Ultra, OnePlus 13 and Oppo Find X8 Pro) as well as a PC Asus Vivobook S15 under Lunar Lake allowed us to make our measurements. Here is our verdict after several weeks to enjoy Wi-Fi 7 in Netgear sauce.
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Netgear Orbi 770: a sober and elegant design
The orbi kit is intended for a wider audience than the manufacturer’s Nighthawk routers. They therefore display a more sober design, more passout and less geek. The Orbi 770 could almost pass for an object of decoration with its white dress and its shape of a tower with the rounded facade.
The device remains fairly imposing with its 25.1 cm high for 13.4 cm wide and 10 cm deep but displays a sufficiently light weight (916 g) to hold on a light shelf.
At the rear of the router module, there is a WAN 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet port for connection to the box. It is supported by three 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet Ports to connect your other wired devices (TV, fixed computer, game console, etc.).
For satellites, it is minimum service with two 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet Ports. No USB port or on the router or on satellites. Too bad since we will therefore not be able to connect a printer or an external disk.
Netgear Orbi 770: a very simple installation
If there is a moment that we appreciate with the materials signed Netgear, it is their start -up. Everything has been done from the Android or iOS smartphones app. No need to be a network pro. After connecting the router to the box then scanned the QR code present on the device, the app takes care of its installation. The only thing you have to do is choose the name of the Wi-Fi network and the associated password. If a Wi-Fi network was already available before installation, name the new network exactly the same way with the same password. This will prevent you from reconfiguring all devices to reach the new Wi-Fi network.
Then it only remains to install the satellites. Favor parts where Wi-Fi usually finds it difficult to pass. The router will then communicate with them by borrowing an exclusive wireless connection (what is called a backhaul). A good way not to nibble the bandwidth dedicated to all the other peripherals of the house.
The total installation configuration (start -up of the router and synchronization of satellites) can require a large fifteen minutes. You have to be patient, especially since no progression gauge is displayed on the smartphone screen. Only LEDs that flash on the boxes indicate that the task is in progress.
When everything is ready all your devices will automatically connect to the new network (if you have not changed its name and password) and this in any covered part and without any manipulation. This is the goal of the meshed Wi-Fi network.
Netgear orbi 770: practical but paid functions
Netgear’s application remains a treat to use even for those who know nothing about it. In the blink of an eye, it is possible to obtain the list of devices connected to the network (with or wireless) and even to suspend their connection, to activate the invited Wi-Fi network (to avoid having to share the main network information), to carry out speed measurements, etc. Two other options attract the eye: Security & Support and Control Parental. The first allows you to activate network protection for all connected devices by blocking for example connection to risk sites. The second allows you to finely filter access to the devices used by children. Practical, but paying. Despite the significant cost of this mesh Wi-Fi kit, these functions are only available on the trial. After a month you will have to pay a monthly subscription of 7.99 euros for parental control and an annual subscription at 69 euros to secure traffic. Damage.
The management of the Orbi 770 is not limited only to the application. It is possible to access your setting page from any web browser. From there, we have more latitude to refine the more sophisticated parameters such as the change of channels, the redirection of ports, the NAT filter, etc. Experienced users will be able to pay their network to small onions with a French interface.
Netgear orbi 770: efficient flows but not everywhere
So we installed the Orbi 770 in a 75 m apartment2 With a fairly classic distribution of parts. The router is positioned in the living room, near the Internet box (SFR). The two satellites are installed in the most distant rooms. With this configuration, the Orbi 770 should ensure good coverage of the entire accommodation. For this, it offers Wi-Fi 7 Tri-Bande (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz) and is able to combine 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands to take advantage of the MLO (Multi-Link Operation). This function authorizes Wi-Fi 7 compatible devices (not all of them) to use the two frequency bands simultaneously to send and receive data. The flow is therefore improved and the latency reduced. Finally, this orbi kit promises a theoretical speed of 11 gbit/s per terminal and a very wide coverage of 750 m2 Or our surface ten times. Enticing. But the reality is quite different.
As evidenced by the above thermal card made with the NetSpot tool, the Wi-Fi cover is comfortable in the living room where the router is located, in the two bedrooms where the satellites are placed as well as in the kitchen separated by a Placo partition. In the parental room on the other hand, the coverage is not optimal. Strange since it is located just opposite the router, simply separated by a thin plywood plate. However, the received signal remains acceptable with -65 DBM. At the height, in a room where the router or a satellite is located, the signal climbs to – 28 dBm. Excellent. We also not noticed a dropout. The connection remains very stable. Phew.
To measure the flows, we led our tests on several devices with OpenSpeedtest to assess the connection to a local network. In the living room, near the router, we get 1.32 Gbit/s in Download and 1.37 Gbit/s in upload. A flow higher than that included in our fiber package with SFR on the local network. In the room where the most distant satellite sits, the performances diminish with 841 Mbit/s in Download and 795 Mbit/s in Upload. We are far from the 11 theoretical Gbit/s. However, this remains comfortable to work serenely with sufficient flow and stable connection. Including to watch streaming videos.
Netgear orbi 770: a wi-fi mesh still expensive
Less elitist than the Orbi 970 solution, the Orbi 770 kit allows you to benefit from a stable Wi-Fi 7 network with rather satisfactory flows. It may be suitable as part of a renewal of old equipment if it is a question for example to replace a Wi-Fi 5 or 6 router or to give a good cost to the Wi-Fi network deployed by the box of ‘operator.
If you are also equipped with the recent equipment house compatible with Wi-Fi 7 (PC, smartphone, TV tablet or virtual reality headset), go to this standard with this solution offered by Netgear can be advantageous. The connection remains really stable and the number of devices that can be deployed on the network (a hundred) leaves margin.
On the other hand, if you already have a 6th Wi-Fi router, the choice is less decided. This standard displays very satisfactory performance with fairly solid flows. If it is a question of extending the network coverage, we can also be content to add a 6th Wi-Fi repeater, much cheaper (around 130 euros). Wi-Fi 7 is still in the democratization phase. Only in Netgear is only to still provide a small effort on the price to make it easily enter homes.