Netgear’s new Orbi router has seriously speedy Wi-Fi 6E – but an eye-watering price tag

Netgear Orbi Quad-band Mesh WiFi 6E Router shown on a desk
(Image credit: Netgear)

Netgear has pushed out a revamped Orbi mesh Wi-Fi system which makes use of the latest wireless tech to achieve seriously speedy performance levels.

The new Netgear Orbi Quad-band Mesh WiFi 6E system (also known as the RBKE960 series) makes use of Wi-Fi 6E, as the name suggests. If you’re not familiar with that standard, Wi-Fi 6E introduces the 6GHz band for swifter performance, and with quad-band tech, this new system doesn’t just offer faster speeds but is also capable of supporting more devices.

Essentially, what Netgear has done here is taken the Orbi Tri-Band flagship mesh networking package (RBK853) and added a fourth 6GHz band. This provides another option as well as the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, with all the aforementioned benefits, and also the boon of keeping multiple devices less susceptible to interference, spread as they are across three rather than two bands.

In total, the RBKE960 offers support for four separate networks – your standard home Wi-Fi network, a guest network, an IoT network for smart gadgets specifically, and a Wi-Fi 6E dedicated network to ensure 6E devices get the best possible speeds (and lack of congestion).

Netgear Orbi Quad-band Mesh WiFi 6E Router shown in a living room

(Image credit: Netgear)

Another upgrade comes in the form of support for up to 10 Gigabits internet, should you be lucky enough to have an ultra-fast connection. There are also additional 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports on the main router device and satellites alike, should you opt for a wired connection rather than wireless.

On the security front, the new product supports WPA3, and the Orbi WiFi 6E comes as a 3-pack which is good for delivering coverage to a house of up to 7,500 square feet in size.

That 3-pack will retail at $1,499.99 in the US, or £1,499.99 in the UK (€1,699.99 in Europe). Extra satellites for even larger homes will be priced at $599 / £649.99 / €699.99.

The mesh Wi-Fi system will be up for pre-order via Netgear’s online store today in the US, and the same will be true in the UK in the very near future.


Analysis: Storming Wi-Fi performance, but that price tag is steep as a cliff

This looks like a really smart advance for Netgear, although remember that you don’t just need a router system which supports Wi-Fi 6E, but your devices need to have the tech on-board as well. It is already present on some cutting-edge hardware, though, which includes laptops like the Dell Latitude 5520 and Lenovo ThinkPad T14, and phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S21.

Mind you, even if you don’t have the requisite devices to make use of Wi-Fi 6E, Netgear claims that other hardware can still witness considerable performance benefits from this new mesh Wi-Fi system. In fact, the Orbi Quad-band can offer a speed boost (and improvement in coverage) of up to 30% compared to the existing Tri-band Orbi, the manufacturer reckons. This is thanks to a superior antenna design and upgraded Wi-Fi radio compared to the existing flagship product.

With a new top-end product delivering these impressive performance boosts, Netgear’s Orbi family just became more compelling, although the price tag here will, of course, cause some serious pause for thought in terms of the budget for a good many folks.

Given the limited number of supporting Wi-Fi 6E devices right now, is this Orbi system really worth the steep asking price? Probably not, although to be fair, it’ll be seriously future-proof, and does have benefits for non-6E devices as pointed out.

For those lacking the seriously deep pockets required here, the Orbi range has already been rounded out with the addition of a more affordable offering. That would be the RBK353, which offers straightforward dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and does so at a far more palatable price of $399/£250 for a 3-pack (although even that isn’t cheap compared to some rivals).

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Read more
Eero 7 on a nightstand
Amazon's new Eero 7 and Pro 7 complete a 'comprehensive lineup' for its customers – here's everything you need to know
Asus ZenWiFi BT10 from the front on a wooden table wide image
Asus ZenWiFi BT10 review: sleek and super fast Wi-Fi 7 mesh, but you'll pay for it
best mesh Wi-Fi systems
The best mesh Wi-Fi systems in 2025: our favorite systems for home and business use
D-Link Eagle Pro AI R32 main image
D-Link Eagle Pro AI R32 review
TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro
Forget Google Nest - the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro is my new favorite mesh Wi-Fi system
One of the best wifi router picks against a techradar background
The best WiFi routers in 2025: our top picks for wireless connectivity
Latest in Wi-Fi & Broadband
Eero 7 on a nightstand
Amazon's new Eero 7 and Pro 7 complete a 'comprehensive lineup' for its customers – here's everything you need to know
A hacker wearing a hoodie sitting at a computer, his face hidden.
I just learned something awful about my home Wi-Fi setup thanks to iFixit’s ‘worst of CES 2025’ awards
Extendable WiFi 7 KV
Don't buy a router, buy a fast and secure ASUS WiFi 7 extendable router
Netgear Nighthawk router next to its box on a table
Netgear Nighthawk RS200 review: Netgear’s latest Wi-Fi 7 router is competitively priced – but makes compromises to get there
Netgear Orbi 770 router system resting on a table
Netgear Orbi 770 review: fast speeds, low Wi-Fi 7 prices
TP-Link Deco X55 3 pack
Don’t wait until Black Friday to fix your Wi-Fi – this awesome Labor Day deal could solve your problems
Latest in News
Super Mario Odyssey
ChatGPT is the ultimate gaming tool - here's 4 ways you can use AI to help with your next playthrough
Brad Pitt looks over his right shoulder with 'F1' written behind him
Apple Original Films will take you behind-the-scenes of a racing cockpit in this new thrilling F1 movie trailer
AI writer
Coding AI tells developer to write it himself
Reacher looking down at another character from the Prime Video TV series Reacher
Reacher season 3 becomes Prime Video’s biggest returning show thanks to Hollywood’s biggest heavyweight
Finger Presses Orange Button Domain Name Registration on Black Keyboard Background. Closeup View
I visited the world’s first registered .com domain – and you won’t believe what it’s offering today
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock