Netgear Introduces New Additions to Industry-leading WiFi 7 Lineup of Home Networking Products

[TheLostSwede]

NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of innovative and secure solutions for people to connect and manage their digital lives, today expanded its WiFi 7 mesh and standalone router lines with the new Orbi 770 Tri-band Mesh System and Nighthawk RS300 Router. NETGEAR's most affordable WiFi 7 products to date build on the company's promise to provide powerful WiFi performance and secure connectivity.

WiFi 7 Changes the Game
WiFi 7 unlocks 2.4 times faster speeds than WiFi 6, delivers low latency and better handles WiFi interference for families to seamlessly enjoy next gen 4K/8K streaming, video conferencing, gaming, and more. Since the launch of NETGEAR's first WiFi 7 offerings - Nighthawk RS700 and Orbi 970 - multi-gig internet speeds have become more affordable, work from home demands have remained steady, and more devices such as AR/VR headsets or AI-focused platforms like CoPilot+ have been introduced that require extreme low latency and higher throughput.




While WiFi 7 adoption is growing and new generations of smartphones, laptops, and other devices are hitting the market at a rapid pace, IoT threats are increasing and router security at the device level is critical to keep digital lives and homes protected.

"NETGEAR's singular focus has always been to create and provide industry-leading solutions with powerful performance and secure WiFi connectivity," said David Henry, president and GM of Connected Home Products and Services at NETGEAR. "Our newest WiFi 7 additions, Orbi 770 and Nighthawk RS300, deliver these connectivity benefits to a wider audience, helping them experience unprecedented speed and performance on their devices and applications with the strongest possible security available today."

The Mesh System - Orbi 770 Series
Orbi WiFi 7 Tri-band mesh system provides exceptional performance and lightning-fast speeds up to 11 Gbps for up to 100 devices across homes of up to 8,000 square feet with a 3 pack. It improves connection speeds by combining the 5 Hz and 6 GHz bands using Multi-Link Operation for both fronthaul to connect to devices and backhaul to connect the router & the satellites. Its 2.5 Gig internet port unlocks the ability to fully experience the multi-gig internet speeds available today, making it future proof for a new era of entertainment, hybrid work, and next generation devices and applications. The ample 2.5Gig LAN ports on the router and satellite can be used for multi-gig wired connections between the two or to connect a shared storage or a gaming PC/console.

The slim, cylindrical bodies of the Orbi router and satellites are purposefully designed for optimal performance and make them a subtle addition to any desk, shelf, or entertainment unit. Each unit features four high-performance internal antennas with high-powered amplifiers for 360-degree coverage, regardless of the home layout, from the front door to the backyard. Orbi 770 offers a robust WiFi connection using preamble puncturing which selectively blocks interference for a stable connection, keeping the home network functioning flawlessly.

The Standalone Router - Nighthawk RS300
The Nighthawk RS300 Tri-band router introduces blazing-fast WiFi 7 for speeds up to 9.3 Gbps to budget-conscious but high-tech and gadget users. Its sleek new body and patented omni-directional internal antenna design improves coverage and pushes signals to the farthest range, providing up to 2,500 square feet of WiFi coverage across a max of 100 devices.

Everyone in the household can access the latest multi-gig internet speeds with the 2.5 Gig internet port, and the additional 2.5Gig and two 1Gig LAN ports can be used for fast wired connections for latency intolerant, devices such as a gaming PC or console.

Peace of Mind with Cutting-Edge Security
Home network devices see an average of 10 attacks on home networks every 24 hours, making it critical to safeguard your digital life starting at the router. Powered by state-of-the-art encryption protocols and advanced threat detection mechanisms, NETGEAR routers stand as the first line of defense against evolving cyber threats and include security features such as automatic firmware updates, VPN support, cutting-edge WPA3 security, access control, and guest WiFi network options.

The Orbi 770 series will be the first product to have an additional layer of security with the new Advanced Router Protection feature, only available from NETGEAR. This feature protects the router from not only known threats but also from most unknown threats using a combination of AI heuristics and advanced exploit prevention to recognize and block exploitation attempts. Additionally, it enables the capability to quickly release live patches for threats without needing to wait for a new firmware release. This significantly improves response times compared to the traditional method of releasing firmware updates for each specific router model and further strengthens our commitment to provide industry leading security protection for our router/mesh products from cyberattacks. Advanced Router Protection which has been developed in partnership with Bitdefender will be rolled out to the rest of the WiFi 7 lineup later this year.

For added protection, both Orbi 770 and Nighthawk RS300 include a 30-day trial for NETGEAR Armor Powered by Bitdefender, providing an automatic shield of security for connected devices and added privacy with VPN. Unlike traditional endpoint antivirus products, Armor is built into the router as an all-in-one security solution, protecting computers, security cameras, baby monitors and other IoT devices on the network and eliminating the need for multiple security subscriptions or software.

Both also come with NETGEAR Smart Parental Controls to easily manage kids' time online across their connected devices and promote good online habits for the family. Basic features are available free of charge. A subscription fee applies for a Premium Plan after a 30-day trial.

Orbi 770 Technical Specifications:

• Ultra-Fast WiFi 7 Tri-Band Speeds up to 11 Gbps - Experience combined Multi-Gigabit speeds up to 11 Gbps with 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands.
• Higher Capacity & Robust WiFi - Supports WiFi 7 technology enhancements like 320 MHz, 4K QAM and preamble puncturing.
• Multi-link Operation - Combines two WiFi bands at once, for both backhaul (shared 5 GHz & 6 GHz) and fronthaul (5 GHz & 6 GHz) to improve network reliability, reduce latency, and ensure data is delivered with maximum speed.
• Multi-Gig Speeds with 2.5 Gig Internet Port - Use the 2.5 Gig internet port for multi-gig cable and fiber plans. Compatible with any internet service provider.
• More Multi-gig Wired ports on Router and Satellites - Plug in wired devices to improve performance or setup a multi-gig wired connection between the router and satellites via three 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports on the router, and two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports on the satellites.
• Do It All with the Orbi App -Easily manage your network from anywhere, including pausing the Internet, running Internet speed tests, tracking your Internet data usage, setting up separate guest networks, and more.

Nighthawk RS300 Technical Specifications:

• Blazing-Fast WiFi 7 Tri-Band Speeds up to 9.3 Gbps - Experience combined Multi-Gigabit speeds up to 9.3 Gbps with the ultra-fast 6 GHz WiFi band for smoother WiFi experiences and less interference from neighboring networks.
• 2.4x Faster Speeds - WiFi 7 delivers 2.4x faster speeds than WiFi 6 with ultra-wide 320 MHz high-capacity channels and 4K QAM to maximize performance across your connected devices.
• Multi-Gig Speeds with 2.5Gig Internet Port - Use the 2.5 Gbps internet port for today's faster cable and fiber plans. Or link one LAN port and the internet port together for speeds up to 2 Gbps for a modem that does not have a multi-gig port but supports link aggregation. Compatible with any internet service provider.
• Improved Performance with 2.5Gig Wired Ports - Enjoy improved performance on your gaming and entertainment devices by plugging them into the two 2.5 Gbps ports for faster wired connections. And link the two 1 Gbps LAN ports together for speeds up to 2 Gbps for a NAS device.
• Easy file sharing - Plug a thumb drive to the router's USB port to easily share files.
• Do It All with the Nighthawk App - Configure your WiFi for peak performance on priority devices. Easily manage your network from anywhere, including pausing the Internet, running Internet speed tests, tracking your Internet data usage, setting up separate guest networks, and more.

Availability
The NETGEAR Orbi 770 Series is available for pre-order now on NETGEAR.com and at other major retailers subsequently.
RBE773: Router and 2 Satellites - 3 pack, $999.99 MSRP
RBE772: Router and 1 Satellite - 2 pack, $699.99 MSRP
RBE770: Add-on Satellite, $399.99 MSRP

The NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300 is available now on NETGEAR.com and at other major retailers subsequently.
RS300: Router - $329.99 MSRP

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Ferrum Master]

My salary is not enough to afford a new router these days...

 

[phints]

Meh I'll wait for something like a MediaTek Filogic 880 based device with good OpenWrt support before moving up to wifi 7.

 

[Deleted member 229121]

I am not happy with my WiFi 6 router, but I'm not ready to drop four figures on a 7 mesh setup either.
Will wait until the prices get more reasonable / keep an eye on them this fall during Black Friday sales.

 

[TheLostSwede]

My salary is not enough to afford a new router these days...

Good thing there are plenty of perfectly fine WiFi 6 routers in the market.

 

[Broken Processor]

The money they are charging for this junk boggles my mind.

 

[alwayssts]

The money they are charging for this junk boggles my mind.

Meh, it's just new. Think of the people that bought in at the $600-800 level for absurd amounts of network bandwidth many most-likely will never use, especially since 6ghz range is pretty awful.

Also, sometimes limited to a single 2.5Gb WAN.

Generally new stand-alones in the >~5400Mbps-marketed range start at ~$300 (and drop to ~$200-250ish when there's a new model/standard); might often be slightly less and go down faster this time.

I've seen models similar to this for $250 (and perhaps there have been some for even less), and we haven't even hit the stride wrt market saturation nor consumer base (people with a >1Gb connection).

The standard market tiers are also shifting: from ~5400Mbps->~7200Mbps ('good') to >5700-> >7200Mbps-13000Mbps ('better') wrt Wifi 7.

There is a LOT of competition now, especially with the establishment of mesh networks being a thing.

Like Swede said, there are also a metric ton of very good ~$150-200ish routers out there that are likely more than most will need for quite some time, especially if you can suffice with a 2.5Gb WAN.

In reality, while I can imagine the uptick of >1Gbps services; 2-5Gbps happening in a wide-spread manner for consumer use, I think >5Gbps (10Gbps) may take a wee bit longer in many places.

Things may have improved (I haven't researched it lately), but last I read, fiber networks built off coax infrastructures were stuck somewhere around 8Gbps (or something to that effect).

Yes, I know some people already have direct 10Gbps fiber available to them (for a fair price), and that's cool for them, but I think most people are going to end up with 1-5Gbps for quite a while.

In that regard, you have a ton of (fairly cheap) products out there that support at least one 2.5Gb WAN, some with link aggregation (realistically to 5-5.5Gbps) built for wifi 6(e).

While some may have/need that blessed 10Gbps connection, and (others) may move a ton of data around their network, I think if you can get 5Gbps in/out of your router over wired/WIFI most people are set.

I only think it's the true nerds that need to look above the ~5200-5700mbps (generally ~5400?), perhaps soon ~7200Mbps, lines of products; 2.5->5Gb WAN capability (if aggregate) dependant upon needs.

I personally want a 10Gb WAN and more than one at least 2.5Gb LAN port, and would love the total wifi capability to be as close to 10Gbps as possible, if not over, but I'm not going to pay absurd pricing.

I don't think most-anyone will, because they don't/won't need it, hence I think pricing on 9.3Gbps/12-13Gbps models will drop below $200/250 quickly with >13Gbps being for enthusiasts, but that's JMO.

TLDR: Most are fine with a ~5400mbps-7200mbps box with appropriate ports; ~$100-200. I want something something slightly better (than even this), and cheaper, and it will inevitably come at some point.

I think they will be available (and priced reasonably due to massive competition) soon. Netgear/TP-Link/Asus are going to have to fight it out with many companies trying to get into this market.

Above that is VERY niche, and may remain expensive...but, TBH, IDC.

 

[bug]

I love my R8000 and I appreciate it still(?) gets firmware updates. And this still comes with 2.5Gbps Ethernet and doesn't command a huge premium.
But:
1. Unspecified CPU (I can find a few online, but none supports the advertised speeds).
2. Advertised 9+ Gbps and huge coverage, without pointing out over half that bandwidth is over the 6GHz band, which is pretty much LoS.
3. A single USB 3.0 A port which is not that great if you want to hook up an external SSD to share some data across your household.

At the same time, how can a satellite cost more than a full-blown router?