It has been almost three years since my review of the NETGEAR Orbi RBK50, which even at the time was over a year old. So as just the second Orbi product covered here, this has been long overdue. I just did not expect it to be a single-router Orbi product, especially given the whole mesh WiFi system aspect of the brand. In the case of the Orbi LBR20, however, it makes a lot of sense. It is a hybrid of a mobile hotspot and very sufficient router, and somehow ends up being as expensive as both combined, too. I admittedly had sticker shock when I found out it cost $400, and this was before I even had the product in my hands.

Having spent a few weeks with it does add a lot of context—namely, how expensive such mobile broadband routers tend to be. Indeed, the other NETGEAR product here is somehow even more expensive. Competing solutions from other brands are hit or miss, with customer reviews generally being positive only for products in the same price range. I also wasn't aware of these products until recently. I did see them at CES over the past few years, but did not understand their real use case as I didn't need one. So for those who would readily dismiss it at its price point, I do understand where you are coming from since I was there before. In context, however, especially knowing how far mobile broadband may progress in some regions of the world compared to wired internet, these can be the difference between having a reliable internet connection for your entire home or none at all. Using a smartphone as a hotspot is doable as well, but I personally would not say it's a real standalone solution, either. Then there's the pricing for alternatives, such as satellite internet (Starlink, anyone?) to where a 4G LTE SIM card with unlimited data can be far less expensive, and the initial cost of the router is nothing over the long run.

More than anything else, my main issue with the Orbi LBR20 is one of timing. It is not a new product necessarily, but the lack of 5G band support puts it in a rough spot for future use. Then again, NETGEAR just launched their 5G mobile hotspot router that comes in at nearly twice the cost in comparison! So, at least for now, it is even trickier to say whether the $400 for this vs. what will undoubtedly come closer to $850 for the equivalent Orbi 5G router is the way to go, if at all. 4G networks could be more stable than they even currently are, so I can only imagine how 5G from the various providers in your region will fare. I do wish NETGEAR would include LTE antennas, however. They do not cost much to include for the company and would have really helped with any inherent external factors that can influence signal strength, which is is key here since you really should not get the Orbi LBR20 if you are tying it to a modem anyway. There are far better options, including the aforementioned RBK50 WiFi system, you should look at instead. Having LTE connectivity as a primary option, or even as a backup, is what makes this interesting. The market for such products is starved, barely competitive to where the Orbi LBR20 serves its niche purpose well enough, and that alone makes it worth a consideration.