Packaging and Accessories

Here's a teaser for next time—the box for this two-pack Orbi Pro SKU is almost the same size as the upcoming three-pack Orbi set. I was not expecting that when taking everything out of the larger box, which incidentally shipped from a marketing hub and not directly from NETGEAR. What this means is that there is more going on inside compared to the cube-shaped box I was otherwise expecting based on my experience with the Orbi RBK50. We also see a departure from blue accents on the NETGEAR WiFi 5 Orbi systems as they are black here, which the product box reflects as well.

The box comes wrapped in plastic, and we have a similar design as before since pretty much all sides are covered in information galore. On the front is the company and product name alongside salient marketing features and a render of the product showing this is a two-pack system. We also see the NETGEAR Business logo to clarify who this is meant for, with more specifications and features in multiple languages on the back and sides. Also interesting is the clear recommendation to use the NETGEAR Insight mobile app for setup rather than a desktop system, which I will do to go through the average customer user experience. Turns out everything seen thus far is just an outer box, opening which we have a bare cardboard box with a double flap in the middle to keep the contents in place during transit.


Opening the box, we see lots of paperwork first up, including quick start guides in multiple languages (online copy here) along with a bunch of other documentation that goes with the prosumer/professional territory. There is also a much more detailed user manual online, which I highly recommend going over for users who actually plan to make the most of the product and remote monitoring features. The two Orbi Pro units are on either side of another smaller cardboard box.


Here we go, the first of the distinguishing features with the Orbi Pro line: included wall mounts. These are made out of white plastic to match the router and satellite and allow for them to be installed in a more optimal spot than just on a table somewhere. Ever noticed how access points are up above your head in a typical business setting? NETGEAR is aiming for something similar, but it obviously goes hand in hand with cable management and whether you want wired connectivity as well. Underneath these in a separate layer are the other accessories, including a hilariously large WiFi sticker.


More relevant are the two sets of installation hardware for the wall-mounting option, which come separately packed with plastic screw guides and supports, as well as long self-tapping metal screws. I have the EU version here, meaning I get separate power adapters for the router and satellite, but also wall plugs for the UK and most of mainland Europe. These are white as well and can output a whopping 42 W.


Last and certainly not least is a flat, two meter long Ethernet cable, which allows for a decent amount of room for cable management along a wall if needed. It is used to feed the internet signal from your modem/gateway to the Orbi Pro router and terminates in a standard RJ45 connector on either end. The cable is compatible with the 1/2.5 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports on the two units. The AWM style, 32 AWG 2854 hook-up wire in the cable has reliably been used by other industries for harsher applications, so I am confident this cables will work just fine, especially considering we got the same cable on the Orbi RBK50 and LBR20 as well. What I would have liked, however, are more of these cables given the link aggregation support and Pro part of this Orbi Pro unit.