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Real Home Mesh product guide

NETGEAR Orbi 770 Series RBE773 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System, 3-Pack

Homes wanting a band reserved for the link between router and satellites

One RBE771 router and two RBE770 satellites, all on tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with a band kept for Enhanced Backhaul. The router has a 2.5 Gbps internet port and three 2.5 Gbps LAN ports; each satellite has two. Wired backhaul is documented in the manual, and NETGEAR Armor is an optional paid subscription.

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Published specifications

  • Maker: tri-band Wi-Fi 7, BE11000, up to 11 Gbps; 6 GHz uses 320 MHz and 4K-QAM
  • Maker: router one 2.5 Gbps WAN plus three 2.5 Gbps LAN; each satellite two 2.5 Gbps LAN
  • Manual: router LAN ports can wire to a satellite port for wired backhaul
  • Manual: security options WPA2-PSK + WPA3-Personal, or WPA3-Personal only
  • Maker: main, IoT and guest networks; automatic firmware updates; VPN support
  • Maker: warranty valid only from an authorized reseller and only if you register the device

Fit and limits

Strengths

  • A band is reserved for Enhanced Backhaul, so satellite traffic does not share your client band
  • Every port is 2.5 Gbps, and the manual documents wiring satellites for wired backhaul
  • Separate IoT and guest networks, plus a browser interface as well as the Orbi app

Caveats

  • NETGEAR Armor is a separate paid subscription after the 30-day trial
  • Only the RBE771 router has an internet port, so satellites cannot take over as gateway
  • The warranty page gives conditions but no duration, and registration is required

A router and two satellites, not three identical units

The RBE773 is not three of the same box. NETGEAR's what's-included list is one Orbi WiFi 7 Router (model RBE771), two Orbi WiFi 7 Satellites (model RBE770), one Ethernet cable, three power adapters and a quick start guide. Amazon's included-components field says the same and specifies a 2 m Ethernet cable.

That matters because the router is the only unit with an internet port. The user manual describes the router as the unit that connects to your modem or gateway and the satellite as the unit that extends the signal. If you later rearrange the house, you cannot simply promote a satellite to be the gateway.

Each unit is 9.88 inches tall, 5.28 wide and 3.95 deep and weighs 2.02 lb, so these are tall towers rather than pucks. NETGEAR sells a single satellite separately, which its shop page lists as covering up to 2,750 sq. ft.

Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with a band kept for the backhaul

NETGEAR rates the system BE11000, up to 11 Gbps, and describes it as simultaneous tri-band Wi-Fi with Enhanced Backhaul on 6 GHz, 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz. The user manual gives the detail behind that: the 6 GHz radio supports 802.11be with 4K-QAM and a 320 MHz channel width for a throughput of 5760 Mbps, and the new Wi-Fi 7 features let the system reach a total of 11000 Mbps.

Enhanced Backhaul is the reason to pick a tri-band Orbi over a dual-band one: a band is reserved for traffic between the router and satellites rather than shared with your phones and TVs. NETGEAR's footnote adds that the 6 GHz band is limited to indoor range.

NETGEAR's footnote on the speed figure is the usual one: the maximum rate is derived from the IEEE 802.11be specification, actual throughput and coverage vary with network, your country's regulation, traffic volume, device limitations and building construction, and reaching maximum speeds requires devices using the latest standards.

Coverage figures, and how the two numbers relate

NETGEAR's headline is up to 8,000 sq. ft. and up to 100 concurrent devices for the 3-pack, which the listing repeats. Its own technical details block then gives the router up to 2,500 sq. ft. of Wi-Fi coverage and each satellite up to 2,500 sq. ft.

Those per-unit figures add to 7,500 rather than 8,000, and NETGEAR's shop page separately lists an add-on satellite at up to 2,750 sq. ft. while Amazon's description says another satellite extends coverage by up to 2,700 sq. ft. We found no source reconciling the four numbers, so use them as rough placement guidance and not as a promise about your house.

For comparison inside the range, NETGEAR's own table puts the Orbi 370 (dual-band, BE5000) at up to 6,000 sq. ft. and 70 devices and the Orbi 870 (BE21000) at up to 9,000 sq. ft. and 150 devices, so the 770 sits in the middle of its family.

Ports: 2.5 Gbps throughout, and wired backhaul is documented

NETGEAR's port list gives the router one 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps WAN port and three 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps LAN ports, and each satellite two 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps Multi-Gig Ethernet LAN ports. The user manual labels the router's sockets as 2.5G Multi-Gigabit LAN ports 1-3 plus a 2.5G Multi-Gigabit Internet port. Amazon's technical table lists the number of ports as 7, which does not match NETGEAR's own figures of four on the router and two on each satellite; ask NETGEAR if the exact count decides your purchase.

The manual states the wired backhaul option in plain words: you can connect a LAN device to each of the three router ports, each supporting 2.5 Gbps, and you can also connect these ports to a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port on each satellite to create a wired backhaul connection. It has a dedicated procedure for setting up a satellite over a wired connection and a section on Ethernet backhaul connections for multiple satellites.

This is not a modem. The manual says to connect your modem to the 2.5G Internet port, and adds that if both your ISP and your modem support 2.5 Gbps then the router's internet connection also runs at 2.5 Gbps, otherwise it runs at the maximum speed both support, noting 1 Gbps as a common speed. NETGEAR's page says Orbi works with any internet service provider and that you plug it into your modem. Amazon's bullet says the same.

Security: WPA3 choices, three networks, and a paid Armor tier

The user manual's Wireless Setup page offers two security options, WPA2-PSK + WPA3-Personal or WPA3-Personal, with a password of 8 to 63 characters for the mixed mode and 8 to 127 characters for WPA3 alone. NETGEAR's product page describes WPA3 encryption as built in, and Amazon's table lists the security protocol simply as WPA3.

NETGEAR's network-security block lists the Orbi app for installation and management, three separate Wi-Fi networks (a main network, an IoT network for smart-home devices and a guest network), access control to prevent rogue devices joining, automatic firmware updates and VPN support for remote access to your home network. The manual shows the system can also be managed from the router's own web interface, not only from the app, and includes an option to generate a new backhaul password.

NETGEAR Armor is the part that costs money. NETGEAR calls it an optional subscription powered by Bitdefender covering threat protection, VPN and privacy for devices at home and beyond, and the Amazon bullet says a 30-day free trial is included and that a separate subscription is required. The manual's Armor chapter lists what it covers, including advanced threat defense, webcam protection, ransomware protection, anti-phishing and secure browsing. Decide whether you want that recurring cost before buying, because the router's own firewall and access control work without it.

Setup, support and a warranty with conditions

NETGEAR's stated requirement is a high-speed internet connection to an existing modem or gateway. Setup runs through the Orbi app with guided steps, and the manual documents both app and browser management. The router uses a quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, and the manual also covers syncing a satellite wirelessly or by cable.

NETGEAR's support line on this page says technical support is available at no charge for a specified period, without giving the period on the page itself, and points to a separate page for the details. Its footnote also directs you to netgear.com/eos for the duration of software and cyber security updates, which is worth checking for a device you expect to keep for years.

The warranty block carries two conditions rather than a length: the NETGEAR limited warranty is valid only if the product is purchased from a NETGEAR authorized reseller, and only if you register the device at NETGEAR's registration page. The duration is not stated on the product page. So check the seller of the offer you select and register the system as soon as it arrives.

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Primary sources

  1. NETGEAR product page for the Orbi 770 Series RBE773 3-pack
  2. NETGEAR user manual for Orbi router RBE771 and satellite RBE770 (202-12672-01)

Primary sources checked .

Compare with

Side-by-side pages, this model next to: TP-Link Deco S4 AC1900 Mesh Wi-Fi System, 3-Pack, TP-Link Deco X55 AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh System, 3-Pack, TP-Link Deco XE75 AXE5400 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Mesh System, 3-Pack, TP-Link Deco BE63 (Deco 7 Pro) BE10000 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System, 3-Pack, Amazon eero 7 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System, 3-Pack.

Keep comparing

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