Third Time Is the Charm?
Jeffrey Clos is a participant in the Amazon Associates LLC associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. There are some links within this article to the described product.
I wrote about my journey to achieve “Screaming WIFI Speeds,” and I was happy until I wasn’t. I had settled upon the Netgear AX-3600 WIFI 6 mesh system, and everything seemed to work initially. It had two key features, making it especially appealing over my previous Nighthawk model, AX-1800.
1. Increased Range- This was especially important for the size of our house. I had too many dead spots with the AX-1800 and had to buy five satellites. The AX-3600 could handle the entire house with two satellites.
2. Multiple Ethernet Ports on the router and the satellites. This was important as I have a few bridges and oddball components (Sonos Speakers) I like to hardwire.
I could not get the satellites to stay connected to the main router for my life. I have the technical know-how to tweak channels, move satellites closer to one another, avoid outside interference, and reset the units. It was hit and miss, and I became so frustrated I was ready to whip these out the window. I knew they were capable of more, but I was done. I chalked these up as not compatible with my house or my system. I began reading reviews on the AX-3600 as they came in, and they seemed to echo what I saw.
As luck would have it, a stellar deal became available on the ORBI RBK-753 (AX-4200), and I quickly jumped. I had always wanted the ORBI WIFI 6 system, but I was always put off by the pricing. Granted, these are still more pricy than the Nighthawk system, but when you are as frustrated as I was, you are open to splurging to get something that works.
My initial thoughts on the units out of the box:
I love the looks of these compared to the boxy shape of the Nighthawk system. I will be less worried about having these in a viewable area. They are aesthetically more appealing.
They are a bit taller, which explains their more extensive range. This three-pack is rated at 7500 square feet, whereas the Nighthawk was 6750 ( I couldn’t prove this).
They feel better constructed than the Nighthawk System. They have more heft to them.
I made sure to unplug the previous system, as this would wreak havoc with dueling mesh systems. ORBI has its application, and it went very well out of the gate. I had to reset the system once to work correctly, but it has performed exceptionally well. More importantly, it recognizes the satellites at all times.
I have one unit on each house level, including the basement, main floor, and upstairs at alternating ends. All of my bridges, speakers, and phones, and tablets have stellar connections. I believe we have a winner, but only time will tell!
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