Netgear squeezes a modem into their Orbi tri-band mesh router system

Just when you thought Mesh couldn’t get any better–well, everything gets better with time, so it was only a matter of waiting–Netgear has taken their mesh router system and made it better by integrating a modem into the mix of things. That means one less thing you have to buy, and you have one product to rule it on when it comes to internet in your home.

Orbi is already one of the leading mesh solutions on the shelf, giving you tri-band Wi-Fi, and mesh coverage of up to 4,000 sqft, using two routers that you spread evenly across your home. Then you have the ability to expand that coverage another 2000 sqft for every unit you add to the mix (purchased separately). Mesh provides one of the most stable Wi-Fi solutions for large properties, allowing your devices to remain on the same SSID everywhere you go–without having to bounce around the repeaters/extenders of old, which re-broadcast the SSID of your network or force you to have to go with multiple SSIDs, which only confuses your devices that much more. Now, you can setup however big of a network as you want, and all of the units involved mesh together to create one assimilated borg network. A network you used to have to feed with a modem that existed between your incoming internet line and the router system.

Now, you can find a DOCSIS 3.0 modem (sorry guys, no DOCSIS 3.1 yet) modem crammed inside, with 32×8 channel bonding (which is perfect for current tech), allowing for up to 1.4Gbps internet throughput between all channels (given, you won’t ever actually get those speeds in the real world without a DOCSIS 3.1 modem). It’s the new Orbi Whole Home WiFi System with Built-in Cable Modem (model CBK40). The router system itself can handle up to 2.2Gbps throughout your home (computer/device to computer/device) and MU-MIMO. The max Wi-Fi speed isn’t exactly the top on the market, but if you want more, you are going to also spend more (and you are already spending $399 for this one).

Like most mesh solutions, this is going to cost you some money. Mesh typically falls within the $299-$399 range (and even higher if you take a route like Netgear’s Nighthawk mesh options). You can of course make it a little cheaper by sticking to an external modem and just buying the regular Orbi mesh solution without the built in modem. It will only be around $50 cheaper, but that makes a big difference for some. You can do this by buying into an ARRIS SURFboard SB6190 modem (also 32×8), which runs around $89.99-$99.99 (giving you a grand total of around $350. Again, not the best savings, but it’s something. So in the end, it comes down to convenience (of having everything built into one) vs $50 dollars savings.

You can of course take it further and one-up the new router/modem combo by buying into the before mentioned original Orbi (without built-in modem), and combining it with a DOCSIS 3.1 modem, like the ARRIS SURFboard SB8200. That modem runs around $189, taking you $40 beyond the price of the new modem/router combo from Netgear, however it will future proof the crap out of your network as internet packages climb in speed (that ARRIS also offers dual gigabit ethernet ports on the back, allowing you to set up two different gigabit networks…that is, if you will ever need such a thing).

If the new Netgear combo is your kind of thing, you can pre-order now from Amazon (you can find a button/link below). It will, again, run you $399, but it comes with everything you need between the coaxial cable coming out of your wall and providing internet to all of the devices in your home.

Buy/Pre-Order from Amazon

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