NETGEAR announced the Wi-Fi 7 Orbi 870 series Mesh system on 7 January 2025. The series sits between the Orbi 770 and Orbi 970 in NETGEAR's Wi-Fi 7 Orbi range and is designed for large homes with many devices.
Key features
- 320MHz channels: Wi-Fi 7 can use channels twice as wide as Wi-Fi 6 (320MHz) in the 6GHz band. This width gives higher data rates on devices that support it.
- Multi-Link Operation (MLO): Lets Wi-Fi 7 devices connect over more than one band at the same time, which helps reduce latency and connection fluctuations.
- Wired connections: The router has a 10 Gigabit internet port, and the router and each satellite have four 2.5 Gigabit LAN ports.
Capacity and management
The manufacturer states combined Wi-Fi speeds of up to 21 Gbps and up to 150 connected devices for the system. These are manufacturer figures; real-world speed depends on the environment and the connected devices. Setup and management are done through the Orbi app.
Note: To benefit from Wi-Fi 7 features such as 320MHz channels and MLO, the connecting device must also support Wi-Fi 7. Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 devices can connect too, but they run at the speeds of their own standard.
The Orbi 870 series is aimed at homes with a multi-gigabit internet line and many devices connected at the same time.
