Netgear Orbi 860 Tri-band, Wi-Fi 6 AX6000, Mesh router – when you don’t need Wi-Fi 6E (network review)

Netgear Orbi 860 Tri-band, Wi-Fi 6 AX6000, Mesh router is for those who don’t need Wi-Fi 6E yet but want Orbi’s superior signal strength and easily expandable Mesh system.

It does not hurt that it saves $700 for a three-pack covering 560m2 versus the Netgear Orbi RBKE963 Quad-band Wi-Fi 6E AX 11000 mesh (network review) three-pack at $2799. You can also get a two-pack (router/satellite) and extra satellites.

Why buy Orbi?

There are a lot lower cost Wi-Fi 6 Mesh router and satellite systems on the market. We have found that Netgear Orbi has superior coverage and speed and manages bandwidth better than most. It is like buying a luxury premium car over a Hyundai (no offence intended). It is not about money because Orbi owners can afford it and want to buy the best.

Further reading:

• Should I buy a 6 or 6E Wi-Fi router? (network guide)
• Seamless whole-of-home Wi-Fi now easy with Wi-Fi 6 (2023 update)
• Fix Wi-Fi blackspots fast and often at no cost (2023 update network guide)

Australian Review: Netgear Orbi 860 Tri-band, Wi-Fi 6 AX6000, Mesh router Model RBK860

Website	Product and Manual
Price	2-pack $1499 3-pack $2099 Extra satellite RBR860 $799 Note: Black colour is exclusive to Orbi  Online
From	It is a specialist product and may have to be ordered from Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi and Netgear or Orbi stockists.
Warranty	2-year ACL (from approved resellers only)
Made in	Vietnam
Company	Netgear (Est 1996) is an American computer networking company based in San Jose, California, with offices in about 22 other countries. It makes class-leading Nighthawk routers, MESH Orbi systems, Wi-Fi extenders, switches/hubs, Powerline adapters and a massive range of business and service provider networking equipment. Arlo spun out recently as a separate security camera company.
More	CyberShack Netgear news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – Kinda big but attractive – Pass+

Orbi’s design cues are elegant in a brutalist kind of way. They must be big to house the stronger antenna arrays and dissipate heat better. Orbi has a White/gold version for retail sale and a Black version for online only. I don’t mind – while I prefer cleaner white, black seems to be the most fashionable.

The router and satellites look the same – the router has a Yellow 10Gbps WAN Internet port and four gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. The satellites have four WAN/LAN ports – one can be used for ethernet backhaul.

Netgear Orbi 860 Tri-band, Wi-Fi 6 AX6000, Mesh route base specs

We will go through many of these in more detail in the review, but this is what you need to know for now.

• Model: Router (RBR860), Satellite (RBS860)
• Available in Black or White
• Tri-band 2.4GHz 1200Mbps + 5GHz (1) 2400Mbps all broadcast as one band steering SSID. 5GHz (2) 2400Mbps is for backhaul.
• IoT SSID for older IoT that requires 2.4GHz, and lower encryption levels.
• Guest Network
• 2.4GHz 1200Mbps means you can connect many IoT devices
• When Ethernet backhaul is used 5GHz (2) is unavailable for Wi-Fi use.
• The new 8-stream antenna design gives 20% improved performance over superseded 850-series.
• Optional Netgear Armour by Bitdefender that protects the Wi-Fi network with a shield of security across your PCs, phones, cameras, TVs, speakers, etc.
• Optional NETGEAR Smart Parental Controls efficiently manage your children’s exposure
  and time online across all their connected devices
• Voice Assistant control
• Coverage using Wi-Fi backhaul approx. 180m2 each (15m radius circle), but you need to allow for each satellite to be no more than 10m line-of-site from the router, so bank on about 430m2 coverage for a three-pack.
• Easy setup with the Orbi App or use a web browser and Wizard. The Browser has the full suite of router features.
• 254 x 190.5 x 71 mm x 1.297kg

Bandwidth – Pass+

It has eight antennae and simultaneous streams. Tri-band Mesh allocates one 5GHz 2400Mbps full-duplex, 20/40/80/160MHz band to the backhaul, leaving a 2.4GHz (1200Mbps 20/40Hz – maximum device speed is 866Mbps) and 5GHz (2400Mbps 20/40/80 – maximum device speed is 1200Mbps).

The IoT network can be set for 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or both and has a lower encryption standard for IOT devices. This is excellent as it keeps IoT off the main home network and removes cross-infection between IoT and the main devices.

The Guest network (if enabled) is both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, using a different SSID and sub-net to keep guests out of the home network.

Ports – Pass

We got a consistent 1Gbps full duplex Ethernet connection from the satellite to the router.

The 10Gbps port is handy if you have gigabit NBN speeds. Although the lack of additional 2.5Gbps LAN ports means gigabit speeds only.

It does not have USB-A ports, but the need for these is minimal anyway.

Setup – Too easy with the Orbi App – Pass+

Download the Netgear Orbi App for Android or iOS and set up an account (you need to do this to recover lost passwords etc.). Plug in the router to power and the internet gateway, scan the barcode, and the app does the rest. Give it a name and password. Enable Two-Factor-Authentication.

Once the router is set up, place the satellites where you will use them, and the app will Find and configure them.

Web interface – Pass+

Before you use the web interface, read the Manual.

We found that the defaults worked best anyway, but it is easier to change the SSID. Password and LAN IP address (change it from 192.168.1.1 to something like 192.168.50.1, as too many gateways use the default address).

Speed – it is complex – Exceed

If you connect to the router via Wi-Fi, you will get up to 2.4GHz/866Mbps, and 5GHz/1200Mpbs. The connect speeds progressively drop as you move further away.

If you connect to a satellite, you get the same speeds as it is transmitting using the same power as the router.

Tests – Mesh measurement is more complex.

We noticed a stronger antenna signal (-dBm) than most routers. Why? The Orbi RBK860 Tri-band has more, stronger antennas and amplifiers than most other routers.

In fact, it is so strong that we could place the satellites up to 10m away from the router and still get a 100% signal line-of-site and 75% signal through two walls and two cupboards.

All tests were able to get NBN 100/20Mbps.

Interestingly this can cause issues when roaming. Our test Galaxy S23 Ultra refused to swap over to a satellite as it got a sufficiently strong signal from the router.

The bottom line is that the home is bathed somewhat redundantly in high-speed Wi-Fi 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

IoT and device support – Pass+

Each router and satellite can support (in theory) around 50 devices. That number is achievable if these use low bandwidth (like smart lights).

If you wish to stream 4K video, we suggest that two TVs, several smart speakers, and several Wi-Fi cameras – 20-50 devices should not overload the Wi-Fi bandwidth.

Connecting bandwidth hogs to the router’s Ethernet Wan ports gives it the processing power to cope with much more.

Power Use – Pass+

Under load, the router peaked at 15W and the satellites at 12W. The device’s ‘sort of sleep’ power ranges from <1w to 5W and will cost less than 30 cents per day to run.

Netgear Armour – This may or may not be attractive

Netgear Armour by BITDEFENDER – a subscription service that provides IoT protection, AV end-point for Windows, macOS and Android devices outside the home, a basic VPN and optional Parental controls. If you already have AV suites and IoT protection, it may pay to use Armour.

Circle parental control (trial – not tested)

It has the usual parental controls and more at extra cost. You can set profiles for each family member, schedules, time limits and bedtimes, automatically blocking a child from using any of their devices past a specific time. More here.

Voice control – Pass+

Google Assistant and Alexa have basic voice commands.

CyberShack’s view – The Netgear Orbi 860 Tri-band, Wi-Fi 6 AX6000, Mesh router is top drawer stuff

As we said earlier, this is not the cheapest tool in the shed, but it is undoubtedly the sharpest. A two or three-pack (or more) will offer trouble-free, whole-of-home coverage. With the caveat that you will need Ethernet backhaul if placing a satellite on a different floor.

It is Wi-Fi 6, not 6E, but it has all the advantages over Wi-Fi 5 – full-duplex, OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 1024 QAM, Beamforming, and higher reliability.

If you can afford to go the Netgear Orbi route, you will not regret it. Price is what you pay, and value is what you get.

Rating Explanation

• Features: 90 – it has every Wi-Fi feature you can think of. No, it is not Wi-Fi 6E, but would you rather spend $700 more to support very few 6E devices or perhaps buy an extra satellite?
• Value: 90 Yes, it is expensive – no arguments, but people buy premium brand cars every day.
• Performance: 90 – it has the highest performance in its class.
• Ease of Use: 90 – The Orbi App makes installation very easy. The 2-year warranty is superb.
• Design: 90 – elegant in its way.