Whole home Wi-Fi systems ethernet speeds

Model	Average Ethernet Speed (Mbps)
Linksys Velop	943
Samsung Connect Home	893
NETGEAR Orbi	858
Ubiquiti Labs AmpliFi HD	802
Eero (1st Gen)	761
Google Wi-Fi	754
Samsung SmartThings Wi-Fi	732
Netgear Orbi Voice	729

　　Test Clients: 2 x Intel NUC Core i5 PCs

　　

Whole home Wi-Fi systems short range wireless

Model	Average Short-Range Speed (Mbps)
Samsung Connect Home Pro	498
Samsung SmartThings Wifi	426
Samsung Connect Home	385
Ubiquiti Labs AmpliFi HD	364
NETGEAR Orbi	337
NETGEAR Orbi Voice	302
Google Wi-Fi	297
Linksys Velop	159
Eero (1st Gen)	156

　　Test Client: MacBook Air with D-Link DWA-192 AC1900 USB Adapter plus Intel NUC Core i5 PC

　　At 302 Mbps, short-range Wi-Fi speeds were similar to the debut Orbi system – perfectly respectable, but, again, behind class-leaders. But it’s the long-range performance in which Orbi Voice truly shines.

　　Orbi Voice does a fantastic job of sustaining speeds.

　　We typically see the performance of cheaper mesh Wi-Fi competitors drop-off severely at long range, but Orbi Voice does a fantastic job of sustaining speeds. An average speed of 296 in our spottiest test location is the fastest we’ve encountered to date, and we were able to boost that slightly to 307 Mbps using Orbi’s wired connection.

　　If you need to blast strong and speedy Wi-Fi to the farthest reaches of your home, there’s no finer choice in today’s whole home Wi-Fi market than Orbi Voice.

　　

Whole home Wi-Fi systems long range wireless speeds (wireless backhaul)

Model	Average Wireless Speeds (Mbps)
	Bedroom (Main)	Attic	Basement
NETGEAR Orbi Voice	394	242	296
NETGEAR Orbi	322	217	228
Linksys Velop	309	250	163
Google Wi-Fi	285	123	90
Samsung SmartThings Wi-Fi	264	187	91
Ubiquiti Labs AmpliFi HD	216	157	59
Eero (1st Gen)	211	67	82
Samsung Connect Home	181	44	61

　　

Warranty information

Netgear Orbi Voice is backed by a 1-year limited hardware warranty.

　　

Our Take

While its audio fails to hit the highs delivered by the most expensive smart speakers, Netgear Orbi Voice is the most versatile whole-home Wi-Fi system on the market today. Solid audio performance combines with smart and responsive Alexa assistance to create real utility for Orbi owners new and old, while enhanced parental controls by Circle with Disney offers valuable protection for the kids.

　　Add lightning-quick, long-range Wi-Fi, and you have one heck of a package. Fingers crossed that Netgear’s Orbi app developers can zap the errors in setup and Alexa connectivity, which are the only dark spots in this effort at convergence.

　　

Is there a better alternative?

Orbi Voice stands alone in this level of convergence, but if you’re looking for the best smart speaker around, be sure to check out Apple HomePod, Google Home Max and Sonos One. If you’re only interested in a router, take a look at Netgear Orbi.

　　

How long will it last?

With a growing range of routers and satellites for use both indoors and outdoors, Orbi has been a big hit, and the range will be around for some time to come. We’d anticipate competitors jumping in with similarly converged devices next year (look out for this trend at CES 2019), and the whole-home Wi-Fi category is due for chipset upgrades in due course. But for now, Orbi Voice is a great pick.

　　

Should you buy it?

Yes. Netgear Orbi remains a leading choice in whole-home Wi-Fi, and the introduction of Orbi Voice adds differentiating features while maintaining performance. There are better-sounding speakers around, but few are this smart.