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The Prime Day deals keep raining down, but a discount on Netgear’s Orbi 770 Series stands out in the deluge, especially considering it’s WIRED’s favorite Wi-Fi 7 mesh system for most people. Easy to set up and use, boasting stable and speedy performance, not to mention expansive coverage, the Orbi 770 Series is a banging mesh.
On the prowl for more tasty discounts? You owe it to yourself to check out our roundup of the Absolute Best Prime Day Deals, covering all categories (including more router deals), and our fun and frantic Prime Day liveblog.
NetGear Orbi Deal
For years, I have recommended Asus mesh systems, like the XT8 (also on sale right now), because they work extremely well, come with free security and parental controls, and offer a wealth of options. The XT8 is still my pick of Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems, but Asus dropped the ball with Wi-Fi 7, releasing mesh routers with flaky firmware. I’m sure they’ll improve over time, but in the meantime, Netgear stepped into the breach with some top-notch Wi-Fi 7 systems. (Wi-Fi 7 is the latest version of Wi-Fi.)
Netgear pursued a premium pricing strategy for a long time, but it has recently started to offer slightly more affordable mesh routers, and the Orbi 770 Series is the sweet spot in the lineup for most people. Refreshingly easy and impressively stable, it won me over—and I test several dozen routers a year. I think it’s a great way to step up your Wi-Fi game.
This tri-band mesh offers three bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) as a unified network that’s available for devices and as backhaul (traffic between the main router and satellites). It is lightning fast at short range but also offers expansive coverage for more than 100 devices. A two-pack will be enough for most homes, and easily delivered for my 1,600-square-foot house, extending a strong Wi-Fi signal into my backyard. If your home is bigger, the three-pack is also on sale.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Handling four simultaneous movie streams and online gaming sessions with apparent ease, the Netgear Orbi 770 is easy to recommend. The accessible app shows connected devices, allows you to set up a guest network or IoT network, and offers a handful of analytical tools. The main router has a 2.5 Gbps WAN and three 2.5 Gbps LAN ports, while the satellites make do with two 2.5 Gbps LAN ports each.
Sadly, you have to pony up for a subscription if you want Netgear Armor, but this feature-packed security software includes Bitdefender Security and a VPN service. It’s free for 30 days, then $40 for the first year, and $100 a year after. Basic parental controls are free, but to set limits, track website and app usage, apply age-appropriate filters, and set bedtimes, you need to subscribe to Smart Parental Controls for $8 a month or $70 a year after the 30-day trial. You can live without either.
A Wi-Fi 6 mesh will serve most homes well, but snagging the Orbi 770 allows you to tick off Wi-Fi worries for the next few years and future-proof your home. You do need Wi-Fi 7 devices to take advantage of the features, but new phones and laptops already support it, and that will continue to grow.
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