Eero Vs Orbi – Which mesh router has better range?

If you’re looking for a high performance mesh router, you may want to consider either the Eero or Netgear’s Orbi. Here, we’ll see how these top mesh systems perform and see which one would be the better choice for you.

One of the best solutions for poor Wi-Fi range and loss of signalis mesh routers. Mesh routers are a pack of routers (sometimes identical) that are placed at different points of the house where there are dead zones. They usually come as pack of three nodes inside the package although this may vary depending on the brand. Eero and Orbi belong to the high performance premium category as they provide very high bandwidth over very large areas. They are both ideal for large homes, villas and mansions. Orbi was manufactured by Netgear while the Eero is an Amazon product. The following table highlights their major differences and features.

What are the Differences between the Netgear Orbi and Amazon’s Eero?

Eero vs Netgear Orbi – How do they compare?

These two routers are similar in a lot of aspects. However, they have a few differences that we will look at in this section.

Performance and speed

The performance refer to the bandwidth and speed provided by the router. Here, the Netgear Orbi beats the Eero by a margin. Orbi is a triband router rated as an AC3000. This means it provides a throughput speed of 3000 Mbps. This speed is distributed across its three channels in the following way: 400 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz, 867 on one 5 GHz and 1733 Mbps on the other. However, this is just the theoretical speed at ideal conditions. The Orbi was tested in a real world environment and found that it provided a speed of 349 Mbps which is a wonderful performance against all standards. On the other side, the Eero is an AC1750 rated dual band router. What this means is that it provides a theoretical throughput speed of 400 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz and 1350 Mbps on the 5 GHz channel. When tested, the speed came to about 196 Mbps. The Orbi would therefore be a better choice for anyone looking for high speed and bandwidth

Design

It’s important that we love the design of the router we choose. These devices will likely be placed in the living room and we don’t want them clashing with the décor. Even though design may be a personal preference, the Eero has an overall better design. First, it is much smaller than the large towering nodes of Netgear’s Orbi. Both routers are pristinely white in color and feature LED status indicator lights at the front. The Eero is also easy to position in the house due to the size and flat orientation that ensures it consumes as little space as possible. Overall, Amazon’s eerois more striking and convenient for home use

Ports and structure

Another major consideration when looking for a router is the number and types of ports it has. Routers with more ports and wide range of ports are considered better as you can connect more devices. Here, the Orbi wins again and it’s mainly due to size. Since Eero units are large, they come with four RJ45 Ethernet ports, all located at the back of the router. There is also a power on button, sync button and power port at the back. On the other hand, Eero is much smaller and this design has limited it to only two ports. Both are RJ45 Ethernet ports and are located at the back. We recommend Netgear’s Orbi if your main issue is physical connections.

Package size

Both of these products are categorized as mesh routers for extending the Wi-Fi signal. Because of this, they are usually sold as a package. Netgear Orbi comes as a default package with two units inside: a router and a satellite. The Eero on the other hand is sold as a single router and adding other routers is optional. This is because while the Orbi is a mesh, Eero is a Wi-Fi extender. You will find that the single Eero unit provides as much coverage as the Orbi two pack system. The Eero is therefore more effective and the smaller package of the two

Range

Range is perhaps the most important factor when selecting a mesh system or Wi-Fi extender. Here again,Orbi takes the cake with a range of 4500, 7000, 10000 square feet depending on the package size. Eero comes in close with a range of up to 1700 square feet per single unit. If you have a large house, the Orbi is a much better choice and will ensure there is a signal even in the backyard.

Pricing

The Eero and Orbi are quite similar in price. However, the Orbi costs slightly more and this may be due to its larger two pack system. If you’re on a tight budget, consider getting the Eero.

Eero vs Orbi – A comparison review

Eero mesh

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The Eero mesh router is one of the more affordable mesh systems in the market today. But even at a reasonable lower price, the Eero Mesh router offers wonderful performance and provides wide coverage. Released as one of the first mesh router systems, the router works by using multiple range boosting and extending nodes or hubs to spread the signal through the whole house. The Eero comes with a default package of three hubs inside the box when bought. Each of these nodes is identical in looks and performance. The hubs are also small, one of the smallest among all mesh routers, and features a lovely design. They are white in color and are covered in hardened plastic material. This router’s design is for horizontal placement. The face of the routers feature a small LED light right at the front center edge and the company’s logo in grey tangible fonts.

Apart from that, this router comes with important recent technology such as smart hub compatibility. Unlike the Orbi routers however, the Eero is not an Alexa endpoint. Instead, you have to have an Echo smart speaker to use the smart services. You can use voice commands to control certain aspects such as turning off or reducing the LED brightness.

Pros

• Its small size ensures the interior décor is not intruded
• The Eero router is very easy to install, setup and manage
• Easy to mount on to walls and other stationary objects
• Robust security through the builtin Secure Plus security feature
• It is affordable and offers great value for money

Cons.

• Eero is a low performance router
• It does not have a speaker or microphone
• Security Plus works only on a paid subscription making the system expensive in the long run

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The Netgear Orbi

NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Whole Home Mesh WiFi System with 3Gbps Speed (RBK50) – Router & Extender Replacement Covers Up to 5,000 sq. ft., 2-Pack Includes 1 Router & 1 Satellite White

• Ultra-performance Mesh WiFi network blankets every inch of your home in super fast and seamless WiFi...
• Eliminates WiFi dead zones and buffering - 5,000 square feet of consistent coverage - with speeds up to...

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The Netgear Orbi system is considered a revolutionary system due to its backhaul wireless band system. What this means is that it has a band frequency of up to 5GHz with a link speed of 1.7 Gbps. It is a great system for extremely large houses since it has superb range. It is also quite versatile in its use and comes with a USB port to connect other devices such as printers and scanners. This makes it a fantastic choice for office or workplace use.

This mesh router is known for eliminating dead zones in the house. With a mesh coverage of up to 5000 square feet and a connection with more than 25 devices, the Orbi lets you stay connected on full bars in every room of the house. This area can be extended further using additional satellites. It also works with all internet service providers which is a great plus.

Pros

• On the 5GHz band, it has a dedicated backhaul with a high speed of up to 1.7 Gbps
• It is very easy to setup and install using either the web browser or mobile app for both Android and iOS users
• There is a wall mountability feature
• It has been tested and found to be much faster than the Velop

Cons

• The mobile app could use more features
• Netgear’s Orbi is expensive

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Conclusion

All in all, these routers do a fantastic job at eliminating dead zones. The Orbi is however ahead of the Eero as it provides better range, speed and value for money. The use of recent Wi-Fi 6 technology is also a great plus.

Final verdict – So which is better, Eero or Netgear Orbi?

Here, Netgear Orbi takes the cake when it comes to choosing a reliable system. However, if you have a moderate sized house and don’t need long range, you can save your coins by picking Amazon’s Eero for your home.

FAQs

1. Does the Eero support beamforming?

Yes. The Eero supports both beamforming and Mu-Mimo technologies which both assist in simultaneous data streaming

2. Does any of these routers overheat?

No. Both of these routers come with ventilation points. The Orbi is however more susceptible to overheating as it does not have many insulation points