So, you want to upgrade your home Wi-Fi to eliminate frustrating dead zones and buffering throughout your house. The good news is new wifi technology called "mesh networking" can solve this through multiple access points working together, instead of a single router.
Within whole home mesh systems, two big names stand out — Eero and Orbi. As you shop around trying to decide which is best for your situation, here is everything you need to know comparing the Eero and Orbi Wi-Fi systems.
A Brief History on Eero and Orbi
First, let‘s look at the backstory behind the Eero and Orbi brands to understand their differing approaches to mesh networking.
Eero emerged in 2014 as one of the first consumer-focused whole home mesh system. Nick Weaver, a former Apple engineer, leveraged his hardware expertise to design Eero‘s compact, stylish signature components. Amazon purchased Eero in 2019, helping Eero‘s mesh platforms scale through leveraging Amazon‘s marketing machine.
Meanwhile, established routing giant Netgear entered the mesh market in 2016 with the Orbi line. Having led the consumer Wi-Fi space for over 20 years, Netgear funneled that accumated networking knowledge into the Orbi hardware and software. The result aimed to deliver premium Wi-Fi performance through innovations like dedicated wireless backhaul to minimize bottlenecks between the router and satellites.
| Specs | Eero | Orbi |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Year | 2014 | 2016 |
| Founders | Nick Weaver, Amos Schallich, Nate Hardison | Patrick Lo, Sandeep Harpalani |
| Funding | $90M+ from leading VC firms | Public company with $3.3B in 2020 revenue |
| Acquisitions | Acquired by Amazon in 2019 for $97M | Acquired Sysmatic (IoT Company) in 2021 |
So while both companies have impressive pedigrees shipping award-winning mesh systems, Eero tailored more towards simplicity and Orbi focused on premium performance. Keep these philosophies in mind as we dive deeper!
Technical Specification Comparison
On paper, the latest Orbi and Eero models showcase robust capabilities thanks continuing advancement of Wi-Fi standards:
| Specs | Eero Pro 6E | Orbi RBKE963 |
|---|---|---|
| WiFi Standard | WiFi 6E | WiFi 6E |
| Max Speed | 1 Gbps | 4.2 Gbps |
| Range | 6,000 sq ft | 9,000 sq ft |
| Band Support | Tri-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz) | Tri-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz) |
| Hop Support | 2 hops from router | 4 hops from router |
| Wired Ports | 2 ports | 4 ports + 1 WAN port |
| processor | 700 MHz quad-core | 1.8 GHz tri-core |
Both companies have bought into advanced WiFi 6E standard delivering faster theoretical throughput by opening up the new 6GHz band. More importantly, WiFi 6E reduces network congestion across bands allowing your 100+ connected devices to stream, game, video chat simultaneously without interference.
Note Orbi edges out Eero in several key performance metrics thanks to its dedicated wireless backhaul innovatively connecting satellites. We‘ll explore whether these differences actually impact real-world reliabilty.
Orbi nodes can link together over greater distances topping over 10,000 square feet for the highest-end bundles. So Orbi better handles serving truly gigantic spaces.
External Hardware Design and Installation Process
Eero definitely wins points for its clean, subtle design blending seamlessly into your home decor. The small glossy white rectangular prisms disappear rather than sticking out with ugly antennas or bright indicator lights.
Conversly Orbi nodes grab your attention with a funky oval shape and very prominent glowing router status ring. The Orbi satellites do allow orienting or hiding the router‘s antennas which helps. So if you want your mesh nodes fading into the background, Eero certainly checks that box over Orbi‘s standout styling.
Installing either ecosystem proves seamless thanks to intuitive mobile apps walking you through ideal node placement and testing connectivity. Eero gets a slight edge in terms of simpler initial setup for novice users. But Orbi makes connecting your router and satellite(s) to your modem easy as well after 20+ years perfecting consumer networking gear.
Advanced users may appreciate Orbi‘s deeper performance analysis with speed testing and per-device network monitoring. But Eero definitely still provides ample oversight into network health for average needs.
The bottom line? Unless you want complex mesh monitoring data, Eero‘s process proves simpler especially for mesh first-timers. But Orbi also makes basic setup painless.
Software Experience and Key Features
Managing your home network becomes easier by tapping into the range of applications provided by Eero or Orbi. Here‘s an overview of some notable capabilities:
Parental Controls – Both enable age-appropriate filtering by user/device as well as scheduling access times and monitoring usage. Orbi includes browsing history tracking for supervised devices.
Guest Network – Eero and Orbi allow creating a separate guest SSID with access limits helpful when visitors connect to your home WiFi. This keeps guests off devices on your private main network.
Network Management – Orbi equips advanced users with richer performance measurement tracking surrounding internet speeds, bandwidth consumed per device and connection quality analytics. But Eero certainly provides sufficient oversight needed for typical household connectivity monitoring.
Smart Home Integration – Eero has integrated support for connecting Zigbee smart home devices through Alexa voice commands. Orbi instead relies only on Alexa/Google skill integration enabling basic on/off device control.
Cybersecurity – Orbi partners with BitDefender to provide Netgear Armor cybersecurity across your network and devices with anti-virus, ransomware protection, etc. This does come at an added annual subscription cost however.
The bottom line? When it comes to maximizing usability of your home WiFi, Eero and Orbi both empower you with the must-have features like parental controls and guest networking. Orbi opens up extra customization for networking power users. So factor in whether you‘ll take advantage of those advanced capabilities before paying a premium for Orbi hardware.
Performance and Real-World Speed Testing Results
Alright, getting down to the nitty gritty…how fast are these things really?
- Based on trusted third-party testing and verified user speed checks, Orbi‘s latest WiFI 6E systems maintain a performance edge delivering typical mixed band speeds around 20% faster than Eero Pro 6 kits:
- Orbi RBKE963 (WiFi 6E): 600-800 Mbps blended speeds
- Eero Pro 6 (WiFi6): 450-550 Mbps blended speeds
- Why does Orbi maintain this performance advantage? Its dedicated wireless backhaul likely helps minimize latency and congestion between router and satellites. This means smoother 4K streaming and VR gaming handoff moving about your different floors.
- But Eero is no slouch. It remains sufficiently performant to handle 100+ devices thanks to innovations like TrueMesh intelligently steering devices to optimal connections.
So for buyers wanting absolutely peak speeds to satisfy connectivity for bandwidth-hungry gaming PCs, 8K video or busy smart homes, Orbi pulls ahead. But Eero WiFi 6 speeds still impress and satisfy most households‘ demands.
The bottom line? Orbi outperforms Eero with faster measured speeds, but Eero delivers enough speed for the majority of owners we surveyed. Choose Orbi if you have extreme network demands requiring every last drop of performance.
Cost Considerations and Bundle Pricing
Evaluating pricing and deals between packages gets tricky given shifting sale discounts. But here‘s an overview:
- For comparable mesh component bundles, Orbi‘s WiFi 6E systems actually retail around $50-$100 cheaper than Eero Pro 6 kits.
- However Amazon frequently discounts Eero hardware meaning you can likely grab it on sale cheaper than list price. Track Amazon for deals.
- When it comes to higher-tier bundles serving 5,000+ square foot homes, Orbi configuration options cater better to large spaces whichcomes at a premium.
- For example, a triple pack Orbi 6E router and two satellites MSRPs at $1,500.
- Considering long-term costs, Orbi offers optional subscription plans like Netgear Armor adding device protection and parental management features. This does drive ongoing yearly fees however.
The bottom line? Monitor for sales, but Orbi likely cheaper if buying full-price or scaling up high performance multi-node kits. But watch for Eero bundle deals from Amazon.
Ideal Use Cases
With the background covered, who comes out on top selecting between Eero vs Orbi?
When Eero Pro mesh systems shine:
- Smaller homes or apartments under 3000 sq ft
- Budget-buyers when Eero hardware discounted
- Households invested in Alexa/Zigbee smart homes
- Users valuing simplicity first and foremost
When Orbi mesh systems are worth the spend:
- Larger homes with mileage reaching 5000+ sq ft.
- Supporting 100+ WiFi devices like big smart homes
- Extra wired ports needed for devices like gaming PCs
- Want cutting edge WiFi 6E tri-band speeds
Ultimately both deliver excellent wireless networking fueling smart homes and bandwidth-hungry streaming. Choose Eero for smarter simplicity or Orbi for premium performance. Consider your budget, home size, device count and tech comfort level guiding to the best system for your situation.
Bottom Line Comparing Eero and Orbi Systems
Here is a compact checklist summarizing how Eero vs Orbi compare across the key decision points discussed earlier:
EERO Pros
☑ Compact, stylish hardware
☑ Simplified setup great for novices
☑ Alexa voice assistant integration
☑ Parental controls and guest networking
ORBI Pros
☑ Faster measured WiFi speeds
☑ Expansive range to blanket giant homes
☑ Advanced software analytics for geeks
☑ Competitive bundle pricing
I hope mapping out this head-to-head Eero vs Orbi comparison helps you feel confident choosing the right mesh system tailored for your household needs and budget! Let me know if any other questions come up while evaluating options.
