If you want to cover your home with strong Wi-Fi 7 signals but don’t require 6GHz data transmissions, consider Netgear’s Orbi 370 Series Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System. Priced reasonably at $349.99 for a three-pack, the 370 Series is a solid performer that offers multi-gigabit LAN connectivity and an intuitive mobile app. That said, you don’t get many extras with this system. Network security and parental control software require a subscription, and the router node offers only one LAN port. Our Editors’ Choice winner, the eero Pro7, offers a full-blown Wi-Fi 7 system with 6GHz transmissions, 5GbE LAN, and support for Thread, Matter, and Zigbee home automation protocols. It’s more expensive than the Orbi 370 system, but not exorbitantly so: You can pick up a three-pack for around $550 if you shop around.

Design: Scales up to Four Nodes for Massive Homes

We tested the Orbi 370 Series three-pack, which is designed for large homes and provides coverage of up to 6,000 square feet. For smaller spaces, the two-pack covers 4,000 square feet and goes for $249.99. For even larger spaces, the $449.99 four-pack gives you 8,000 square feet of coverage. Individual satellite nodes cost $149.99 each and cover up to 2,000 square feet.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The three-pack comes with a router node and two satellite nodes. At first glance, they look identical, but the router node’s rear panel has two 2.5GbE Ethernet ports (WAN and LAN) while the satellite nodes have only a single 2.5GbE LAN port, which you can use for wired backhaul or to connect to other network devices. In comparison, the eero Pro 7 nodes are equipped with a pair of 5GbE Ethernet ports. Sharing space on the rear panel are the Sync and Reset buttons, as well as a power jack. As with most mesh systems, the 370 Series lacks USB ports.

The Orbi nodes have a white finish, stand 8 inches high, and are 4.7 inches deep and 2.9 inches wide. A small LED indicator at the bottom of the router flashes white during startup and then goes dark when everything is connected and working correctly. It is solid magenta when it has lost internet connectivity, and is solid white when the node is being reset to its factory default settings. The satellite node LED pulses white during startup and pulses blue for 3 minutes when the node is connected before going dark.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The Orbi 370 is a dual-band system that offers 2.4GHz and 5GHz transmissions, but it lacks a 6GHz radio band and therefore does not support 320MHz channels. It’s a BE5000 system that can hit maximum (combined) data rates of up to 5Gbps and is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 512MB of flash memory, and 1GB of RAM.

This system uses the same mobile app as previous Orbi systems, including the Orbi 770 Series and the Orbi 970 Series. It can also be managed using a web console, which offers additional settings, including port forwarding, port triggering, and static routing.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

You’ll have to pay extra for parental control and network security software. Netgear’s Parental Control subscription costs $7.99 per month and lets you manage user profiles, monitor internet activity, block access to specific websites, and schedule internet downtime. Netgear’s Armor network security software is $99.99 per year and protects all your connected devices, as well as up to 50 mobile devices, from virus infections and other malware attacks. It also gives you 24/7 tech support and an extended three-year warranty. The $149.99 Armor Plus plan adds unlimited VPN, ad-blocking, and anti-tracking tools.

When you open the mobile app, you’ll see a dashboard screen with a picture of the router node, the name of the network, and the number of installed satellites. Tapping the router opens a network map, and tapping any node lets you see which devices are connected to that node.

(Credit: Netgear)

Several tiles positioned below the router picture offer easy access to various settings and utilities. The Device Manager allows you to view all connected devices, including their IP and MAC addresses, as well as the node to which they are connected. The Internet Speed tile lets you run a speed test to determine upload and download speeds. The Wi-Fi settings tile is where you edit the network password and share Wi-Fi credentials using a QR code. Other tiles include Guest Wi-Fi, Network Map, Traffic Meter, Parental Controls, and Security & Support.

Setup and Performance: Above Average

The Orbi 370 system is easy to install. I already had the app installed on my phone; if you don't, you’ll have to download the app and create an account to get started. I opened the app, tapped Set Up an Orbi, and scanned the router’s QR code. I unplugged my modem, connected the router to the modem, and powered everything up. Once the LED turned solid white, I waited a minute for the router to be connected and gave the new network a name and password. I then updated the firmware, placed the satellite node in my living room, and plugged it in. After a minute, the LED turned white, and the node was online.

The Orbi 370 performed well in our throughput tests. The router node’s score of 1,990Mbps on the close proximity test was significantly faster than the MSI Roamii BE Lite (937Mbps) and outperformed both the TP-Link Deco BE5000 router (1,959Mbps) and the eero 7 router (1,101Mbps). By way of comparison, the eero Pro 7 router, which uses the 6GHz band and 320MHz channels, scored 2,850Mbps.

On the 30-foot test, the Orbi 370 router managed 602Mbps, beating the eero 7 router (586Mbps) and the Roamii BE Lite router (524Mbps) but not the TP-Link Deco BE5000 router (628Mbps). The eero Pro 7 router scored 860Mbps on this test.

The Orbi 370 satellite’s score of 860Mbps on the close proximity test was faster than the eero 7 node (745Mbps) and the Roamii BE Lite node (561Mbps), but not the Deco BE5000 node (982Mbps). The eero Pro 7 node delivered 2,293Mbps on this test. The Orbi satellite node’s score of 630Mbps on the 30-foot test was identical to that of the Deco BE5000 node, while the eero 7 and Roamii BE Lite nodes delivered scores of 513Mbps and 441Mbps, respectively. The eero Pro 7 node scored 1,118Mbps on the 30-foot test.

To test wireless signal strength, we use Ekahau’s Sidekick 2 Wi-Fi diagnostic device and Survey mobile app to generate heat maps that show a mesh system's signal strength across all bands (2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz if applicable) throughout our test home. (Note: Ekahau is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company. For more, read about our ethics policy in the Editorial Mission Statement.) The white circle on the map represents the location of the router, and the colors represent signal strength. Dark greens represent the strongest signal, yellows represent a weaker signal, and grays represent a very weak or nonexistent signal.

(Credit: Ekahau)

The Orbi 370 did a good job of providing a strong signal to all corners of our test home, although it was slightly weaker in one of the corner bedrooms and in the garage.