Orbi RBE973: Common Questions
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most about the Orbi RBE973, based on two weeks of testing.
Last revised
The questions we are asked most often about the Orbi RBE973, answered from our own testing rather than the specification sheet.
Is it worth buying?
It scored 3 out of 5 at £1499. It is a straightforward recommendation if you are very large homes with a multi-gig line and no budget ceiling, and a poor one otherwise.
What is the catch?
£1,499 is more than most people spend on a laptop. That is the single thing most likely to bother you, and it is worth being certain it will not before buying.
How long will it stay usable?
Assume the support window rather than the hardware determines this. Software support length is what decides how long a device stays safe to use, not how well the hardware holds up.
How does it compare with the alternatives?
The strongest alternative we have measured is the Eero Max 7 at £599, which scored 4 out of 5 against this one's 3. The cheapest we would still recommend is the eero 6+ at £139. Both went through the same tests under the same conditions, which is the only reason those numbers can sit in the same sentence.
Should I buy it now or wait?
It launched in 2024, which puts it 2 years into its life. If what you have still works, waiting costs you very little; replacement cycles in this category are long and the successor is rarely a step change. If what you have has actually failed, buy now — the price will not move meaningfully before it does.
Is it good for everyday use?
Yes, with one qualification. For very large homes with a multi-gig line and no budget ceiling it is a straightforward yes. The qualification is that £1,499 is more than most people spend on a laptop, which is a background irritation for most people and a dealbreaker for a few — and only you can say which you are.
Full specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard | Wi-Fi 7 quad-band |
| Throughput | 1.9Gbps at 5m, 710Mbps at 20m |
| Ports | 1x 10GbE WAN, 1x 10GbE LAN, 3x 2.5GbE |
| Coverage | 250m² per unit |
| Backhaul | Dedicated 6GHz |
| Setup time | 12 minutes |
What we liked
- The fastest throughput we measured at every distance
- A genuinely dedicated backhaul band, not shared
- 10GbE in and out
What we did not
- £1,499 is more than most people spend on a laptop
- Netgear Armor is a subscription after the first year
- The nodes are large and unattractive
Behind this page
This reference page is written from the same testing notes as the reviews it supports, and it is revised whenever the hardware or the software underneath it changes. Where a figure appears here it has been measured rather than quoted from a specification sheet.
If something on this page no longer matches what you are seeing, it is out of date rather than disputed — tell us and it gets checked again.
Related reading
The reviews this page supports go into the measurements behind these figures, and the knowledge base collects every reference page we keep.
Elsewhere in common questions: Oura Ring 4: Common Questions, Philips Hue Bridge Pro: Common Questions and Pixel 9 Pro: Common Questions.