Starsat 2200 Hd Wifi Router

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. Pros Easy installation. Solid throughput. Lots of advanced settings. Supports Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) streaming. Cons No USB connectivity.

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Mobile app has limited functionality. Bulky satellite. Limited Quality of Service (QoS) settings. Bottom Line It may lack USB support and have a limited mobile app, but the Netgear Orbi RBK30 does offer a plug-in satellite, MU-MIMO support, and relatively good throughput. The Orbi WiFi System AC2200 (RBK30) is the latest addition to Netgear's line of.

It joins the original and the AC2200 Orbi RBK40 (stay tuned for the full review). Priced at $299.99, the RBK30 is a two-piece system featuring a plug-in satellite, Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streaming, and a dedicated 5GHz band for backhaul. It's a good performer, but the delivers better overall throughput and offers a more polished mobile app.

WIRELESS ROUTER. LINKSYS E2500. CISCO ROUTER. LTE USB MODEM. LTE WLAN ROUTER. FRITZBOX 6810. LTE MOBILE ROUTER R711. SBC 5110 SESSION. Netgear AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router (R8500) is a wave 2 tri-band router and as such it distributes a staggering maximum of 5.3 GB of speed over its 2.5GHz and 5GHZ bands. Basically, this makes the R8500 a force to be reckoned with.

Design and Features The two-piece Orbi RBK30 consists of a router and a satellite, but you can buy additional satellites for $149.99 each. The router looks just like the router used for the Netgear Orbi RBK50, but at 8.03 by 6.57 by 3.27 inches (HWD), it's a tad smaller. However, it has the same squashed, cylindrical shape and soft-white finish, as well as the same LED light ring on top, which glows red when there is an error, magenta when the WAN port is down, and amber when the router is rebooting. The back of the router holds three Gigabit LAN ports, a WAN port, a reset button, a power button, and a sync button. Dvshade easylooks serial. However, it lacks USB connectivity.

The plug-in satellite is also white and at 6.3 by 3.3 by 3 inches, it is fairly bulky and will jut out around 2 inches from the wall. However, it won't block the second socket in a two-socket outlet. It has a three-prong plug on the back, reset and sync buttons on the left side, and an LED light ring on the top that glows blue when the connection between the router and the satellite is good, amber when the connection is fair, and magenta when the satellite cannot connect to the router. A tri-band AC2200 system, the Orbi RBK30 has two 5GHz bands that are capable of speeds of up to 867Mbps, and one 2.4GHz band that can reach 400Mbps. As with the Netgear Orbi RBK50, one of the 5GHz bands is dedicated to backhaul (communications between the router and the satellite), and the other two are controlled using automatic band-steering technology, which means you have one SSID for both bands and cannot dedicate a specific band for a specific purpose.

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Both the router and the satellite have four internal antennas and support MU-MIMO data streaming and beamforming. The system also supports Alexa voice commands that allow you to have Alexa do things like enable and disable guest networking and reboot the router. The Orbi RBK30 has a mobile app (iOS and Android) that lets you share Wi-Fi settings, change the security password, view connected clients, and pause access to those clients, but that's about all it does.

To configure wireless settings, set up guest networks, tweak internet settings, and access advanced settings, you have to use the same web-based console that is used for the Netgear Orbi RBK50. It opens to the Basic Home screen, which contains menu choice on the left and status tiles on the right for Internet, Wireless, Attached Devices, Parental Controls, and Guest Network.

Clicking any tile takes you to a screen where you can configure basic settings, or you can use the menu on the left. In the Advanced Settings screen, there's also a menu on the left, while on the right are status windows that display advanced Router, Internet, Wireless, and Guest Network settings.

In addition to a Wizard Setup, there's a Setup menu with tabs for advanced Internet, Wireless, WAN, and LAN settings, and there's a Quality of Service (QoS) tab that contains the Ookla Speedtest and Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) settings; however, it lacks the device-prioritization capabilities that you get with the Linksys Velop. Other advanced settings include access control scheduling, site blocking, port forwarding, VPN services, and the ability to configure the Orbi RBK30 as a router or an access point (AP). Installation and Performance You can install and configure the Orbi RBK30 using the mobile app or the web console. I used the mobile app and selected New System Setup upon launch.

I was instructed to point my phone's camera at the QR code on the router, and once it was recognized, I followed the instructions to connect the router to the internet and power it up. I then plugged the satellite into a wall outlet in my living room, around 30 feet from the router. Using my phone's Wi-Fi settings, I connected my phone to the Orbi SSID, entered the supplied keyword, and returned to the app.

Within seconds, the router was recognized, and I hit Next to pair the satellite with the router. Another few seconds, and the satellite was configured, and I moved on to name the system, give it a password, and set up a couple of security questions. The system needed a minute and a half to apply the settings, and I was finished. Since the Orbi RBK30 uses automatic band steering, our test results are based on its ability to choose the best band, which in this case is the open 5GHz band. Although it turned in solid scores in our Single-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (SU-MIMO) performance tests, its score of 411Mbps in our close-proximity (same-room) test couldn't keep pace with its stablemate, the Netgear Orbi RBK50, or several other competing routers, as shown in the chart below. The Orbi RBK30's satellite garnered 232Mbps in this test, nearly matching the Portal satellite and at least one of the TP-Link Deco M5 satellites. At a distance of 30 feet, the Orbi RBK30 router managed 142Mbps in our SU-MIMO tests, and its satellite scored 84.2Mbps.

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Starsat 2200 Hd Wifi Router Review

The Netgear Orbi RBK50 provided much faster throughput, as did the Portal system and the Linksys Velop. To test MU-MIMO throughput, we use three identical Acer Aspire E15 laptops equipped with Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 wireless 802.11ac network adapters. In our close-proximity test, the Orbi RBK30 router averaged 141.8Mbps. That's faster than the routers for the Netgear Orbi RBK50, the Portal, and the TP-Link Deco M5, but significantly slower than the Linksys Velop router. As we saw with the Netgear Orbi RBK50, the RBK30's satellite provided superior throughput; it scored 129.6Mbps, almost in line with the Netgear RBK50 and ahead of much of its competition. At a distance of 30 feet, the Orbi RBK30 router scored 78.3Mbps, and the satellite had a throughput of 73.3Mbps, behind the Orbi RBK50. The Orbi RBK30 responded immediately to my voice commands using Alexa to enable and disable guest networking and reboot the router, but a few more voice commands would be welcome.

For example, it would be nice to be able to pause the internet or enable and disable network access for a specific client. Conclusion The Netgear Orbi WiFi System AC2200 (RBK30) is a solid choice if you're looking to blanket a small home with seamless Wi-Fi. It's easy to install and configure, and offers a good assortment of management settings, but you'll have to use the web console to access them, as the mobile app has a long way to go before it can be considered useful. If the two-piece system doesn't quite cover your entire house, you can always add another satellite, but they are rather bulky and aren't equipped with any LAN ports. Although the Orbi RBK30 delivered solid throughput in our performance tests, the Linksys Velop provided better overall performance, especially in our SU-MIMO tests.

Granted, the two-piece Velop system is $50 more expensive than the Orbi RBK30, but it covers 4,000 square feet compared with the Orbi system's 3,500 square feet, and it offers a well-designed mobile app and more connectivity options. It remains our Editors' Choice for home Wi-Fi systems. Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor for PCMag, John Delaney has been testing and reviewing monitors, TVs, PCs, networking and smart home gear, and other assorted hardware and peripherals for almost 20 years.

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A 13-year veteran of PC Magazine's Labs (most recently as Director of Operations), John was responsible for the recruitment, training and management of the Labs technical staff, as well as evaluating and maintaining the integrity of the Labs testing machines and procedures. Prior to joining Ziff Davis, John spent six years in retail operations for.