After 5 yrs I wanted to upgrade my Orbi RBK50 2 pc system to a comparable system and chose the RBR373. I asked AI for help to see if I could do it myself or should I hire a tech to come to my house. The answers reflected that barring any complications I could do it myself. I followed the instructions from AI and on my existing Orbi app. The installation went very smoothly and 19 of 21 devices connected automatically. My garage door would not so I called the manufacturer and they talked me through how to connect it as a "new device". That left one old camera which was a bit too old to update. So far after 10 days, I've had the router disconnect a few times and didn't see any loss of signal from the modem which I found very odd. Received a firmware update today and it went smoothly. What I don't notice is a better system in terms of coverage which is very discouraging. I went from an old WiFi 5 to a WiFi 7 coverage, a 3 piece system versus a 2 piece and yet the coverage isn't any better at all. The overall download speed realized a slight increase but other than that, I don't see any real tangible benefits at this point. Why not? IDK...
It has been over a week and I am still unable to get my Century link router to connect to Orbi. My old Orbi RB50 connected right away. I will try for one more week the. I will give up and return it. I have tried using the iPhone app and manually on the computer.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from netgear.comBy NETGEAR Team, September 29, 2025
Hi Big Lar, Thank you for your review, we appreciate your feedback and we want you to know that your experience is important to us. We are sorry to hear that you are having a difficult experience with installing and connecting your RBE373 and are planning to return it. When experiencing trouble installing we recommend a few steps including performing a full power cycle for both your Century Link device as well as Orbi RBE373 making sure to unplug the ethernet cable between the due during this power cycle. Once both have come back online, reconnect your Orbi RBE373 to your Century Link device. If your Century Link device is a Modem/Router combo, it is recommended to change the settings of this device to bridge or passthrough mode. For more information, please visit the following resource: https://kb.netgear.com/000061613/I-m-having-trouble-installing-my-Orbi-WiFi-System-what-do-I-do?language=en_US. If you're still experiencing any issues, please reach out to us at netgearteam@netgear.com — we’re happy to help! If your experience has improved, we’d really appreciate an updated review. Regards, NETGEAR Team
Written by a customer while visiting netgear.com
Customer Rating
5
Works Great
on October 23, 2025
Posted by: Anonymous
My Orbi WiFi 7Dual Band Mesh Router was easy to install and works great.
I'm not sure why I "upgraded." My Orbi 6 was WAY faster and more reliable than the 7. Granted, the 6 was starting to have lots of bugs and crashes, which is why I decided to switch. So far, I am very unimpressed.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from netgear.comBy NETGEAR Team, October 28, 2025
Hi Ari,
Thank you for your review and valuable feedback. We would like an opportunity to improve your experience with your RBE373. Several factors can affect the performance of your Orbi Mesh WiFi system including broadcast device placement, interference from other devices and which band your devices are connecting to. We recommend visiting these resources: https://kb.netgear.com/19279/Why-am-I-not-getting-the-maximum-speed-that-my-router-is-capable-of?language=en_US, as well as: https://kb.netgear.com/000037824/What-factors-can-affect-my-WiFi-performance?language=en_US.
We also recommend ensuring your RBE373 Router and Satellites are on the most recent firmware v12.1.3.11 which includes enhancements for overall system stability: https://kb.netgear.com/000068430/.
If you're still experiencing any issues, please reach out to us at netgearteam@netgear.com — we’re happy to help! If your experience has improved, we’d really appreciate an updated review.
Regards, NETGEAR Team
Written by a customer while visiting netgear.com
Customer Rating
3
okay, but still not right
on October 29, 2025
Posted by: Kristel Hart
I am having trouble connecting to my smart plugs, printer, iRobot vacuum.
Response from netgear.comBy NETGEAR Team, October 30, 2025
Hi Kristel,
Thank you for your review and valuable feedback. We would like an opportunity to improve your experience with your connected IoT devices while on your RBE373 WiFi network. Orbi WiFi 7 WiFi networks are encrypted with WPA2-PSK + WPA3-Personal encryption by default. This is because it is the best blend of compatibility and security available. However, some devices such as printers, smart devices (IoT), and older devices are not compatible with this level of encryption. For these devices to work, you must connect them to a network with a lower level of encryption. For more information, we recommend visiting this resource: https://kb.netgear.com/000066695/How-to-resolve-issues-connecting-devices-to-your-NETGEAR-WiFi-7-network.
We also recommend ensuring your RBE373 Router and Satellites are on the most recent firmware v12.1.3.11 which contains enhancements for overall system stability: https://kb.netgear.com/000068430/.
If you're still experiencing any issues, please reach out to us at netgearteam@netgear.com — we’re happy to help! If your experience has improved, we’d really appreciate an updated review.
Regards, NETGEAR Team
Written by a customer while visiting netgear.com
Customer Rating
1
Slower than Apple Extreme
on November 4, 2025
Posted by: Strider
I was able to quickly get the devices up and running without issues. I was also able to run into issues just as quickly and very quickly disappointed in the WiFi
Response from netgear.comBy NETGEAR Team, November 4, 2025
Hi Strider,
Thank you for your review and valuable feedback. We would like an opportunity to improve your experience with your RBE373. When experiencing an issue with speeds and connectivity, we recommend visiting these troubleshooting resources: https://kb.netgear.com/19279/Why-am-I-not-getting-the-maximum-speed-that-my-router-is-capable-of?language=en_US, and also: https://kb.netgear.com/000037824/What-factors-can-affect-my-WiFi-performance?language=en_US.
We also recommend ensuring your Orbi Router and Satellites are on the latest firmware v12.1.3.11: https://kb.netgear.com/000068430/.
If you're still experiencing any issues, please reach out to us at netgearteam@netgear.com — we’re happy to help! If your experience has improved, we’d really appreciate an updated review.
Regards, NETGEAR Team
Written by a customer while visiting netgear.com
Customer Rating
2
Connecting devices
on November 5, 2025
Posted by: Anonymous
OMG. so hard to connect devices if they connect at all. I spent an hour on the phone with someone I could hardly understand. The next day I spent another hour trying. Gave up and sent it back. Google mesh connected everything “all 12” devices in 1/2 hour.
Response from netgear.comBy NETGEAR Team, November 6, 2025
Hi Valued Customer,
Thank you for your review, we appreciate your feedback and we want you to know that your experience is important to us. We're sorry to hear that you had connectivity problems with your RBE373 and have already returned it. Orbi 7 WiFi networks are encrypted with WPA2-PSK + WPA3-Personal encryption by default. This is because it is the best blend of compatibility and security available. However, some devices such as printers, smart devices (IoT), and older devices are not compatible with this level of encryption. For these devices to work, you must connect them to a network with a lower level of encryption. For more information on this topic, we recommend checking out this resource: https://kb.netgear.com/000066695/How-to-resolve-issues-connecting-devices-to-your-NETGEAR-WiFi-7-network.
We also recommend ensuring your RBE373 Router and Satellites are on the most recent firmware v12.1.3.11 which contains enhancements for overall system stability: https://kb.netgear.com/000068430/.
If you decide to repurchase the RBE373 or any other NETGEAR product and have any issues, please reach out to us at netgearteam@netgear.com with your contact information, and we will be happy to help you.