The Nighthawk RS300 and the Orbi 770 are the two new Wi-Fi 7 routers that Netgear has unveiled today. Both routers will have 2.5Gbps ports and Wi-Fi 7 features, like 320Mhz channels that can potentially double wireless speed for gear that supports them, but at a reduced cost this time.
Four 2.5Gbps ports are available on the Orbi 770 router: three are used to provide internet access to any wired devices, and one is used to connect to your modem. Each satellite mesh node has two 2.5Gbps connections as well, allowing you to wire additional devices directly to the main node or connect other devices to those. In contrast, the Orbi 970, its more costly predecessor, offers three 2.5 Gbps connections and two 10 Gbps ports. Additionally, according to Netgear, the Orbi 970 has up to 27Gbps of overall bandwidth, as opposed to the Orbi 770's 11Gbps, because it has an additional wireless band. However, this won't improve performance on any one device.
You'll need a phone, laptop, or other device with Wi-Fi 7 capability linked to the 6GHz band in order to take advantage of the 320MHz channels. Broader 240MHz spectrum is also available in the 5GHz band, but again, a Wi-Fi 7 device is required to utilize it. The Orbi 770 costs $999.99 for a three-pack, which is more affordable than Netgear's outrageous $1,699.99 for the Orbi 970, despite being more expensive overall.
Like the majority of mesh Wi-Fi 7 routers, these routers' main advantage is Multi-Link Operation (MLO), a new feature of the Wi-Fi 7 standard that enables simultaneous connections on two bands for quicker, more reliable connections. Although the Orbi and its satellites can connect to each other in this fashion, none of your pre-Wi-Fi 7 devices can directly benefit from MLO. As a result, you should have reduced band congestion in your mesh network, and in the event that one band fails, you will still have the other one.
Similar in features to the main Orbi router, but with a few notable variances, is the Nighthawk RS300, another tri-band router. The 5GHz band has a 160MHz channel bandwidth restriction, while the 6GHz band can still handle 320MHz channels. (That's still the fastest any non-Wi-Fi 7 device is likely to get, though.)
Three more ethernet connections (two 2.5Gbps and one gigabit) are located on the back for providing wired internet to your devices in addition to one 2.5Gbps port for connecting to your modem. In case you want to attach something to it, such a storage drive, it also features a USB 3.0 port. According to Netgear, it can cover up to 2,500 square feet, though its actual coverage will always depend on your home's layout and contents. It can also handle up to 100 devices. The Nighthawk RS300 costs $329.99, while the Orbi 770 is priced at $999.99 for a three-pack and $699.99 for a two-pack. According to the firm, they are currently available for preorder on Netgear's website and will soon be available at additional retailers.
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