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We replicated the testing from our Ultimate Mesh WiFi Router Shootout and our more recent WiFi 6 Mesh Router Group Test as closely as possible with the NETGEAR Orbi 770 Series Mesh WiFi 7 System (RBE773). However, we no longer had the Apple MacBook Pro in our possession, so had to leave this set of tests out.
We repeated the positions from the Ultimate Mesh WiFi Router Shootout, with eight different locations for our test notebooks. The clients used were an Acer Swift 14 AI notebook (for WiFi 7), then a Dell XPS 17 notebook (for WiFi 6), an MSI WS63 7RK notebook with 2×2 802.11ac WiFi, and an older HP Folio 13, which maxes out at 3×3 802.11n WiFi. Throughput was assessed between these and an Armari 32-core Ryzen Threadripper workstation. The Acer and Dell notebooks and Armari workstation were running Windows 11 but the other two notebooks were Windows 10-powered.
In each case, we used the freely available iPerf 3.1.3 software, which stresses a network by sending packets of random data and measures the throughput. One system acts as a server, and the other as a client, as data is sent between them. In all cases, we used the Armari workstation connected to the primary Orbi unit via 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet as the server, so that the WiFi was always the slowest connection.
These are the iPerf commands we used:
For the server: iperf3 –s –i 1
For the client: iperf3 –c <IP Address> –P 4 –i 1 –t 60
Note that the client command sends four streams of data simultaneously, simulating a multi-client connection as closely as possible with just one client. It takes 60 throughput readings at one second intervals and then averages the result.
The above diagram shows the layout of the house we used for testing. Note that we didn't test on the top floor of the house because this was directly above the first floor and wouldn't have provided much of a range test. Instead, we used two locations on the same floor as the router (the first floor), then more distant locations on the ground floor extending out the back of the house into the garden.
Each test location, numbered in the diagram above, was approximately 5m away from the last one.
With the mesh networking and standalone router products used for comparison, location 1 was very near to the router, around 1m away. The next location – 2 – was around 5m away, with a wall in the way, but on the same floor. Location 3 was on the floor below, so had walls and a floor in between, but was a further 5m away. Location 4 was the last one actually inside the house. Locations 5 to 7 were then 5m further down the garden. Location 8 was only 2m further down, as this was the end of the garden, but also behind a shed, so posed a significant challenge that only a few mesh WiFi systems can cope with.
We should also say a few words about the location of the satellites. The routers or primary unit were always placed in the same location, in the first floor study next to the broadband. In the case of three-unit mesh systems such as the NETGEAR Orbi 770 Series Mesh WiFi 7 System (RBE773), the second and third satellites were placed at S1 and S2. We also tested the latter with only one satellite, as it is also available as a twin-pack.
We have also include the non-mesh WiFi 7 systems we have reviewed recently for comparison, so you can see the benefits of a Mesh. These include the NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300, Acer Predator Connect X7 5G CPE, and AVM FRITZ!Box 7690.
802.11be (WiFi 7)
WiFi 7 is your primary reason for buying this mesh system, so we tested that first.
Within 1m, the NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300 is still king. The Orbi 770 Series sits just behind other WiFi 7 routers we've tested, delivering 838Mbits/sec with three units and 842Mbits/sec with two. This is still 19 per cent faster than any WiFi 6 mesh system we've tested, however.
The story is similar at 5m. The Orbi 770 Series is hitting 777Mbits/sec with three units and 816Mbits/sec with two. The Nighthawk RS300 is still ahead, but the Acer Predator Connect X7 5G CPE has fallen behind. This is still beating WiFi 6 mesh systems.
However, the Orbi 770 Series's performance drops noticeably at 10m, hitting 351Mbits/sec with three units and 327Mbits/sec with two. The NETGEAR Orbi AX4200 with three units and Orbi AX6000 with three units both beat it, thanks to having a dedicated backhaul, which means they have an extra radio specifically focused on linking the units in the mesh. The Orbi 770 Series uses the same radios as client devices, which is the main difference between it and the much more expensive 870 and 970 Series.
The difference between two and three units starts to show at 15m. Results are still respectable, with 321Mbits/sec for three units and 213Mbits/sec for two. Again, the Orbi AX4200 and AX6000 three-unit setups are ahead (using WiFi 6), thanks to their backhauls.
Moving out to 20m, the three-unit Orbi 770 Series is way ahead of the two-unit configuration, offering 208Mbits/sec compared to the latter's 20.5Mbits/sec. This is now beyond the Orbi AX4200 but the AX6000 remains in front. This continues at 25m, with the three-unit Orbi 770 Series delivering 140Mbits/sec, although the 2-unit setup has rallied to provide 33.2Mbits/sec.
The three-unit Orbi 770 Series finally gets past the previous-generation AX6000 version at 30m, delivering 129Mbits/sec, while the two-unit Orbi 770 Series is on a just-about-usable 14.8Mbits/sec. The latter loses signal behind the shed, but the three-unit Orbi 770 Series still achieves 12.5Mbits/sec. Amazingly, the three-unit Orbi AX6000 is faster again at this distance, showing just how strong its backhaul is.
Overall, you get obvious benefit from WiFi 7 close up with the Orbi 770 Series (albeit even more with the NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300) and the three-unit range is commendable. But the three-unit previous-generation Orbi AX6000 will provide better performance (with WiFi 6) from 10m thanks to its dedicated backhaul (and is currently still available, for less than the Orbi 770 Series).
802.11ax 5GHz (WiFi 6)
WiFi 7 may be the bleeding edge, but the scarcity of devices that support the standard will probably mean that most of your wireless clients will use WiFi 6 (or even WiFi 5 – see below).
At 1m, the AVM Fritz!Box 7690 reigns supreme using this standard, and is actually faster than it is with WiFi 7. However, the Orbi 770 Series is still doing very well, delivering 795Mbits/sec with three units and 762Mbits/sec with two. That beats any WiFi 6 mesh we've tested, including the excellent NETGEAR Orbi AX6000.
Performance does drop considerably at 5m, however. The througput of 478Mbits/sec for three units and 543Mbits/sec for two is behind quite a few WiFi 6 mesh systems.
Relative results start to improve at 10m to 358Mbits/sec for the three-unit Orbi 770 Series system, although two units are only delivering 71.5Mbits/sec. The Orbi AX4200 and AX6000, with their dedicated backhauls, are notably ahead, however.
The performance of the three-unit Orbi 770 Series remains steady at 15m, hitting 220Mbit/sec, although the AX-native Orbi systems are faster. The two-unit Orbi 770 Series has fallen to just 35.9Mbit/sec.
However, when the range gets to 20m, only the the Orbi AX6000 is ahead of the Orbi 770 Series with three units. The latter is delivering a commendable 155Mbits/sec.
The AX6000 keeps a phenomenal signal at 25m, where the three-unit Orbi 770 Series has dropped to 73.4Mbit/sec and the two-unit setup no longer has a signal.
Out at 30m the Orbi 770 Series three-unit configuration's 23.7Mbits/sec is behind a number of non-WiFi 7 alternatives, and while it's still getting a signal at our 32m “behind the shed” distance, the throughput of 4.93Mbits/sec is notably lower than the three-unit Orbi AX4200 and AX6000.
Overall, WiFi 6 peformance for the Orbi 770 Series is somewhat parallel to its WiFi 7 performance. In close proximity it is fast, but the lack of a backhaul holds it back in comparison with NETGEAR's previous generation. It's still quick and capable of solid coverage up to 30m, but the three-unit NETGEAR Orbi AX6000 provides much better throughput from 5m and outwards.
802.11ac 5GHz (WiFi 5)
There are still plenty of WiFi 5 devices around, so decent performance with this standard remains important.
Within 1m, the Orbi 770 Series is somewhat mediocre, however, delivering 437Mbits/sec with three units and 505Mbits/sec with two. There are plenty of non-WiFi 7 systems that are much quicker.
At 5m, the WiFi 5 throughput of 364Mbits/sec for three units and 361Mbits/sec for two again places the Orbi 770 Series in the middle of the pack.
Moving out to 10m, the three-unit Orbi 770 Series performance is starting to look more competitive, reaching 305Mbits/sec, and the two-unit configuration is holding steady with 217Mbits/sec.
All the standalone routers have fallen away at 15m, but the three-unit Orbi 770 Series is still delivering 291Mbits/sec, although the three-unit AX4200 and AX6000 remain way ahead. The two-unit setup is hanging in with 29.6Mbits/sec.
Most mesh systems are starting to drop down at 20m, apart from those with three units. The Orbi 770 Series is still delivering 35.6Mbits/sec, but other three-unit systems are faster, while the two-unit Orbi has a signal but not a usable one.
Strangely, the three-unit Orbi 770 Series rallies at 25m, delivering 52.6Mbits/sec. This is only slightly behind NETGEAR's WiFi 6-based Orbis.
The story is the same at 30m, with the Orbi 770 Series managing 28.4Mbits/sec. But it couldn't provide a signal for our 32m “behind the shed” test.
Overall, with three units the Orbi 770 Series provides useful coverage, but won't give you a notable boost over the previous Orbi generation.
802.11n 2.4GHz – Legacy
The 2.4GHz 802.11n standard is now rather long in the tooth, but we still include results just in case you have a really old laptop or an IoT device that uses it. The Orbi 770 Series is rather mediocre with 802.11n. Up close at 1m, you get 45.6Mbits/sec with three units and 60.9Mbits/sec with two. Performance with three units drops surprisingly to 27.5Mbits/sec at 5m, although two units are still delivering 61.9Mbits/sc. However, the roles are reversed at 10m, with three units managing 58.3Mbits/sec and two 27.9Mbit/sec. The difference is even starker at 15m, with three units still managing 56.6Mbits/sec while two have dropped to 8.46Mbits/sec. This only drops to 8.04Mbit/sec at 20m, although the three-unit configuration still manages 40.1Mbits/sec.
At 25m, the three-unit Orbi 770 Series has fallen behind many non-WiFi 7 alternatives, delivering 12.5Mbits/sec, while two units are on 4Mbit/sec. The latter lose all signal at 30m, while three units still manage 13.1Mbits/sec, although there are lots of quicker options. You are still getting some bandwidth in our 32m “behind the shed” location, and 5.78Mbits/sec is in fact the second fastest result. The only quicker system was the three-unit Orbi RBK50, which is a WiFi 5 mesh from many years ago.
Overall, again range is decent with the three-unit Orbi 770 Series, but throughput isn't so competitive.
