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The NETGEAR Orbi AX6000 box is a bit less fussy than some previous Orbi packaging. Not that it matters much, but at least NETGEAR made a bit of an effort to improve the unboxing experience.
It's entirely obvious that this is a WiFi 6 product, with the label emblazoned in multiple locations on the outside of the packaging. Inside the box is the usual collection of power adapters with a choice of UK or EU plugs, plus a ribbon Ethernet cable for the WAN connection.
We had no complaints about the style of the original Orbi units, but the AX6000 has taken this up another notch with a cream and silver plastic exterior lined with black front and back. These are large units, but that's because of the internal antennas that enable the high WiFi bandwidth. However, the AX6000 devices are even bigger than the AC3000 ones were, and those were pretty large to begin with.
The router and satellite look virtually the same. The only indication of their difference is when you peruse the ports on the rear at the bottom. The yellow port on the left end of the router is the 2.5Gbit WAN connection, followed by four Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired devices. The Gigabit Ethernet port next to the 2.5Gbit port can also be aggregated with it for load balancing or doubling performance when you don't have a 2.5Gbit connection downstream. The satellite just has the four Gigabit Ethernet ports. With the high-speed backhaul, you could genuinely use the satellite to bring wired networking and broadband connectivity to an office that wasn't where your broadband comes in.
Overall, the Orbi AX6000's physical design is a welcome evolution and maturation of the Orbi AC3000's. The router and satellite will look even less intrusive dotted around your house, and they have an air of quality that you would absolutely expect in a £700 purchase. But is the setup process equally mature and evolved?
