24 29 May - 11 June 2019Product Test Netgear Orbi Voice Smart SpeakerIt’s a shame that the Orbi
Voice is soexpensive
because it’s does a great
job ofcombining a smart
speaker with aWi-Fi
booster. However, you
mightwant to co nsider
whether the ideal location
for your Wi-Fi booster is
the same as the most
convenient spot inyour
homefor a smart speaker.You won’t sa ve any money
by combining them–
indeed,you could end up
spending lessby
purchasing two devices
independently.Netgear Orbi VoiceSmart Spe kPRODUCT INFO
Netgear OrbiVoice
Smart Speaker
Price: £399.99
Buy from Amazon:
bit.ly/novss476SPECIFICATIONS
■2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fifor devices
■5GHz Wi-Fi dedicated data
connection
■Router: 4 x GigabitEthernet ports.
Voice: 2 x GigabitEthernet ports
■Voice: 4 x microphones with
far-field voice recognition
■Voice: 35W speakersystem
■Router: 226 x 170 x79mm. Voice:
218 x 165 x 124mmFOR
✓Great wireless performance
✓Alexa works seamlessly
✓Lovely sound qualityAGAINST
✗Very expensive
✗Security and parentalcontrol
features cost extraOUR VERDICT HHHHFEATURES HHHHH
PERFORMANCE HHHHH
EASE OF USE HHHHH
VALUE FOR MONEY HHHHHA mesh Wi-Fi system withAlexa built in is a great ideabut is it worth the steep price?To test its performance, we
placed therouter in our living
room and the Alexa unit in the
adjacent kitchen, where the
app reported a good
connection.We thentook a
Microsoft Surface laptopto
variousrooms around the
house andcompared the
Netgearsystem to our
existing single-router setup.
The resultswere impressive,
improving the speed of the
networkconnection
throughout the building.
We were also impressed
with howwell Alexa is
integrated into the Netgearmusic, information and hom
automation.
The OrbiVoice pack
contains two units: aregular
RBR50router, asfound in th
standard kit; and an RBS40V
satellite, which includesa
35W HarmanKardon speake
that serves as both aWi-Fi
extender and an Alexa-
powered AmazonEcho. To
extend the mesh or the Alex
network further, just add mo
of the appropriate devices.
Despite its unique selling
point, this is atough sellat its
current price of £399.99,
which alreadyrepresentsa
small discount on Amazon.
Standard Alexa-free Orbi
RBK50 twin-packscost
around £250, and other
manufacturers make similar
mesh devices that areeven
cheaper. However, the Orbi
Voice is aconvenient and
elegantcombination, and its
audio quality is astep up from
a standard AmazonEcho or
Google Home speaker.Setup and performance
The two unitscome pre-
paired, so gettingstarted
should be simple, butwe ran
into acouple of hiccups so
the processtook us about
30 minutes. Once the units
eventuallyfound one another,
the connectionremained
solid.
The Orbirouter and satellite
both use tri-bandWi-Fi, with
2.4GHz and 5GHz networks
for connectingyour devices,
plus a second dedicated 5GHz
networkreservedfor traffic
between the twostations.device. A few taps in the Orbi
app connect itto Amazon and
it shows up in the Alexa app
as a regularEcho. The device
had no problems hearing
commands from across the
room and has an illuminated
blue ring around thetop, just
like areal Echo.
Our only caveat is that
you’ll naturallywant to situate
the Alexa-enabled Orbi unit in
your most-usedroom, such as
the kitchen, whichwon’t
necessarily be the place
where it’s best ableto
distributeWi-Fi to the further
reaches ofyour home.N
etgear’s Orbi platform
is one of the more
upmarket meshWi-Fi
systems, offeringstrong
performance anda
comprehensive set of
features.The original
two-device, tri-bandsystem
has been aroundfor tw o
years now, but the latest
update includes a unique
addition: the Alexa voice
assistant.This transforms the
secondary unit from a dull bit
of networking infrastructure
into an interactive hubforSmart SpeakerTo test its performance, wemusic, information and homee
Von speakera
network further, just add more
device. A few taps in the Orbi