Netgear Orbi RBK30 Tri-Band WiFi System review: A Wi-Fi system for homes with plenty of wall sockets

At the current cost of $300 (AU$499, £280) for a set of two units (one router, one satellite), the Orbi RBK30 can be a great Wi-Fi system if you live in a house that has a lot of electrical sockets. In many ways, it's just a different flavor of the RBK40.

Bulky wall plug design

The RBK30 uses the same router unit (model RBR40) as that of the Orbi RBK40. As a result, it has exactly the same the same feature set, settings, setup process and even similar performance compared to its close sibling. (For this reason, you should check out the review of the RBK40 for more details. This short review will only focused on how this system is different from the rest in Netgear's Orbi family.)

Netgear's Orbi Wi-Fi system family

	Dedicated back-haul speed	5GHz ceiling speed	2.4GHz ceiling speed	Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi coverage	U.S. price
Original Orbi (RBK50)	1,733Mbps	867	400Mbps	AC3000	5,000 sq ft	$400
Orbi RBK40	867Mbps	867	400Mbps	AC2200	4,000 sq ft	$350
Orbi RBK30	867Mbps	867	400Mbps	AC2200	3,500 sq ft	$300

What makes the RBK30 different from its siblings is its satellite unit (model RBW30) which is less than half the size the RBK40's and designed to plug directly into a wall socket. Unfortunately, as a wall plug it's bulky, and will definitely block adjacent sockets.