Amazon had unveiled the latest addition to the eero Pro series, featuring cutting-edge wifi 6e technology. With the emerging of wifi 7 technology, this wifi 6e series is still worth considering This release came alongside the well-received eero 6 Pro, creating a compelling competition with the highly-rated Orbi series available in select online stores.
If you’re considering an Orbi series that aligns with the capabilities of the eero 6 Pro, and which one offers the best value for optimizing your home wifi environment, let’s delve into the options.
In this article:
Eero-6 Pro
When it comes to pro series products, expectations naturally run high, anticipating distinct advantages over non-pro counterparts. Amazon consistently presents consumers with two tiers of eero series – the original and the pro series – each accompanied by a discernible price gap. It’s crucial to assess whether the investment in a pro-labeled product is justified by the added value it brings compared to the original variant.
In the realm of wifi technology, the eero series has evolved from the first generation based on wifi 5 to the latest wifi 6. With this transition, both the standard and pro series have made their mark. In addition to the eero 6 Pro, Amazon has recently introduced two more notable additions – the eero 6 Plus and the pinnacle of their lineup, the eero 6e Pro. The latest addition offered by Amazon is the eero 7, based on the next generation of wifi 7 technology.
As you navigate the choice between eero Pro and Orbi, it’s worth noting that Orbi does not have a direct equivalent to the pro series. The Orbi series offers different models, adding an extra layer of consideration to your decision-making process. For example, Orbi rbk753 with ax4200 network segment and Orbi Rbk852 with ax6000. See also Orbi CBK752 which comes with built-in cable modem.
Now back to eero, what is the difference between the ori and the pro series?
Eero 6 vs eero 6 pro
Introducing the eero 6 Pro brings forth a substantial shift in price, exceeding double the cost of the standard eero 6. This cost disparity is reflective of a significantly enhanced performance that distinguishes the two series. To aid in discerning these differences more conveniently, refer to Table 1 below for a detailed spec comparison between the two.
Capacity
Setting itself apart from Orbi, which lacks a clear distinction between pro and original variants, the eero 6 Pro stands out by delivering more than double the bandwidth when compared to the original series. Furthermore, it is crafted with three radio bands as opposed to the dual-band setup in the original series. The expanded coverage of the pro series is particularly advantageous for larger homes, ensuring a seamless wifi experience.
An additional noteworthy aspect is the eero 6 Pro’s capacity to accommodate internet plans of up to 1.0Gbps, a notable leap from the original series, which caps at 500Mbps. If your online activities demand a high-speed internet plan, especially for smooth online gaming and 4K video streaming, the eero 6 Pro, despite being twice as expensive as the original series, emerges as the preferred choice.
For a comprehensive overview of other specifications and features, refer to the detailed table (Table 1) below.
Table 1 eero 6 pro vs eero 6
| Eero | Eero 6 | Eero 6 Pro |
| Wifi | Dual band ax1800 | Tri-band ax4200 |
| Signal rate | 1,200Mbps @5GHz 2×2 600Mbps @2.4GHz 2×2 | 600Mbps @2.4GHz 2×2 1,200Mbps @5GHz 2×2 2,400Mbps @5GHz 4×4 |
| Coverage | 4,500 sq ft | 6,000 sq ft |
| Internet speed | Up to 500Mbps | Up to 1.0 Gbps |
| Antenna | 2.4GHz 2×2 5GHz 2×2 | 2.4GHz 2×2 5GHz 2×2 5GHz 4×4 |
| Dimension (W x L x H) | 97 mm x 99.4 mm x 61.5 mm | 139 mm x 139 mm x 52.6 mm |
| MSRP | $249.00 | $599.00 |
To get in depth insight about this eero 6 pro series, we will compare it with the Orbi product. You can also choose which orbi series to compare and make up your mind which one to choose.
Which Orbi to compare
There are two orbi series that can be compared with this eero pro 6 series, both of which can be considered as original and pro model like in eero, which are orbi rbk753 and orbi rbk853.
In order to cut the long discussion short, the following table 2 compares Orbi rbk752 and rbk852. The numeric notation on the tail of rbkxx3 indicates the number of units in the package. Orbi rbk852 or rbk752 indicates there are two orbi units in the kit. Orbi rbk853 means there are three orbi units in the kit.
Spec comparison Orbi series
Table 2 Orbi rbk852 vs Orbi rbk753
| Orbi series | Orbi Rbk853 | Orbi Rbk753 |
| Wifi | Simultaneous tri-band ax6000 mesh wifi 6 with 12 streams | Simultaneous tri-band ax4200 mesh wifi 8 with 6 streams |
| Signal rate | 1200Mbps @2.4GHz 4×4 2,400 Mbps @ 5GHZ-1 4×4 2,400 Mbps @ 5GHZ-2 4×4 | 600Mbps @2.4GHz 2×2 1200Mbps @5GHz 2×2 2400Mbps @5GHz 4×4 |
| Ethernet Ports | Orbi router: 1x RJ45 2.5G BaseT for WAN; 4x RJ45 Gigabits BaseT for LAN; Orbi Satelite (orbi rbs850): 4xGigabit LAN ports | Orbi router 1x Gigabit WAN + 3xGigabit LAN ports Orbi satellite (Rbs750): 2x Gigabit Ethernet LAN |
| Processor | Powerful Quad-Core 2.2 GHz processor with 512MB NAND Flash and 1GB RAM | 1.4GHz quad core processor with 512MB Flash and 1GB RAM |
| MSRP | $999.99 | $599.99 |
See that eero 6 pro (3-pack) is tagged with the price almost the same price as Orbi rbk753 (3-unit of orbi). So which is comparable to eero 6 pro? I already thought you would compare it with rb752 since both products have almost the same price, even though sometimes the prices are fluctuated by the time.
Eero vs Orbi
Now it comes to compare eero 6 pro with the middle tier of orbi series, rbk753. It looks like they are comparable since they are tagged with almost the same price in some online stores like in Amazon or Best buy.
As a reference, table 3 below represents spec comparison table between eero 6 pro (3-routers) and orbi rbk753 (instead of rbk752 in general which is two units orbi). With this orbi rbk753 selection, both eero 6 pro and orbi come with the same ax4200 network segment, so technically the wifi signal rates are the same with three radio bands.
Backhaul links
Link communication between nodes in mesh wifi uses wifi radio band as backhaul links. However, you can use wired Ethernet backhaul as an option.
The eero 6 pro is designed with simultaneous tri-band where the need for connection between nodes (backhaul) uses all three bands both @ 2.4GHz and @ 5GHz radio bands and share with connected devices.
Unlike the eero 6 pro, the Orbi rbk753 series uses one of the radio bands @ 5GHz @2,400Mbps as dedicated backhaul, leaving two other radio bands for connected devices. So total bandwidth for connected devices is only 1,800Mbps (1,200Mbps @5GHz + 600Mbps @2.4GHz), the 2,400Mbps @5GHz is used as dedicated backhaul.
Wired backhaul option
With the wifi backhaul link is very susceptible to signal interference, both products provide wired Ethernet backhaul option using UTP network connection between the router and satellite nodes via the their Ethernet ports. Wired connection is more reliable than wifi connection, it is relatively very stable.
Eero only provides two Ethernet ports, so you can only use a daisy chain topology for backhaul links. To use the star backhaul topology, with eero it is necessary to add a separate unmanaged Ethernet switch and connect all the eero units to the switch.
Unlike the eero which only has two ethernet ports, the orbi rbk752 has more ethernet ports on the router unit, while the orbi satellite only has two ports as well. Orbi distinguish which one is to work as Orbi router and which ones are Orbi satellites; they cannot be exchanged like the eero router.
WAN port
Both of these products are equipped with one 1.0 Gbps wan port that allows you to subscribe to internet plan up to 1.0gbps. However, if multi-gig internet speed is required, the eero 6 pro cannot support more than 1gbps. In contrast to orbi which supports link aggregation for wan by combining wan port and one of the LAN port for multi-gig internet plan up to 2Gbps. However, you also need a modem that is also equipped with two ethernet ports and supports port aggregation such as the Netgear cm1100 cable modem. See also Netgear CM2000 that supports 2.5Gbps Port.
Zigbee smart hub
One thing that makes eero series different from orbi and other mesh wifi routers in general is that eero series is designed with built-in zigbee smart hub. You know that in the future there will be more smart devices that can be controlled from your Smartphone seamlessly. In the past you had to come to make settings for each home device such as electric locks, lights, switches, temperature controllers etc. Now with smart devices in your home that support ZigBee protocol, with the Eero series all these smart devices can be connected and controlled via eero wifi network and can easily be controlled with Alexa.
Processor
Both eero 6 pro and orbi products are powered by Quad core CPU, however they come with different frequency clock and the memory capacity is also different. The eero 6 pro comes with larger Flash memory capacity. Flash memory is a solid-state chip that can still save stored data even if the router device is not powered or when the power is off. This flash memory is a kind of hard disk storage for storing configuration and firmware data for the mesh router or mesh satellite.
The larger Flash capacity the more complex program or firmware and system configuration can be stored to the memory. Read more detail the spec comparison between the two products, eero vs orbi mesh wifi 6 systems.
Spec comparison table eero vs Orbi
Table 3 below helps you understand the spec comparison table between eero 6 pro and Orbi Rbk753.
Table 3 eero 6 Pro vs Orbi rbk753
| Model | Eero Pro wifi-6 (-pack) | Netgear Orbi Rbk753 (3-pack) |
| Wifi technology | Simultaneous tri-band ax4200 mesh wifi-6 with TrueMesh technology | Simultaneous tri-band ax4200 mesh wifi-6 |
| Wifi speeds | 600Mbps @2.4GHz 2×2 1200Mbps @5GHz-1 2×2 2400Mbps @5GHz-2 4×4 | 2.4GHz (600Mbps) 2×2 5GHz (1200Mbps) 2×2 5GHz (2400Mbps) dedicated backhaul 4×4 |
| Coverage | 6,000 sq ft / 3-pack | 7,500 sq ft / 3-pack |
| Backhaul link | Wifi backhaul via both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands | Dedicated backhaul link @5GHz 2,400Mbps |
| Ethernet Ports | 2x Gigabit Ethernet WAN/LAN port with auto sensing / unit | Router (rbr750): 1x 1Gigabit WAN port support Link aggregation using WAN port and one of Gigabit Ethernet port (2Gbps) 3x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports Satellite (rbs750): 2xGigabit LAN ports |
| Internet speed | Up to Gigabit Internet plan | Up to 2Gbps internet plan (with link aggregation) |
| Security | WPA2 / WPA3 supports | NETGEAR Armor – anti-virus and data theft protection for all connected devices |
| Processor | 1.6 GHz quad core processor with 1GB RAM and 4GB Flash storage | 1.4GHz quad core processor with 512MB NAND Flash and 1GB RAM |
| Smart features | Supports Amazon Alexa, built-in Zigbee smart home hub, Thread, Bluetooth 5.0, auto firmware update | Supports Alexa, Google assistant |
| Price | $599.00 (3-pack) / $399.00 (2-pack) | $419.99 (2-pack) |
Which One to choose
Now you judge which one is suitable to meet your home business. For home with smart home devices with zigbee compliant, eero 6 pro will give you best value. On the other hand, if smart home with zigbee compliant is not a must, orbi would be the best choice with cheaper price.
Click the product’s link below to read more details and shop the product in Amazon (#ads).
- Click here to shop eero 6 pro in Amazon (#ad)
- Or you may shop orbi rbk753 with cheaper price (#Ad)
Related products
Google so far offered similar product, the Google Nest Pro, this product comes with the same wifi 6e standards.
Similar products you may also consider are Deco XE75 and Asus XT9. Click here for comparison between Asus XT9 vs Deco XE75 Pro.