Want to reduce the clutter of network wiring in homes? Netgear gives you solution with its Orbi rbk752 product, an all in one compact device of wifi 6 router with built-in docsis 3.1 cable modem.
To reduce the clutter of devices and wiring, the compact all-in-one wireless router with built-in cable modem is preference. It is therefore, Netgear offers Orbi cbk752, Arris offers G36 and G20, and there are still more from other vendors.
In this article:
- Netgear Orbi Cbk752
- Orbi Cbk752 vs Netgear cax80
- Orbi Cbk752 vs Arris Surfboard G36
- Spec comparison table Orbi vs Arris
Netgear Orbi Cbk752
To create a wireless network at home what you need is a modem (commonly given by your internet provider when you sign up) and a wireless router. For cable internet subscriber, typically the provider gives you cable modem and you need to connect the wireless router to create wifi network. With separate cable modem and wifi router, there will be wired clutter that may mess the room.
All-in-one device
To reduce cable clutter in the room, Netgear offers you an all-in-one compact device which combines the cable modem and wifi router, Orbi cbk752. What this product does?
Netgear Orbi cbk752 is mesh wifi 6 system with built-in cable modem. It’s an all-in-one mesh wifi 6 router with built-in cable modem. Orbi cbk752 is a two-pack of one unit Orbi cbr750 router and one Orbi rbs750 satellite. Orbi cbr750 is an ax4200 mesh wifi-6 router with built-in docsis 3.1 cable modem. A single Orbi cbr750 can cover up to 2,500 sq ft and when you need to cover wider coverage you need to add one or two orbi rbs750 satellites.
Another all-in-one compact device you may also consider is netgear cax80. Netgear cax80 is wifi 6 router (not mesh wifi 6 router like Orbi) with built-in docsis 3.1 cable modem. With netgear cax80 when you need to extend the coverage, what you need is to add wifi 6 range extender like Nighthawk ax80 (Eax80) range extender.
What is the difference between cax80 and Orbi cbr750?
Orbi Cbk752 vs Netgear cax80
Orbi cbk752 is one of netgear Orbi lines of products with mesh technology, however this cbk750 is an all-in-one device as discussed above. On the other hand, netgear cax80 is a wifi router (not a mesh system like orbi) with built-in docsis 3.1 cable modem like what Arris with its surfboard g34 and g36 products offers. This is the main difference between the two models of cable modem gateway.
What are the spec differences between the two gateway modes? Table 1 below shows spec difference between orbi cbk752 and netgear cax80.
Aggregated bandwidth
The first spec difference is the total aggregated bandwidth between the two models. See that cax80 is a dual band ax6000 wifi 6 router, while cbk750 is tri-band ax4200. The 4200Mbps total bandwidth for orbi here is not totally used for connected clients; however one band is used as dedicated backhaul link between orbi nodes. So only the other two bands @1800Mbps (600 + 1200) are used for connected devices.
What about netgear cax80? It is a dual band with total aggregated bandwidth up to 6000Mbps used for connected clients totally. So, more bandwidth capacity is provided by cax80 as opposed to cbk752 which is only 1800mbps.
When mesh is used
However, if your house is large enough, especially multi-storey building, the Orbi cbk750 with one or two Orbi satellites (Orbi rbs750) is more profitable because it can provide even signal coverage throughout your multi storey house. However, you only have 1800Mbps bandwidth for clients.
For more details, please refer to spec comparison table below.
Table 1 Netgear Orbi cbk752 vs Netgear Cax80
| Netgear Gateway | Netgear Orbi CBK752 | Netgear CAX80 |
| Wifi technology | Simultaneous tri-band ax4200 mesh wifi-6 with 8-streams MU-MIMO | Simultaneous dual band ax6000 wifi 6 router |
| Wifi signals | 600Mbps @2.4GHz 2×2 MU-MIMO 1,200Mbps @5GHz 2×2 MU-MIMO 2,400Mbps @5GHz 4×4 MIMO (dedicated backhaul link) | 4,800Mbps @5GHz 1,200Mbps @2.4GHz |
| Coverage | 2,500 sq ft / each node | 3,000 sq ft |
| Backhaul link | dedicated backhaul link @5GHz @2,400Mbps 4×4 MIMO you need to add Orbi rbs750 for extending coverage | N/A, doesn’t support mesh, you need range extender to extend coverage |
| Ethernet Port | Four (4) 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports | Four (4) Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports with Dual Gigabit Ethernet Port Aggregation. One (1) 2.5Gbps Ethernet Port |
| USB | N/A | 1x USB 3.0 port for storage |
| Cable modem | DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem | DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem |
| Price | $179.99 (2-pack with Orbi satellite) | $229.99 (1 unit) |
With a single unit device, cax80 covers slightly wider coverage and wider bandwidth, all the bandwidth is used for connected devices. With mesh system, orbi cbk752 uses one of its radio bands as dedicated backhaul. When it comes to select CAX80 is appropriate to cover your home, this solution is preference instead of using Orbi mesh wifi.
What about other competing product from different vendor? You may consider Arris surfboard g36 to compare, see which one is suitable to your home.
Orbi Cbk752 vs Arris Surfboard G36
Arris is one of most popular vendors in cable modem device products. Its latest product additions are Arris G34, Arris G36, and the Arris G20. All the three products come with the same AX3000 network segment. What makes them set apart?
- Arris G20 comes with two 1.0Gb Ethernet Ports, internet plan up to 1Gbps
- Arris G34 comes with four 1.0Gb Ethernet Ports, internet plan up to 1.0Gbps
- Arris G36 comes with four 1.0Gb Ethernet ports, 1×2.5Gbps, plan up to 2.5Gbps
Let’s take Arris G36 and compare it with Orbi Cbk752, see which one is suitable to meet your home network. Take a look at table 2 below as reference.
Network Capacity
When it comes to compare Orbi cbk752 with arris g36, you have similar thought as you compare cbk750 with netgear caax80 as discussed above. With arris g36, the aggregated bandwidth is 3,000Mbps that can be used for connected devices. This is half the bandwidth capacity of cax80.
When you compare g36 with Orbi cbk750, arris g36 still provides more bandwidth than orbi cbk752 knowing that half portion of orbi’s bandwidth is used as dedicated backhaul link. However, when you require twice coverage than arris can cover, Orbi cbk752 with 2-pack is more advantage.
Multi-gig LAN port
One thing that you may also consider in selecting which one is suitable with your need is the availability of multi-gig ethernet port when the requirement for this multi-gig port exists. Cbk752 doesn’t come with multi-gig port, but arris g36 does. What this multi-gig port is used for? When it comes the demand of high speed NAS device with 2.5Gbps port, G36 is ready to support this.
When the client density is very high and requires intensive NAS access tasks, you need a NAS product that is also equipped with a multi-gig port that is also connected to a network that supports the same 2.5gbps Ethernet port to provide optimal data throughput. Call it a NAS product with multi-gig port like Asustore Lockerstor 2 gen2 as6702t that comes with two 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports.
Spec Comparison table
Take a look at the following spec comparison table between Orbi cbk752 and Arris surfboard g36 to help you understand the product’s comparison.
Table 2 Orbi Cbk750 vs Arris Surfboard g36
| Cable modem router | Orbi CBR750 | Arris Surfboard G36 |
| Wifi technology | Simultaneous tri-band ax4200 mesh wifi-6 with 8-streams MU-MIMO | Simultaneous dual band AX3000 Wifi 6 Router |
| Wifi speeds | 600Mbps @2.4GHz 2×2 MU-MIMO 1,200Mbps @5GHz 2×2 MU-MIMO 2,400Mbps @5GHz 4×4 MIMO (dedicated backhaul link) | 2,400 Mbps @5GHZ 4×4 MIMO 600 Mbps @2.4GHz 2×2 MIMO |
| Coverage | 2,500 sq ft / each node | 2,500 sq ft |
| Antennas | 6x high performance internal antennas with high-powered amplifiers | Internal antennas |
| Docsis 3.1 Cable modem | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet Ports | Four (4) 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports | 4 x 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet (RJ-45 connector) MDI /MDI-X 1x 2.5Gbps LAN port |
| USB Ports | N/A | N/A |
| Processor | Powerful Quad-Core 1.4GHz processor | Unspecified |
| Security | NETGEAR Armor advanced cyber threat protection service, subscription needed | Third party security protection when required |
| Dimension | 9.6 in x 7.7 in x 3.5 in | 10.87 in x 9.92 in x 3.31 in (276 mm x 251,9 mm x 84 mm) |
| Price | $179,99 (2-pack) | $179.99 (1pc) |
Price Tagged
Prices are always fluctuated by time, and today with the emerging of wifi 7 products, the prices of wifi 6 products are getting dropped. So far, both products are tagged with almost the same price on Amazon. When you require home coverage of around 2,500 sq ft, arris g36 is enough. However, when you require double coverage Orbi is appropriate.
Click the links below to learn more details and see current price and best deal from Amazon (#ads).
Related products
If your connected devices are still based on wireless ac, you can also use similar model such as the Arris Surfboard sbg8300 or Motorola mg8725 wireless AX600 router with built-in DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem.
When you like to taste the next generation of wifi 7 technology, Arris has released its Surfboard G54, BE18000 wifi 7 router with built-in DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem.