Netgear finally unveiled its ultimate Orbi product, the Orbi Rbe973 Be27000 Mesh Wifi 7 system. How does Orbi 970 vs Deco BE95 perform?
In this article:
What this Orbi RBE970 Does
In the modern large homes, the implementation of wifi network that can cover the whole area is a must. This is particularly essential when you connect to the internet network lots of connected devices including computers, laptops, internet TV, game console, smart IoT home devices including voice assistant devices, smart security cameras, smart home temperature system, wifi door locks, etc. to supports all of those connected devices that are growing by time, you need high performance high speed wifi network with latest technology. It is therefore Netgear introduced its ultimate product adopting the next generation of wifi 7 technology – the Orbi 970 series, the Orbi rbk973 be27000 mesh wifi 7 system.
High speed network
Netgear unveiled its ultimate Orbi product based on latest wifi 7 technology with its quad band Orbi 970 series. Previously Netgear was popular with its unrivaled Orbi RBkE963, the ultimate mesh wifi 6e series models offered to the market with quad band, the first quad band mesh wifi 6e system available on the market.
Orbi Rbe973 vs Orbi Rbke963
Besides the wifi generation difference between the latest wifi 6e Orbi rbke963 series and this Orbi 970 series, what other differences between the two series are? Take a look at the following spec comparison table.
Wired Connection
Both Orbi 970 and 960 series are equipped with multi-gig 10Gbps internet port you can connect to high speed modem. So far docsis 3.1 cable modem come equipped with 2.5Gbps such as Arris Surfboard S33 or Netgear CM2000. However, Netgear make those two Orbi series are ready for next generation of 10Gbps Internet speed introduced by next generation of Docsis 4.0 cable lab technology, so does TP-Link with its Deco X200 series and Deco BE95 and Deco BE85 series.
However, for multi-gig LAN connectivity up to 10Gbps, Orbi 970 is ready. While Orbi 960 comes with only 2.5Gbps LAN port.
Backhaul link
When it comes to optional wired backhaul, with Orbi 970 you can connect to using 10Gbps wired backhaul, while Orbi 960 gives you wired backhaul using 2.5Gbps ports with daisy chain backhaul topology. You can also use star backhaul topology with three pack kits. However, only one link connects using multi-gig 10Gbps port, while the other backhaul link uses 2.5Gbps for Orbi970 series.
Processor
Both Orbi series come equipped with the same Quad core 2.2GHz processor; however the memory capacity for Orbi 970 is larger than orbi 960. The flash memory and RAM in a Wi-Fi router play distinct but important roles in the device’s overall performance and functionality. Typically the larger memory capacity is the better and faster in processing networking tasks. No wonder that the Orbi 970 series with higher bandwidth capacity and more complex tasks require memory capacity for routing, firewall operations, Quality of Service (QoS) management, and handling multiple network connections simultaneously.
Take a look at the following table for more details spec comparison between the two series.
Orbi Rbe27000 vs Orbi Rbke963
| Orbi Model | Orbi RBE973 | Orbi Rbke963 |
| Wifi Technology | Quad band BE27000 | Quad band AXE11000 |
| Signal rates | 11,530Mbps @6GHz 4×4 5,765Mbps @5GHz 4×4 8,647Mbps @5GHz 4×4 1,147Mbps @2.4GHz | 1200 Mbps @2.4GHz 4×4 2400 Mbps @5GHz 4×4; 2400 Mbps @6GHz 4×4 ; 4800Mbps @ 5GHz 4×4 (backhaul) |
| Backhaul Link | Enhanced Dedicated: 5GHz 4×4 (dedicated, 240MHz) + 6GHz 4×4 (320MHz) | 4800Mbps @ 5GHz 4×4 (dedicated backhaul) |
| Antennas | 12x high-performance internal antennas with high-power amplifiers | 12x high-performance internal antennas with high-power amplifiers |
| Ethernet Ports | Router Node: 1x 10 Gig Internet WAN port 1x 10Gbps Ethernet LAN port 4x 10/100/1000/2500Mbps Multi-Gig Ethernet LAN ports Satellite: 1x 10Gbps Ethernet LAN port 2x 10/100/1000/2500Mbps LAN ports | Router: 1x 10.0 Gbps WAN port; 1x 2.5 Gbps LAN port; 3x 1.0 Gbps LAN ports Satellite: 1x 2.5Gbps LAN 3x 1.0Gbps LAN ports |
| Processor | Quad-core 2.2GHz processor Memory: 4GB Flash and 2GB RAM | Powerful Quad-Core 2.2GHz processor 512MB NAND Flash and 1GB RAM |
| Dimension | 11.58 inches x 5.68 inches x 5.15 inches / (294.03mm) x (144.38mm) x (130.79mm) | 11 in x 7.5 in x 3.3 in (279.0 mm x 190.5 mm x 83.8 mm) |
| Price | $2,299.99 /3-pack | $1,499.99 /3-pack |
See that the price difference is quite big. Unless you really require large bandwidth for dens of bandwidth intensive applications including streaming 4k/8k video, online gaming, video / conference call, etc, a similar product with lower bandwidth support is appropriate such as Orbi 860 series, or Deco x200 series which the prices are not costly like the ultimate Orbi 970 or 960 series.
Orbi 970 vs Deco BE95
TP-Link released couple of mesh wifi 7 products few months earlier than Netgear did with its ultimate Orbi 970 series. Even TP-Link showcased few wifi 7 router products including Archer BE800 and Archer BE900 wifi 7 routers in addition of mesh wifi 7 systems. While so far, up to last quarter of 2023, Netgear just released single Nighthawk RS700 BE19000 wifi 7 router, while TP-Link has released two wifi 7 router products and still few more showcased on its website, not released to the market yet. And today you can find bunch of wifi 7 products introduced by TP-Link, Netgear, Asus and still more vendors.
Now, let’s take Deco BE95 and compare it with Orbi 970 series, see how they perform. As a reference, the following table 1 shows you spec comparison table between the two product models.
Aggregated bandwidth
Netgear released its debut in mesh wifi-7 product with its Orbi 970 series that sits @ be27000 network segment. Unfortunately, the performance of this ultimate debut product offered by Netgear is still under similar product offered by TP-Link – Deco BE95 which sits @ be33000 network segment. See that the total aggregated bandwidth of orbi 970 series is around 6000Mbps (33,000 – 27,000) lower than Deco BE95. It’s about technical aggregated bandwidth difference, which proves that Deco Be95 is more superior than Orbi 970 series.
Both Orbi and Deco wifi 7 system series are designed with quad band and each band supports 4×4 data streams MU-MIMO for simultaneous connection to compliant MU-MIMO devices at a time so reducing network buffering, reducing network bottleneck, thus reducing network latency.
Make sure that you need to upgrade your connected devices to support MU-MIMO with at least wifi 6-based adapters. The old models of laptop may still come with legacy wifi 5 (wireless ac) standard, however new lines of laptop products today have come with wifi 6 adapter for better connection to high speed wifi 6 router networks, such as Dell Latitude 5430 that comes with Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 adapter that supports 2×2 MI-MO feature.
And if your laptops or desktop computers connectivity are still based on legacy wifi ac adapters, you may consider using wifi 6e adapters such as tp-link archer tx21uh.
Wired Ethernet Ports
Both Orbi and Deco are ready for the next generation of 10Gig internet services, ready to connect to the next generation of DOCSIS 4.0 cable modem that supports 10Gbps internet plan, or ready with today’s available Optic Internet connection, knowing that both products come equipped with 10Gbps WAN port to supports internet plan up to 10Gbps when your internet providers are ready with their multi-gig internet plan.
Orbi products distinct the router node and the satellite node, but Deco doesn’t, you can interchange each nodes to work either as the router or the satellite nodes. So that’s why Orbi router comes with more Ethernet ports than the Orbi satellite.
With Deco BE95 you can connect either multi-gig Ethernet WAN port or SFP fiber connection port at a time, thanks to its one 10Gbps SFP+/RJ45 Combo WAN/LAN port. On the other hand Orbi only comes with RJ45 10Gbps WAN port, not a combo port like Deco. But total number of Ethernet ports for Orbi is 6x RJ45 ports for router and 3x RJ45 ports for satellite. Deco BE95 comes with less number of Ethernet Ports.
Spec comparison table Orbi vs Deco
Take a look at the following spec comparison table below for details.
Table 2. Orbi vs Deco Wifi 7
| Wifi 7 Product | Orbi RBE973SB | TP-Link Deco BE95 |
| Wifi technology | Quad band BE27000 wifi 7 | Quad band BE33000 wifi 7 Seamless AI-Driven Mesh |
| Signal rates | 11,530Mbps @6GHz 4×4 5,765Mbps @5GHz 4×4 8,647Mbps @5GHz 4×4 1,147Mbps @2.4GHz | 11,530Mbps @6GHz 4×4 11,530Mbps @6GHz 4×4 8,647Mbps @5GHz 4×4 1,147Mbps @2.4GHz |
| Network names | Up to 3 network names: Guest network, Home network, and IoT network | Single network name, and 3x Guest networks (1x Guest network each band) |
| Backhaul links | Enhanced Dedicated: 5GHz 4×4 (dedicated, 240MHz) + 6GHz 4×4 (320MHz) | Both wifi and wired backhaul aggregation |
| Antennas design | 12x high-performance internal antennas with high-power amplifiers | 12x High-Gain Internal Antennas |
| Ethernet Ports | Router Node: 1x 10 Gig Internet WAN port 1x 10Gbps Ethernet LAN port 4x 10/100/1000/2500Mbps Multi-Gig Ethernet LAN ports Satellite: 1x 10Gbps Ethernet LAN port 2x 10/100/1000/2500Mbps LAN ports | 1x 10 Gbps WAN/LAN 1x 10 Gbps SFP+/RJ45 Combo WAN/LAN 2x 2.5 Gbps Supports WAN/LAN auto-sensing |
| USB Ports | N/A | 1x USB 3.0 Port |
| Security | NETGEAR Armor™ software | TP-Link HomeShield |
| Coverage | Up to 10,000 sq. ft /3-pack | Up to 7800 sq ft / 2-pack |
| Dimension | 11.58 x 5.68 x 5.15 inches / (294.03mm) x (144.38mm) x (130.79mm) | 5.04 inch × 5.04 inch × 9.29 inch (128 mm × 128 mm × 236 mm) |
| Price | $2,299.99 /3-pack | $1,199.99 /2-pack |
Price Points
Look at the price difference between the two kit models, Orbi is tagged with more expensive than Deco. Deco BE95 is more advantage in terms of total bandwidth aggregation, but the total number of Ethernet ports is less than Orbi.
The price listed might not be the same as current price in Amazon, click the product’s link below to learn more details, see current price and get best deals on Amazon (#ads).
- Click here to see Orbi 970 series in Amazon (#Ad)
- Or you may like to see Deco BE95 in Amazon (#Ad)
Related products
For next generation of Asus mesh wifi 7 on lower level, you may like to consider Asus Zenwifi BT6, a similar lower level Deco BE63. Click here to see Asus BT6 vs Deco BE63 to get a better spec comparison table between the two.