Side by side
eero vs Netgear Orbi RBR50
eero
18 positive (62%) · 4 mixed (14%) · 7 negative (24%)
Trust + time weighted: +36%
AI summary — not a quote
eero is generally regarded as a stable and user-friendly mesh Wi-Fi solution, often recommended by users who have found competing systems like Orbi too complex or unreliable. While it is praised for its simple setup and free support, some users have experienced significant downtime during automatic updates and note that its performance can occasionally lag when managing smart home devices.
Pros
- High stability and reliability compared to competitors
- Simple and straightforward setup process
- Customer support is provided without additional fees
- Effective 'set it and forget it' performance for general Wi-Fi needs
Cons
- Automatic updates can take systems offline for extended periods
- Long 'optimization' times required after firmware updates
- Potential latency issues with smart home camera loading
- Strict hierarchical wiring requirements (satellites must be downstream of the gateway)
Top excerpts
Though the Eero apparently doesn't give you the option to manually select the channels, I guess it just manages all that automatically... I don't love that it apparently forces you to use a smartphone app, that there's neither a web GUI or CLI access.
OK I was under reporting. I'm getting around 800mpbs on speedtests at the main Eero.
Just use eero. Orbi sucks balls 🏀
I tried the eero several months ago and wasn’t impressed but up to you.
Eero if I’m picking between those two only.
Netgear Orbi RBR50
8 positive (33%) · 9 mixed (38%) · 7 negative (29%)
Trust + time weighted: +9%
AI summary — not a quote
The Netgear Orbi RBR50 is a legacy WiFi 5 mesh system that elicits mixed reactions from long-term users. While many praise its historical reliability and performance as a basic Access Point, it is now officially End of Life (EOL), leading to concerns over security, hardware failure, and inconsistent speeds.
Pros
- Proven longevity with some users reporting over 7 years of stable use
- Capable of reaching WiFi 5 speeds between 400-600 Mbps in optimal conditions
- Works effectively when configured strictly as an Access Point (AP) rather than a primary router
- Availability of stable third-party firmware (Voxel) to extend the device's life
Cons
- Officially End of Life (EOL) with no further security or firmware updates from Netgear
- Reports of hardware 'bricking' where the unit becomes unresponsive and cannot be reset
- WiFi speeds often fall below gigabit expectations, typically ranging from 250-400 Mbps
- Software bugs including 'Anywhere Access' registration errors and intermittent connectivity drops
Top excerpts
I had a bulletproof Orbi RBR50 WiFi 5 setup that was maxing out around 600 on WiFi.
I'm still using RBR50s in my house and they're still doing very well.
My previous RBR50 was much more reliable but it completely bricked after 4 years and after 2 satellites also bricked within the past year.
RBR50
My RBR50 just bricked itself a month ago. So I replaced it with the 370. I wouldn’t recommend it, I’m selling mine on FB marketplace soon at a loss and upgrading to a Ubiquiti system.