NETGEAR Orbi 370 (RBE373, 3-Pack): Specs, Pros & Cons
Three small, light nodes covering a rated six thousand square feet is the shape of this system, and for a sprawling single-story house that matters more than any speed figure. Each unit is light enough to sit on a shelf without a bracket and unobtrusive enough to place where coverage actually needs it, which is half the battle with mesh.
NETGEAR's unusual choice here is where the money went. Every node has 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (the main unit gets a 2.5G WAN and a 2.5G LAN, and each satellite its own 2.5G LAN) at a price where mesh kits almost always fit gigabit throughout. Wired backhaul between nodes therefore runs well above the usual ceiling, which is the most effective thing you can do for a mesh network's performance.
What was cut instead is the radio count. This is a dual-band system, so despite the Wi-Fi 7 name there is no 6 GHz band. The manufacturer starts that band higher up its own range. There is also no dedicated backhaul radio, so wireless inter-node traffic shares the same bands as clients.
The device rating is the specification to check against your household. Seventy simultaneous connections sounds ample until you count smart plugs, bulbs, speakers, cameras and thermostats alongside the obvious phones and laptops.
It fits a large home with moderate demands, ideally one where a cable can reach at least one satellite. It does not fit a dense modern smart home, or a buyer who assumed the Wi-Fi 7 badge included the band that makes the generation worth having.
Category strengths
Where the NETGEAR Orbi 370 (RBE373, 3-Pack) beats the median
- A higher units included ?3 vs 2.5 (median)
- A much lower unit weight ?359 g vs 801 g (median)
Where the NETGEAR Orbi 370 (RBE373, 3-Pack) trails the median
- No tri-band ?
- No 6 GHz band ?
- Fewer max connected devices ?70 vs 200 (median)
- A slightly lower coverage area ?6,000 sq ft vs 6,500 sq ft (median)
- A slightly lower max wireless speed ?5,000 Mbps vs 5,360 Mbps (median)
How this VS Score was computed
Score 38: each known spec is measured against the median of all mesh wi-fi systems (16 products), then weighted; 50 means level with that median. In classes of six or more, a value beyond the class’s 10th–90th percentile range counts as that limit, so one extreme product cannot set the scale. 70% of the scoreable weight could be used; unknown values, features not applicable to this class and proxies (battery capacity where a rated life exists) add or remove nothing.
| Specification | This product | Cohort median | Score weight | Points moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-band | No | 73% of the class have it | 1 | −48.0 |
| Dedicated wireless backhaul | No | 33% of the class have it | 1 | −48.0 |
| Multi-gig WAN | Yes | 75% of the class have it | 0.8 | +40.0 |
| 6 GHz band | No | 69% of the class have it | 0.8 | −38.4 |
| Built-in security suite | No | 44% of the class have it | 0.5 | −24.0 |
| USB port | No | 38% of the class have it | 0.2 | −9.6 |
| Coverage area | 6,000 | 6,500 | 2 | −8.0 |
| Units included | 3 | 2.5 | 0.8 | +8.0 |
| Unit weight | 359 — capped at the class’s lower range (450) | 801 | 0.2 | +7.8 |
| Max connected devices | 70 — capped at the class’s lower range (150) | 200 | 0.5 | −6.0 |
| Max wireless speed | 5,000 | 5,360 | 1.5 | −4.5 |
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 | 2 | +0.0 |
Not scored: Ethernet ports per unit (unknown: not scored); Wired backhaul support (standard for the class (100% have it)); WPA3 (standard for the class (100% have it)); App control (standard for the class (100% have it)); Parental controls (unknown: not scored); Quality of Service (QoS) (unknown: not scored); Guest network (standard for the class (100% have it)); Smart home hub (unknown: not scored).
Editor’s note
Each Orbi 370 satellite has exactly one Ethernet port. Run a cable to a satellite for backhaul and that port is taken, so a TV or console in the same room needs a small switch or stays on Wi-Fi. The router is better provided, with a multi-gig WAN and one multi-gig LAN socket, which still leaves a single spare port in the room where the modem lives.
The radios are BE5000 class across 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz, and NETGEAR's "enhanced backhaul" is Multi-Link Operation over those same two bands. Each wireless hop between nodes costs speed in the way it does on any dual-band mesh.
TP-Link's Deco BE25 covers the same ground with more sockets. It is also dual-band Wi-Fi 7 with multi-gig ports, every node has two of them, and TP-Link rates it for more than twice as many connected devices. NETGEAR answers with the Orbi app's three-network split (main, IoT and guest) and with Armor, its Bitdefender security service, which comes as a trial and then becomes a paid subscription worth costing before choosing on hardware alone.
Before buying, count the wired devices near each planned satellite location. Two or more in one room means a switch at that spot.
Specifications
Quality bars show where each figure sits between the lowest and highest of the 16 mesh wi-fi systems this VS Score is measured against.
Wireless
Ports & backhaul
Features & security
Design
Networking assessment
What the specification table does not say on its own: what this device needs to connect, what speeds are realistic, what costs extra, and where it falls short. Every statement below is read from the verified sheet or written by an editor — nothing is estimated.
Test environment
Research-based assessment: this brief is derived from the manufacturer’s published specifications for the NETGEAR Orbi 370 (RBE373, 3-Pack) and the documents listed under Sources and verification. We have not run this unit on our own network, so nothing here is a measurement of ours.
Connection requirements
The pack contains 3 units; the main unit plugs into your modem or existing gateway and the rest are placed around the home.
Wired backhaul is supported: running Ethernet between the units gives every satellite the full speed of the main unit.
Throughput expectations
The Wi-Fi 7 headline of 5,000 Mbps adds together the theoretical peak of every band. A single device connects to one band at a time, so no client ever sees the total, and real-world speeds run well below the link rate even in the same room.
There is no 6 GHz band, so the least congested spectrum available to new phones and laptops is not on offer here.
Firmware and subscriptions
NETGEAR's RBE373 support page lists firmware 12.1.11.19 for the RBE371 router and RBE370 satellites, released October 6, 2026, with stability improvements and security fixes. NETGEAR says the system supports automatic firmware updates.
Set-up and management run through the manufacturer’s app; check whether a local web interface is offered as well.
Security support
WPA3 is supported, the current Wi-Fi encryption standard; devices that only speak WPA2 still connect in mixed mode.
A guest network is available for visitors and smart-home devices, keeping them off the network your computers use.
Security-update cadence is not something manufacturers publish as a specification; see Support and updates below.
Real-world household suitability
The manufacturer rates coverage at 6,000 sq ft. That figure assumes open space; brick, concrete and floors reduce it, and a large or multi-storey home is usually better served by a mesh system than by one router.
Rated for 70 connected devices — a marketing figure, but a useful indication of whether a home full of smart plugs, cameras and phones is within its design.
Known limitations
Not offered, according to the spec sheet: tri-band, dedicated wireless backhaul, 6 GHz band, built-in security suite.
4 specifications are not published by the manufacturer and are shown as Unknown rather than guessed.
Support and updates
The support page links the user manual and separate tech spec sheets for North America and Europe. NETGEAR's limited warranty applies to units bought from an authorized reseller and registered, and technical support is free for a specified period.
Sources and verification
Where the specifications come from
- Official product pagenetgear.com
- Datasheet or manualdownloads.netgear.com
- Support and firmware documentationnetgear.com
Verification
- First published
- Specifications last checked
- Sheet completeness
- 17 of 21 specifications verified; the rest show as Unknown and are never estimated or scored
- Page type
- Product specification page — Compiled from the manufacturer’s published specifications and the cited sources; this is not a hands-on test.
- Basis
- Research-based: specifications and editorial text were compiled from the documents listed here and the manufacturer’s published data. We have not tested this unit ourselves; where independent measurements are mentioned they belong to the linked publication.
Mesh Wi-Fi Systems with similar specs to the NETGEAR Orbi 370 (RBE373, 3-Pack)
Ratings & reviews
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The bottom line
The NETGEAR Orbi 370 (RBE373, 3-Pack) earns a VS Score of 38, below the median of the 16 mesh wi-fi systems it is measured against (a score of 50 is level with that median).
- Who it’s for
- A buyer on a multi-gig plan who wants Wi-Fi 7 mesh at a budget price and has few wired devices away from the router.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Dense smart homes that will press against NETGEAR's device rating, rooms with several wired devices near a satellite, and anyone shopping for 6 GHz.
- The trade-off that matters
- Multi-gig wiring at a budget price, but one port per satellite: using it for wired backhaul leaves nothing to plug in at that node.
- The main alternative
- TP-Link Deco BE25: the same dual-band Wi-Fi 7 class with a spare multi-gig socket at every node.
The VS Score is calculated from the weighted specifications above, each measured against the median of comparable mesh wi-fi systems — a shortlisting guide, not a substitute for your own priorities. See how we score.
