NETGEAR kicked off the spate of mesh networking systems we have seen over the last couple of years with the Orbi RBK50. Since then, many more alternatives have passed through our test benches, many of which we covered in our Ultimate Mesh WiFi Router Shootout. Whilst the RBK50 remains the gold standard for performance, it also remains pricey, and the units are bulky. So NETGEAR has introduced a smaller, more modestly priced option, available as a two-unit (RBK20) and three-unit (RBK23) bundle.

Whereas the original RBK50 was AC3000 rated, the RBK20/23 only offers AC2200. However, unlike ASUS’s Lyra Trio, this isn’t because of a drop to a dual-band radio configuration. The RBK20/23 units are still tri-band. However, whilst the 2.4GHz radio still offers 400Mbits/sec of bandwidth, now both 5GHz radios use 866Mbit/sec, whereas the RBK50’s backhaul 5GHz radio operates at 1,733Mbits/sec.