Published
A few weeks with a variant of the Orbi AX 4200, a mesh wi-fi router on which you can attach a SIM card.
Orbi AX4200 (model NBK752).
dr
A variant of Netgear’s mesh wifi router, the Orbi AX4200, was launched in late 2021 on the Swiss market. This model has the particularity of being able to accommodate a SIM card in its bowels. It is composed of a wi-fi router which will be connected by RJ-45 cable to the “box” of your internet service provider and a satellite which can be placed in another room of your home. A wireless bridge (mesh or mesh) is thus created which significantly extends the range and, therefore, the performance of your wireless network. In the event of failure of the access provider, the system automatically switches to the mobile telephone network and Internet access is not interrupted.
We installed this model (NBK752) at our home. For this we have previously deactivated the wi-fi of our supplier’s box in order to only have to manage a single network, the one created by the Orbi, and to prevent existing devices (tablet, smartphone, PC , game console, etc.) are tempted to switch from one network to another. And then, a single network name and a single password to manage, it changes your life.
Without (too much) cold sweats
We connected the router to the box and launched the configuration procedure using the smartphone application (Orbi) recommended by Netgear. It allowed us to enter the usual name of our wi-fi network and its password into the router, which saved us from having to re-enter the logon of each of our wi-fi accessories. No particular worries in this step except for the usual cold sweats due to the latency time between our actions and the appearance of the result on the application. For the purposes of the test, we introduced the SIM card of our smartphone into the Orbi router, once more the application of the same smartphone allows us to introduce the PIN code of the SIM card. Half an hour of guided trial and error later, the system was up and running. Relief.
The system operated in an environment limited by two factors. Internet access allowing a maximum of 1000 Mbit per second for downloading and 100 Mbit/s in the other direction and a mobile telephone network still limited to 4G. Our test Orbi can theoretically handle much more (4200 Mbit/s) and the higher speed of 5G.
Expected performance
The measures taken therefore reflect these limitations. In wi-fi, in the room where the router is, the Orbi provided a speed very close to the maximum stipulated by our access provider (more than 930 Mbit / s in download and even a little more than 100 Mbit / s to payment). He was fine that day. In the room where the satellite was housed, we did not notice any significant degradation. Which is remarkable.
Wi-Fi speeds observed with the Orbi router connected to the access provider’s box (left) and that observed with the router connected to a 4G mobile phone network.
dr
We finally simulated a failure of our access provider. Simply by unplugging the cable that connects the Orbi router to the “box”. Here once more what was supposed to happen happened, the router hooked up automatically to the mobile phone network and our internet access was not interrupted. But 4G network requires, the speed measurements were significantly lower: between 20 and 30 Mbit / s in both directions. Once the RJ-45 cable was reconnected, the system also automatically reverted to previous performance.
The safety net at a price
These results, which we consider very satisfactory despite the contextual limitations mentioned above, explain why, on a private basis, we have chosen to acquire such a mesh system (without the SIM card option) as it corresponds to our criterion “we connect , it works well and we forget”. However, the safety net offered by the built-in SIM card would not have been enough to push us to take the next step. Its price noted in April, more than 1100 francs, much more excluding promotions, or roughly double the equivalent model without 5G mode (RBK752), would have seemed dissuasive to us. In addition, in the event of an internet access failure, it is always possible to temporarily pair a wi-fi device to your smartphone to circumvent the temporary problem.
Opting for such a system therefore seems much more relevant to us for a small business that cannot afford to be cut off from the web. No doubt also for the extremely wealthy owner of a 12-room chalet/swimming pool/sauna/heliport in an area without high-performance internet access by cable, fiber or ADSL. Two categories to which we definitely do not belong.
Orbi AX4200, model NBK752, wi-fi 6/5G, consisting of a router and a satellite. Price noted excluding promotion in April 2022 1438 francs.
