Netgear’s Orbi Voice Alexa smart speaker doubles as a mesh network

Mesh networks are brilliant. Stick receivers around the house and they boost WiFi wherever it’s needed most. So combining it with a wireless multiroom speaker that has Alexa voice smarts to boot is dead clever. Netgear has done just that with its Orbi Voice Smart Speaker that doesn’t scrimp on sound because Harman Kardon are in control. Orbi Voice can drape a blanket of delicious 3Gbps tri-band WiFi over an area of up to 4,500 square feet. The speaker features four far-field microphones, a 3.5in front facing woofer and a 1in tweeter. It supports streaming from Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn and Deezer among others. An Orbi system consisting of a router and one speaker will cost £399, with additional speakers at £279 each. Everything arrives here in October.

James Day

About

You’ll find me covering every area of consumer electronics and technology alongside new and inventive ways to campaign for the return of the MiniDisc. A borderline audiophile, I DJ digitally to a mildly acceptable standard at weekends and tend to surround myself with smart home tech at all other times. In short, I’m hackable and likely to be wearing headphones and distracted while it’s happening.

Areas of expertise

Consumer electronics, audio kit, smart home devices and fondly remembered forms of removable media