Netgear introduces Netgear MK83 ax3600 mesh wifi, another Netgear series in addition of Orbi series. How this product compete with tp link deco x68.
In this article:
What this MK83 does
Previously, netgear released mk63 a lower series model that has the same physical appearance as mk83. What’s the difference?
It has been discussed in the previous article that the difference between netgear mk83 and mk63 in addition to the difference in aggregated bandwidth between dual band and three band, the two models differ in the ‘easy mesh’ standard. See also netgear mk63 mesh wifi 6.
Netgear mk63 does not support easy mesh standard but netgear mk83 does. With easy mesh standard, other devices that support this standard can work interoperated flexibly with the mk83.
Router + Satellite
Like Orbi’s tradition that always distinguishing between a mesh router and mesh satellite units, the Netgear mk83 also distinguishes between a mesh router (MR80) and its satellites (MS80). Even the satellite units come with dual bands while the mesh router units come with three bands.
Netgear Mk83 is a lower price version of Orbi series with a total aggregated bandwidth of ax3600. One level higher from this model is the Orbi rbk753 with ax4200 aggregated bandwidth, slightly different specs but quite big price difference (around $150). See also deco x68 vs Rbk752, we’ll compare mk83 with this deco later.
Netgear mk83 vs Orbi Rbk753
These two products have the same three bands design, however different in total aggregated bandwidth and different backhaul designs.
Bandwidth & backhaul
On netgear mk83 the router and satellite are different, router comes with ax3600 while the satellite with ax1800. Only router provides dedicated backhaul @1,800 @5GHz, while the satellites share bandwidth between backhaul needs and connected devices @5GHz.
Compare with Orbi rbk753 both router and satellites are the same as ax4200 and provide @5GHz dedicated backhaul @2,400Mbps. From this technical background, with Orbi you can find that link communication between router and the satellites is better and faster with wider bandwidth.
When you configure your network by using wired Ethernet backhaul, since both Netgear mk83 and Orbi rbk753 come with the same Ethernet ports both router (4 ports) and satellite (2 ports), you can use daisy chain wired backhaul topology by connecting mesh router – satellite – satellite. Or you may also configure the wired backhaul in star topology; each satellite connects to the router.
Learn this table 1 below for spec comparison between Netgear mk83 and Orbi rbk753.
Spec comparison table MK83 vs Orbi
Table 1 Netgear MK83 vs Orbi Rbk753
Mesh router | Netgear MK83 (3-pack) | Orbi Rbk753 (3-pack) |
Wifi system | Router: Simultaneous tri-band ax3600; Satellite: dual band ax1800 | Simultaneous Tri-band AX4200 with MU-MIMO with 8 streams |
Wifi signal rate | Router: 600Mbps @2.4GHz; 1,200Mbps @5GHz band 1; 1,800Mbps @5GHz band 2 (dedicated backhaul) Satellite: 1,200Mbps @5GHz; 600Mbps @2.4GHz | Router / Satellite: 2.4GHz (600Mbps) 5GHz (1200Mbps) for WiFi devices connection 5GHz (2400Mbps) dedicated backhaul |
Ethernet Ports | Router: 1x Gigabit WAN port; 3xGigabit LAN ports Satellite: 2x Gigabit ports | Router: 1xGigabit WAN + 3xGigabit LAN Satellite: 2x Gigabit LAN |
Backhaul | Dedicated backhaul @5GHz @1,200Mbps and optional wired backhaul | Dedicated backhaul link 5GHz @ 2400Mbps and optional wired backhaul |
Coverage | 6750 sq ft | 7,500 sq ft |
Processor | Router & Satellites- Powerful quad-core 1.5GHz processor each | Quad core 1.4GHz CPU with 512MB NAND Flash and 1GB RAM |
MSRP | $399.99 | $549.99 |
Netgear mk83 vs TP Link Deco x68
Technically at a glance you will find that the netgear mk83 and tp link deco x68 are the same three band ax3600. However, the mk83 consists of one netgear mr80 mesh router with three band ax3600, plus two satellite netgear ms80 which are only two band ax1800.
When compared with the deco x68, technically the total bandwidth is different because the deco router and deco satellite are the same, and you can exchange between routers and satellites. This design is also applied to the Asus Zenwifi and Linksys Velop.
Backhaul configuration
Both of these Wi-Fi mesh models also use dedicated wifi backhaul design approach @5GHz. However, with the netgear mk83, only mesh router (mr80) is a three-band and one radio band @5GHz for dedicated backhaul needs. While the two satellites (ms80) are dual band ax1800 and the backhaul is sharing bandwidth with clients. Of course, both satellites have less connected devices capacity than the router.
When compared to the deco x68, both router and satellite are also three-band ax3600 with a dedicated bandwidth @5GHz. Of course the capacity of the connected devices is also more than the netgear mk83.
Both mk83 and deco x68 support wired Ethernet backhaul option. As we discussed above with netgear mk83 you can configure the satellites using star wired backhaul topology, each connects to the router Ethernet port (3x LAN ports).
With tp link deco x68 (3-pack) you cannot configure star topology with each satellite connects to the router because the router only has two ports, however you can add unmanaged Ethernet switch. The easy way is using daisy chain topology by connecting router – satellite – satellite.
QoS
If during this pandemic you still work a lot from home and do a lot of video conference calls to the head office with a webcam, Netgear mk83 provides a dynamic QoS feature that gives priority to video conference applications, video streaming, and gaming.
With tp link deco x68 you can also configure QoS by device or application. You can configure your laptop with high priority either for video conference or gaming.
Comparison table MK83 vs Deco
Use this table 2 below as reference for spec comparison for netgear mk83 vs tp link deco x68.
Table 2 Netgear mk83 vs TP Link Deco x68
Router model | Netgear Mk83 with Easy Mesh | TP Link Deco x68 |
Wifi technology | Router: Simultaneous tri-band ax3600; Satellite: dual band ax1800 | Simultaneous tri-band ax3600 with 7-streams |
Wifi speeds | Router: 600Mbps @2.4GHz; 1,200Mbps @5GHz band 1; 1,800Mbps @5GHz band 2 (dedicated backhaul) Satellite: 1,200Mbps @5GHz; 600Mbps @2.4GHz | Router and satellite: 1802Mbps @5GHz band 1 (dedicated backhaul); 1201Mbps @5GHz band 2; 574Mbps @2.4GHz |
Backhaul | Dedicated wifi backhaul @5GHz and optional wired Ethernet backhaul | Dedicated wifi @5GHz backhaul and optional wired Ethernet backhaul |
Coverage | 6750 sq ft | 5.500 sq ft (2-pack) / 7,000 sq ft (3-pack) |
Ethernet ports | Router: 1x Gigabit WAN port; 3xGigabit LAN ports Satellite: 2x Gigabit ports | 2x Gigabit LAN/WAN auto sensing |
Processor | Router & Satellites- Powerful quad-core 1.5GHz processor each | 1.5GHz Quad core processor |
Security | WPA3-Personal ready, NETGEAR Armor Advanced cyber threat protection | WPA3 support; Guest network each band HomeShield Security |
QoS | Dynamic QoS to automatically prioritize video streaming, gaming, and video conferencing applications | QoS by device and QoS by applications |
Dimension | 4.8 in x 4.8 in x 2.5 in (121 mm x 121 mm x 63.5 mm) | 4.1 in x 4.1 in x 6.7 in (104.1 mm x 104.1 mm x 170 mm) |
Price in Amazon (Sep 2021) | $399.99 (3-pack) | $249.99 (2-pack) |
Now you have an idea which of the netgear mk83 and tp link deco x68 is suitable for your business needs at home. Click the product link below to learn more about each product and shop on Amazon (#ads).
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