NETGEAR Orbi 970 (RBE973SB) vs ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro (BE30000)
Two of the mesh wi-fi systems in our best mesh wi-fi systems comparison, lined up spec by spec. Every figure comes from the manufacturer pages linked below, and the scores use the same published formula as the full ranking.
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Best for: Wi-Fi 7, official 27 Gbps official combined class, quad-band, 6 official Ethernet ports, up to 10 Gbps
Check price at AmazonBest for: Wi-Fi 7, official BE30000 class, quad-band, 5 official Ethernet ports, up to 10 Gbps
Check price at AmazonSpec-by-spec comparison
Green marks the better published figure. "Not listed" means the manufacturer doesn't publish it.
| Spec | NETGEAR Orbi 970 (RBE973SB) | ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro (BE30000) | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official Wi-Fi generationThe official Wi-Fi generation published on the maker's specification table (Wi-Fi 5, 6, 6E or 7). | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 | 20% |
| Official combined PHY rateThe official BE/AX/AC class number (for example BE10000 = 10,000 Mbps). If the class token is not listed, we add the official per-band PHY rates and label that figure computed. eero's 'wireless speeds up to' claims are not this field. | 27000 Mbps | 30000 Mbps | 35% |
| Fastest official Ethernet portThe fastest official Ethernet port on the main unit (router or primary node), from the maker's port table or official technical-spec PDF. | 10 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 30% |
| Official Ethernet port countHow many official Ethernet ports the main unit has. Satellite-only ports on a mesh pack are not added to this count. | 6 ports | 5 ports | 15% |
| Official Wi-Fi class (spec table or official title) | 27 Gbps official combined | BE30000 | info |
| Sum of official per-band PHY rates (computed) | 5000 Mbps | 30198 Mbps | info |
| Official radio bands | Quad-band | Quad-band | info |
| Official spatial streams | 16 | 16 | info |
| Official Ethernet wording | • Create separate WiFi Networks: matter the layout, from the front door to the - (1) 10 Gig internet WAN port3 backyard. - Main Network: Primary network for your - (1) 10 Gbps Ethernet LAN port family's devices • Unleash Incredible Speed—Whether Multi-Gig - (4) 10/100/1000/250… | 10G WAN/LAN x 1, 10G LAN x 1, 1G WAN/LAN x 1, 1G LAN x 2 | info |
| Source note | Ethernet port count and speed taken from the official technical specification (PDF or support article) for this model. | Not listed | info |
| Memory (official table) | Not listed | RAM 2GB , Flash 256MB | info |
| Dimensions (official table) | Not listed | 214*174.2*72 mm | info |
| Security (official table) | Not listed | AiProtection, VPN, WPA3 Enterprise, WPA3 Personal, WPA2 Enterprise , WPA2 Personal, WPA Personal, WPA Enterprise , WPS support, WPS, Let's Encrypt, DNS-over-TLS, SSH, Security Scan, Firewall, • Maximum Firewall Keyword Filter : 64, • Maximum Firewall Network Service Filter : 3… | info |
| Power (official table) | Not listed | AC Input : 110V~240V(50~60Hz) DC Output : 19.5V with max. 3.5A current DC Output : 12V with max. 5A current | info |
| Also listed by the maker as | Not listed | ASUS ZenWiFi BE30000 | info |
| MeshPick score | 10.0/10 | 9.7/10 | 100% |
Where each one comes out ahead
NETGEAR Orbi 970 (RBE973SB)
Better published figure on: Official Ethernet port count.
What we like
- Official table lists Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
- Official table lists a quad-band radio
- Official table lists a 10 Gbps Ethernet port
- Official table lists 6 Ethernet ports on the main unit
Watch out for
ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro (BE30000)
Better published figure on: Official combined PHY rate.
What we like
- Official table lists Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
- Official table lists a quad-band radio
- Official table lists a 10 Gbps Ethernet port
- Official table lists 5 Ethernet ports on the main unit
Watch out for
Verdict
On published specs, the NETGEAR Orbi 970 (RBE973SB) scores higher (10.0 vs 9.7). Specs don't capture sound character or feel, so weigh the pros and cons above too.
- Choose the NETGEAR Orbi 970 (RBE973SB) if this sounds like you: wi-Fi 7, official 27 Gbps official combined class, quad-band, 6 official Ethernet ports, up to 10 Gbps.
- Choose the ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro (BE30000) if this sounds like you: wi-Fi 7, official BE30000 class, quad-band, 5 official Ethernet ports, up to 10 Gbps.
- NETGEAR Orbi 970 (RBE973SB): NETGEAR official technical specifications PDF: RBE973SB_TS
- NETGEAR Orbi 970 (RBE973SB): NETGEAR official technical specifications PDF
- ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro (BE30000): ASUS official specifications: ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro
- ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro (BE30000): ASUS official tech specs: ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro (BE30000)
- ASUS ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro (BE30000): ASUS official specifications: ASUS ZenWiFi BE30000