NETGEAR Orbi 4G LTE Mesh WiFi Router with SIM Card Slot (LBR20) | for Home Internet or Hotspot | Supports AT&T and T-Mobile | Coverage up to 2,000 sq. ft. & 20+ Devices | AC2200 (up to 2.2Gbps)

I’m really quite amazed. I purchased the Orbi 4g LTE modem-router for non-cable WiFi connection and matched the Orbi to 4 Arlo Essential security cameras. Should work, right? Never did anything like this before. Like so many of these electronic combinations that I’ve theorized about in the past, I assumed this wouldn’t work either. I talked to several advisors – Orbi technicians, Arlo community contributors. Everyone said it should work. And it did!!!! Amazing!!The Orbi LBR20 was a bit of a challenge. The Obi app was skittish … worked sometimes, sometimes got stuck. The password used to set-up my Orbi account (Netgear) was not the same as the password needed to activate the Orbi modem-router for Internet connection; the Orbi password is printed on the label at the bottom of the Orbi unit … Oh, that password.PureTalk (really AT&T) indicated that they had coverage for my barn’s Zip Code but could not guarantee the Sim card would work with Orbi LBR20 … not quite the confidence booster I needed. Ok … so brave as I am, I purchased the PureTalk Sim card and a 6 Gig data plan.After everything arrived, I first tried to connect the Orbi wireless modem-router to the Internet using the Orbi app as instructed. Nothing automatic here. After several tries, the Orbi app asked for the APN number of my Internet service provider. What’s an APN for goodness sake? Googled “PureTalk APN” and came up with “RESELLER”. I entered “RESELLER … then my PureTalk phone number as the only User ID I knew and then my PureTalk password. No contact and no Internet. Frustration!! The next day, I called PureTalk and asked for the APN number, user ID and password. After transferring through 4 different technical service associates, I received the information (APN = RESELLER, User ID = Not set up yet, Password = Not set up yet). So, I entered “RESELLER” and nothing else (no User ID and no Password). Success!! Internet access!!! Oh, so you don’t need a password in this case!! But … I was now connected to the Internet through a Orbi 4g LTE wireless modem-router … no cable. Once I got the password and APN right, Orbi activated as promised.The next step was to see if the Arlo Essential WiFi cameras would connect to the Orbi LBR20 and then connect to the Internet. The Arlo app was needed to activate the cameras. The Arlo app worked more reliably and consistently than the Orbi app. One by one, each of the Arlo Essential cameras activated. I could see my home office on each of the cameras. Amazing!!! What vanity looking at myself on all four cameras!!! Still, this was at home … and not 25 miles away … in the middle of nowhere. To be safe … I purchased two antennas to attach to the Orbi (not provided in the Orbi box), just in case the Orbi needed the extra help in capturing the wireless signal in the rural Midwest. The Orbi had no problem at home. Every WiFi device in the house wanted to connect to the Orbi … I had to resist. But would the same happen at the barn?I unplugged everything and transported the Orbi and the Arlo Essential cameras to the barn. Located the Orbi 14 feet above ground. Plugged it in. Immediate Internet connection!!! You’ve got to be kidding!!! Installed the Arlo cameras. Each of the cameras … one by one … immediately linked to the Orbi … just like at home. You’ve got to be kidding!! Now … 25 miles away with no cable … I have the views as shown below.There are still questions. The jury is still out. What will the battery life be for each of the cameras be? I fully charged the cameras yesterday; today they are at 92-94 %, though was experimenting with features a lot yesterday. The WiFi signal from the Orbi to the Arlo cameras appears strong. The barn is wood frame with steel siding. Two cameras show four bars and two show two. One of the cameras showing two bars showed four bars yesterday. I may need to reposition the cameras. So … everything is still new. We’ll see.

Didn’t know what to expect as I have never used anything other that my cell phone hotspot for sharing my cell data. Setup was easy just popped my IPhone 11 SIM card directly into the router and just like that it started working. We live in a rural area with almost no “natural” cell signal so we have this router connecting through a Sure Call Fusion4Home booster and the GUI shows full bars. I’m not gonna win any speed competitions for speed (7mbps down and 2 mbps up) but it sure is better than not having any WiFi at all. This router allowed me to connect all my smart devices as well as some basic (probably SD) streaming. It had a surprisingly large range covering all 30’ x 60’ of my house plus another 50’-100’ outside of the house. If I end up getting the satellite I think I would easily have a 150’ solid WiFi bubble around the house which is better than any router I’ve ever had. The other thing I noticed is that the data utilized was my actual unlimited cell phone plan and not the smaller and more expensive hotspot data allotment. This means I should be able to “add a line” with my carrier and pay the $40 or so for an additional unlimited data plan and throw that extra SIM card into the router for dedicated WiFi service. That’s the plan anyway so hopefully it goes accordingly. So far really no complaints as I now have reliable WiFi that I can run my smart home whereas before I could not. Eventually we’ll either get Satellite internet or convince the local internet company to run fiber and the LTE service will be a solid backup for my wife’s at home job but until then gonna enjoy the small victory and be thankful we have internet service.

If you plan to use this with T-Mobile, forget it. It will not work. T-Mobile tech support and stores do not recognize it as working with T-Mobile. Sure you can buy the SIM card and a plan, and manually configure it with the correct settings for T-Mobile, it will not work. Netgear tech support can't help you either, the issue is with T-Mobile. Netgear communities say that some are using T-Mobile; however, that is only if you know how to use networking tools, are willing to install hacking script to your PC (who knows what that opens your PC up to), So not a smart thing to do.The good news is it works great with Verizon. No manual configuration, it works.

I have a rural farm house in another state I visit once a month. I wanted to be able to remotely keep an eye on it with security cameras and turn the lights on & off. The rural area precludes it from access to cable or an internet provider. I didn’t entertain a satellite option since the area has severe thunderstorms that would interrupt the signal. My best option was to utilize the cell phone coverage albeit not the strongest signal. By the way, I tried to get Verizon to sell me a real home fixed LTE-Wifi setup, that I know they sell to businesses. No luck. They would only sell me their portable jetpack solution. I did use it as a bandaid until I came across this Orbi router.First, I installed a Wilson repeater to address the weak RF which boosts the cell phone signal inside the home. Second I needed a WiFi/hotspot network to connect my security cameras. I was using a Verizon LTE-4G portable Jetpack/MiFi which basically is the equivalent of using a phone as a hotspot to connect my cameras. The problem was the jetpack isn’t meant to stay plugged in all the time because it has a battery. The battery eventually starts to swell or the unit will power off to protect the battery. That meant I would lose connectivity to my cameras. Also the jetpack doesn’t have an ethernetI port in case I needed a direct connect. YoLink hubs work great if you plug it directly into a wifi router.I needed a WiFi router that would work off of a cellular phone system and stayed powered up all the time using 110 ac.;The Netgear Orbi 4G router filled my need.First you download the Netgear app onto your smartphone. Set up an account and scan the Orbi barcode. Follow the instructions. You will have to set up the LTE>SIM card. Just plugging in the SIM card doesn’t make it work. I took my Verizon SIM card out of the Jetpack and inserted it into the Orbi. I had to enter the APN information. In my case I typed in Verizon. You enter your normal Verizon user ID & password. It gets a little tricky where you bounce between your phone’s WiFi settings and the Orbi app. ; It’s not the most intuitive or a plug & play setup, but I got it to work.The unit’s WiFI coverage is very good & much better than the Verizon jetpack. The speeds you get will be the same as what you would get off your phone using the cellular network. My wireless cameras, light bulbs & switches have worked flawlessly. I no longer have to worry about losing connection unless I lose power. I plugged the Orbi into a UPS for lightening protection & for battery backup. The unit isn’t inexpensive, but it works well once it’s set up. It bridged & handled my need for a rural WiFi solution to connect my security system.

This router/hotspot has saved me from complete bored. I live in the outskirts of the city so cellular signal is not as strong with the carrier I have. Changing carriers was not an option for me so I opted to buy this device because it was perfect for my needs i can stream 4k no problem and have other devices browse the internet without a problem. All you need to do is find out what carrier delivers the best service in your area purchase a plan and it is plug and plug from there set up is easy and if you don’t have time to get a sim card one comes included in the box with a carrier info included. It’s a breeze to use and does everything that i claims and more. (Side note: router has ports for extra antennas for the LTE signal(does not come included) it helps a lot if signal is weak inside. But router worked great before purchasing so I recommend to try it without and then decide to purchase extra antennas if needed. It’s totally up to you will work without them)