NETGEAR Orbi 973 Black

Almost very good

I live in a very large detached house and have ~70 devices running in the home network, and was looking for a premium replacement for my old mesh network that was due for a hardware and software modernization.
I chose the Orbi because of its reviews, especially the wireless backhaul and that it offers wifi 5, 6 and 7, which should keep me going for many years to come.
The specifications, the box, the hardware and (also the simplicity of) the Orbi app really give a premium impression.
The connection and installation are simple in themselves (tip: follow the instructions exactly) and as a user you can actually set very little, the optimization between router and satellites is automatic.
In my case, connecting was also a matter of minutes, but before the units were actually in operation and then (automatically) optimized I was at least 45 minutes further and often doubted whether it was going well (let it do its thing I can now say). I have both wired and a wireless satellite. This is the first time that I get my maximum download and upload provider speed both wired and wireless. At a greater distance and through our concrete floor, the speed disappointed me compared to its much cheaper predecessor. To solve this, I eventually ordered a third satellite (and I can't connect it wired upstairs) and now make very grateful use of the wireless backhaul to the satellite upstairs, which also effortlessly transmits wifi 5 and 6 at high speed. It's strange that the units downstairs don't get through the floor well, but the wireless backhaul can somehow do it, and how! (Don't ask how it's possible, but enjoy it... :-). Since then I have been very satisfied with the system, the range and speed.
One major drawback remains, and that is the hand-offs between satellites and router when you move around the house with mobile devices (we often do this with mobile phones, tablets, etc.) you notice that the hand-off often happens very late, and you often notice it in loss of internet on your device, which is then restored in a minute or so. I have never experienced this on a mesh network, and (not even via the laptop admin access) I can't find a way to optimize the settings to improve this. But it seems to me to be a problem that should be solved via the software. You can imagine that both I and my roommate are not very impressed with this very expensive purchase because of this drawback.
Netgear needs to do better, and I expect that this will be the case in a next firmware update.
I will also contact support about this (but why would this be necessary for such a basic mesh function?).