It's becoming more and more common for regular consumers to install mesh router systems in their homes, and Netgear's Orbi is a popular option. At CES earlier this year, the company introduced a robust outdoor satellite to its lineup, and another new router has been unveiled at IFA 2018 in Berlin.

Orbi Voice takes what the series already does very well and adds an Amazon Alexa-capable speaker to the mix. To ensure the best sound possible, Netgear partnered with premium audio brand Harman Kardon, which has also announced a range of new products here at IFA.

The device offers WiFi performance of up to 3Gbps and when used with the Tri-band Orbi WiFi System you can get coverage of up to 4,500 square feet. This Voice-controllable satellite also comes with two Gigabit Ethernet ports for rapid file transfers. As with any Alexa speaker, you can get it to play music, check the news, or control your other smart home devices — it does everything an Amazon Echo can do.

With Harman Kardon providing the audio hardware, you can expect high-quality sound that will fill almost any room. Orbi Voice packs a 3.5-inch Woofer and a 1-inch tweeter, 35W of peak output, and has a frequency response of 63Hz-20KHz. There are also four microphones with far-field voice recognition so that Alexa won't struggle to hear your commands. Touch controls are to be found on top, including a neat volume adjustment slider (below).

In the US, Orbi Voice will set you back $299.99, but you'll need the Orbi Mesh WiFi System to use it with. You can get both together for $429.99. The package will be available next month, with the Voice satellite going on sale by itself in the Fall.

We spent a few minutes with the device here at IFA 2018 in Berlin, and it seemed like an interesting piece of kit. The speaker sounded decent enough, even with the hustle and bustle of the trade show floor in the background, but we didn't have enough time with it to test it out properly.

PRESS RELEASE