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NETGEAR’s Orbi 970 Routers Offer Powerful Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity
The company’s popular mesh system has received a significant performance boost, offering 10,000 square feet of coverage and speeds of 27 Gbps.
In an era of increasing internet connectivity and the rise of bandwidth-sucking applications such as 4K streaming and online gaming; faster Wi-Fi speeds, reduced latency, and enhanced capacity are becoming paramount.
Good news then, as NETGEAR has recently revamped its renowned Orbi 970 Mesh Wi-Fi router series to deliver unparalleled Wi-Fi 7 performance, boasting speeds of up to 27 Gbps, alongside a fresh, sleek new design. The inclusion of 12 high-performance, 360-degree Quad-Band antennas extends coverage up to a sizable 10,000 square feet from a 3-pack of Orbis. In addition, the mesh network can accommodate the simultaneous connection of up to 200 devices, with a Smart Connect feature selecting the optimal Wi-Fi band for each.
In terms of wired connections, the router is equipped with a 10 Gig internet port, along with one 10 Gig and four 2.5 Gig Ethernet ports, enabling some of the highest network speeds currently available.
In addition to the design and performance overhaul, the Orbi package also includes one year of NETGEAR Armor, Powered by Bitdefender 2, adding an automatic layer of security for all connected devices. Unlike conventional antivirus software products, NETGEAR Armor is integrated into the router as a comprehensive security solution, monitoring internet traffic and safeguarding computers, security cameras, baby monitors, and other IoT devices while alerting users to external threats and suspicious outbound activities.
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Finally, the upgraded Orbi 970 Series incorporates NETGEAR Smart Parental Controls, offering easy management of children’s online time across their connected devices and helping to foster healthy online habits for the entire family. Basic functionalities are free, but a subscription fee follows a 30-day trial period for access to the Premium Plan.
NETGEAR’s Orbi products are available in stores now, or directly from their official website.
News
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.
Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.
The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc
— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026
“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.
Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.
Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget
The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.
Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
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