Netgear Orbi Voice is a hybrid mesh Wi-Fi access point and Alexa-powered smart speaker

File this one under "Why has no one thought of its before?" And it packs a pretty good audio punch, based on the demo we got last week, thanks in part to a collaboration between Netgear and home audio powerhouse Harman Kardon. Mesh networks like Netgear's Orbi series are popular because they can blanket a home with strong Wi-Fi and eliminate dead zones. They consist of a router that you connect to your broadband gateway, and one or more satellite access points that you position around the house. Data hops from one satellite to the other and back to the router, with client devices automatically connecting to whichever access points can deliver the strongest signal.