More than the latest member of the Orbi family, the Orbi 370 mesh Wi-Fi system breaks new ground for those looking for economical home networking that still delivers the data. Small enough to fit in places where its larger siblings can’t, the Orbi 370 series offers more bang for the networking buck than the Orbi 770, 870 and 970 mesh routers. Its dual-band design may lack access to the high-performance 6 GHz data band and with it the high speed data flow that Wi-Fi 7’s 320 MHz data channels offer, but the Orbi 370 members deliver reliable data at surprisingly sprightly wired and wireless speeds.

At $350 for a three-pack, the Orbi 373 kit I looked at blazes a more economical online trail for Netgear although it can’t compete with its larger and more expensive siblings, particularly at close range. This inexpensive Wi-Fi 7 mesh kit has the potential to make data fly back and forth. My Netgear Orbi 370 review will help you decide if this is the best mesh Wi-Fi system and the best Wi-Fi 7 router for you or if you’re better off spending more on a tri-band mesh router.

Netgear Orbi 370: Price and availability

Without a doubt, the Orbi 370 clan breaks new ground for Netgear with inexpensive mesh technology. The Orbi 373 three-pack I looked at sells for $350, one-fifth the price of Netgear’s top of the line Orbi 973 triband set and about what an extra Orbi node costs.

Aimed at covering 6,000 square feet, the Orbi 370 series trio should be enough to fill most homes, although the two-part Orbi 372’s 4,000 square feet might be a better bet for an apartment or cottage; it costs $250. Extra satellites are $150 and can cover dead zones with an extra 2,000 square feet of coverage.

That said, the Orbi 370 costs about the same as the TP-Link Deco BE25’s $270 three-pack and is a bargain compared to the similar $260 for two MSI Roamii BE Lite units.

Netgear Orbi 370: Design

After opening the box, the first thing you notice about the Netgear Orbi 370 mesh devices is how small and light they are compared to previous Orbis. At 8.0 x 4.7 x 3.0 inches and 13 ounces, the triangular towers are half the size of MSI’s Roamii BE Lite mesh devices.

Available only in white, the devices can fit on a shelf, tabletop or off in the corner of a room. Unlike competitors, Netgear sells a $40 plastic mounting shelf.

The mesh set takes advantage of the latest Wi-Fi 7 updates, including 4K QAM, Multi-RU and preamble puncturing to push throughput levels. To use its fronthaul Multi-Link Operations (MLO), you need to set the router to use WPA2+WPA3 encryption. It pushes the Wi-Fi 7 spec with 240MHz streams while sending and receiving data over its four internal antennas.

That said, it limits data flow to the 2.4- and 5.0 GHz data bands and ignores the high-speed 6 GHz data band and its ability to make the bits fly over 320MHz data channels. Based on Qualcomm’s IPQ5322 circuitry with a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 512MB of storage space for its firmware and settings. With four independent data streams, it can theoretically move up to 688 Mbps over the 2.4 GHz link and 4.324 Gbps over the 5 GHz connection for a total of just over 5 Gbps.

For most this will be plenty, but super networkers, beware: the Orbi 370 will likely start to bog down with more than 70 connected devices. Plus, the router has two 2.5 Gbps networking ports while the node has one, leaving one open connection on each for a downstream link to a storage system or to wire the devices together. Most won’t care, but it will feel constraining for some and require a network switch for further connections. More on this later.

Unlike others that assign the router and node on set up, Orbi continues to have slightly different routers and nodes. They both have a Sync button and a recessed reset key for wiping the unit but neither has a USB port to use a phone as internet backup (as with many Asus devices) or making the contents of a hard drive available across the network (with TP-Link systems).

The Orbi 370’s discrete LED blinks white when it’s starting up and glows a solid white when ready to be installed. It turns red when it’s offline. However, here’s no way to control the light.

They set the pace with security features, like automatic firmware updates that need to be signed and an advanced firewall to separate your network from the current chaos of the web. There’s also Netgear’s Advanced Radio Protection, a cloud-based heuristic behavioral analysis technology that uses an AI engine to block known threats – and a few new ones.

The optional $100 Armor security package adds Bitdefender malware defenses at the device level as well as extending the scant 90 days of technical support and 1-year warranty to two years. Netgear’s Armor Plus plan costs $150 and takes this a step or two further with an adblocker and antitracking technology to protect family members. The big security extra is unlimited global VPN access for up to 50 users.

Netgear Orbi 370: Performance

Based on testing with Keysight’s IxChariot networking benchmark, the Netgear Orbi 370 showed itself to be a powerful mesh kit that did equally well with wireless and wired work. Over the course of two weeks, it was a reliable and consistent online companion, always putting the family’s data needs first. On the other hand, the Orbi 370 three-pack couldn’t fill my 3,500 square foot home with wireless data.

Using an HP Envy 2-in-1 notebook, the Orbi RBE 370 router achieved a throughput of 1.169 Gbps at close range. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy to gauge its wired LAN capabilities because the test requires two free router networking ports, one for the benchmark’s server and one for the test system. With a 10 Gbps switch, I got a 2.379 Gbps reading with a 15-foot cable, putting it on a par with more expensive routers.

With the switch and cables stashed, the Orbi router achieved wireless throughput of 1.074 Gbps with it 15 feet from the test system. That’s 10% ahead of the MSI Roamii BE Lite’s 970.3 Mbps performance. It’s not quite up to the data flow from triband systems, like TP-Link’s Deco BE63 (1.821 Gbps) or the Netgear Orbi 770 (1.721 Gbps) but should complement modest broadband plans.

At 50-feet, the Orbi 370 pushed 515.4 Mbps, well ahead of the Roamii BE Lite’s 470.5 Mbps but well behind the Deco BE63’s 610.7 Mbps. Still, it humbled more expensive triband routers like the Orbi 770 (391.1 Mbps).

With 75 feet between the router and test system, the throughput dropped to 191.2 Mbps, plenty for some gaming, 4K video or nosing around the web. It was about the 199.2 Mbps of throughput achieved by the Orbi 770 and a three-fold advantage over the Deco BE63’s 58.1 Mbps.

At the test’s terminal 90-foot test, the Orbi 370 ruled the Wi-Fi 7 roost at a throughput of 85.0 Mbps. That’s well ahead of the Roamii BE Lite’s 46.7 Mbps and the Orbi 770’s 54.2 Mbps and the Deco BE63’s 17.1 Mbps. The router’s 110-foot range was five feet farther than the Roamii BE Lite.

The Orbi 370 excelled at sending a strong Wi-Fi signal across my 25 foot office and through a wall into an adjacent room, delivering 930.5 Mbps, slightly better than the Roamii BE Lite’s 920.8 Mbps. With Orbi RBE370 nodes set up a floor above and below the Orbi RBE371 router, the wireless network moved 375.3 Mbps upstairs to the test system set up 40 feet away. The downstairs reading under the same conditions yielded 227.2 Mbps.

It aced our network saturation test, where the Orbi 370 fed data to four systems spread throughout the house. As an iPad viewed 4K videos and an HP Envy 2-in-1 played the BBC World Service audio feed, an Acer Edge notebook ran YouTube videos and a Dell XPS 15 moved data on to and off of a networked storage array. All the multimedia files came through without incident with no freeze ups, lost frames or audio glitches.

The Orbi 370 cools itself by passively pulling room air in from the bottom and expelling warm air out a top vent. None of the devices got above 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. With the RBE371 router using 11.4 watts and each RBE370 node using 7.7 watts, the network should cost about $41.10 a year to operate if it's left on and you pay the national average of 17.5 cents per kilowatt hour. That’s about $15 a year less than the Orbi 770 three-pack.

Netgear Orbi 370 review: Setup

Getting the three Orbi 370 units set up was simple but at 22 minutes, it was a tad tedious; others do this in one-third of the time. There’s the choice between using a connected browser (at orbilogin.com or orbilogin.local) or either the iPhone/iPad or Android app. Using my Galaxy S25 phone, I started by plugging everything in and creating a Netgear account.

After a verification email, I activated Touch ID to use my fingerprint to open the app. Snapping the QR code on the front of the router didn’t work, but the QR code underneath did.

With a steady white LED, the Orbi device connected the router with my phone. It checked the Internet connection.

I added a LAN name and passcode, followed by an Admin password and two challenge questions in case I forget the log in credentials.

After it updated the firmware, the app connected the two satellites followed by an Armor subscription come-on. All devices connected on the first try.

Netgear Orbi 370 review: Configuration

While the app is a visual way to explore options and make changes, using the network’s browser interface has more choices and details. The top of the app’s main page shows everything from online status to the number of connected nodes to the choice of 10 activities that include Device Manager and Security & Support.

There’s more available by scrolling down to get to WiFi Analytics, Network Map and WiFi Settings.

The network map provides access to what’s connected to each node. There’s a place to change the network’s parameters and share access with a QR code.

In addition to an internet speed reading, the Orbi app has a Traffic Meter for deeper trends with daily, weekly and monthly totals.

The app’s three line link opens the Settings, Support and Subscriptions sections. It has a place to reboot the devices and rerun the set up sequence.

Using Orbi 370’s web browser interface, the Basic main page has internet connection, guest network status and the number of devices online. Do yourself a favor and guard the scrolling network name and password from strangers.

The Advanced section yields a wealth of router info, internet details and Wi-Fi settings. It can show current throughput statistics.

In addition to turning the mesh nodes into wired access points, there’s the ability to use the Orbi 370’s 240MHz transmissions and password-protect the wireless backhaul data flow.

What’s missing? Despite its many options and settings, the Orbi 370 doesn’t have a way to control or turn off the LEDs. Other Orbi systems and most competitors have this.

Netgear Orbi 370 review: Verdict

While limiting the data flow to the 2.4- and 5.0 GHz bands, Netgear’s Orbi 370 kit stuffs Wi-Fi 7’s features and performance into units that are not only much smaller and lighter than previous Orbi efforts but a bargain at $350 for a router and two nodes. This undercuts the company’s other mesh products by hundreds of dollars. It has 2.5 Gbps networking ports, but some will find one free connection on each unit a tough compromise to swallow.

Still, the network delivered reliable and lively performance with over 1 Gbps wireless and over 2 Gbps wired connections. The final cut corner is Netgear’s 90-day support policy that requires at least $100 a year to extend.

At $350 for a three-pack, Netgear’s Orbi 370 democratizes Wi-Fi 7 and is a big step away from outrageously priced mesh gear that’s likely to be overkill for most homes. In other words, the Orbi 370 is the right mesh kit at the right time.

While it has the potential to move lots of data into previously unconnected areas of a home, the Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 suffers from having a three-prong plug, making it a hassle for those in older homes with ungrounded outlets.

Still, it’s able to extend a Wi-Fi 6-powered home network and has a gigabit per second Ethernet port but lacks the ability to tap into the high-performance 6GHz wireless data band.

Read the review to see if the EAX17 is one of the best Wi-Fi extenders you can buy today along with whether or not it deserves a place in your home.

Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 review: Pricing and availability

Priced at $130, the Netgear Nighthawk EAX 17 is among the newest Wi-Fi extenders on the market and not discounted anywhere I could find. The Wi-Fi 6 EAX15 is rated at AX1800 and sells for as little as $100.

The EAX17 can add up to 1,500 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage, according to Netgear.

Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 review: Design

Long and narrow, the white Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 extender is larger than the Linskys RE7350 at 5.8 x 2.7 x 1.9 inches. This leaves just enough room to use an adjacent AC outlet, although its three-prong plug makes it a tough sell in older homes that lack grounded outlets. Powered by an extension cord, it can stand on its own.

Like so many other extenders, it does without an on/off switch but there are ones for starting the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) sequence for quickly adding it to a network as well as a recessed reset key. Below is a gigabit per second Ethernet port for adding a printer, scanner or network appliance to the LAN that pales in comparison to the RE655BE’s 2.5 Gbps networking. The EAX17 also lacks a USB port for networking a data drive.

Its top and back have cooling vents and the front’s four LEDs show what’s going on below the surface. In addition to an on/off light, there are ones that indicate the quality of the online connection, if client devices are connected and if WPS is being used.

Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 review: Performance

A mid-range performer, the EAX17 did a good job of filling in the blanks in my 3,500 square foot home’s Wi-Fi network based on results from using the Keysight IxChariot networking benchmark. With it set to mimic 10 heavy use clients and the EAX17 extender set up 40 feet from a Netgear Nighthawk RS600 router, the EAX17 hit a peak of 415.9 Mbps with the Sharp Swift Edge 16 test system next to the extender. That’s right on the heels of the RP-AX58’s 449.6 Mbps but well off the 663.5 Mbps pace set by the Wi-Fi 7-powered RE655BE.

When I moved the Edge 16 notebook to a more realistic distance of 10 feet from the extender, its throughput dropped by 8% to an average of 383.1 Mbps. That’s right in the middle of the pack ahead of the Linksys RE7350’s 203.7 Mbps faster and well behind the RE655BE’s 719.5 Mbps, which uses Wi-Fi 7’s expanded bandwidth.

At 40 feet, the data flow dropped further to 197.9 Mbps. This puts it ahead of the RE7350’s 80.6 Mbps and on a par with the RP-AX58’s 201.1 Mbps of Throughput. It was well behind the RE655BE’s 376.7 Mbps.

The EAX17 easily handled emails, music, 4K videos and the occasional gaming session. It had a 105 foot range.

While working, the EAX17 used all of 3.6 watts, about half what many other extenders consume. In fact, it’s one of the most economical extenders to use. Left on 24/7, it should cost about $5 a year if you pay the national average of 16 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity. There aren’t any power conservation settings to lower that, but at the lowest power draw you won’t need any.

It hit a peak of 95.7 degrees Fahrenheit at its top vent and relies on passive heat transfer to keep its cool.

Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 review: Features

The EAX17 is Wi-Fi 6 all the way. Powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core processor, it re-transmits Wi-Fi data over the 2.4 and 5.0GHz data bands. On the downside, it lacks the ability of the TP-Link RE655BE to connect over the high-performance 6GHz band or use 320MHz data channels.

Still, the EAX17 uses beamforming, MU-MIMO and 1024 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) to squeeze data out of thin air. It uses 2x2 streaming for the 2.4GHz band and 3x3 data flow for the 5GHz band. All told, the EAX17 has an AX3000 rating, can service up to 20 devices and can also be set up to operate as a Wi-Fi extender or access point.

Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 review: Setup and software

The EAX17 can be connected with a network’s router in three ways, starting with WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup). Most will use the Nighthawk app for iOS and Android but Netgear also offers the option of using the extender’s internal interface via a direct browser connection.

I started by plugging the EAX17 in 40 feet from the network’s router. After accepting Netgear’s terms and conditions, I created an account.

Once I logged in and verified my existence with an email, I set the phone’s Wi-Fi connected to the EAX17’s default LAN (“Netgear_Ext”). I selected Range Extender and the app quickly found the hardware.

I picked the network to rebroadcast and entered the passcode. The app allows separate SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5.0GHz networks, but I chose to use a single one to ease roaming.

A few minutes later, it was all set up, taking 9 minutes and 50 seconds. The extender connected on the first try.

Using the connected browser approach to make configuration changes, the main screen has the basics. In addition to signal strength for each band, it shows their theoretical top speed as well as the status of the optional guest network.

In addition to turning off the extender’s lights, the interface allowed me to check for new firmware updates and install them.

Finally, the extender’s “Other” section is a bit of a catch-all that should not be ignored. It hides critical things like backing up and restoring the extender’s settings as well as restarting the device. It’s where an overall system reset to its original firmware and settings can be accomplished.

Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 review: Warranty and support

Like most extenders, the EAX17 comes with a one-year warranty and life of product support. It’s second best compared to TP-Link’s two years of coverage. More to the point, Netgear’s scant 90 days of support shortchanges buyers used to getting life of product help without an annual paid subscription.

In addition to lots of help with installation, updating the firmware and making configuration changes, the troubleshooting section can help figure out what’s wrong with the product. The connectivity and performance section can help goose throughput. There’s a good manual available too.

Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 review: Verdict

An easy way to push a Wi-Fi network into unconnected areas, the Netgear Nighthawk EAX17 has everything that Wi-Fi 6 has to offer but lacks the 6GHz available with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7. Its throughput readings and range were middle of the pack but it was a reliable way to push data into previously unconnected areas. The most economical extender to use, though its grounded plug might be a turn off to those in older homes without three-prong AC outlets.

If you care as much about electricity bills as raw speed, the EAX17 could make your home a happier Wi-Fi place.

With all that Wi-Fi 7 has to offer along with the ability to work with a 10 Gbps Internet connection, the Orbi 873 has the potential to be one of the best mixes of performance, customization options and available features. Slotting in between the larger, more expensive and higher performing Orbi 973 and the more budget oriented Orbi 773, the Orbi 873 could be the best mesh compromise for filling a large home with data. The triband router includes 6Ghz access along with Multi-Link Operations and ultra-wide 320MHz data channels that’s just as good for streaming 4K movies as for global online gaming.

At $1,300 for three units, it’s a lot of money, but despite its premium pricing, Netgear continues with its stingy year of warranty protection and 90 day support policy. The good news is that the company’s revamped Armor now has VPN access but at an extra cost.

My Netgear Orbi 870 series review will help you decide if this is the best mesh Wi-Fi system for you or if your mesh networking needs might be better met by one of the other options on our list of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers.

Netgear Orbi 870 review: Pricing and availability

The Netgear Orbi 870 family slots in between the more expensive Orbi 970 and the budget Orbi 770 line. Buyer beware, the mesh kits can get expensive at $1,000 for an RBE871 router and RBE870 node (to cover 6,000 square feet) or $1,300 for two nodes and a router (for 9,000 square feet). There’re also extra RBE870 nodes available for $550 each that can add 3,000 square feet.

That’s a bit pricey compared to the $1,200 TP-Link Deco BE85 mesh three pack (originally $1,500), which offers the potential of higher throughput with quad-band operations.

Netgear Orbi 870 review: Design

Although it came out after its smaller sibling, think of the Orbi 870 line as the middle child in the Orbi Wi-Fi 7 mesh family. The Orbi 770 is smaller, less powerful and cheaper while the Orbi 970 is larger, has higher throughput and is pricier.

Available in white or black, the black set (aka RBE873B) is only available on the company’s site. At 10.6 x 5.8 x 4.4 inches, the rounded towers are small enough to fit on a tabletop, desk or even a bookcase. Though they appear identical, the RBE871 router has a 10 Gbps WAN input port and four 2.5 Gbps downstream ports while the RBE870 satellites each have four 2.5 Gbps ports for connecting a wired desktop, printer or networked storage device. There’s no USB port for directly connecting a data drive, something the Deco BE95 has.

Netgear stands apart from the crowd by offering $40 brackets for wall mounting any of the three current Orbi Wi-Fi 7 products. They come in black or white.

As is the case with earlier Orbi models, the host router and satellites come pre-paired and ready for installation. They each have an LED bar at the base to show its status, with red meaning that something is amiss. It’s white when everything is OK and shuts off after three minutes.

Capable of servicing the networking needs of up to 150 clients, the Orbi 873 is fully up to date with the ability to move data over 320MHz channels, 4K Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) connections and Multi-Link Operations. Its new design uses eight internal antennas arranged to provide a spherical coverage pattern.

Based on Qualcomm’s QCN6274 Wi-Fi circuitry, the Orbi 870 family has a quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and 4GB of storage space. It streams data over 2x2 operations for the 2.4GHz band as well as 4x4 over the 5.0 and 6.0GHz bands. The Orbi 873 is capable of moving up to 11.5 Mbps and 8.6 Mbps over the 6.0GHz and 5.0GHz bands as well as 688 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. It adds up to a peak performance of 21 Gbps, well off the Deco BE95’s 30 Gbps rating.

Like the Orbi 773, the Orbi 873 doesn’t use Orbi’s signature dedicated wireless backhaul channel for moving data from nodes to the router. Instead, it dynamically allocates space on the 5.0 and 6.0GHz bands to streamline data flow or the devices can be cabled together. On the other hand, the Orbi 873 lacks the ability to set up a phone as a back-up Internet source as some Wi-Fi 7 routers can.

While its 1-year warranty is a year short of the TP-Link’s two-year coverage, Netgear’s 90-day support policy pales next to lifetime support. The company recently consolidated its Armor cybersecurity and support plans into a single subscription that includes Bitdefender device malware protection, an adblocker and its VPN access covers a generous 50 users. The first year costs $50, followed by $150 a year after that.

Netgear Orbi 870 review: Performance

While it can’t compete with the Orbi 973, the Orbi 873 does a good job of moving data around my 100 year old 3,500 square foot home, especially in the middle to long distances where its peers couldn’t keep up. Using Keysight’s IxChariot networking benchmark configured to simulate 10 data-hungry users, the network delivered 2.304 Gbps with the Acer Swift Edge 16 test system next to it. That’s a little off the Orbi 973’s spectacular 2.675 Gbps. Still, it’s quite impressive.

With the router and test system linked with 15-feet of Cat 6 cabling, the throughput jumped to 3.062 Gbps, excellent for anything from 8K video to an online gaming party. Still, it’s well behind the 4.449 Gbps record set by the TP-Link Archer GE800.

At the real world wireless distance of 15 feet, the Orbi 873 showed its stuff with 1.820 Gbps of data flow, besting the Orbi 773 and TP-Link Deco BE85 by about 100 Mbps. It couldn’t keep up with the Orbi 973’s 2.003 Gbps, however.

At 50 feet, the Orbi 873 was likely at the limit of its 6GHz transmissions with 627.4 Mbps of throughput available. That’s between the slower Wi-Fi 7 Orbi siblings at 495.1 Mbps for the Orbi 973 and 391.1 Mbps for the Orbi 773. The Deco BE85 ruled the roost at 790.4 Mbps.

For the rest of the testing, the Orbi 873 took over with 628.8 Mbps moved at 75 feet – Nearly a megabit a second faster than at 50 feet. Easily triple the next best systems, it dominated the Orbi 773 (199.2 Mbps), Orbi 973 (174.8 Mbps) and Deco BE85 (179.2 Mbps). Clearly this is the mesh set to get for those with lots of space to cover.

At our terminal distance of 90 feet, the Orbi 873 continued to lead the pack with a remarkable data flow of 102.6 Mbps, double the Orbi 773’s 54.2 Mbps and the Deco BE85’s 42.6 Mbps. It had a range of 115 feet, the best in its class.

To see how the Orbi 873 handles walls, I set up the test machine in an adjacent room 25 feet from the router. The 867.2 Mbps throughput was not bad but well short of the Orbi 773’s 1.318 Gbps and the Orbi 973’s 1.094 Gbps.

With the nodes set up a floor above and below the host router, I set my test machine up 40 feet away. The mesh system registered 728.9 Mbps upstairs and 785.2 Mbps downstairs, making it one of the best mesh systems for distributing data throughout a multi-floor home.

It had no problem with the saturation test where I played 4K videos on the Samsung Galaxy Book notebook while the Acer Swift Edge 16 and ThinkPad T470 tapped into Spotify’s musical database and moved data onto and off a networked RAID drive. My iPad played the BBC World Service audio feed during all this with no audio or video glitches.

As the bits were flying back and forth, the RBE871 router used 15.3 watts of power while the RBE870 nodes each used 11.8 watts. That’s slightly more than the Orbi 773 used and adds up to an annual power bill of $54.50 if the gear is left to run 24/7 and you pay the national average of 16 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity. By contrast, the Deco BE85 three pack might cost as much as $68 a year to use.

Netgear Orbi 870 review: Setup 

The mesh set uses Netgear’s Orbi app to get it set up, taking 17 minutes, start to finish. Once I installed the app on a Samsung Galaxy S24 phone, I agreed to its license.

I set up an account, picked Orbi mesh and snapped the QR code printed on the router’s front label. It also has the default connection information.

Next, four illustrated steps outlined the physical set up. When I had a steady white light, the app took over by checking the Ethernet and Internet connections.

I added a network name, passcode, an administrative password and answered two challenge questions if I forget the admin credentials.

Once it was done with its configuration magic, my phone connected on the first try. After the satellites connected, it needed a firmware update.

Netgear Orbi 870 review: Configuration

As is the case with other Orbi products, Netgear gives you the choice of using the app or a connected browser to customize its settings. The top of the app’s main page has access to connected systems, Internet speed and the network’s Armor security settings up top. Scroll down for Wi-Fi Settings, a traffic meter and network topology.

The Device Manager shows what’s connected. Tap to get the details, including IP address and access to the Armor security software.

Want to visualize the data flow? The Traffic Manager’s bar graphs show the up and downloads. For those interested, it can show the total results as well as an average flow.

Using a connected browser to tap into the Orbi 873’s interface yields more depth and choices. The Basic dashboard has online status as well as the network’s name and passcode; only show it to your real friends.

The Armor security goodies and Parental Controls have their own areas for configuring and customizing the protection.

Its Advanced section has everything from detailed wired to wireless information to password particulars. I was able to run a SpeedTest appraisal of the online connection.

Meanwhile, the Security section allows access control to lock out any unauthorized device, like that of a bandwidth stealing neighbor.

Netgear continues its confusing use of the Advanced Wireless Settings within the Advanced area. With lots of options, I adjusted the preamble and set up a password for the wireless backhaul data.

Its 90 days of personalized support is all too short. That said, Netgear provides a long menu of DIY options. They include installation videos, firmware updates and a large FAQ section. There’s a complete manual available.

Netgear Orbi 870 review: Verdict 

Neither too big and expensive nor too small and low performing, the Orbi 873 just might be the best compromise available in Wi-Fi 7 mesh products. In addition to 320MHz ultra-wide data channels, Multi Link Operations and access to the 6GHz data band, the Orbi 873 has a 10 Gbps WAN input as well as four 2.5 Gbps LAN ports. Its security can be bolstered with Netgear’s Armor, but at a price.

That said, it excelled in our testing, particularly at medium to long distances, where competitors flag. That means that it will be great for gaming, video-conferencing and general uses alike. Netgear continues to shortchange customers with a 1 year warranty and 90 days of support; to get more you need to pay for something that others include.

It may not be the cheapest mesh networking kit but the Orbi 873 is the best at medium to long distances, making it a charm for large digital homes. If the Orbi 973 is too expensive and the Orbi 773 is not powerful enough, the Orbi 873 could be just right.

With the ability to blast data across a room or home, Netgear’s Nighthawk RS600 has the power and price tag to put Wi-Fi where it needs to be. Configured with the full stack of Wi-Fi 7 advances, the triband router has everything from 4K QAM to ultra-wide 320MHz data channels to built-in protection against online attacks. Too bad, the router’s firmware isn’t complete and its support, service and security are time-limited trials. These “extras” can cost upwards of $100 a year.

That said, this router starts a new era of Wi-Fi where performance is matched by value with the $500 RS600 competing with devices selling for hundreds more. It may not be the fastest at close range but it does well at mid-range distances that count for a lot in home networking.

My Nighthawk RS600 review will help you decide if this is the best Wi-Fi router for you and whether it just might be time to make the jump to Wi-Fi 7.

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 review: Pricing and availability

Able to cover up to 3,300 square feet, the Nighthawk RS600 has a BE18000 Wi-Fi rating and lists for $500, although it’s frequently available for $50 less on Netgear’s site, Best Buy and Amazon. That undercuts the price of the higher-performing Nighthawk RS700 model by $200.

Still too much? Netgear also has the $400 RS500 (BE12000) and the dual-band $229 RS200 (BE6500).

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 review: Design

Looking like the little brother of the Nighthawk RS700, the RS600 is 30% smaller at 10.0 x 5.9 x 3.6 inches. It continues the Nighthawk industrial design with a tall six sided column, although the RS600 has a dull bronze accent on top that its designers call Champagne Gold.

Like its older sibling, the RS600 has a stack of 11 LED activity lights up front that show if the router is turned on, connected to the Internet and activity on its Wi-Fi bands and wired ports as well as a button for starting up the Wireless Protected Setup (WPS). If flashing LEDs are too much of an old-school router light show, there’s a button at the bottom that turns off all the lights except for power.

Inside, the RS600 continues with Broadcom Wi-Fi underpinnings backed by a 2.0GHz quad-core processor that’s slightly slower than the 2.6GHz CPU on the RS700. There’s also 2GB of RAM and 512MB of flash to hold the system’s firmware and settings.

Able to connect with up to 150 devices, its eight internal antennas deliver a spherical transmission pattern, so the RS600 is best placed at the center of a home. It hits all the hot buttons for home networking with 4K QAM modulation that can use ultra-wide 320MHz data channels, although the firmware is a work in progress that lacks Multi-Link Operations (MLO) Quality of Service (QOS) prioritization. An update will add these features.

The router’s 10 stream scheme delivers 2X2 data flow over the 2.4GHz band as well as 4X4 flow over the 5GHz and 6GHz bands. It adds up to a BE18000 rating, slightly below the RS700’s BE19000 rating.

Based on passive cooling, room air comes in through the bottom and goes out the RS600’s top vents. Cool as a cucumber, even when it was moving data back and forth, the router stayed below 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Others in its class quickly broke 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Its connections belie the RS600’s value orientation with two 10 Gbps ports, one for the WAN input and another for a high-speed downstream Ethernet connection. There are also three 1 Gbps ports as well as a USB 3.0 port for making the contents of one of the best USB flash drives available across the network. The RS600 lacks the ability of the Asus ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro to tether a USB mobile phone to provide Internet service when your broadband connections goes down.

Like other Nighthawk products, the RS600 has a one-year warranty but only 90 days for support and service. That’s a shame because just about every competitor continues to offer this for the life of the product. It can cost $100 a year to get this essential assistance.

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 review: Performance

When it comes to moving data back and forth, the Nighthawk RS600 outperformed its more expensive Wi-Fi 7 competitors in some tests. To evaluate its performance potential, I used Keysight’s IxChariot network benchmark software set to simulate 10 data hungry users and an Acer Swift Edge 16 notebook.

To start, the RS600 moved 1.426 Gbps at close range. That’s off the 2.278 Gbps pace set by the RS700S or the Asus BQ16 Pro’s 2.629 Gbps. Using a 15-foot Cat 6 Ethernet cable, the RS600 transferred 1.602 Gbps, one-third less than the 2.574 Gbps Asus BQ16 Pro delivered.

At the more realistic distance of 15 feet, the RS600’s 1.342 Gbps was about half the data as the current speed king, the Asus Zen WiFi BQ16 Pro’s 2.620 Gbps. It also trailed the Nighthawk RS700S’s 1.773 Gbps and Orbi RBE973’s 2.003 Gbps. Still, the RS600 sells for hundreds less than these Wi-Fi 7 highflyers and could be a good pairing with a sub-1 Gbps data plan.

With the router and test system 50 feet apart, the RS600 was a mid-range performer with the ability to push 598.8 Mbps. That’s well off the pace set by the Asus BQ16 Pro (at 1.532 Gbps), putting it between the slower Orbi RBE873 (495.1 Mbps) and the faster RS700S (691.8 Mbps).

At 75-feet, the RS600 came into its own with a 453.1 Mbps throughput score. It’s 20% less data than the BQ16 Pro distributed but was more than double the throughput of either the Orbi RBE973’s 174.8 Mbps or the RS700S’s 187.6 Mbps. It handled 14.6 Mbps at 90 feet and had a range of 95-feet.

When the RS600’s data signal was sent across a 25-foot room and through a wall, it yielded 1.280 Gbps of throughput, slightly ahead of the TP-Link Archer BE800’s 1.213 Gbps and 50% more data than the RS700S’s 811.0 Mbps. In other words, it should be more than enough for a mid-sized home.

Over three weeks, the RS600 reliably moved data back and forth among my home’s many networked devices. With a MacBook Air playing the BBC World Service radio feed, a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 viewing YouTube videos, an iPad Pro playing a Spotify playlist and a HP Envy desktop moving files onto and off of my networked RAID server, there were no audio or video glitches, anomalies or freeze ups.

At 16.4 watts, the RS600 sips electricity. If it runs 24/7 and you pay the national average of 16 cents per kilowatt hour of power, it should cost about $22.70 a year to operate. That’s slightly higher than the RS700S’s $21.15 annual cost but much less than the Archer GE800’s $37.50.

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 review: Setup

After I plugged the router in and opened the Netgear Nighthawk app on my Pixel 7 phone, I selected it from a list and added two-factor authentication and Touch ID. There are versions for Android and iOS. I snapped the QR code on the router’s top to connect with the router via its default network name and passcode; it’s printed on top just in case.

I had to wait a few minutes for the router to get ready, followed by changing its network name and passcode.

The device let me know when everything was set and the router connected on the first try, although it took 15 minutes to fully configure.

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 review: Configuration

Getting into and customizing the RS600 can be done via the app or with its internal user interface and a connected browser. Using “routerlogin.com”, “routerlogin.net” or the router’s IP address works. The main screen shows the firmware version and six functional boxes that range from Internet and Wireless to Guest Network and Security.

The current network name and passcode scroll underneath the Wireless box, so only open it among friends.

There’s also the ReadyShare box, which allows the contents of a connected USB data drive to be viewed by any client.

The Advanced section has places to rerun the setup routine and use Wireless Protected Setup (WPS). There’s a place to Check the Internet and wireless configurations as well as change the router’s IP address range.

Its Advanced Settings isn’t for everyone, but it allows some deep changes, like using the long or short preamble. It’s where you can set the RS600 to run as a VPN server.

The Traffic Meter tabulates the bytes flying back and forth. It needs to be turned on and its output is in numbers not bar graphs.

By contrast, the app is tap friendly but less detailed. It shows an animated radiant circle when the RS600 is online and six of the eight functional boxes; The other two require scrolling down.

The Device Manager shows what’s connected, while the Internet Speed uses ookla’s Speedtest.net speedometer. The Security section has places to tweak the Armor defenses, which last for 30 days unless you pay $40 for the first year; the second one costs $100. It has a report of how good your security is.

WiFi Analytics and Settings includes a signal strength meter but is not available on the iOS app. There’s also a Guest Wi-Fi network section.

Unlike the browser based interface, the app delivers traffic stats in more visual bar graphs.

There are additional menus that can be opened with the three line link in the upper left. Its list of items include Settings, Account Management and Support.

Netgear’s support area has lots of stuff online to help set up and get the most out of the RS600. In addition to firmware and manuals, there’s tips and troubleshooting.

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 review: Verdict

Welcome to the second generation of Wi-Fi 7 networking gear, where price, economy and value go hand in hand with performance and top-end features. Capable of 18 Gbps data flow and with 10 Gbps internal networking, the RS600 is a triband router that can do almost as much as the company’s RS700S but costs much less. More than fast enough for most families, the RS600 excels at mid-range distances where others flag, although Netgear promises to add vital MLO and QOS software in an update.

Unfortunately, the company continues with only 90 days of support and getting the Armor security add-ons cost extra. In other words, be ready to pay an annual fee to get the most out of the RS600. Still, it’s a performance Wi-Fi router that isn’t priced like one.

With the performance goodies like 6GHz transmissions and 320MHz data channels that Wi-Fi 7 has to offer, Netgear’s Nighthawk RS700S has the power to speed up just about any network. Easy to set up and modify, the tri-band RS700’s real worth is its throughput at mid-range distances where other high-performance routers bog down and should be enough to fill a modest sized home. 

The added Armor layer of online security is an excellent step towards better cyber hygiene but adds over $100 a year to an already costly $700 router. This makes the RS700S one of the most expensive routers to get and use. Our Netgear Nighthawk RS700S review will help you decide if this is the best Wi-Fi router for you and whether or not it’s worth upgrading to Wi-Fi 7 right now. 

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S review: Pricing and availability

Priced at $700, the Nighthawk RS700S is among the most expensive traditional home Wi-Fi routers you can buy. It tops the TP-Link Archer BE800 by $100 and is the same price as the Archer BE900 but lacks either’s info screens.

Easily double or triple the cost of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E routers, the RS700S can cover up to 3,500 square feet, according to Netgear. It can be had at BestBuy, Amazon and Netgear.com.

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S review: Design

The Nighthawk RS700S’s look is a break with the past for Netgear with a black vertical tower design that has chrome accents at its vents. Its six-sided profile looks like a triangular prism with its corners blunted. At 11.1 x 5.6 x 4.9 inches, the router bears a striking resemblance to a super-sized Sonos Roam SL portable Bluetooth speaker set up on its end. For those tight on space, it is about one third smaller than the TP-Link Archer BE800.

Upfront is a vertical line of LEDs that show that the router is powered up, online as well as individual dots showing wired network activity. There are also lights to show a USB drive is connected, and whether the 2.4-, 5- and 6GHz wireless bands are being used. 

The bottom has a button to start the WPS process for adding a device and one for turning off the lights, although the power LED remains on when the router is operating. On the downside, the RS700 lacks the pair of data screens that the TP-Link Archer BE900 has to show anything from the weather and time to its connection status and CPU usage.

The tri-band RS700S has 8 internal antennas arranged to create a spherical transmission pattern that Netgear engineers optimized to cover a main floor, one above and one below. It can work with up to 200 devices at a time and uses Broadcom’s BCM6726/3 Wi-Fi chipset to deliver 4X4 performance on the 2.4, 5 and 6GHz bands for 12 independent streams of data. The router has a 2.6GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 512MB of storage and tops out at a throughput of 19Gbps, matching that of the Archer BE800 (the BE900 hits a peak at 24Gbps). Still, it remained cool during my use and hit a maximum temperature of 91 degrees Fahrenheit.

Able to use many of the tricks that Wi-Fi 7 brings, the RS700S can tap into 320MHz data channels and 4K Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) transmissions for top throughput. At the moment, it can’t merge separate bands into a single data stream using Multi-Link Operations (MLO), something other Wi-Fi 7 routers from competitors can do. Netgear plans to release a firmware upgrade to address this though. 

Multi-Gig through and through with 10Gbps Ethernet input and output ports. There are also four gigabit per second downstream connections, two of which can be aggregated. The RS700S, however, does without the option of using the Archer BE800’s SFP+ fiber connection, but has a USB 3.2 port for plugging in an external drive whose contents can be delivered anywhere on the network. 

As is the case with recent Netgear networking gear, the RS700S comes with a year of Armor’s augmented security. On top of router enhancements, it includes an unlimited license for using Bitdefender Total Security. This adds up to excellent protection against malware and hackers, but costs $100 a year after the trial period.

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S review: Performance

With the ability to use the 2.4, 5 and 6GHz bands, the Nighthawk RS700S has the potential to deliver lots of data. With the Wi-Fi 7 capable OnePlus 11 test phone next to the router, it was able to move 2.278Gbps of data using the iXChariot networking benchmark set to mimic 10 data-hungry users. That’s slightly off the 2.531Gbps recorded by the Archer BE800.

With the phone still next to the router and using the iPerf3 benchmark set to use 20 simulated clients and a Mac Mini server, the router delivered 3.401Gbps. That score is marginally ahead of the Archer BE800’s ability to move 3.364Gbps. Either way, it’s a lot of data moving back and forth.

At the distance of 15 feet, where real-world conditions set in, the RS700 could muster 1.773Gbps, 9 percent behind the Archer BE800’s 1.967Gbps but still plenty of throughput. It was also behind the 2.003Gbps that the Netgear Orbi RBE973 mesh system provided at the same distance. By contrast, the Orbi RBE973 uses Qualcomm’s Networking Pro 1220 chipset and has more antennas for top performance. 

The RS700S came into its own at 50-feet, a distance that is more in line with the way home networks are used. Here, the OnePlus 11 phone received 691.8Mbps, more than twice the throughput recorded for the Archer BE800 and one-quarter more data flow than the Orbi RBE973’s 495.1Mbps. This is the router to get for general daily use in real world conditions where the router and device are separated by half a house.

At 75 feet, the RS700S system preserved its lead, but just barely with 187.6Mbps of data flow. That’s about the output of the Orbi RBE973 and more than twice the throughput of the Archer BE800’s 91.5Mbps. 

At the extreme, the RS700 was able to move a class-leading 40.6Mbps at 90 feet, making it the long distance king of the Wi-Fi 7 world. It had a range of 95 feet, but still left a few dead zones in my 3,500 square foot home.  

While the Archer BE800 was able to push 1.213Gbps across 25 feet and through a wall to the phone in an adjacent room, the RS700S could only muster 811.0Mbps. Still, it should do well in a mid-sized home. 

It reliably distributed data at my home for two weeks and made me appreciate its excellent mid-range speeds. It had no problem with our saturation test where I used a MacBook Air to play the BBC World Service radio feed while my Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 ran through YouTube videos and a Dell XPS 15 played online music with Spotify. All this was going on while my Lenovo ThinkPad T470 moved data onto and off a networked RAID server. There were no anomalies, glitches or freeze-ups in the audio and video streams.

An example of efficient electrical design, the RS700S uses just 15.1 watts while operating, about one-third less electricity than the BE800’s 22.2 watts. If it’s on 24/7 and you pay the national average of 16 cents per kilowatt hour of power, it should cost around $21.15 a year to operate. 

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S review: Setup

I started by plugging the RS700S in and connecting my Samsung Galaxy Note 20’s Wi-Fi to the router’s default network. The password is printed on a sticker that’s attached to the router. 

Once online, I fired up the company’s Nighthawk app. Next, I picked that I was setting up a Wi-Fi router.

The app found the router, did a cable check and verified that it had an internet connection. I followed up by changing the default name and password to something a little more personal.

Next, I added an administrative password and answered two challenge questions that can be used if I forget the password. Over a minute later, the router made the changes and presented a slide show of its features. 

It looked for fresh firmware but didn’t need an update. Start to finish, it took 5 minutes and 23 seconds, making it one of the fastest traditional routers to set up. It connected on the first try.

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S review: Configuration

Getting the router to work the way you want can be done through the Nighthawk app or via a connected web browser with the device’s IP address. While the app has a nicer looking and familiar feel, the browser interface is more rewarding with lots of customization options available; there are apps for iOS and Android.

The app’s purple main page shows whether the router is online. The eight functional boxes below lead to detailed configuration options. On the downside, there’s no way to scale the screen, and four of the boxes require scrolling to get to.

The Device Manager is where the action is, with the ability to see all connected devices. The Security screen shows what’s going on with the Armor security software, a rating for network security and how many attacks were blocked. 

The Internet Speed section uses Ookla’s Speedtest software to gauge the current Internet connection, while the Parental controls offer the opportunity to set up profiles for children to block objectionable sites. 

Unlike some competitors that require a single LAN name, I was able to quickly turn off the RS700S’s SmartConnect setting to split them based on the transmission band in the WiFi Settings; they are automatically named. To make any deeper changes to the router’s operations requires using a connected browser.

Using an HD screen, the browser approach required using the router’s IP address or “routerlogin.net” to log in. It worked best with the zoom set to 75% for the Basic home page to show most if not all of the screen’s contents. There’s Internet and Wireless status, with a scrolling of the network name and password as well as the number of connected clients.

The Advanced pages take this to a new level with a lot more detail and options available, but some of the pages try to squeeze in too much stuff and aren’t big enough, even at 33% zoom. I was able to do everything from using WPS set up and external drive settings to the ability to block any site and enable email notification alerts. 

As is Netgear’s way, the Advanced page has a section that is the key to minute options that allow the RS700S to be configured more deeply than others, like the Archer BE800. These choices include setting the CTS/RTS threshold as well as the ability to use the short or long preamble. There’s also the ability to use the device as a VPN server.

As was the case with earlier Nighthawk routers, the RS700S comes with a one-year warranty, half as long as the TP-Link coverage for the Archer BE800. TP-Link also provides lifetime support and personal help, while Netgear includes support for the RS700S for only 90 days. It costs $50 to up the warranty and support to two years.  

In addition to the latest firmware and as complete a manual as you could wish for, Netgear’s support site includes advice on things to consider before a router is purchased.

There’s a slew of self-service items like troubleshooting and what to do with a router that isn’t getting its top speed.

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S review: Verdict

It may not be the fastest Wi-Fi 7 router up close, but the Nighthawk RS700S has the throughput where it counts at medium distances where it’s most needed in the home. The tri-band router has one of the quickest and easiest set up routines, although it lacks the Archer BE800’s info screen. Its Armor extra defensive layer of software that includes Bitdefender malware scanning can help keep the network and its devices virus-free but requires an annual payment for updates. 

At $700, the Nighthawk RS700 is among the most expensive traditional home routers and $100 more than the TP-Link Archer BE800 but worth it for those who want data to fly throughout their home. All that’s needed now is more Wi-Fi devices to take advantage of it.

Being second only counts when you do something better or faster, and that’s the idea behind Netgear’s Orbi RBE973, the company’s first Wi-Fi 7 mesh networking kit. The Orbi RBE973 router and two mesh nodes provide the latest in wireless LANs with everything from 6GHz integration and ultra-wide data channels to a quad-band design and 4K QAM operations; the company also sells two packs and individual units. 

The result is top speed networking that breaks into the 2Gbps realm. In fact, its ability to move data at lightning speeds can make wired gigabit Ethernet look slow and is perfect for those with high-speed internet connections. It may be the fastest close-up but the Orbi RBE973 lags at longer distances, making this the mesh kit to get for a small or mid-sized home. It is second-best when it comes to Netgear’s one-year warranty and its onerous 90-day support policy. This penny-pinching is even more galling when you consider that an Orbi RBE973 three-pack costs $2,300, 50% more than the already-expensive Deco BE85. 

Our Orbi RBE973 review will help you decide if this is the best mesh Wi-Fi system for you or if you’d be better off with a cheaper, Wi-Fi 7 mesh router.

Netgear Orbi RBE973 review: Pricing and availability

Among the most expensive home networking hardware available, the Orbi RBE970 family sets a new standard for high performance and – unfortunately –

price. The white Orbi RBE973S (available at a variety of stores) and black RBE973SB (sold through Netgear’s site) three-piece mesh kits include a router and a pair of satellites. The kit is capable of covering 10,000 square feet, according to Netgear engineers, but at $2,300, about $800 more than TP-Link’s Deco BE85.

If a three-pack is out of your price range, the Orbi RBE972S or 972SB two-pack can be had for $1,700. Consisting of a router and one node, the Orbi RBE972 is rated to fill a 6,600 square foot home with Wi-Fi; it costs $200 more than the Deco BE85’s three-pack and nearly double the price of the BE85’s two-pack. 

Finally, a $900 RBE970 satellite costs about what a good Wi-Fi 6E mesh set goes for. It can add 3,300 square feet of coverage to extend coverage or fill in dead spots. 

Netgear Orbi RBE973 review: Design

Orbi devices have had a familiar oval tower industrial design since they first launched. That isn’t the case anymore, with the Orbi RBE970 family sporting a new triangular tower visual aesthetic that will extend to other products in the future.

Both the router and nodes are 11.4 inches tall and measure 5.5 by 5.1 inches. That’s roughly twice the size of TP-Link’s Deco BE85 but one-third smaller than the older Wi-Fi 6-based Orbi RBKE 960 family. 

Available in white with black and dull chrome trim or in elegant black, the units have vertical cooling vents that allow hot air to escape at the top. They are preconfigured at the factory for easy connections and later in October, Netgear will soon have wall mounting brackets available.

Each device has a large Orbi logo and a light bar up front. The LED shows what’s going on inside and glows blue during start-up and turns off when everything is fine. When it’s red, the device needs attention.

Both devices are powered by Qualcomm’s high-performance Networking Pro 1620 Wi-Fi chipset and a quad-core 2.2GHz processor. Able to support up to 200 devices at a time – twice that of the Deco BE85 – the gear has 1GB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage for firmware and settings. It showcases Wi-Fi 7 tech by linking different channels together, blasting data over ultra-wide 320MHz data channels as well as tapping into 4K Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) and Preamble Punching.

The devices have been designed with high-speed Internet connections in mind, the router having a single 10 Gbps WAN input as well as a 10 Gbps and four 2.5/1.0 Gbps downstream LAN ports. The nodes have one 10 Gbps and two 2.5/1.0 Gbps networking connections. Both lack a USB port for making the contents of an external drive available across the network. There’s also a reset button on the back.

Based on the Orbi RBE973’s quad-band design, it can move 16 independent streams of data with 4x4 data flow. Its 12 amplified isotropic antennas create a spherical transmission pattern with equal throw in every direction. It’s all a step or two ahead of the Deco BE85’s 12 stream/8 antenna triband design. The Orbi RBE973 delivers up to a theoretical peak of 27Gbps, 5Gbps higher than the tri-band Deco BE85’s top speed.

As is the case with earlier Orbi gear, the RBE970 family uses a dedicated 5GHz wireless backhaul channel for communications from the satellites to the host router; the router optimizes the flow by tapping into portions of the 6GHz band when needed. There is a twist, however, because rather than the expected 160MHz data channels, the 6GHz backhaul can use a proprietary 240MHz data delivery scheme to squeeze in more data. For peak performance, the Orbi RBE970 family can use a 10Gbps wired connection for backhaul with a Cat 6 cable.

On the downside, the biggest thing holding back Wi-Fi 7 has nothing to do with the Orbi RBE973. It is the fact that there continues to be a lack of choice when it comes to client hardware capable of tapping into the new Wi-Fi spec’s performance potential. I used a OnePlus 11 for my three week evaluation period, and it worked fine with Wi-Fi 7 gear, although at a slight speed disadvantage. Sadly, it might take until 2024 for Wi-Fi 7 notebooks to become available.

Netgear Orbi RBE973 review: Performance

The Orbi RBE973 may not be the first Wi-Fi 7 mesh networking kit but it just might be the fastest. Based on using the gear for three weeks in my 3,500 square foot home, the three Orbi devices not only left no dead zones but were reliable and top performing, particularly close up.

With the OnePlus 11 close to the router and using a Mac Mini as the server, I got 4.324 Gbps of throughput using the iPerf3 benchmark set to mimic 20 users. Astounding, yes, but under the same conditions, IxChariot with 10 simulated users gauged the throughput at 2.675 Gbps.

At the real world distance of 15-feet, the Orbi RBE973 was just as impressive with 3.843Gbps using iPerf3 and 2.003 Gbps with IxChariot, outstripping the Deco BE85’s 1.736 Gbps (with IxChariot) and 2.913 Gbps (with iPerf3). This should warm the hearts of data hogs

As a point of comparison and compatibility with Wi-Fi 6E, my Samsung Galaxy Book received 1.576 Gbps of data from the Orbi RBE973 router at 15-feet. It’s a step down, but a very impressive result with hardware that’s a generation older than Wi-Fi 7.

With 50 feet separating the router and the test phone, the Orbi RBE973 pushed 495.1 Mbps to the test phone as it switched from 6- to 5GHz transmissions. That’s second best compared to the Deco BE85’s 790.4 Mbps of data. This makes the Orbi RBE970 family best for high-speed use in the same room or in an adjacent one.

The throughput fell off even more at 75 feet, with 174.8 Mbps delivered to the test system, roughly on a par with the Deco BE85’s 179.2 Mbps. At our terminal distance of 90-feet, the Orbi RBE973 moved 25.3 Mbps, much less than either the Deco BE85 (42.6Mbps) or the Wi-Fi 6E pair, the Orbi RBKE963 (39.9 Mbps) and the Deco XE75 (51.1 Mbps). The router had a range of 95-feet.

The Orbi RBE973 moved 1.090 Gbps of data 25-feet across a room and through a wall. This is 25% faster than the Deco BE85’s 816.3Mbps and nearly double the ability of the Wi-Fi 6E-based Orbi RBKE963’s 547.9 Mbps. 

Finally, with the satellites set up a floor above and below the router, I tested its ability to fill a house with data. With the phone a floor above the router and 40-feet down a hall from the RBE973’s node, the network delivered 471.8 Mbps to the client. That’s more than six times the throughput of the Deco BE85 under the same conditions. With the test phone set up in the basement, a floor below the router and connected via a node 40 feet away, the Orbi RBE973 moved 251.7 Mbps, almost double the BE85’s 140.0 Mbps

It had no problem with my informal network saturation test, where I played videos on an HP Dragonfly notebook while Spotify music flowed from a ThinkPad T470 and an iPad Pro was set to stream the BBC news feed. As the bytes were flowing, my Lenovo desktop was reading and writing files with my RAID storage system. All the audio and video came through without a glitch or freeze.

The Orbi RBRE973 devices were warm to the touch but never got above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. While working, the host router consumed 20.2 watts while the nodes each used 11.1 watts, but there’s no power-saving idle mode. It adds up to a power bill of $60 per year if you pay the national average of 16 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity. That’s a few dollars less than the Deco BE85’s $68 a year.

Netgear Orbi RBE973 review: Setup

The Orbi RBE973 can be set up either with a Netear’s Orbi app or with a connected browser; the URL is “myorbi.net”. There are versions of the app for Android or iOS. Each approach has lots of help and illustrations for newbies. 

After plugging in the host and two satellites, I connected my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 to the default network name that’s printed on a sticker. I picked a photo of the equipment on the app and entered that there are two satellites to connect.

The app detected the gear quickly and I added a network name and password. There was no opportunity to set them up as separate networks with individual names.

After I added an administrative password and answers to two personal challenge questions, the app completed the settings. Start to finish, it took 13 minutes to set up, an eternity compared to other mesh kits that take half as long but an improvement over the Orbi RBKE 963’s nearly 20 minute installation.

It worked on the first try. Finally, I created an account with a password and declined to spend $45 for 2 years of warranty and support, something that a $2,300 product should include.

Netgear Orbi RBE973 review: Configuration

The Orbi RBE973 provides freedom of configuration choice with the app (for simple changes) and a connected browser (for more detailed options). The app’s main page has 10 boxes, although you can only see four or six at a time. 

Each box leads to different functional areas, from Device Manager (showing connected devices), Security (the status of the Armor software) and Internet Speed (with Ookla’s SpeedTest) to Parental Controls (to keep impressionable eyes safe online), WiFi Analytics (measuring signal strength), Traffic Meter (to see where the data is going) and Guest WiFi (for a separate LAN) and Support. A level below is lots of detailed data, like the Device Manager’s list of what’s connected.

The Network Map shows the topology and the system’s flexibility. When it was first set up, the Orbi software indicated that it created a straight line topology where one node was feeding the other. It later optimized itself so that each node had a direct router connection.

When I went into the WiFi Analytics section, I got a full view of the router and nodes connection details. In addition to the overall signal strength, there are screens that show the current channel and how solid the connection is.

There’s also the three-line hamburger interface that opens Settings, Account Management and other areas that includes ways to add a new node or reboot the system. The WiFi Settings section opens the ability to change the name and password, but not to split the set up into separate networks for each band. It’s easy to share the login info with a QR code.

As expected, the browser interface is deeper, with everything from running the gear as an access point or router to setting up port forwarding. The Attached Devices area consolidates the nodes and connected devices.

In addition to a traffic meter to help tune the network, the Advanced section shows how to set up the router as a VPN server and use a Dynamic DNS service. I really like the ability to use short or long preamble and set up a password for protecting the wireless backhaul traffic. It doesn’t allow adjustment of the CTS/RTS threshold, however, but few will miss it.

My favorite is the ability to send backhaul data using 240MHz channels rather than slower 160MHz ones. The nodes can also be connected via cables for top performance.

Like with other Orbi devices, the RBE973 includes a year of Armor security software. It works both from within the router and cloud as well as at the client level with an unlimited license for Bitdefender Total Security; there are apps for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. After the trial ends, it costs $100 per year and is a bargain if you have lots of computers.

On the other hand, the one-year warranty and 90-day support policy comes up short compared to TP-Link’s two years of coverage and unlimited support for the Deco BE85 mesh set.

The support Netgear offers is excellent. The app has a link to get help and there’s the ability to start a phone call or online chat. They’re available 24/7, and the site has among the best assortment of videos, troubleshooting tips and FAQs.

Netgear Orbi RBE973 review: Verdict

Being second isn’t always gratifying, ask Buzz Aldrin. But in this case, the top performance squeezed out of the Wi-Fi 7 protocol was worth the wait, and Netgear’s Orbi RBE973 is the fastest mesh kit available anywhere. It not only can use 320MHz data channels, 4K QAM modulation and 6GHz transmissions but makes the most of these new techniques to push more data. In fact, it is the first to break through the 2 Gbps barrier. 

To that end, the Orbi RBE973 adds an excellent assortment of inputs, particularly for those with high-speed data connections. Its Armor layer of security is among the best at keeping a network safe and secure in a world gone mad with malware but it lasts for only a year and the company’s warranty and support duration come up short. 

Far from perfect, its performance is truly spectacular at short range, like in the same room or just next door. That makes it better for a small home or apartment than a huge home. On the surface the Orbi RBE973’s $2,300 price tag seems to be an indulgence, although if price were no object, I would buy it right away because don’t we all deserve to get the best. 

My HP Elite Dragonfly has been a workhorse of a notebook that has done right by me for more than three years, the point that I generally think of retiring systems. Its eighth-generation Core i7 processor still gets the job done but the Intel Wi-Fi card inside is starting to feel like a boat anchor when I move data back and forth with a Wi-Fi 6E router.  

Luckily, Netgear’s Nighthawk AXE3000 USB Wi-Fi adapter ($99, Amazon) can provide the ultimate wireless upgrade, allowing the Dragonfly’s useful lifespan to be extended for a few years, at least. Also known as the A8000, Nighthawk Wi-Fi transmitter upgrade looks like a large memory stick but under its black skin is a powerful tri-band Wi-Fi 6E transmitter that can connect over the 2.4-, 5- and 6GHz data bands. 

When I’m done with the upgrade, the system’s maximum wireless throughput will top 3 Gbps, although its actual speed will be much lower. Still, the A8000 upgrade can be like adding a supercharger to a sedan’s engine, effectively turning it into a hotrod. The whole process is surprisingly quick and easy, but there’s a serious gotcha if you don’t use Windows 11.

Wi-Fi retrofit

The beauty of the Nighthawk A8000 is that it seems custom made for giving an older computer a new lease on life by boosting its Wi-Fi performance. In a real sense, it can bring most notebooks into the 6GHz era of Wi-Fi along with incredibly high data speeds, particularly when the router and notebook are close together. Happily, the Wi-Fi 6E adapter retains compatibility with older Wi-Fi specs and at any time I can go back to using the Dragonfly’s built-in Wi-Fi radio. Obviously, on its own, the A8000 is not enough because it needs to be complemented with a good Wi-Fi 6E router, in this case the Asus ROG GT-AXE11000. 

Easy install

It took me about 3 minutes to install the new hardware in the Dragonfly system and get online. Oddly, the biggest issue wasn’t the software or hardware, but the fact that the black A8000 card seemed out of place next to the blue notebook. 

The installation process started with extracting the setup files from the included USB memory drive, although the software is also available online. After running the program, I picked my favorite language, allowed the program to make system changes and inserted the A8000 USB device into the Dragonfly’s free USB port. The interface showed the setup’s progress, and when everything was done, I was able to disable the old Wi-Fi adapter and was online in a few seconds. The A8000’s LED glowed blue to show it was connected.

Physical set up

The beauty of using the USB interface to connect the adapter with the Dragonfly is that it pretty much guarantees that every notebook will have at least one port on the side or back.

Most of the time, I plugged the adapter directly into the system’s USB port, although it stuck out 3.5 inches, which grew to 5.5 inches when I extended the device’s fold-out antenna. It’s fine although when I took it on a road trip, the adapter had the tendency to get snagged on cables and stuff in my bag. Alternatively, the package included a stand and extension cable so it can sit as much as three feet from the notebook or a desktop. 

Making the USB 3.0 connection

Aimed at notebooks of a certain age, the A8000 can move data into and out of the system using USB 3.0’s SuperSpeed spec of 3Gbps. Happily, this matches the A8000’s ability of the A8000 to move 574Mbps over the 2.4GHz band as well as 1.2Gbps each over the 5GHz and 6GHz bands for a total throughput of 3Gbps. 

The A8000 uses the old-school Type A rectangular connector which is good and bad. It’s good because it works with older systems but bad because newer USB C based notebooks will need an adapter, pushing the A8000 adapter even farther away from the notebook’s case.

Up to date security

With the ability to supersede a quarter century of older Wi-Fi specs, the A8000 not only increases a notebook’s ability to send and receive data wirelessly but can let you leave older and much less secure security methods behind. By using WPA 3, the Nighthawk Wi-Fi 6E adapter raises the defensive posture for any notebook. This makes wireless networking as secure as it can be these days, particularly compared to those using elderly protocols, like WEP. 

On the downside, the A8000 adapter lacks Netgear’s extra Armor security software (powered by Bitdefender) that many of the company’s other networking products include.

Options abound

Along with the new hardware comes a new set of drivers that allow lots of customization without changing the look and feel of the software. From a 20,000 foot view, the A8000 software looks like any other Windows Wi-Fi adapter. I was able to go between the two Wi-Fi adapters (old and new) at a moment’s notice by disabling one and enabling the other. 

Additionally, I could set the hardware to connect automatically, look for other wireless LANs and create a link to networks that hide their network names. The manual includes some heavy-duty troubleshooting tricks to try if there’s a problem connecting, but I didn’t need them. 

Data demon

The best part is that the A8000 delivered impressive performance that can make the Dragonfly seem like a new system, at least as far as Wi-Fi goes. Using the iXChariot networking benchmark set to simulate 10 data-hungry users, the stock Dragonfly went from a throughput of 888.1Mbps at 15-feet to an average of 1.134Gbps using the Nighthawk A8000 adapter. This 28% increase in available bandwidth can help with playing high-end video, video chats and especially with online gaming where every extra megabit per second can help. This makes the A8000 a cheap thrill that can provide extra longevity to a computer. 

Battery boost

To my surprise, once installed and running, the A8000 is a power miser. Using a Portapow inline USB power meter, I measured its electrical draw at 0.21 watts, less than what the typical built-in Wi-Fi adapter uses. In fact, the Dragonfly’s 4 hours and 57 minute battery life for playing underwater YouTube videos with its stock Wi-Fi adapter increased to 5:38 with the Nighthawk Wi-Fi 6E upgrade. That’s more than half an hour of extra runtime, assuming your laptop is always connected to Wi-Fi. 

If your online style is more hit-and-run, try setting the Wi-Fi adapter’s USB port to go to sleep when not being used. It’s in the Device Manager’s USB Root Hub’s Power Management section. Unfortunately, it might take a few extra seconds for the Wi-Fi to wake up, connect and get you online.

An inexpensive yet worthy upgrade

If all this sounds good, the A8000 can likely speed up your online life. There is a major drawback that will limit its usefulness, though. The Nighthawk A8000 works best with Windows 11, which includes software for using the 6GHz band. In other words, Mac and Linux systems are left out in the cold and Windows 10 notebooks will be limited to 2.4- and 5GHz Wi-Fi, making it lukewarm at best.

It’s more than worth the effort and $100 that the Nighthawk AXE3000 kit costs to get such a big online speed jump for such a small amount of work. I call the Wi-Fi 6E upgrade kit a networking win-win.

More from Tom's Guide

• I test Wi-Fi routers for a living — 9 things to look for before you buy
• Think you know what Wi-Fi stands for? Get ready for a surprise
• The best Wi-Fi extenders can easily add extra range to your home network

As big and expensive as Netgear’s Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender (EAX80) is, it’s more than worth it for homes riddled with Wi-Fi dead zones. Not only was it the fastest extender we tested but it can use wide 160MHz data channels to satisfy members of a data hungry family. The Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender’s slew of ports make it easy to fit into a home network, although its included 90 days of support falls short of the years of help that others offer.

Is the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender one of the best Wi-Fi extenders you can get today and more importantly, is it worth the high asking price?

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender (EAX80) review: Pricing and availability

One of the largest and most expensive Wi-Fi extenders available, the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender sells for $250 – enough to buy four or five of its competitors or even one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems. Too much? Netgear’s similar AX1800 EAX20 model costs $130.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender (EAX80) review: Design

The Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender has the power to push a strong Wi-Fi signal into previously disconnected parts of a home but at 10.0 x 7.8 x 4.2 inches, it’s among the largest devices of its kind and makes the likes of the D-Link E15 look tiny. Its angular shape makes it look like an alien spaceship just landed on my desk. 

Rather than plugging directly into an AC outlet, the black EAX80 tower uses a separate AC adapter with a two-prong plug. All four of its antennas are internal. 

The front of the EAX80 has a long strip of 10 LEDs. They correspond to whether it’s turned on, the extender is online with the 2.4- and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands operating normally and if the router has a strong link. A white LED means it has the best connection, while amber is good and red is poor; no light means something is wrong. There are also lights for its USB port and the WPS system for quickly connecting it. Fortunately, the lighting can be controlled through the app.

Its Mesh middle name implies that the extender can be used as part of an Orbi mesh network. While it can connect with an Orbi network, the EAX80 will act as an extender and not as another mesh node.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender (EAX80) review: Performance

In my 100-year-old home, the Nighthawk EAX80 did a stellar job of extending my Wi-Fi network into previously unconnected areas. With the EAX80 40 feet from the Asus AXE-11000 host router and the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro another 10 feet away, the extender delivered 358.0Mbps. While that’s short of the TP-Link RE705X’s 528.0Mbps, it’s still a lot of data. 

With the notebook set up 40 feet farther away, the extender came into its own. It was able to send 301.8Mbps to the test system, slightly more bandwidth than the RE705X’s 248.1Mbps and double the bandwidth the E15 made available. Finally, with the test system a floor above the EAX80 extender, the system put out 319.9Mbps, making it the best all-around performer of the extenders we looked at. It had a range of 85-feet.

The power hog of the extender world, the Netgear nighthawk EAX80 used 8.3 watts, twice what many other extenders consumed. That translates to an annual electricity bill of roughly $11 if it's left on 24/7 and you pay the national average of 15 cents per kilowatt hour. It kept its cool during two weeks of daily use though and topped out at just 90 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender (EAX80) review: Features

The upside of the Nighthawk EAX80’s bulk is its ability to incorporate more technology than plug-in extenders. In addition to running as an extender or access point, the EAX80 is built around MUMIMO, 1024 QAM modulation and beamforming. It picks the most open path for the data along the least used data channels and can be set to use a single 160MHz data channel; only the TP-Link RE705X matches this. It lacks the ability to extend a Wi-Fi 6E 6GHz signal, however.

The data travels over its 4X4 data streams and adds up to the ability to deliver 1.2Gbps over the 2.4 GHz band and up to 4.8Gbps over the 5GHz band. Its AX6000 rating is four-times what most extenders can muster.

Its back is chock full of ports, including four gigabit per second LAN connectors compared to a single one or none in the competition. There’s also a USB 3.0 port for connecting a storage drive or a printer, something most extenders neglect to include. In addition to the luxury of an On/Off button, the EAX80 also has a recessed reset key.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender (EAX80) review: Setup and software

It took the longest of the six extenders we tested to set up but the EAX80 was worth it. The first step is to get the Nighthawk app, create a Netgear account and tap “Get Started”. 

The security conscious take note, the app allows the use of two-factor authentication and a phone’s fingerprint scanner to log in.

After picking the type of gear to install, I connected the phone to the extender’s network, followed by picking the networks I wanted to extend and typing the password. It took a minute or two to configure this and I added the names of the extended networks.

After I added the administrator password and answered two security questions for recovering the device in an emergency, I declined the extended warranty or paid support. It took nearly 13 minutes to complete the process.

The Nighthawk app is among the best with an uncomplicated dashboard that has boxes for Device Manager (what’s connected), WiFi Analytics (checking on signal strength and channel) and Internet Speed (using Ookla’s Speedtest.net benchmark). The WiFi Settings is where I was able to change the network names and passwords and create a QR code to share the log-in details.

The house logo in the upper left took me to a place that duplicates the Settings, offers to re-install the hardware and a direct link to the company’s Support group; it shows when the warranty and support expire.

At any time, I was able to reboot the device or log out of Netgear’s system. It lacks both a QoS prioritization system and a way to vary the transmission strength; the TP-Link 705EX has both.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender (EAX80) review: Warranty and support

Like other Netgear equipment, the Nighthawk EAX80 comes with a one-year warranty and a scant 90 days of support to get it connected. This is second best compared to the Tenda A27’s three years of warranty coverage and lifetime support. 

With a link from the Nighthawk app, the EAX80 is ready for anything. The online support pages include help and videos to get started along with troubleshooting and tips for getting the most out of the gear.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender (EAX80) review: Verdict

Size really matters when it comes to Wi-Fi extenders with the big Netgear Nighthawk AX8 Mesh Extender taking the overall lead in performance, range and array of features. It not only offers the option of using a 160MHz data channel and a USB port for adding storage but has the luxury of four gigabit-per-second Ethernet ports. 

That leaves two objections to the Nighthawk EAX80: its price which is equivalent to several lesser extenders and its 90-day support policy. If you can live with these limitations, the Nighthawk EAX80 is the most powerful Wi-Fi extender on the market. 

It may not be the fastest, least expensive or the mesh router kit with the longest range, but the Nest Wifi Pro uses the latest technology to fill a home with data. With one of the easiest setup routines, it’s perfect for first-time networkers and delivers good, though far from stellar, throughput. That’s just the start because the Nest Wifi Pro has a built-in Matter Border Router to work with the new smart home standard, making it a device that not only spreads data throughout a home but lets you control your lights, locks and other connected devices. Think of it as the Swiss Army knife of networking and you get an idea of the Nest Wifi Pro’s potential. 

Our Nest Wifi Pro review will determine if this is one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems available today and if it’s the right upgrade for your home network.

Nest Wifi Pro review: Pricing and availability

Individual Nest Wifi Pro units sell for $200 each or in a three-pack for $399. Happily, that’s less than one-third of the $1,500 Netgear charges for a three-piece Orbi RBKE963 kit.

Each Nest Wifi Pro device is identical and configured as a router or node during setup. They are each capable of covering 2,200 square feet which means the three-pack’s 6,600 square foot reach should be enough for most homes, although it’s less than the 9,000 square feet that Netgear claims for the RBKE963. 

The older Nest Wifi devices remain available at a bargain price of $150 for two. Unfortunately, the new Nest Wifi Pro gear is not compatible with either Nest Wifi or Google Wifi. 

Google Nest Wifi Pro review: Design

Building on the success of Nest Wifi, Google’s engineers went back to the drawing board to create the WiFi Nest Pro. At 5.2 x 4.7 x 1.4 inches, the oval-shaped devices have a sculpted organic look and are slightly smaller than the 5.5- x 5.5- x 2.1-inch Eero Pro 6E devices. Both are positively tiny compared to the likes of Netgear’s Orbi RBKE963. 

With their glossy finish, the Nest WiFi Pro devices look like porcelain ceramics from a distance although the gap between the case’s two halves results in an intentional seam. The three pack I looked at had devices that were white (Snow), beige (Linen) and blueish green (Fog); the yellow device (Lemongrass) wasn’t included. 

Each device has LEDs up front, but generally only one is illuminated. Solid white means everything is online and okay, while flashing red indicates a failure. A blinking blue light means it’s ready to be configured. Happily, the light can be dimmed or turned off in the app, but the Nest Wifi Pro lacks the ability to schedule the light to only be on during the day (to see its status) or at night (for a night light).

Under the hood, the Nest Wifi Pro devices use Qualcomm’s IPQ5018 Wi-Fi chip to create a mesh network using the 2.4-, 5.0- and 6.0GHz bands. It has a 1GHz dual-core processor along with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of flash storage for its firmware. On the downside, the Nest Wifi Pro devices lack a second 5GHz band that the Orbi RBKE963 uses as a dedicated backhaul channel for moving data from the nodes to the router. Instead, the Nest Wifi Pro uses the 6GHz channel for backhaul duties. While it’s uncrowded, the 6GHz band has a range that’s more limited than the 2.4- or 5GHz ones.

Based on 802.11AX standard, the WiFi Pro gear can service up to 100 clients per node. It uses 2X2 streams to create six independent lanes of data traffic. Inside each device are six antennas designed to aim the signal up and out, like a sphere or mushroom. It provides greater range but has implications when sending data downstairs — as we’ll see.

The Nest Wifi Pro tops out at a theoretical peak data flow of 5.4Gbps versus double that for the Orbi RBKE963. Its data traffic is automatically optimized to reduce congestion between the router, its nodes and the internet. The software aims to diagnose basic problems like a worn-out Ethernet cable but for an underperforming node, the advice is often to move it closer to the router.

Capable of using wide 160MHz data channels, the Nest Wifi Pro should appeal to data hogs and gamers at home. On the other hand, while the Orbi RBKE963 allows use of these channels in the 5- or 6GHz range, the Nest Wifi Pro only can use a single 5GHz 160MHz channel. The devices are a step back from the best with 1Gbps inputs, instead of ones that can handle 2.5-, 5- or 10Gbps for those with high-speed broadband service. Plus, they lack a USB port for easily adding data storage to the network.

To reset any of the devices, press the small circle underneath for 10 seconds and wait for three yellow LEDs to light up. This can also be done through the app if they’re connected.

While it lacks the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) of previous Nest Wifi gear which protected firmware upgrades, the Nest Wifi Pro has a similar security design with a system-on-a-chip (SoC) that requires authentication and only accepts updates from Google. It is also among the first to incorporate a Matter Border Router to connect a slew of home automation devices with the new and more inclusive spec. While the hardware was in place, the software wasn’t ready when I worked with the devices.

Google Nest Wifi Pro review: Performance and in use

The network I created from three Nest Wifi Pro devices did well and reliably filled my 3,500 square foot home with usable Wi-Fi over three weeks. It performed well using Ixia’s IxChariot networking software and a Samsung Galaxy Book Pro to measure performance.  

With 15 feet separating the mesh network’s router and the client device, the Nest Wifi Pro network moved an average of 971.9Mbps, just under the gigabit per second speed barrier. This is second best compared to the Asus ZenWiFi ET8’s 1.232Gbps and the Eero Pro 6E’s 1.144Gbps 

At 50-feet its throughput fell off steeply to a disappointing 52.5Mbps, likely the result of using the 6GHz band as the default backhaul channel. It’s one-fifth the 299.1Mbps and 287.7Mbps that the TP-Link Deco XE75 and Asus ZenWiFi ET8 mustered. 

With 75 feet between the host router and the test client, the Nest Wifi Pro redeemed itself with 104.4Mbps of bandwidth delivered to the test system. It’s a lot better but still well off the Deco XE75’s 318.5Mbps. The ZenWiFi ET8 moved 151.8Mbps while the Eero Pro 6E moved 142.9Mbps under the same conditions. 

The Nest Wifi Pro gear had an 85-foot range, short of the Deco XE75’s 23.7Mbps at 90-feet.  

The network did well with the signal traveling across a 25-foot room and through a wall with 628.0Mbps available on the other side. This beat the Orbi RBKE963’s 547.9 Mbps but fell short of the Eero Pro 6E’s 868.5Mbps.

Moving data upstairs and downstairs was a mixed bag with only 27.8Mbps delivered 40 feet away from the Nest node a floor below the router. This is likely the result of the equipment’s antenna design. With the third node set up a floor above the router and the test system 40 feet down a hall, the antenna's focus on upward transmissions resulted in 161.3Mbps. This was better but still well behind the Eero Pro 6E’s 418.0Mbps and 315.5Mbps for the downstairs and upstairs tests. 

While it was working hard, the Next WiFi Pro hit a peak of 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly 10 degrees warmer than the larger Orbi RBKE963. Over three weeks, the Nest Wifi Pro reliably sent and received emails, played videos and allowed me to work. It easily passed the network-saturation test that involved me watching 4K video on my iPad Pro while I played the BBC World Service news feed on a Lenovo ThinkPad T470 laptop and an HP Dragonfly laptop ran HD videos. All this was going on while a MacBook Air moved data back and forth from a networked RAID storage array. The audio and video streams came through without a freeze, glitch or skip.

A power miser, the WiFi Pro router used 8.6 watts, while each node consumed 9.4 watts. If left on 24/7 and you pay the national average of 15 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, it should cost about $36 a year to run, a bargain compared to the Orbi RBKE963’s $64.

Google Nest Wifi Pro review: Setup

Getting the Nest Wifi Pro set up and running requires using the Google Home app for Android or iOS but it can’t work with Windows or Mac. I used my Samsung Galaxy Note 20. On the downside, the Google Home app also allowed me to incorporate all the other things it can do, like lighting, door locks and video cameras. 

After I plugged the devices in, connected one to my cable modem and saw the single LED blinking blue, I tapped “+” on the Home app and then “New Device”.

Using the app, I gave it the necessary permissions to use my phone’s Bluetooth and Location Services. It quickly found the router and I took a picture of the QR code underneath and agreed to Google’s license. After I named the room the router would live in, I gave it a network name and password.

After I allowed a connection to Google Cloud to enable the parental controls and guest network, the sequence finished by saving the connection data to my phone. After adding the two nodes, one upstairs and one downstairs, everything was set. All told, it took 18 minutes and 15 seconds.

Google Nest Wifi Pro review: Configuration

The Nest Wifi Pro is configured and customized through the Google Home app with no connected browser option, something that other mesh products allow. A big bonus is that, unlike many other mesh apps, the app can work horizontally (in landscape mode) or vertically (in portrait mode). 

Google Home’s main page shows what’s connected and the network’s nodes; tap to see an appraisal of its connection status. If it comes up lacking, the app suggests obvious things like moving the nodes closer to the router.

At the top, the Wi-Fi icon leads to speed tests, a list of connected devices and configuring the parental controls and guest network. The most powerful is the ability to set a priority device, providing first dibs on data. This prioritization can be set for one, four or eight hours, but not forever.

Meanwhile, the History page shows the network's recent actions, including adding nodes. You can also have the app alert you by email that an incorrect password has been used, a new device has joined the network or it’s offline.

The Settings gear in the upper right leads to the Primary Network page, which is for setting up the network for gaming or video calls. I was able to turn the connection to Google’s cloud services on or off as well as report usage data and crashes to help improve the product.

The Advanced Settings section opens wide 160MHz data channels, Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) security and IP V6 addressing. Still, it left me wanting more, like adjusting the preamble and CTS/RTS threshold or password protecting the backhaul data. The Orbi RBKE963 mesh kit allows these tweaks.

There’s no extra security software, something the Orbi RBKE963 provides, but charges for after the trial ends. The Nest Wifi Pro comes with a one-year warranty, but lifetime support should an issue arise. By contrast, Orbi gear only includes 90-days of support – enough to get it up and running – but charges upwards of $120 to extend the support.

While there’s no formal manual, the Nest site has a good assortment of help for this new model and additional information will likely be added over time.

Google Nest Wifi Pro review: Verdict

While its name implies that the Nest Wifi Pro is professionally oriented, it is actually aimed at home users and the “Pro” refers to its use of Wi-Fi 6E’s 6GHz band. Small, moderately priced and easy to set up, the Nest Wifi Pro should fit into most homes with the ability to move almost a gigabit per second of data but it falls short of the mark with disappointing performance. The first to include Matter support for the latest in home automation, it requires using a phone or tablet to set up and configure your network and each device has only two Ethernet ports, but the Nest Wifi Pro does have the power to fill a home with data.

If you’ve been experiencing slow internet speeds at home or want to finally break free from your ISP, it might be time to upgrade your Wi-Fi router. Fortunately, there are plenty of great routers to pick from among the best Wi-Fi routers and even the best mesh Wi-Fi systems.

Now that Wi-Fi 6E is gaining traction and Wi-Fi 7 is set to arrive later this year, you could be looking at a big speed boost – especially if you’re upgrading from a Wi-Fi 6 router or even an older device. This is because gigabit internet is being rolled out to even more parts of the U.S. and the rest of the world. However, what if you’re a power user that really has a need for speed?

This is where multi-gig internet comes in. As the name suggests, multi-gig internet means any internet plan with speeds faster than one gigabit. Multi-gig plans start at just over a gigabit (for instance I have Xfinity’s Gigabit Extra plan with speeds up to 1,200 Mbps) but can reach all the way up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps).

To utilize all that extra bandwidth though, you’ll need one of the best cable modems — with support for DOCSIS 3.1 as this gives you a maximum downstream capacity of 10 Gbps — along with a multi-gig Wi-Fi router. 

Even if you only have gigabit internet now, picking up a router with multi-gig Ethernet ports will ensure your home network is future proof and you won’t have to upgrade again for some time. This is everything you need to know about multi-gig routers along with whether or not you necessarily need one right now.

Multi-gig Ethernet ports explained

In order to have the fastest home network on the block, you’re going to need a Wi-Fi router with multi-gig Ethernet ports. Fortunately, TP-Link, Netgear, Linksys and a lot of other networking equipment device manufacturers are already starting to include these ports on their high-end devices.

Unlike the 10 gigabit ports found on devices used by businesses that don’t support intermediate speeds, newer 2.5 gigabit multi-gig ports can support a range of speeds from 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps all the way up to 2.5 Gbps.

For example, take a look at these two mesh routers from TP-Link. While they appear nearly identical from the front with the Deco logo and a “6E” that shows they support Wi-Fi 6E, you can see what sets them apart from the back.

The mesh router on the left is the TP-Link Deco XE75 while the one on the right is the Deco XE75 Pro. What makes it a pro model? The fact that it has a 2.5 Gbps port under its two gigabit Ethernet ports.

With that 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, you can plug it into a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem to set up a home network with gigabit plus speeds — granted you’re paying for a more expensive internet plan from your ISP. It’s worth noting that any devices you plug into the other ports will be limited to gigabit speeds but other high-end routers — like some of the best gaming routers — actually have multiple 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports and this will no doubt become standard when Wi-Fi 7 routers begin rolling out later this year.

These ISPs offer multi-gig plans

If you do decide to upgrade to a multi-gig router, you’re going to need a multi-gig internet plan to go with it. Several Internet Service Providers (ISPs) already offer multi-gig plans that range from 2 Gbps all the way up to 5 Gbps.

For instance, AT&T has two multi-gig options to choose from: Fiber 2000 and Fiber 5000. The first plan gives you speeds of up to 2 Gbps and comes in at $110 per month. For slightly more though, AT&T’s Fiber 5000 plan gives you more than double the speed (5 Gbps) at $180 per month.

Xfinity’s Gigabit Extra plan gets you speeds slightly over 1 Gbps but its Gigabit Pro plan offers speeds of up to 6 Gbps. The catch though is that it’s quite expensive at almost $300 per month but if you’re a small business owner that works from home, you might be able to justify that price.

Frontier also has a multi-gig plan similar to AT&T’s. Its Fiber 2 Gig plan gives you speeds of up to 2 Gbps at just $100 per month but availability is quite limited at the moment. Along those same lines, Google Fiber also has a 2 gigabit plan for the same price.

A future-proof upgrade

Even if you’re not quite ready to upgrade to a multi-gig internet plan, a multi-gig router is a future proof upgrade that should last you for years. How often do you really upgrade your home networking equipment?

Besides faster upload and download speeds, if your multi-gig router has multiple 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports, you can also use them for connecting other devices to your network. For instance, many NAS or network attached storage devices have these kinds of ports and you can use them alongside those on your router to quickly transfer data from your computer.

Multi-gig internet will one day become as ubiquitous as gigabit internet is quickly becoming and with a multi-gig router, you’ll be fully prepared to get the fastest speeds at home which can be great with one of the best laptops or even one of the best streaming devices as you’ll be able to use them to their full potential without any lag whatsoever.

The tri-band eero Pro 6E has an easy setup routine, reliability with automatic operations and can blanket a home in Wi-Fi. That said, this is not the mesh kit to get if you want top speed or to tweak settings. While the three-pack mesh kit should be enough for the typical house, its single LAN port, lack of Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and no USB port for network-wide storage are drawbacks. 

The eero Pro 6E’s has one thing that puts it ahead of the crowd though: its built-in Zigbee hardware. Able to accommodate a slew of smart home gear, it makes the mesh router your center for connecting locks, lights and cameras.

Does the smart home focus, 2.5Gbps broadband input and the extra throughput from using 6GHz data make this a home networking winner? Our eero Pro 6E review will help you decide if this is one of the best mesh routers.

Eero Pro 6E review: Pricing and availability

The eero Pro 6E picks up where the Pro 6 left off by adding a 6GHz transmission band for an up-to-date tri-band mesh kit. Each Pro 6E unit can cover about 2,000 square feet, according to eero. 

The three-pack I tested lists for $549 (for three), $399 (for two) and $249 (for one). The devices are, however, discounted to $439, $319 and $199 respectively. This is roughly half as much as Netgear’s Orbi RBKE963.  It's worth noting that now that the more expensive eero Max 7 has been released, this mesh Wi-Fi system goes on sale quite frequently.

Owned by Amazon, eero also sells a variety of other mesh kits that range from the introductory eero three-piece kit for $165 to the $600 Pro 6 three-pack.

Eero Pro 6E review: Design

Just like other members of the eero family, the Pro 6E continues with the familiar white wedge-shaped boxes. At 5.5 x 5.5 x 2.1 inches, they’re huge compared to the first two generations but still tiny next to any Orbi device. 

The eero Pro 6E units are identical and are configured as the host router or satellite during setup. They all have a rubber bottom with soft feet that make them easy to place on a bookshelf, on a kitchen counter or even under a desk. Unlike Netgear, eero doesn’t sell brackets for wall mounting, while several third-party companies do, like OkeMeeo’s small plastic shelves.

There’s a single LED light up front that can be turned off. When it’s white, the network is connected but if it’s yellow, there’s something wrong with the power adapter. Red shows that the network is offline.

Based on Qualcomm’s Immersive Home 316 platform that incorporates the IPQ5018 Wi-Fi chip, the eero Pro 6E’s tri-band 802.11AX design can move six streams of data over the 2.4, 5 and 6GHz bands. Its six Wi-Fi antennas are joined with one that’s shared by a Bluetooth radio and the built-in Zigbee hardware. In addition to a hardware network accelerator, the eero Pro 6E has a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage space for the system’s firmware, settings and smart home routines.

The Pro 6E can tap into wide 160MHz channels and uses MUMIMO as well as beamforming to support up to 100 clients. While the Pro 6E can use older eero devices as nodes, they are limited to their original speeds.

Overall, the Pro 6E carries an AX5400 throughput rating, up from the Pro 6’s AX4200. The eero Pro 6E uses eero’s TrueMesh technology to automatically streamline data flow using the least congested channels.

The eero Pro 6E’s design lacks the ventilation holes and slots of other networking devices. When in use, the units can get warm but not hot to the touch. They peaked at 104 degrees Fahrenheit, much cooler than the Pro 6 units.

Its 2.5Gbps WAN input port makes the Pro 6E perfect for multi-gig broadband but the single downstream 1Gbps port is a step down from the three to four ports the competition offers. Between the LAN ports is the Pro 6E’s USB C power connector. The package includes USB C AC adapters but the Pro 6E units lack a power switch or a USB data port.

Engineers at eero continue to think that the ubiquitous Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is too insecure for general use. As a result, WPS is off-limits while almost every other networking company offers it.

The Pro 6E’s optional security software stands in contrast to Netgear’s Armor. While both have a free trial, Armor can cost upwards of $100 a year while eero has two plans available. The Secure subscription includes parental controls, content filtering and can block ads for $2.99 a month or $30 a year. The Secure + plan has a password manager from 1Password, an Encrypt.me Virtual Private Network (VPN) plan for five users and Malwarebytes antivirus software for three users for $10 a month or $100 per year. On the other hand, Armor includes an unlimited Bitdefender Total Security subscription.

Eero Pro 6E review: Performance

Using Ixia’s IxChariot networking benchmark software, we created a simulated Wi-Fi network with 10 data-hungry users in my 100-year-old 3,500-square-foot home and measured throughput using a Samsung Galaxy Book Pro. As was the case with the eero Pro 6, the eero Pro 6E trailed the pack on performance. 

Starting at 15-feet, the eero Pro 6E router delivered 1.144Gbps of throughput. Compared to the Pro 6’s 436.1Mbps, this shows the power of adding the 6GHz band. Still, it trailed the ZenWiFi ET8’s 1.232Gbps and the TP-Link Deco XE75’s 1.220Gbps. 

With the test system 50-feet away, throughput dropped to 173.3Mbps, demonstrating the short-range nature of the 6GHz transmission. While the throughput for its competitors fell as well, the Deco XE75 and ZenWiFi ET8 were still able to move 299.1Mbps and 287.7Mbps — about 70 percent more data. 

At 75-feet, the eero Pro 6E’s 142.9Mbps was close to the ZenWiFi ET8’s 151.8Mbps. The winner here was the Deco XE75, which put out 318.5Mbps – more than double the throughput.

The eero Pro 6E lost contact at 85 feet. This is 15 feet short of the 100-foot-range of the Deco XE75 and ZenWiFi ET8. While the eero Pro 6E was offline at 90 feet, the Deco XE75 and ZenWiFi ET8 provided between 13.8- and 23.7Mbps.

When the eero Pro 6E’s signal had to travel 25-feet across a room and through a wall, it delivered 868.5Mbps. That’s well off the pace set by the Linksys Atlas Max 6E (at 1.008Gbps) and the Deco XE75 (990.1Mbps). 

In the upstairs-downstairs testing, the eero Pro 6E continued to lag. With the test system 40 feet away from a mesh node placed a floor above the router, it recorded throughput of 418.0Mbps. That’s close to the 434.0Mbps from the ZenWiFi ET8 but 28 percent behind the Deco XE75’s 579.1Mbps. 

This trend continued when I went downstairs and set the test machine up 40 feet from an eero mesh node a floor below the host router. It registered 315.5Mbps, trailing the Deco XE75’s 576.9Mbps. 

The kit’s three eero Pro 6E units were enough to fill my house with data. It also passed my saturation test where I set up a MacBook Air and HP Elite Dragonfly to view videos and an iPad to play the BBC World Service News feed as a ThinkPad T470 moves data onto and off a networked RAID storage unit. The audio and video came through without any skips, freezes or artifacts. 

While it was moving data back and forth, the eero Pro 6E devices used 16.8 watts of power. If you pay the national average of 14 cents per kilowatt hour, the three pack should cost about $61.80 a year to use, roughly double the cost required to operate its predecessor.

Eero Pro 6E review: Smart home

Under its skin, the eero Pro 6E has Zigbee hardware for setting up and controlling a variety of smart home devices. It uses 2.4GHz transmissions and an integrated antenna to connect with and control Zigbee gear. 

I used it to control a Philips Hue bulb and a Linkind flood light. Unlike some standalone smart home hubs, the eero Pro 6E lacks software for connecting with devices and relies on its app for setup which makes things a little tedious.

Once the link has been made, the smart home device can use the Alexa app as a controller with voice control. Engineers at eero are also working on incorporating the Matter spec for more universal control.

Eero Pro 6E review: Setup

Eero continues to employ the same set up scheme it’s used for years. One of the quickest and easiest ways to create a mesh network, there are apps for Android and iOS. Due to its Amazon connection, there’s also an app for Fire tablets. The app's step-by-step instructions, illustrations and explanations make it ideal for first time networkers. 

To get started, ensure your device’s Bluetooth is turned on and register with your email or Amazon account. I also needed to name each device’s room using my Samsung Galaxy Note 20.

It took 10 minutes and 20 seconds to set up the three eero Pro 6E devices, including a firmware update.

Eero Pro 6E review: Configuration

Like previous eero devices, the only way to change settings is via the eero app but the Pro 6E also supports a Fire tablet app. On the downside, you can’t use a connected browser which often includes more customization options.

The app’s Home page shows the network’s name, its online status as well as the router’s security. Below are entries for Internet (for getting a speed test) and the eero devices (for seeing their details). Here, the LED can be turned off and the device restarted.

There’s also a scrolling section that lets you update the firmware or get reports. However, the app’s vertical interface displays about one-and a half of these items. There’s no way to use it in landscape mode.

The parental controls include internet scheduling and content filtering, although the latter requires a subscription. Each connected device has a list of who’s online and it’s easy to see the band it’s using and its IP address. Any can be quickly blocked.

Along the bottom of the Home page is an Activity link to see total data transfers and a summary of security scans. The Discover link leads to security apps, when they expire and smart home Zigbee data. The eero Labs section has beta software for using WPA3 encryption.

Finally, the app’s Settings has the eero Pro 6E’s major configuration choices. Here, I was able to turn the guest network on or off as well as make changes to the DNS settings and use Client Steering. There’s also a place to invite an outsider to be a remote administrator.

If your home has Ethernet cabling, it can be used to connect eero Pro 6E nodes to the router, making for a hybrid mesh arrangement that doesn’t require any configuration. While the eero Pro 6E’s configuration choices are more than enough for its intended audience, some will be disappointed by not being able to change the CTS/RTS threshold or choose between long and short preamble, both of which are available on the Netgear Orbi RBKE963.

The Troubleshooting section deals with everyday problems, like “My internet is offline” and “My eero’s light is red.” The eero Pro 6E’s Health Check can help figure things out. There are also links to the Help Center and eero support.

On the downside, you might need to wait because eero’s support is available from 6AM to 8PM PT, not 24/7. The support site has general setup help and how to get a new AC adapter.

While there’s no manual, the site has lots of topics to explore, like help with updating the network. The mesh kit has a one-year warranty and support for five years after being discontinued, better than Netgear’s 90-day support policy.

An eero Internet Backup is available to eero Plus subscribers and can help you get back online quickly after an outage. Here's how to set up eero Internet backup on the eero Pro 6E.

Eero Pro 6E review: Verdict

It may not be the fastest or longest-reaching mesh kit, but the eero Pro 6E is easy to set up and powerful enough to fill a mid-sized house with Wi-Fi. Its combination of a 2.5Gbps broadband input and 6GHz can provide a gigabit of data per second up close, while its automatic optimization software reduces network congestion. 

On the downside, its available bandwidth falls off quickly and its single 1Gbps downstream port falls short of the competition. The Eero Pro 6E’s Zigbee host helps make any house a smart home, but the Pro 6E does without a USB port.

With a price tag of $560, the eero Pro 6E three-pack is slightly cheaper than the Pro 6 model, and less than half the cost of an equivalent Orbi device. It’s an inexpensive way to have an up-to-date network without having to become a Wi-Fi expert.

The best Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E routers are an affordable and high-value upgrade that can take your home network to the next level with faster speeds, lower latency and support for more connected devices. If you’re using an older router or one rented from your internet provider, these devices will eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones and give you greater control over your home network.

At Tom's Guide, our team of Wi-Fi experts tests routers of all kinds in real-life conditions, including in a multi-story house, to accurately test throughput, range and more at multiple distances and locations. We have all the data needed to help you find the Wi-Fi 6 or 6E router for you, and I'm here to guide you to the right purchase.

Right now, the Asus RT-AX86U, with its excellent close-range speeds, is our top pick, but there's more to fit different needs. So, let's dive in to find the best Wi-Fi 6 routers you can buy right now

Meet our testers

The best Wi-Fi 6 routers you can buy today

The best Wi-Fi 6 router overall

The Asus RT-AX86U is my top recommendation for anyone who needs a powerful dual-purpose Wi-Fi 6 router, excelling at both general connectivity and dedicated gaming performance.

Even though it is an older model and lacks Wi-Fi 6E, this router delivers great wireless speeds and exceptional wired performance, thanks to its multi-gig input port, which also serves as a dedicated gaming port. With its unique vertical design and inclusion of built-in security software, the RT-AX86U will serve you well for years to come.

In his review, the RT-AX86U served Brian Nadel well as both a general-purpose and gaming router, demonstrating excellent throughput up close. It hit a max speed of 929.7 Mbps at close range (15 feet), and impressed with a usable 250.1 Mbps all the way out at 75 feet, proving its respectable total range of 95 feet.

Where the RT-AX86U truly shone was its wired performance: you can combine two of its Ethernet ports to enable link aggregation for even faster multi-gig speeds to a single device, and it also excelled at signal penetration, pushing 698.5 Mbps through a wall at 25 feet.

The vertical-only design of the RT-AX86U sets it apart from standard flat routers, making it ideal for placement on a bookshelf and easier cable management. As for physical connectivity, you get the aforementioned multi-gig input port along with four gigabit Ethernet ports and two USB ports for easy data sharing across your network. Beyond hardware, Asus includes its excellent AiProtection Pro security software for free, offering comprehensive network protection and robust parental controls without an extra subscription fee.

If you want a fast Wi-Fi 6 router that doubles as a gaming router, the Asus RT-AX86U certainly delivers and then some, thanks to its unique design and extra features.

Read our full Asus RT-AX86U review.

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The best budget Wi-Fi 6 router

The TP-Link Archer AX55 is our favorite budget Wi-Fi 6 router, proving you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a fast and capable device. Despite costing just over $100, this wallet-friendly router delivers great speeds close up and at middle distances for those with gigabit internet plans.

While it may not be the flashiest option on this list, it provides enough ports for all of your wired devices and stays cool under pressure thanks to the extra air vents on the top of the device.

During his tests, Brian recorded an excellent max download speed of 823.7 Mbps at close range (15 feet). Then at 50 feet, the AX55 was able to hit a very respectable 288.4 Mbps, which put it above the similarly priced Reyee RG-E5. The router also showed surprising longevity in our range tests: while speeds dipped to 89.6 Mbps at 75 feet, it actually managed to beat the more powerful TP-Link Archer AX6000 gaming router at 90 feet, which was offline at that distance.

The AX55 features a classic design that isn’t overly flashy, but I really like how those vents at the top are arranged in a geometric pattern. In terms of ports, you get a gigabit input and four additional gigabit Ethernet ports, plus a USB port to easily share data across your network. Beyond the hardware, I’m also happy that TP-Link offers great user flexibility with both app and browser-based setup for the AX55 — a feature you typically don’t see with other budget routers.

If you want a reliable Wi-Fi 6 router that won’t put a dent in your wallet, the TP-Link Archer AX55 is easy to recommend, especially for those in smaller homes or apartments who don’t have a multi-gig internet plan.

Read our full TP-Link Archer AX55 review.

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The best Wi-Fi 6 router for large homes

The TP-Link Deco XE75 is our top recommendation for a Wi-Fi 6E mesh system as it offers an affordable way to eliminate dead zones around your home for good.

At $300 for a three-pack and with the ability to cover up to 7,200 square feet with a strong Wi-Fi signal, it makes for an inexpensive upgrade that can be a true game changer for your entire household. In fact, when expert Anthony Spadafora first upgraded to one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems, this is the exact model he chose, and it served him well without issues for years.

Since the Deco XE75 is a tri-band device which gives you access to the faster 6 GHz band (along with the standard 2.4 and 5 GHz ones), it’s no surprise that it performed quite well at short range in Brian’s tests. At close range (15 feet), he saw a max download speed of 1.22 Gbps. As Brian moved further away from the router during testing, it switched back to the 5 GHz band and still managed to hit a respectable 299.1 Mbps at 50 feet. Then at 75 feet, the Deco XE75 actually picked up speed to 318.5 Mbps, beating out the more expensive Linksys Atlas Max 6E and even the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500.

Design-wise, the cylindrical Deco XE75 units are interchangeable, so any one of them can serve as your main router while the others act as satellites to carry your Wi-Fi signal further. Around back, you get three gigabit Ethernet ports, which should be enough for most people with gigabit or lower internet speeds.

The Deco XE75 is a fantastic and affordable choice, and we found the Deco app to be incredibly simple to use for setup and management.

Read our full TP-Link Deco XE75 review.

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The best Wi-Fi 6 router for gaming

The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 is our recommendation for a blazing-fast Wi-Fi 6E gaming router. I like that Asus sweetens the deal with free, built-in security software, excellent customization options and loads of useful gaming features.

While the GT-AXE11000 was priced over $500 at launch, it’s since come down to a more affordable $399, which means it's still one of the best gaming routers, but for even less.

In his testing, Brian was absolutely blown away by the GT-AXE11000’s download speeds up close. For instance, at close range (15 feet), it managed to hit a max speed of 2.96 Gbps, which makes it faster than some of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers he’s tested since this review.

As Brian tested the GT-AXE11000 at further distances, though, speeds quickly fell off as the router switched from the faster 6 GHz band to the 5 GHz and then the 2.4 GHz bands. Still, it kept up a respectable 267.9 Mbps at 50 feet, which was better than Netgear’s Nighthawk RAXE500 at the same distance.

Given that most gamers would rather plug their PC or console in via Ethernet, the GT-AXE11000 is packed with ports. Not only do you get a 2.5 GbE input port — which I like that it doubles as a dedicated gaming port — but you also get four standard gigabit Ethernet ports and two USB ports for data sharing. Design-wise, the router features its iconic angular chassis and built-in RGB lighting, which you can customize.

With Asus’ useful AiProtection security software and its wide suite of ROG gaming features, you’re getting a complete package here.

Read our full Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 review.

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The best Wi-Fi 6 router for VPN

The ExpressVPN Aircove is my recommendation for VPN users who want a hassle-free way to encrypt and anonymize every device in their home. This small, compact Wi-Fi 6 router is actually a VPN router that makes it a breeze to connect multiple devices to ExpressVPN — which is one of the best VPN services overall based on our testing.

Even without a VPN subscription (you get one year of ExpressVPN free with it), it’s still a speedy Wi-Fi 6 router with all the ports you could need.

During his testing, Brian found the Aircove to be a relatively fast Wi-Fi 6 router that hit a max download speed of 788.3 Mbps at close range (15 feet). It kept up the pace at 50 feet, beating the TP-Link Archer AX55 by over 100 Mbps at 419.7 Mbps. The Aircove continued to perform well at 75 feet with a 216.8 Mbps download speed. Likewise, it was still online at 90 feet with speeds of 15 Mbps with a total range of 105 feet.

Just like the AX55, the Aircove sports a standard, all-black router design. However, at 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches, it’s quite compact, which I think makes it a great travel router, too. In terms of ports, you get a gigabit input port and four gigabit wired ports — a sufficient number for a device this size.

Although the ExpressVPN Aircove is more expensive than a traditional router, if you’re a VPN user looking for the extra convenience of quick connections on the go or at home, I believe this specialized router is definitely worth the price.

Read our full ExpressVPN Aircove review.

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Testing results

Also tested

Frequently Asked Questions

How to choose the best Wi-Fi 6 router for you

Choosing a new Wi-Fi router can feel daunting, but it doesn't have to be. As an expert who covers these devices, I can tell you that by answering just three simple questions, you can figure out exactly what type of router will work best for you and your household.

What is your true internet speed?

Before buying a new router, you must find out your true, real-world internet speed to ensure the router you buy is a seamless match. First, check your latest bill to see the maximum speed you're paying for (e.g., "up to 1,000 Mbps"). The speed you actually receive will fluctuate based on network congestion.

To establish a realistic baseline, I highly recommend you plug your computer directly into your current router using an Ethernet cable and run several speed tests using a service like Ookla’s speedtest.net or Netflix’s fast.com. Next, use your phone to run more speed tests — either in your browser or using one of the best speed test apps — throughout different areas of your home. This process helps you determine your current Wi-Fi speeds and will immediately flag any dead zones, which is your cue to consider a mesh Wi-Fi system over a traditional router.

How many devices will you connect?

One thing people often overlook is the number of connected devices they have. If you only have a few devices — say, your phone, a laptop, a tablet, and your TV — then a less powerful router may be fine. However, if you have multiple people in your home, plus smart devices like a video doorbell, smart speakers, and security cameras, then a powerful router is necessary to support all those connections simultaneously. Making a quick list of all your connected devices will prevent slowdown and ensure your new router can handle the total traffic load.

Is this a long-term or short-term upgrade?

If your current router suddenly fails and you just need a new one to get you back online quickly, spending less may make sense, but you might need to upgrade again soon.

This is why I highly recommend taking the time to plan out your next upgrade and potentially even the one after that. For example, if you currently live in an apartment but plan to buy a larger home within the next year, a basic traditional router is a good option for now, knowing you’ll likely switch to a mesh Wi-Fi system to cover the larger area later. Likewise, if you don’t plan on upgrading beyond a gigabit or 500 Mbps internet plan, getting a blazing-fast multi-gig router doesn't make sense as you won't be able to use it to its full potential.

How we test the best Wi-Fi 6 routers

In order to determine which Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E routers are truly the best, we put them through a rigorous gauntlet of both real-world and benchmark testing. This balanced approach allows us to measure their performance for both typical daily use and ideal testing conditions.

In our real-world tests, our expert team sets up each Wi-Fi router or mesh system in a challenging 100-year-old, multi-story home. This allows us to determine exactly how well they can send data through floors and walls. During the review period, we use each router as our daily driver for demanding tasks like transferring large files, 4K video streaming, and online gaming.

As for our benchmark testing, we use Keysight’s IxChariot software to simulate complex network traffic in a repeatable and controlled way with 10 active users simultaneously. This allows us to measure the quality and stability of a network powered by a router or mesh system, moving beyond just peak download speeds. IxChariot then provides us with the key performance metrics that form the basis of the testing data you see throughout this guide.

Finally, we test each Wi-Fi router's download speeds at 15, 50, 75 and 90 feet. This gives us a clear picture of how well they perform up close and at a distance, while also allowing us to determine a router’s maximum range.

Since we use the same testing process for each router we review, we can then compare speed test results between models to tell you exactly why one router is better in certain situations and households than another. For more information on how we test networking devices, check out our guide on how we test Wi-Fi routers, along with our more general how we test page for Tom's Guide.

Check out all of our home networking coverage:

Best Wi-Fi routers | Best mesh routers | Best Wi-Fi 7 routers | Best gaming routers | Best Wi-Fi extenders | Best powerline extenders | Best cable modems

Imagine walking into your living room, and viewing masterful paintings from some of the greatest painters of all time. The Netgear Meural Canvas II digital art frame lets you do just that. It's been adorning my walls with works from Van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt and many other epic painters for a year now, and it still has me mesmerized. And it's completely transformed my living room. 

A year ago, I was sprucing up my house and wanted to deck out my living room. I was considering buying a painting or digital print that I'd have to frame, anything to introduce some color and life to the walls. That said, I know I am prone to getting bored easily (and I also take around half an hour to decide what to watch over the weekend), so I knew such a decision was not going to be easy.

After a month of procrastinating about purchasing some fine art, I decided to take the digital route and go with the Netgear Meural Canvas II, since it lets you pick a new painting every day. Admittedly, I wasn't sure about this either. I already had some concern over potential buyer's remorse: would I truly appreciate the art coming to my wall, or would it just gather dust?

The Netgear Meural Canvas II can be hung on the wall and has an extensive collection of digital art work to choose from. 

The 16 x 24-inch model costs $599, and the larger 19 x 29-inch variant bumps you up $100 more to $699 (Admittedly, I got a deal, as the smaller unit only cost $399 last year). And then there's a whole membership, because everything is a subscription service these days. While the first year is free, they'll charge you $8.95 per month ($69.95 per year) for access to the Meural's expansive library of more than 30,000 artworks. If you stop paying, you'll be limited to the art you can upload to it.

So what really made me stick with the digital frame and did it really turn me into an aesthete? Read on to find out. 

 What I like about the Netgear Meural Canvas II 

The Netgear Meural Canvas II is great because it just looks like a standard photo frame. I really liked that it has a white border and metal frame, which just go to highlight the paintings, and make it look fresh out of a museum. There's also a wooden frame option if you so prefer. 

It connects to the internet over Wi-Fi, and you switch the art with the accompanying Meural app that offers a whole search engine. You can filter by museums that the art appears in if you just visited a location and want to find a favorite, peruse the work of your favorite artist and, naturally, you can hunt by movement through categories such as abstract art, realism and modern art.

This way, I can feel like I'm transported to the Louvre in Paris or London’s Tate Modern Museum, and 'borrow' paintings I could have never imagined to have in my living room. Yes, these are mere images, and not the real deal, but this frame is not aimed at art collectors.

In addition, Meural provides accompanying information on each painting, including a biography of the artist and a short description on the painting itself. Its playlists of paintings makes discovery easy, and I've even created some of my own as well. It even lets me schedule the frame to switch to different works at different times of the day. In the evening, I like to have warm colors to go with the sunset that I can often see from my window.

The display makes the paintings look so close to reality that sometimes I forget this is a digital screen. As we mention in our Meural Canvas II review, its makes the art look "more elegant than a TV showing a photo." The display is a 920 x 1080p LCD with a matte finish that prevents glare. Brush strokes are visible, especially from up close, and the colors really pop. There is an ambient light sensor that adjusts the brightness automatically, giving the picture a natural feel.

True to being a digital frame, you can also upload your own pictures. I created a playlist of pictures I wanted to upload. The one issue I found here, though is that the aspect ratio can be a bit skewed at times. Still, the Meural Canvas II brings my own pictures to life. The Meural app also offers pop culture art with digital posters and moving images, which include assets from a partnership with Marvel. This way, you can switch from the MoMA to the MCU in a moment.

What I don’t like about the Netgear Meural Canvas II

The Meural is aesthetically pleasing for the most part. There is a power button, a dock for an SD card and a micro USB input tucked away neatly. My minor frustration comes from the power cable that sticks out and gives away the charm of being a true-to-like canvas. I have tried to conceal it with a white wire protector, but that only seems to clean it up a bit. 

Another gripe I have with the Netgear Meural Canvas II is its gesture control interface. Since you're not supposed to touch the art at a museum, the Meural Canvas II has you swipe without touching, essentially moving your hand in front of the painting, like Tom Cruise in Minority Report. You move up from the bottom center of the canvas will bring up more information on the painting, and swiping right will bring up the menu. These gestures may be fun to use the first time, but I wasn't impressed thereafter. It's often slightly glitchy, and takes multiple swipes before the canvas actually responds. One year down the road — I control my Meural only with the app.

The other issue is that you're kinda stuck in one picture orientation at a time, unless you want to re-hang the Canvas II. Since the frame is hung vertically or horizontally, you pick and stick with one of those modes. That said, for $49, you can buy a swiveling mount that lets you easily rotate with little effort.

 Netgear Meural Canvas II: Bottom line 

I never intended to spend $399 on something to make my living room more visually dynamic. But one year after buying the Netgear Meural Canvas II, I am still as into it as when I unboxed it. It is a great addition to my living room and always draws the attention of guests who want to know more about the gadget. 

The realistic representation of artwork is impressive and if you have any interest in art, the depth of the library is strong enough to keep you occupied with learning and discovering. I wonder if Netgear has considered adding support for art acquired via NFTs (though you could just save the JPEG and claim you bought it).

Regardless, the Canvas II is one of the most beautiful ways of bringing art into your home without actually going through a dealer or learning how to paint. I learned a lot about Van Gogh’s style of work and even styles like pointillism. I'm curious if I could trick someone into thinking I have a Master's Degree in Fine Arts.

That said, Netgear Meural is not alone in its category. There is Amazon’s Echo Show 15 which is one of the best smart displays and costs much less at $249. You will not have access to artworks, but it serves as a speaker and is a smart display. Samsung’s The Frame TV is also an option, but is much more expensive at $1,999. It has a 4K resolution and many images and paintings that can be accessed in “Art” mode. 

Next: This $19 gadget automated my garage with no hassles.

With the ability to deliver more data farther than other mesh networks, the Asus ZenWiFi ET8 is now the best in the growing Wi-Fi 6E class. The tri-band mesh kit comes with two units that reserve the 6GHz band for communications between the router and satellites, freeing an enormous amount of bandwidth for everything else. Its router and satellite will be more than enough for most homes, but right now you can’t buy single ET8 units.

In addition to the ability to customize network settings, the ET8 uses Asus’ AIProtection technology to block potential online hazards. The best part: unlike Netgear’s similar Armor software, AIProtection doesn’t need to be installed, is simpler to use and free. 

While it does many things exceptionally well, the ET8 falls short in one area: The devices have only three downstream networking ports. If you have a complicated network, you might need a networking switch to make sure everything gets online. At $530 for two devices, the ET8 is priced significantly lower than the competition, making it close to our ideal mesh networking kit: inexpensive, fast and far reaching. Our Asus ZenWiFi ET8 review will help you decide if it's one of the best mesh routers and worth the upgrade.

Asus ZenWiFi ET8 review: Pricing and availability

Asus offers a more economical approach to Wi-Fi 6e mesh networking. The two-pack costs $530, putting it within reach for those who think the Orbi RBKE963 ($1,500) and Linksys Atlas Max 6E ($1,000) are too expensive. Asus plans to also sell single ET8 units later this year. The devices use transmissions in the 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands, and reserve 6GHz transmissions to connect the satellite to the router. According to Asus, the pair should be good for a 5,500 square foot home, while a single ET8 covers 2,750 square feet. 

Asus ZenWiFi ET8 review: Design

Similar to Asus’s ZenWiFi XT8, the demure white ET8 units have heavily rounded walls and side cooling vents but lack chrome accent trim. The units are identical and are configured as a router or satellite during setup. 

They each occupy 6.6 x 6.3 x 2.9 inches – one-half the size of Orbi RBKE963 units. Easy to hide on a bookshelf, desk or kitchen counter, the ET8 is the rare Wi-Fi router that actually looks good and should blend into the background. Unlike Netgear, Asus doesn’t sell its own wall brackets for the ET8, although there are several available online for about $15 each.

Forget about blinking LEDs, the ET8 has a single small LED bar that glows white when it’s online and working. If it’s yellow, the satellite is too far away and red means something more serious is afoot.

Each ET8 unit has a Broadcom BCM6755 Wi-Fi chip to move data back and forth. In addition to a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, the devices have 512MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage space for firmware and settings. They each have six amplified antennas.

Once it’s set up, the ET8 router creates networks that use the 2.4, 5 and 6GHz Wi-Fi bands. It uses the 6GHz band to send data from its satellites to the router, although it can also use the 5GHz band.  

Based on the 802.11ax spec, the ET8’s AIMesh system makes it one of the most up to date mesh kits around. It can set up 8 independent data streams that use beamforming to match the receiving device. Its use of MU-MIMO technology allows the router to service a large number of devices and as many as eight wide 160MHz data channels can be set up. 

In addition to moving 574 Mbps over its 2.4GHz band, the ET8 can deliver up to 1.201 Gbps over the 5GHz band and as much as 4.804 Gbps over the 6GHz band. It adds up to an AXE6600 rating.

Along the device’s back are a power switch and WAN input that can work with 2.5 Gbps inputs. However, it shortchanges on gigabit per second downstream LAN ports with only three. Each device has a USB port for connecting a storage device as well as a reset button underneath.

Asus ZenWiFi ET8 review: Performance 

When it came to filling my 100-year old 3,500 square foot home with data, the Asus ZenWiFi ET8 is a winner. Using Ixia's IxChariot networking benchmark to simulate 10 data-hungry users and a Samsung Galaxy Book Pro to measure performance, the ET8 pushed the Orbi RBKE963 aside and is the fastest mesh networking kit available.

With the test system set up 15 feet (about 4.5 meters) from the host router and no connected satellites, the network was able to send 1.232 Gbps of data. This just edges out the Linksys Atlas Max 6E’s 1.189 Gbps throughput and is 18 percent faster than the 1.009 Gbps that the Orbi RBRE960 router (from the RBKE963 kit) was capable of. It blew away Wi-Fi 6 mesh networks, like the Orbi RBK852 (at 883.6 Mbps), Arris Surfboard Max Pro (820.3 Mbps) and the TP-Link Deco X20 (622.1 Mbps). 

The ZenWiFi ET8 nudges closer to our all-out speed king, the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 gaming router. On the downside, its throughput remains roughly half that of the high-performance router’s 2.396 Gbps at the same distance.

As I moved the test system away from the router, the 6GHz band lost contact and the throughput fell off quickly. At 50-feet (roughly 15 meters), the ET8 moved 287.7 Mbps, second best compared to the Atlas Max 6E’s 382.2 Mbps. However, it delivered one-third more throughput than the Orbi RBRE960 router’s 190.5 Mbps. 

With 75-feet (about 23 meters) between the ET8 router and the test system, the network performed surprisingly well, doling out 151.8 Mbps. This compares well to the Orbi RBRE960’s 93.4 Mbps and is three-times the output of the Atlas Max 6E. 

At 90-feet (27 meters), the ET8 moved 13.8 Mbps of data, plenty for watching videos but less than the Orbi RBRE960 router’s 39.9 Mbps; the Atlas Max 6E trailed with 6.7 Mbps of throughput. The ET8 has a 100-foot (roughly 30.5 meter) range, beating the RBRE960 (90-feet) and Atlas Max 6E (95-foot). 

Its ability to send a strong signal across 25 feet (about 8 meters) and through a wall with 531.1 Mbps available, put the ET8 on a par with the Orbi RBRE960’s 547.9 Mbps. The speed champ here remains the Orbi RBK852 which can deliver 782.9 Mbps under the same circumstances.  

I set the ET8’s satellite upstairs from the host router and the test system 40-feet (roughly 12 meters) down a hallway. The system was able to grab 434.0 Mbps of data. That’s more than four-times the 102.7 Mbps that the Atlas Max 6E and twice the Orbi RBKE963’s 163.4 Mbps throughput. 

Overall, the ET8 two part kit filled my home with data but because it had only a router and satellite, there were slow spots. Adding a second satellite would have done the trick.

The ET8 was able to move more than enough data to pass my informal network saturation test. As I listened to the BBC World Service newsfeed on my iPad Pro, I viewed 4K video on a ThinkPad T470 while an HP Dragonfly laptop played HD videos. This all happened as a MacBook Air was moving data onto and off a networked RAID storage array. During testing, the audio and video streams came through without any skips or dropouts.

In spite of its high performance, the ET8 is a miser when it comes to power use with the router and satellite consuming 8.6- and 6.6-watts, respectively. That adds up to an annual estimate for electricity bills of $18.60, a fraction of the cost of the Orbi RBKE963 ($64/year) or Atlas Max 6E ($53/year), although both have two satellites.  

Asus ZenWiFi ET8 review: Setup

Getting started with the Asus ZenWiFi ET8 is different from most other mesh kits. Instead of setting up the router and then adding satellites, the ZenWiFi ET8 gets going with the two parts next to each other. This simplifies the startup procedure and lets you move the satellite anywhere you want afterward. 

With the two devices plugged in, I connected the one I wanted to be the router to my cable modem. Next, I opened the Asus Router app and verified that my phone’s Bluetooth was turned on. Once the devices started up, I connected my phone to the router’s LAN (“Asus_00”).

From the app, I picked Setup a new router and after that, I selected the ZenWiFi family of mesh products.

Then I used my phone’s camera to shoot the QR code under the router and the app connected to it

From here, I typed in names and passwords for the 2.4-, 5- and 6GHz bands. After creating an account with Asus, the app set up the networks and applied my settings. Everything worked on the first try. 

The sequence ended with me moving the satellite upstairs and agreeing to the license terms. All told, it took six minutes.

Asus ZenWiFi ET8 review: Configuration

The Asus ZenWiFi ET8 can be configured with the app or with a browser. The former is quick, easy and visually oriented while the latter offers more options. The app’s main screen shows a schematic map of the network with the Internet on top and the ET8 router and satellite below. 

Up top is the IP address as well as the network name. There’s a link to the right for checking the network’s speed.

There are six different optimization profiles that provide prioritization to anything from gaming and media streaming to work from home and file transfers. These choices present a good assortment of activities for getting the data to the right place.

Along the bottom, you can see which devices are online and set up parental controls. My favorite is the Insight section that suggests things that can make the router run better, like updating the firmware and using AIProtection. 

The Settings link opens diagnostics as well as USB storage and Wi-Fi details. The stand out feature is the Traffic Statistics window that shows the flow across the three Wi-Fi bands.

By contrast, using a connected browser yields an amazing amount of information about the router, including a network map of connected clients. There’re links for USB storage, details of the three networks and what firmware version is in place. 

The left side of the page has choices that range from setting up a guest network to the traffic analyzer (to see which bands are most used) to its Quality of Service (QoS) features. While the Wireless section lets you adjust the channel width and authentication method, it lacks things like customizing the CTS/RTS threshold or changing the preamble to long or short, which the Orbi RBKE963 can do. 

The well hidden Administration area let me choose the Operation Mode to run the device in a mesh network, as an access point, media bridge or a repeater. It lacks the Orbi RBKE963’s ability to push smart home devices to the 2.4 or 5GHz bands.

Each ET8 unit includes Asus’s AIProtection to block dangerous programs from getting onto your network. Using software from Trend Micro, AIProtection lets you scan for problems and provides a security assessment. It doesn’t include the Bitdefender client software that comes with Netgear’s Armor ($99 a year), but with Asus, there’s no setup and you don’t have to pay.

The two-year warranty falls short of the three years that Linskys covers the Atlas Max 6E for. Both include lifetime technical support, which blows away the Netgear policy of one-year warranty and 90-days of support. 

In addition to new firmware and manuals, the Asus website has a slew of FAQs. The company also offers 24/7 personal support via phone or email. 

Asus ZenWiFi ET8 review: Verdict 

In the fast moving world of Wi-Fi 6E, the Asus ZenWiFi ET8 is now the top dog to beat. It left Linksys’s Atlas Max 6E and Netgear’s Orbi RBKE963 in the dust in terms of throughput, range and at $550 for two devices – it’s the value king. With a reasonable choice of customization options, the network can be optimized to your heart’s content. Add in the included AIProtection security software and you have a mesh network that is not only fast and safe but inexpensive as well. 

If you’re looking for a way to cut the broadband cord and use an LTE network as your primary internet connection, Netgear’s Orbi 4G LTE Advanced WiFi Router (LBR20) can help you do just that. The LBR20 can also provide an online connection and distribute it throughout your house by linking up with other Orbi gear in a mesh network. Like other Orbi mesh hardware, the LBR20 comes with Armor security software and has a single LAN port. However, the reach of its mobile data modem can be extended by plugging in an LTE antenna to its pair of ports. On the downside, it uses older Wi-Fi 5 technology and at the moment, lacks full compatibility with both Verizon and Sprint’s networks. The LBR20 also ignores newer and faster 5G mobile services. Still, it’s a good choice for those who rely on online data or RVers and off-the-grid types, because the LBR20 can always serve up data. 

Our Netgear Orbi LBR20 review will help you decide if this device is one of the best Wi-Fi routers and whether or not you should choose it when setting up your own mesh network from scratch.

Netgear Orbi 4G LTE Advanced WiFi Router (LBR20) review: Pricing and availability

Rather than being available in a kit with multiple Orbi devices for larger homes, the LBR20 is only sold on its own as a host mesh router for $400. Based on the RBR20 model, it leverages the company’s triband Wi-Fi 5 mesh networking technology with 2.4GHz with 5GHz networks to move data to client devices as well as a second 5GHz network dedicated as a backchannel link from a satellite to the host to reduce data congestion and streamline flow. This also means the LBR20 can connect with any of Netgear’s other Wi-Fi 5 mesh satellites. 

Netgear Orbi 4G LTE Advanced WiFi Router (LBR20) review: Design

The Netgear Orbi 4G LTE Advanced Router may look exactly like other oval-shaped Orbi products, but it has a secret inside. In addition to being able to distribute data from your cable modem, the LBR20 has the equivalent of a phone’s LTE receiver, antenna and modem inside. This lets it act as a primary router that grabs data out of thin air or operates as a backup for when your broadband provider fails you.

At 9.0 x 6.0 x 2.3 inches, the LBR20 is large for a mesh router but is smaller than Netgear’s RBK800 family of Wi-Fi 6 mesh devices. The LBR20 can easily be hidden on a bookshelf, windowsill or under a desk but there’s no way to directly hang it on a wall without Netgear’s optional $20 mounting bracket. 

It does double duty with four Wi-Fi antennas as well as a large patch LTE antenna for the LBR20’s Category 18 data receiver. It tops out at 1.2Gbps, but to get that speed, you need to live within spitting distance of a cell tower. The router works with T-Mobile and AT&T’s networks out of the box and has not been registered on the Verizon network but that process is ongoing. However, it doesn’t work with the Sprint portions of the T-Mobile network, but these network segments are being upgraded.

The good news is that the LBR20 can do much better than the typical phone or tablet when pulling data from an LTE signal. While my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 was able to get an average of 9.5 Mbps from T-Mobile’s network, the LBR20’s throughput was more than four-times as good at over 40 Mbps. If that’s not enough, the system has a pair of SMA antenna connectors that can extend the LBR20’s reach. Netgear neither sells nor recommends antennas but with a 35dBi LTE antenna, the LBR20’s throughput increased by between 10-15 percent to over 45 Mbps. 

On the back of the LBR20 are Ethernet input and output ports along with a power button and a sync button for connecting with an Orbi network. It lacks a USB port but has a nano-SIM card slot and a reset key.

The LBR20 has a single LED band on top, so there’s no annoying blinking lights. When it glows magenta, the device is offline and requires attention. Rather than using a grille as a fashion detail, Netgear’s designers put openings for cool air above the ports and at the top. It never got hotter than 87 degrees Fahrenheit during testing.

Built around Qualcomm’s ubiquitous IPQ4019 chipset, the LBR20 has a 717MHz quad-core processor with 256MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage for holding the system’s firmware and settings. Based on Wi-Fi 5, it can take advantage of beamforming and MU-MIMO technology to fill a 2,000 square foot home with wireless data, according to Netgear. The LBR20’s tri-band design can move up to 400 Mbps over its 2.4GHz band as well as 866 Mbps over its primary 5GHz band. There’s also a secondary 5GHz band that also can move up to 866 Mbps over a dedicated backhaul link from the satellite to the host. The LBR20 also carries an AC2200 rating.

The LBR20 includes Netgear’s Armor security software to keep your network free of malware. It uses Bitdefender apps but only includes 30 days of security updates. To fully protect the router and network costs $70 a year, while Asus provides AIProtection Pro updates for free. 

For me, the results speak for themselves. Over the course of a week of extensive use, the LBR20 never let me down. It proved indispensable when my cable network went down three times over a 24 hour period. The router automatically switched over to LTE mobile data mode and delivered over 40 Mbps – more than enough for me to continue working and then stream a baseball game and binge-watch TV.  

Netgear Orbi 4G LTE Advanced WiFi Router (LBR20) Review: Performance

The Orbi LBR20 is a competent Wi-Fi 5 router that can get its data from either a  traditional wired data network or from a wireless LTE mobile data network. Wherever you can use your phone, you can get data for your house, either as a primary source or as a back-up.  However, it lags behind Wi-Fi 6 and 5G mobile phone products.

Using Ixia’s IxChariot networking benchmark software with the LBR20 connected to my cable modem, I created a busy Wi-Fi network in my 100-year old 3,500-square-foot home. The LBR20 was able to deliver a modest 408.2 Mbps to a system 15-feet away. That’s nearly 30 percent below the throughput of the Wi-Fi 5 based Linksys Velop mesh router’s 527.1 Mbps. It also came up short compared to newer Wi-Fi 6 routers, like the Orbi RBK852 (883.6 Mbps) and TP-Link Deco X20 (622.1 Mbps). 

When I moved the test system 50-feet from the LBR20, its throughput dropped to 86.0 Mbps, or one-fifth the output of the Linksys Velop mesh router (459.4 Mbps). It also lagged behind the Deco X20’s 255.4 Mbps and the Orbi RBK852’s 124.4 Mbps.

At 75-feet, the LBR20’s throughput dropped to 18.8 Mbps, barely enough for a single 4K video stream. This put it well behind the Deco X20’s 112.7 Mbps and the RBK852’s 85.9 Mbps. When 90-feet separated the system and the router, the LBR20 could only muster 6.8 Mbps of bandwidth, just enough for an HD stream and some intermittent email. It had a range of 100-feet, while the Orbi RBK852 and Deco X20 lost contact at 90-feet. 

When it came to sending a signal 25-feet and through a wall, the Orbi LBR20’s 207.1 Mbps was off the pace set by Wi-Fi 6 products, like the Orbi RBK852’s 782.9 Mbps and the Deco X20’s 556.2 Mbps. In our ceiling penetration test where the receiving system is a floor above the router, the RBK852 led again with 670 Mbps available compared to 320.5 Mbps for the Deco X20. The LBR20 was well behind at 255.8 Mbps.

The LBR20 left several parts of my house with Wi-Fi dead zones but adding an RBS40 satellite 50 feet away filled in the gaps, making for a full-house Wi-Fi network. 

During testing, the LBR20 averaged 42.2 Mbps of LTE data using the T-Mobile data network. This can’t touch the 200 Mbps I’m used to, but the LBR20 was off the mark in terms of latency with ping values, as measured by Ookla’s speed testing app, which rose from 12 ms (for a wired connection) to 34 ms (when using an LTE connection). This shouldn’t be a problem for general use but might frustrate an online gamer.

The LBR20 passed the saturation test where I watched HD video on an iPad Pro as a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ played the BBC Internet feed and my HP EliteBook Dragonfly notebook played a Netflix movie. All this occurred as a ThinkPad T470 copied data onto and off of a network-attached RAID storage system. None of the audio or video was interrupted.

The LBR20 router was moderately efficient at using electricity with a power drain of 6.2-watts. That translates into a little over $7 a year in power bills if you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt hour. Double it – to about $14 a year – if you add an Orbi satellite. That’s significantly less than other mesh kits, like the Arris SURFBoard Max Mesh’s $35.10. 

Netgear Orbi 4G LTE Advanced WiFi Router (LBR20) review: Configuration

Just like with other Orbi products, there’s the choice between using the Orbi app and a connected browser to set up the router. The browser’s dashboard shows the basics while the Advanced sections provide a comprehensive array of options, including customizations like RTS threshold and the Preamble mode (which are unavailable on the app’s dashboard screen). 

The app’s dashboard shows a comprehensive overview of the network, from the number of connected devices and current internet speed to whether the security software is working and if the parental controls are enabled. The LBR20 also adds the type of connection and the mobile carrier if it’s being fed with LTE data. 

If you want more, tap the Home icon and you’ll get a list of configuration choices including Settings, Add a Satellite and the ability to see what devices are connected.

The LBR20 is flexible enough to act as either a primary internet source or as a fail-over backup internet source. In the Mobile Network Settings section, tap on Internet Type to choose from LTE-Only, Ethernet + LTE Fallback or Ethernet only. The LTE mixed mode took advantage of the LBR20’s ability to quickly change from a wired connection to a wireless one during an outage. 

If you want, you can start over with a New Setup, reboot the router or check the satellite’s signal strength – something few routers offer. The Wi-Fi settings can be adjusted or the network name and password changed.

There’s a detailed page that shows the status of the Armor security software with overall security score, the number of threats blocked and current vulnerabilities. The LBR20 also lets you protect the device’s settings with two-factor authentication. 

The LBR20 comes with a year of warranty coverage and 90-days of support. That should be plenty to set it up and optimize the device but pales next to Asus’s two-year warranty and support period.

That said, the Netgear support site is full of material to help get the most out of the router. In addition to videos and extensive FAQs, there’s downloadable manuals and firmware updates. 

Netgear Orbi 4G LTE Advanced WiFi Router (LBR20) review: Verdict

Netgear’s Orbi 4G LTE WiFi Router (LBR20) does the seemingly impossible by not only using a traditional wired data source but also grabbing data from an LTE network. It works equally well as a primary connection (for an RV or off-the-grid lifestyle) or for backup. It comes with heavy-duty security software, can use an external LTE antenna and bailed me out during an internet outage.

Still, it misses several key points that would have made the LBR20 a killer product. To start, it uses older Wi-Fi 5 and works with LTE technology – not the newer Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. It also lacks complete compatibility with Verizon and Sprint networks. 

All told, the LBR20 is unique in the Wi-Fi world, making it a one of a kind router that fills a need for those who don’t want to rely on a wired connection or want a backup. 

Looking for the fastest home Wi-Fi mesh-router kit available? Netgear's Orbi RBKE963 breaks through the gigabit-per-second speed barrier, and the result is exceptional throughput that will reach all corners of an enormous home.  

Consisting of a router and two satellites, the RBKE963 kit uses the latest Wi-Fi 6e (802.11ax) protocol along with a slew of speed-enhancing tricks to be more than enough to fill even a tech billionaire's mansion with wireless data. By including Netgear's Armor security software as a paid option, the Orbi RBKE963 also shows that running a network at top speed can be safe. 

A networking tour de force, the Orbi RBKE963's $1,499 price tag is similarly stratospheric. Despite that price, it comes with only 90 days of free tech support and a year of Armor security updates. Still, it's the best performing mesh system around — if you can afford it.

Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6E (RBKE963) review: Pricing and availability

The Orbi RBKE963 kit I looked at consisted of the RBRE960 host router and a pair of RBSE960 satellites that used the 2.4, 5- and 6-GHz Wi-Fi bands for sending data back and forth. Together, the entire system can cover up to 9,000 square feet, according to Netgear engineers — more than three times the size of the average American home 

The entire system sells for a whopping $1,500, which is more than the average monthly rent or mortgage payment in the U.S. An extra satellite to add roughly 3,000 square feet to the network's reach will set you back another $600 — the same price as Netgear’s top Wi-Fi 6e gaming router 

If all this sounds a little too rich for your blood, Netgear plans to soon start selling a cheaper two-piece variant, the RBKE962, with a host router and a satellite that together will cost $1,100 and cover 6,000 square feet. 

Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6E (RBKE963) review: Design

Netgear’s designers, engineers and software writers have brought mesh routing into the high-performance Wi-Fi 6e era with the Orbi RBKE963 kit. Both the router and the satellites have Orbi's distinctive rounded tower shape but are huge at 11.1 x 7.5 x 3.0 inches. That’s seven times the size of the Amazon Eero mesh devices, and twice as big as the already large Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8 mesh units.  

In addition to the white (with chrome trim) color scheme we’ve come to expect from Orbi routers, the RBKE963 also comes in a limited-edition black edition.  

In either color, these mesh units will be hard to hide. They’re probably too big for a desktop, but  should easily fit on most shelves and can also be used as bookends. They cannot be wall-mounted right out of the box, but Netgear's RBKWM bracket ($23) allows them to be hung anywhere. 

Unlike some other routers and mesh systems, the Orbi Wi-Fi 6e units don’t sparkle like Christmas trees with a ton of blinking lights. Instead, there’s just one LED status strips at the bottom of each. When the status strip is blue, everything is good, with data flowing between the host and its satellites. But if the LED strip glows magenta, the unit has gone offline. 

Under the skin, the Orbi RBKE963 units are powered by Qualcomm's top-shelf Networking Pro 1610 chipset and a 2.2GHz quad core-processor. Both the base router and the satellites have 1GB of active memory and 512MB of storage space for firmware and settings. 

The Orbi RBKE963 mesh system creates four individual networks: one in the 2.4-GHz band, two in the 5-GHz band (one of which is for "backhaul" data transmission among the units) and a top-performing 6-GHz network. Each unit contains a dozen amplified antennas for the strongest possible signal. 

The mesh set uses up-to-date 802.11ax technology and 4K Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) to push data to top speeds. In addition to beamforming to create signals to best connect with clients and MU-MIMO to feed data to many devices, the RBKE963 has better data-traffic management to streamline operations.  

The Orbi RBRE960 router and RBSE960 satellites use the four Wi-Fi bands to move 16 independent streams of data back and forth. Over its 2.4-GHz band, the system can move 1.2 gigabits per second (Gbps), while the pair of 5-GHz channels can deliver 2.4 Gbps each.  

The RBKE963's 6-GHz band (the "e" in Wi-Fi 6e) adds another 4.8 Gbps of theoretical throughput. But due to the 6-Ghz band’s limited range, this is only good for same-room or next-room uses. This all adds up to a theoretical throughput maximum of 10.8Gbps, a big step up from the Netgear Orbi RBK852's 6.0 Gbps.  

The icing on the cake is the RBKE963's ability to tap into seven ultra-wide 160-MHz channels in the 6-GHz band. However, it lacks the ability to aggregate two downstream wired Ethernet ports for top speed.  

As is the case with other Orbi mesh systems, the RBKE963 uses one of its 5-Ghz channels for backhaul, moving data to and from the satellites and the base router. This leaves 8.4 Gbps of theoretical bandwidth available for streaming data to client devices. However, you can run Cat 6 Ethernet cable between the devices to create a wired backhaul, freeing up that second 5-Ghz wireless band for your use. 

The mesh system’s ports are similarly performance-oriented but optimized for homes that have gigabit broadband service from their ISPs. The base router has a broadband input that can accommodate up to a 10-Gbps data flow, plus one downstream 2.5-Gbps por, and three 1-Gbps ports for connecting to wired devices such as scanners, printers or networked hard drives.  

The satellites each have one 2.5-Gbps and three 1-Gbps output ports. Both types of devices have a recessed reset button, a device-sync button and identical AC adapter ports.

Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6E (RBKE963) review: Performance and in use

The Orbi RBKE963 mesh system performed well in my 100-year-old home, easily filling the 3,500-square-foot structure with data. I used Ixia's IxChariot networking benchmark to simulate 10 data-hungry users and a Samsung Galaxy Book Pro to measure performance, and the Orbi RBKE963 outperformed all other mesh-router systems.  

With 15 feet (4.5 meters) separating the base router and the client device, the RBRE960 moved an average of 1.009 Gbps to the client, showing how much power a short-range 6-Ghz data band can add.  

That data transmission rate is a 12% increase over the Orbi RBK852's 883.6-Mbps maximum throughput. Others mesh systems trailed even further behind, with throughputs of 820.3 Mbps (Arris Surfboard Max Pro) and 622.1 Mbps (TP-Link Deco X20). 

As good as it is, the Orbi RBKE963's available bandwidth was less than half that of its older and faster (and cheaper) cousin, the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 gaming router. That model moved upwards of 2.396 Gbps at 15 feet.

As expected, the Orbi RBKE963's throughput dropped off quickly with distance as the 6-GHz band's range ran out and the 2.4- and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands took over. With 50 feet (15 meters) separating the Orbi RBKE963 and our test laptop, the router managed to move 190.5 Mbps. That’s 35% more than the Orbi RBK852's 124.4 Mbps, but well off the TP-Link Deco X20's 255.4 Mbps. 

At 75 feet (23 meters), the RBKE963 delivered 93.4 Mbps, right between the class-leading Deco X20's 112.7 Mbps and the Orbi RBK852's 85.9 Mbps. The RBKE963 stayed online at 90 feet (27 meters), delivering 39.9 Mbps, and had a maximum line-of-sight range of 95 feet (29 meters). By contrast, the Orbi RBK852 had an 85-foot (26-meter) range. 

The Orbi RBKE963 came up short when sending a signal 25 feet (8 meters) and through a wall, with the Orbi RBKE963 delivering 547.9 Mbps. That's well behind the Orbi RBK852's 782.9 Mbps.  

With the system's satellite set up in a floor above the host router and the receiving test system set up 40 feet (12 meters) from the satellite on the same floor, the Orbi RBKE963 delivered 163.4 Mbps. The Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) was the runaway winner in this test, delivering a throughput of 389.3 Mbps, while the Orbi RBK852 lagged at 39.1 Mbps.  

When I set up the RBKE963’s second satellite a floor below the base router, my test laptop received 410.0 Mbps at 40 feet from the second satellite.  

During a week of heavy use, the Orbi RBKE963 kept its cool and never got above 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees centigrade). I used the mesh system to send and receive emails, watch 4K videos and catch some gaming feeds on Twitch.  

The system easily passed my network-saturation test, during which I watched 4K video on my iPad Pro as a Lenovo ThinkPad T470 laptop played an internet radio station and an HP Dragonfly laptop ran HD videos, all while a MacBook Air was swapping data with a networked RAID storage array. The video streams were flawless throughout, without any artifacts, skips or freeze-ups. 

As it moved data back and forth, the base router consumed 17.4 watts of power, while the satellites each used 13.4 watts. If you pay the national average of 14 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, this adds up to $64 a year to bathe your home in Wi-Fi data. This is more than twice the cost of running an Orbi RBK852 mesh system, but the Orbi RBKE963 has an extra satellite and higher performance.

Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6 (RBK852) review: Setup

The system’s set-up process starts with downloading the Orbi mobile app for Android or iOS. The apps include ample illustrations of what to do during the setup process, but they display only in portrait mode and not in landscape, making them better suited for phones than for tablets. 

After I installed the Orbi app on my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 phone, I plugged in the router and satellites. While they started up, I created an account with Netgear and agreed to the company's licensing and privacy policies.  

The app found the router and satellites and I entered a new network name, new access password and new administrative password. After I supplied the answers to two identity-challenge questions to be used in case I forgot the passwords, everything was set up.  

From start to finish, it took me 19 minutes and 40 seconds to set up the RBKE963, 40% longer than it took me to set up the Orbi RBK852 two-piece mesh kit. The RBKE963 yielded 192 Mbps out of my 200-Mbps broadband connection. 

Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6E (RBKE963) review: Configuration

As with other Orbi products, the RBKE963 system can be configured and customized either through the Orbi app or by using a desktop browser on a computer connected to the Wi-Fi network. The former is easier to use and more visually oriented, but the latter offers more options. 

The Orbi app's Dashboard showed me how many satellites were online and possible configuration options for them. A grid layout listed Device Manager, which showed me the number of connected client devices, and Security, which displayed the status of the Armor security software. The interface also had links for checking the current network speed and signal strength and viewing a network map.  

If I clicked the home icon on the upper left of the dashboard, I would see links for adding another satellite, managing a Netgear account and checking for firmware updates. It found it easy to reboot the mesh system using the Orbi app.  

The Orbi RBKE963 system includes capable parental controls that can filter out inappropriate content and limit screen time. It took me about two minutes to set that up for a theoretical teenager. Like some of the other aspects of the Orbi RBKE963, the parental controls are only a trial offering; after the initial 30 days, the feature costs $70 a year. 

Using a computer’s web browser to access the Orbi’s administrative interface yielded a comprehensive main screen that showed the system’s firmware version and provided an overview of the current system status.  

I was able to adjust the CTS/RTS threshold and tweak the preamble to long or short to suit the local environment. I was able to even set a password to secure the backhaul data. 

As mentioned above, I found it easy to hard-wire the satellites to the base router using Cat-6 cabling. This should free up the dedicated 5-Ghz wireless backhaul channel for regular usage. 

Smart-home-device owners can use the RBKE963's secure channel to link to devices that work with the 2.4- or 5GHz bands. But you won’t be able to create individual LANs for each band. 

The RBKE963 comes with a free one-year subscription to Netgear's second-generation Armor security software. This provides router-based protection and unlimited device licenses for Bitdefender's Total Security software, which includes versions for PCs, Macs, Android devices, iPhones and iPads.  

The Armor protection costs $99 a year after  the one-year trial. That may seem like a lot, but the included Bitdefender software costs $120 per year on its own.  

However, the RBKE963’s one-year warranty and 90 days of free tech support seem skimpy, especially for such an expensive piece of hardware. By comparison, Linksys offers three years of warranty coverage and free lifetime tech support with its Velop mesh products.  

Adding a two-year warranty to the RBKE963 costs $40, while adding two years of tech support raises that to $120. (You can buy Netgear products at Costco and get a year of free tech support.) The good news is that the app lets you contact support directly either via an online chat or via a phone call. 

Netgear's support is among the best if you find yourself in a networking jam. 

In addition to full 24/7 support via email, phone call or chat window, there are a multitude of DIY options, including set-up videos, FAQs and troubleshooting help.  

Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6E (RBKE963) review: Verdict

Netgear's Orbi RBKE963 goes to the head of the class. This is the best-performing, most capable and most secure mesh system available today. Combined with Netgear's Armor security software, the mesh network's quad-band design, dedicated 5-GHz backhaul channel and Wi-Fi 6e capabilities add up to fast and safe internet use. The Orbi RBKE963 is what other mesh system wish they could be — and its $1,500 price reflects that.  

Because Netgear routers give you the choice of setup and administration using a connected browser or a smartphone app, the Orbi RBKE963 is among the easiest mesh systems to manage. Yet its units are big and hard to hide, it comes with only 90 days of free tech support help and a one-year warranty, and it might be expensive overkill for anyone with less than gigabit broadband — or a less-than-gigantic  home. 

Despite its high price and add-on costs over time, this mesh kit is far and away the best system available today. If you can afford it, the Orbi RBKE963 can satisfy your need for speed.

UPDATED Jan. 15 with comment and information from TP-Link.

A severe security flaw could let malicious hackers attack and take over millions of home Wi-Fi routers over the internet, researchers disclosed today (Jan. 11). 

So far, only Netgear is known to have released patches for its affected models, although routers made by Edimax, D-Link, Tenda, TP-Link and Western Digital are also believed to be vulnerable.

"This vulnerability affects millions of devices around the world and in some instances may be completely remotely accessible," wrote Sentinel Labs researcher Max van Amerongen in a company blog post. 

Successful router hijacks would let a hacker control all aspects of a victim's internet traffic and stage further attacks such as sending users to phishing sites or infecting other devices on the network. 

While there are no known exploits of this flaw in the wild yet, Van Amerongen added that "there is a chance that one may become public in the future despite the rather significant complexity involved in developing one."

Which router makers are doing what

If you have one of the three Netgear models known to be vulnerable — the D7800, R6400v2 and R6700v3 — we have update instructions below. 

For its part, D-Link has posted a brief note on its website stating that the company is "currently investigating this reported security issue" and "will provide further updates as soon as we have more information."

A D-Link spokesperson told us that the company has not used the affected software in new models for several years following a similar vulnerability discovered in 2015.

As for the other router brands, we've sent them requests for information and will update this story when we receive replies. 

In the meantime, we suggest that users of those other brands bother the manufacturers' tech-support teams with email messages asking for information about which models might be affected and if and when the router makers plan to fix the flaw.

Where the problem lies

The problem exists in NetUSB, a Linux kernel module developed by Taiwanese company KCodes that lets devices — such as a printer or network-ready storage drive — get local-network access through the router's USB port. 

Van Amerongen of Sentinel Labs noticed that NetUSB listens for not only local-network commands on port 20005, but internet commands as well, with no password or other authentication required.

He found it possible to create a memory-buffer overflow by sending NetUSB specific commands on that port number, gaining control over a router's Linux kernel. Needless to say, that's not good. Van Amerongen admitted that for technical reasons, doing this properly was a bit tricky but still feasible for skilled attackers.

"While these restrictions make it difficult to write an exploit for this vulnerability," he wrote, "we believe that it isn't impossible and so those with Wi-Fi routers may need to look for firmware updates for their router."

How to update affected Netgear routers

Sentinel Labs notified KCodes of the flaw on Sept. 9, 2021, and a NetUSB patch fixing the flaw was issued to vendors on Oct. 4. Netgear's patches were released on Dec. 20.

The three Netgear models affected are the D7800, otherwise known as the AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router; the R6400v2, aka the AC1750 Smart WiFi Router 802.11ac Dual Band Gigabit; and the R6700v3, also known as the Nighthawk AC1750 Smart WiFi Dual Band Gigabit Router.

Netgear has this habit of marketing its routers according to their technical specifications rather than their actual model numbers, and as a result customers will have to check their routers for stickers that designate the model number.

All three models affected look like the router in the photo above, except that the D7800 has four antennae while the other two have three. Note that there are earlier versions of the R6400 and R6700 that look identical but have different innards and are either not affected by this flaw or have reached the end of their working lives (and hence need to be replaced).

Fortunately, the main firmware-update procedure on all three models is the same and not difficult. (The R6400v2 and R6700v3 are also compatible with the Netgear Nighthawk smartphone app for iOS and Android, so if you have that installed on your phone, just use the app.)

You first need to access the router's administrative interface from a computer connected to the router's network, which you can do by opening a web browser and typing either "www.routerlogin.net", "192.168.1.1" or "192.168.0.1" into the address bar and hitting Return or Enter on your keyboard.

Log into the admin interface with the administrative credentials. The username is probably "admin," unless you changed it, plus the admin password that you chose when you set up the router. 

If you didn't change that admin password, then it's probably just "password," and you absolutely need to change it to something stronger as soon as you're done with this task.

Once you've logged into the admin interface, click the "Advanced" tab, then "Administration," and finally "Router Update." A new page will load, and you need to click "Check." If an update is available, click Yes to the prompt that asks you whether you want to download and install the update. 

The router will download the update and restart. Once it's done, you'll need to log back into the admin interface again and follow the same path to the router-update page. 

Check to see that the most recent firmware update has been installed. For the D7800, you want firmware version 1.0.1.68; for both the R6400v2 and the R6700v3, it's firmware version 1.0.4.122.

What if you can't remember your admin password?

What do you do if you've completely forgotten your admin password and can't log into the interface? Then you need to factory-reset the router by pressing the reset button on the back. 

Unfortunately, you'll then need to go through the entire setup process again, but that's still better than having a vulnerable router.

UPDATE: Information from TP-Link

Late on Jan. 14, a TP-Link representative told us that some of its routers were indeed affected by this flaw, and we were directed to this TP-Link support page for more information: https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/3279/

Three models, the Archer C7 V5, Archer C1200 V2 and Archer C5400 V1 have patches available. Instructions for installing the patches are on the TP-Link support page. 

The TP-Link representative told us that patches for other models were being developed.

CES 2022 featured several of the world's most prominent networking-gear makers exhibiting new wares, including Linksys, Netgear and TP-Link. The trend is clearly toward more Wi-Fi 6e routers that can take advantage of the newly opened 6-GHz band, which offers a huge spectrum range that, for the moment, is largely unused.

Most recent consumer devices, however, support only regular Wi-Fi 6, so we're still seeing new routers come out that don't do 6e. (Both are part of the 802.11ax protocol, the current standard.) 

We saw mesh routers, gaming routers and some that bridge the gap between the two styles. Our favorite, however, was a unique gaming router whose antennas twist and pivot on mechanical arms to better focus signals on devices as they move about the house. Whether it lands on our best Wi-Fi 6 routers page remains to be seen. 

TP-Link Archer AXE200 Omni

The TP-Link Archer AXE200 Omni has to be seen to be believed. Its four stubby, rounded antennas seem to come alive, folding out and twisting in place as they try to optimize wireless connections with specific devices around the house. It's also pretty impressive on the wired side, offering one Ethernet port (out of six in total) capable of 10 Gbps throughput to deliver massive data streams to virtual-reality and 8K video devices.

Like TP-Link's other top-end routers, the Archer AXE200 Omni ships with the free tier of the company's HomeShield software, which offers security protections and parental controls. (The paid tier is $6 per month or $55 per year.) And you can also add it to an existing TP-Link mesh network. The TP-Link Archer AXE200 Omni will be available later this year at a price to be determined.

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300

Continuing the tradition of gaming routers that look like Darth Vader's spaceships, the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 has swooping black wings that appear ready to strafe a rebel base with laser fire. In reality, it's blanketing your house with Wi-Fi 6e signals, which Netgear says will move up to 7.8 Gbps of data at once. That house can be up to 2,500 square feet, under optimal conditions of course.

The RAXE300 is a cheaper ($399 instead of $599) version of the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500, which was released in mid-2021 and is still one of the fastest routers on Earth. The RAXE300 has six antennas (hidden in the bat wings) to the RAXE500's eight, while the pricier model delivers theoretical throughput of up to 10.8 Gbps. But in reality, most people who happen to have Wi-Fi 6e-capable devices in the home will be more than satisfied with the RAXE300, which Netgear said will be available by the end of March.

Linksys Hydra Pro 6

A lot of Wi-Fi 6 routers retail for well north of $300, but Linksys is trying to undercut that with an affordable (MSRP $299) model that still delivers a solid set of specs. The Linksys Hydra Pro 6 pumps a maximum throughput of 5.4 Gbps on three bands  from its two adjustable antennas, connecting to as many as 30 devices at once over an area of up to 2,700 square feet. It can be added to a Linksys mesh network.

On the back are four gigabit Ethernet ports for wired devices and a fifth for the modem, plus a USB 3.0 port. Like other new Linksys models, the Hydra Pro 6 comes with parental controls, supports the WPA3 encryption standard and can be managed via a smartphone app. It's available now on the Linksys website and will soon be at major retailers. 

TP-Link Archer AXE300

TP-Link's other new gaming router was a little more traditional, if you can regard something that looks like a mechanical evil spider on its back as ordinary. The Archer AXE300 is a high-end Wi-Fi 6e gaming router with eight antennas that deliver more than 15 Gbps (in theory) over four bands. 

On the wired end, there are a whopping seven Ethernet ports, two of which provide 10 Gbps throughput while a third delivers 2.5 Gbps. There's also an SFP+ port to work in conjunction with one of the 10 Gbps Ethernet ports. Like the Archer AXE200 Omni, the Archer AXE300 can be integrated into a mesh network, comes with HomeShield and will be available later this year at a price yet to be announced.

TP-Link Deco XE200

Finally, TP-Link introduced the Deco XE200, a Wi-Fi 6e mesh system that promises to deliver up to 11 Gbps of throughput over 6,500 square feet with a base station and single satellite. The units are white tapered standing cylinders with translucent tops, and resemble small air purifiers rather than alien spacecraft. 

Each has a 10-Gbps Ethernet port complemented by two gigabit ports, although there don't appear to be any USB ports. As with the other TP-Link models already mentioned, the system comes with HomeShield and will be available later this year for an as-yet-undisclosed price.

The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 was one of the best Wi-Fi routers of 2021, offering blazing Wi-Fi 6E speed, but it was also one of the most expensive, with a list price of $599. 

If that's a little too rich for your blood, the new Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300, just announced at CES 2002, offers nearly the same specifications (and the same Death Star fighter-spaceship looks) as its big brother but at a more affordable price of $399. That's still rather a lot for a home Wi-Fi router, but you do get quite a lot for your money. 

• See our CES 2022 live blog for all the big news

Both of these routers use not two, but three Wi-Fi spectrum bands: the usual 2.4- and 5-GHz bands as well as the newly available 6-GHz band. That's what makes the RAXE500 and RAXE300 compatible with Wi-Fi 6e rather than just Wi-Fi 6. (Technically speaking, both 6 and 6e fall into the IEEE 802.11ax specification.) 

This means that when the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 connects to a device capable of using Wi-Fi 6e, such as a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra smartphone, maximum throughput can be as much as 7.8 Gbps — fast enough to transmit a full-length HD movie in a few seconds.

That's assuming the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is using all six of its antennae to fire on all eight possible simultaneous channels — two on the 6-GHz band, four on 5-GHz and two on the 2.4-GHz band — to connect to a single wireless device in your home. 

Real-world scenarios are a little messier, of course, given the sheer number of connected devices in today's average home. But the RAXE300 is still going to be very fast. It will also cover up to 2,500 square feet, according to Netgear. If you'd rather connect a few devices via Ethernet, the RAXE300 has five gigabit-speed ports to spare, plus a 2.5-gigabit port for the modem.

Like Netgear's other high-end routers, you'll be able to interact with the RAXE300 via the Nighthawk mobile app, though you can also set up and administer the router the old-fashioned way, through an Ethernet port. 

Optional services include Netgear Smart Parental Controls and Netgear Armor security, both of which come with free trial periods before you have to start coughing up some cash.

The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 will be available by the end of March, though it could arrive much sooner, Netgear says.

So you've just been given, or given yourself, a brand-new Wi-Fi router for the holidays. What's the first thing you should do? 

The answer: There are roughly half a dozen "first" things you need to do after you take the router out of the box and plug it in. But we'll start with the three most important ones.

1. Change the default admin password 

This is not the password you need to get internet access — we'll get to that in a minute — but instead the password you need to get into the router's settings and perform other administrative tasks. 

In most cases, a brand-new Wi-Fi router will come out of the box with a very simple factory-default admin password like, well, "admin" or "password." And if you don't change that admin password, that might be the single greatest cybersecurity mistake you can make. 

Not only are the default admin passwords easy to guess, but they're also public knowledge. This website has the default admin passwords for top router brands like Linksys, Netgear and TP-Link.

If you leave the admin password unchanged, anyone who can get on your Wi-Fi network will be able to get into the router's settings and change your access password, add more devices to the network or even change the admin password to lock you out. 

Sophisticated attackers might be able to access your router through the internet — more on that below — and, with your admin password, do whatever they want. They could change your router's settings to send you to a fake bank login page when you think you're going to the real thing, or load dodgy firmware that hacks your router.

The admin password you create should be long, strong and very hard to guess. You can use one of the best password managers to generate and store it, or you can just use an online password generator and then write the password down and keep it someplace safe.

Think of it this way: Your home Wi-Fi router is the gateway to the internet. If the person who controls that gateway is not you, then someone else has control over what you see and do online.

 2. Change the Wi-Fi access password 

This is a bit less important than the admin one, but you still don't want just anyone passing by to be able to get on your Wi-Fi network. It's a lot easier to hack a router or other devices on the network if you can get on the network itself.

Many newer routers don't have a default access password, but instead force you to make one up during the setup process. Don't rush when creating the password or make it something too easy. 

Your Wi-Fi access password should not be too obvious, but still something you'd remember — not "123456," but maybe a word mixed up with capital letters, numbers and punctuation marks, like "BullM00se1776!" or some such.

 3. Change the default network name  

Many routers will automatically create a network name, or SSID, based on their model name or number. So if you pass by an apartment building and scan for home Wi-Fi networks, you'll generally see a number of networks with names that include "xfinitywifi," "linksys," or "NETGEAR." 

The danger here is that if an attacker knows what kind of router you have, they can attack it more easily if that router brand is known to have security flaws. And if you're the kind of person who leaves the network name unchanged, chances are you've left the admin password unchanged and have a lousy access password too.

Ideally, you want a Wi-Fi network name that's memorable and unique but doesn't contain your name, address or any other personal information. Anything that doesn't contain that information or the router brand should be fine. .

Other router settings you ought to change

Now we'll get into the weeds. These are not the "first" things we'd do when setting up a new router, but if we were setting up your home network, we wouldn't want to use the router at all without doing these too.

As with the settings above, you would change these settings in the router's administrative interface, whether that's through a web browser or a smartphone app. But these settings might be buried on a second page or in the "advanced" section; you may have to do some poking around to find them.

 1. Turn off remote access to the router 

Router makers think you might like to be able to access your home router from your workplace, and they certainly like to make it easy for their own tech-support personnel to do so when they're fielding your troubleshooting calls. 

But as Admiral Ackbar might say, it's a trap. Remote access is how hackers and malicious programs locate and attack your router from afar. 

They'll scan the internet for routers of specific brands that have remote access turned on, then try each result with that brand's default admin username and password. Much of the time, they get in and can install malware or change router settings. 

 2. Turn off Universal Plug and Play

You may not be familiar with the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) networking protocol, but it allows devices on the same Wi-Fi network to "find" and connect to each other without any sort of authentication. It's how a smart home device can find and connect to a smartphone over the Wi-Fi network without you having to fiddle with port configurations and connection protocols.

This is all fine and dandy if all the activity stays on the local network. But UPnP has been extended so that more advanced devices, such as gaming consoles or security cameras, can automatically change router settings so that those devices can have fast two-way connections to the internet.

Hackers love this. There are at least half-a-dozen different ways in which UPnP can be exploited to hack your home Wi-Fi network and the devices within. Unfortunately, most home Wi-Fi routers come with UPnP turned on by default. Turn it off.

 3. Turn off Wi-Fi Protected Setup

Router makers in the mid-2000s decided that entering access passwords was too hard for many people, so they created two supposedly foolproof methods for getting a device connected to a Wi-Fi network and the internet beyond, and called them Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). 

If your router has WPS built in, you can either press a button on the router at the same time you're tapping an icon or pressing a button on the device to be connected, or you can enter an eight-digit security PIN — often printed on a sticker on the back or bottom of the router — in place of the access password. 

As with UPnP, this sounds great. But it creates a security nightmare. Anyone visiting your house for any reason can connect their devices to your network without your permission as long as they can physically get their hands on your router for a few seconds. Think of that next time you throw a big party.

Meanwhile, that eight-digit WPS security PIN is really two PINs of three and four digits each, plus a checksum. That means it's got only 11,000 possible configurations (not 100 million as it should) and can be easily "brute-forced" by a laptop or smartphone in less than an hour.

So turn off WPS — if you can. Some older or less expensive routers won't let you. (Some newer or pricier routers don't have WPS at all — check for that PIN sticker.) 

If you're sure your router has WPS and you can't turn it off, then lock the router in a glass or wooden cabinet so that no one else can access it physically without your permission. 

 4. Turn on automatic firmware updates

Automatic firmware updates should be turned on by default, but it’s good to make sure that this setting is actually enabled in your router. When responsible router makers discover a vulnerability in their router’s firmware, they will issue a patch to seal that potential security breach. 

However, if you don’t have automatic firmware updates enabled, your router won’t get this patch on its own, leaving your network more vulnerable to attacks. Firmware updates can also improve the performance of routers and add new features, which is another reason why this setting should be turned on.

The Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 shows that high-speed Internet can be used safely, pairing best-in-class home network security with speeds that break through the 1 Gbps barrier. Good for anything from online gamers to high-end media consumers, the RAX50’s second generation Armor software can help make your network and devices more airtight by stopping malware before it does any damage and keeping your personal data from leaking out. Quick and easy to set up, the RAX50 offers a wide variety of customization options as well as the choice between using a visually appealing mobile app or a more thorough connected browser.

On the downside, the RAX50 is one of the most expensive traditional routers you can get and it doesn’t stop with the purchase price. That’s because the included Armor 2.0 security software is a subscription service with a 30-day trial and the support only lasts 90-days, potentially costing more for these subscriptions than the initial outlay over the router’s life. 

Still, our Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 review shows that top speed and top security go hand in hand with the RAX50, making it one of the best routers for security-minded homes. 

Netgear Nighthawk AX6 review: Cost and what’s included

The Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 has a list price of $300 but if you shop around, it can be had for $250. This is about what the TP-Link Archer AX6000 costs. Unfortunately, that’s double what the lower-performing Linksys MR7350 goes for. 

In addition to the expected router, AC adapter, Cat 6 cable and a start-up card, the RAX50 comes ready to securely fill a home with wireless data using Netgear’s Armor 2.0 security software. On the downside, the included service is  actually a 30-day trial of the subscription service (more on that below). 

Netgear Nighthawk AX6 RAX50 review: Design

The jet black Nighthawk RAX50 has a rectangular case, curved top and several gem-like facets. At 14.0 x 8.6 x 2.7, it should be able to fit on a desk, window sill or countertop. It’s in between the larger Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 and slightly smaller TP-Link Archer AX6000. With its four adjustable antennas raised the device is 5.5 inches taller.

A “V” shaped ventilation grille on top and the router's passive cooling stand in contrast to the Netegar RAXE500’s cooling fan and the TP-Link AX6000’s aggressive slat vents. That said, the RAX50 never broke a sweat at a peak temperature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit, much cooler than the Netgear RAXE500’s 112 degrees F. 

With individual LED lights for power, Internet, 2.4- and 5GHz activity, Ethernet and its USB 3.0 port, the RAX50 can light up like a Christmas tree when active. By contrast, the Linksys MR7350 has a single, discreet light bar that shows its overall status but less detailed information.  By digging into the setup screens, I was able to turn the LEDs off.

Inside, the RAX50’s dual-band design uses the latest 802.11AX (Wi-Fi 6) protocol to push data to the limit. Its abilities range from MU-MIMO (for servicing many devices) to beamforming (for tailoring the signal to suit the device) to full 1024QAM operations (for top speed operations). The router can support several 160MHz high-performance data channels and can move 600Mbps over its 2.4GHz band as well as 4.8Gbps over the 5GHz band. It adds up to an AX5400 rating. That blows away the TP-Link MR7350’s AX1800 throughput rating but is behind the Netgear RAXE500’s AX1100 rating.

It’s all built around Broadcom’s BCM6750 Wi-Fi chipset that can service up to 25 devices at once. Capable of moving six individual streams of data, the router has a 1.5GHz triple-core processor, 512MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage for the system’s settings and firmware. Unlike several of its competitors, the RAX50 can’t be set up in an Orbi mesh arrangement but can operate as a wired access point. 

The RAX50’s connection panel has more than the basics with an input WAN port capable of using 5Gbps streams from a broadband modem. There are four downstream Ethernet ports that can deliver gigabit per second data, but none can be aggregated for higher performance. The TP-Link MR7350, by comparison, can pair any two of its Ethernet ports for top speed.  

If you want to add external storage to the mix, the RAX50 has a USB 3.0 port. Just plug in an external hard drive or a flash drive to share its contents across the network using Netgear’s ReadyShare software. 

In addition to buttons for power and resetting the router to its factory settings in the back, the RAX50 has keys up front for turning the router’s Wi-Fi transmissions on or off and starting the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) process for quickly adding devices.

Netgear Nighthawk AX6 (RAX50) review: Security

While the RAX50 matches most recent Wi-Fi routers with the ability to use WPA2 or WPA3 encryption, two-factor authentication and Apple’s Touch ID, it goes several steps further with its second-generation Armor package of security enhancements. The Armor 2.0 package pushes more of the malware detection and eradication to the cloud while providing a layered approach to defending a family’s computers. 

Armor’s defenses range from behavioral monitoring and machine learning to local scanning for malware with apps for Windows, Macs and Android systems. It can even protect against attacks on smart devices throughout the house, like thermostats and video cameras. 

No other router company offers this extensive array of security measures but it doesn’t come cheap. The RAX 50’s Armor 2.0 software is a 30-day trial. After that, the subscription costs $100 a year, but Netgear won’t leave you high and dry if you don’t pay up. The Armor software will continue to provide protection against Web attacks but won’t defend against things like Brute Force and Denial of Service attacks as well as guard your personal information. 

It adds up quickly, with the cost of maintaining Armor 2.0 surpassing the initial cost of the router sometime in its third year. Still, it provides malware protection for an unlimited number of devices, making it a bargain.

The Armor subscription also provides access to Bitdefender’s VPN service. On the downside, the basic service is limited to 200MB a day of data flow per device. Upgrading to unlimited VPN use costs an additional $50 a year.

In addition to an overall security score and help raising it, Armor now has enhanced protection with anomaly detection that looks for abnormal device behavior. It protects against brute force attacks from bots and defend against new exploits as well as denial of service attacks. 

Perhaps the biggest upgrade is Armor 2.0’s protection of your sensitive data. The software monitors the data entering and leaving the router for indications your social security number, credit card accounts and other personal data are leaking out. This can potentially save your online identity from being compromised. 

Netgear Nighthawk AX6 (RAX50) review: Performance

The Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 is one of the first AX routers to make the most of the high-performance Wi-Fi 6 protocol. Over a week of daily use, it was reliable for things little (email and online shopping) and big (distributing 4K videos and online gaming).

In my 100 year old house, the RAX50 excelled at delivering lots of data when it was close to the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro test system. Using Ixia’s ixChariot network benchmark software, the test system registered 1.38Gbps of data flow with the software simulating 10 data hungry clients. That might not be able to touch the 2.39Gbps that its older brother, the 802.11AXE-based Netgear RAXE500 router accomplished by adding a 6GHz link to its 2.4- and 5GHz bands. 

Still, the RAX50’s throughput was one-third more than the TP-Link Archer AX-6000 (884.4Mbps) and the Asus RT-AX86U (929.7Mbps). It’s also nearly three times the 478.3Mbps that the AX-based Linksys MR7350 achieved. 

The router’s available bandwidth fell off sharply when I moved it to a distance of 50-feet. At this point, its throughput dropped to 133.2Mbps, putting it well behind the RT-AX86U (285.3Mbps) and the Linksys MR7350 (167.2Mbps). This makes the RAX50 more useful for same-room or adjacent-room coverage.

With the distance increased to 75-feet, the RAX50 could move only 9.79Mbps. That’s compared to the likes of the RT-86U’s 250.1Mbps and the TP-Link Archer AX6000’s 149.9Mbps. The Linksys MR7350’s 15.3Mbps was closer to the RAX50’s mark. The RAX50 had a range of 85 feet, matching that of the TP-Link but short of the Linksys’s ability to push a signal to 90 feet.

A Wi-Fi screamer, the RAX50 pushed 1.01Gbps through a wall 20 feet from the router. This was one-quarter better than the TP-Link Archer AX6000 (744.7Mbps) and 60 percent ahead of the Linksys MR7350 (408.8Mbps). When it came to connecting the router with the test machine set up a floor above, the RAX50 moved 748.1Mbps of data, more than double the Linksys’s 312.3Mbps and ahead of the TP-Link’s 671.4Mbps.

The RAX50 passed our informal saturation test where the router distributed data to support viewing videos on an iPad Pro, listening to an Internet radio station on a Samsung Galaxy S7+ tablet while streaming a 4K movie on a Dell XPS 15 as data was being read and saved to a RAID file server with a Lenovo ThinkPad T470. The video and sound were skip free with neither freeze-up, drop-outs or artifacts.

At 7.4 watts of power, the RAX50 is a miser but still uses more than the Linksys MR7350’s 5 watts of power. If it’s left on 24/7 and you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt hour, the RAX50 should cost about $8.50 a year. Others, like the TP-Link Archer AX6000 and Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 can cost as much as $11.30 and $13.70, respectively, per year to use.

Netgear Nighthawk AX6 RAX50 review: Setup

Getting the Nighthawk RAX50 online can be accomplished either with the Nighthawk app for iPhones and iPads or Androids or with a connected browser. I chose the latter option. The routine started with me screwing in the unit’s four antennas, connecting the router to my broadband modem and plugging in the AC adapter.

After creating a Netgear account, I connected my test system with the router using the randomized Wi-Fi name and password printed underneath. Before any configuration took place, the router insisted on changing its IP address to 10.0.0.1. 

It then checked the Internet connection and asked me to enter an administrative password. Then, I answered two verification questions if I lost the password.

Finally, I renamed the router and added a personalized passcode and registered the hardware online. It connected on the first try and yielded 181Mbps of data from my 200Mbps connection and took all of 5 minutes to go from a sealed box to a fully operating dual-band home network. 

My next task was to set up the Armor security system. Using my iPad Pro, the process started with me activating the one-month Armor trial. 

Once the software was live, Armor gave me an embarrassing security rating of 77 out of 100. It listed the items that needed to be changed, like installing the included Bitdefender security software on my devices. 

Next up, I created profiles for my children to screen out the worst the Web could throw at them. Then, I set limits on their screen time. 

Netgear Nighthawk AX6 (RAX50) review: Configuration

Like other Nighthawk routers, the RAX50 can be configured using a connected browser for lots of options or via its Android or iOS apps, which is more visual but less complete. 

Either way, the main pages offer a good overview of the router’s setup and current duties. While the browser approach shows the Internet status, how many devices are connected and a ticker of the network’s name and passcode, the apps add how much time remains on the Armor subscription and the status of the Parental Controls.

Both offer a speed reading of the network’s performance and there’s a Traffic Meter that shows the overall data flow for help in reducing interference. At any point, limits can be placed on downloads, uploads or both.

On the other hand, the browser let you customize a variety of performance parameters not included with the app, such as Fragmentation Length, Long or Short Preamble and the ability to turn the WiFi transmissions on or off according to a schedule.

[[rax50 preamble]]

Like its competitors, the RAX50 comes with a one-year warranty but it can be doubled for a reasonable $30. Netgear provides 90-days of personalized support, although the Web site has lots of self-serve items on the product support page. Two years of support and a warranty extension sells for $80. 

The downloadable manual is a must-read because the RAX50 can do so much to turbocharge a home network.

Netgear Nighthawk AX6 RAX50 review: Verdict

By combining a fast Wi-Fi 6 router with some of the most effective security software, Netgear has created one of the best routers on the market. The Nighthawk RAX50 can not only satisfy a family’s thirst for data but keep them safe at the same time. It is also one of the most customizable routers on the market so that it can be tuned to the environment and use.

With a suggested price of $300, the RAX50 can be had for $250 if you shop around. That’s twice the price tag of the lower-performing Linksys MR7350 but half that of the Linksys Hydra 6E or Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500, which use the newer Wi-Fi 6e protocol that pushes performance by adding 6GHz transmissions. It’s the router to get if you care as much as online safety as you do about Wi-Fi performance. The RAX50 checks both boxes.

It's time to update your Netgear Wi-Fi router once again. The home-networking-device maker has pushed out security updates for 35 different models of routers, Wi-Fi range extenders and combination modem-routers to fix three flaws discovered by British security firm Immersive Labs.

Two of the Netgear router flaws let an attacker, who already has access to the router's administration interface, hack it to change configuration settings. Those new settings could then be used to create backdoors that would give hackers permanent remote access to the router's controls. 

Once a hacker has control of your router, they can see and control where you go on the internet and can often see what you're receiving and sending. 

To be fair, just getting access to the administration interface in the first place pretty much means game over already, but this is a serious flaw that needs to be fixed nonetheless.

Another Netgear router flaw lets someone on the local network get the router's serial number by querying a specific "port," or network interface. 

Normally, this wouldn't be so bad, but as Immersive Labs researcher Kev Breen explained in a company blog post yesterday (Dec. 2), "this serial number is used as part of the [administrative] password reset function on most Netgear devices."

"This mechanism is supposed to ensure only those with physical access to the device can reset the password," Breen added, because normally the serial number is visible only on a sticker on the  physical device. "Armed with this information, it is now possible for any user on the network to brute-force the password-reset questions."

This less-serious attack require local network access, but that's not as hard to get as it seems for an attacker. Many home-network Wi-Fi access passwords can be guessed or brute-forced. If malware sneaks onto a computer, smartphone, gaming console or smart device in the home by other means, then it will have local network access too.

How to update your Netgear Wi-Fi router's firmware

Updating Netgear routers to the latest firmware depends on the model. Many newer Netgear routers have automatic updates enabled by default, and you'll just need to make sure the feature is turned on. 

With some others, you have to go to the administrative interface and manually check for updates, which the router can then download and install itself. Many of the models affected by these flaws also support the Netgear Nighthawk mobile app, which lets you check for and install router firmware right from your smartphone.

Older models may require a more complicated router-update procedure that involves going to the Netgear support website, entering the router's model number (it's printed on a sticker on the device itself), going to that model's support page, checking for firmware updates, downloading the update file to a Mac or PC, and then uploading the file to the router through the administrative interface.

If you need to go to the Netgear router administrative panel, you can usually reach it at http://198.168.1.1 in a web browser if you're on the router's local network. Some Netgear routers also let you use http://routerlogin.com or http://routerlogin.net.

In general, the username for the Netgear router administrative interface is "admin." You can change that if you like, but it's much more important to make sure that the password for the administrative interface has been changed from the default password. 

Default passwords for most home Wi-Fi routers, whether made by Netgear or not, can easily be found online. Leaving yours as is just makes you a sitting duck for hackers.

While you're in your router's administrative settings, you'll want to go to the "Advanced" part of the interface, then look for "Advanced Setup." Click on UPnP and make sure it's disabled. 

Then click on "Web Services Management" or "Remote Management" and disable that as well. Doing so will remove two common channels of attack that hackers often use to attack routers.

Netgear Wi-Fi routers that need to be updated

Following are two lists of Netgear devices, listed by model number, that need to be updated. The firmware version number listed is the version that fixes these flaws. You can see the version number of the firmware that your own router is running in the top right corner of the administrative interface.

Eighteen Netgear Wi-Fi routers, range extenders and combination modem-routers are vulnerable to the first two flaws above, which lets an attacker change a router's configuration settings. (Both versions of the RAX120 may also be vulnerable to other Wi-Fi router flaws disclosed by different researchers this week.)

DSL Modem Routers

• D7800 fixed in firmware version 1.0.1.66

Wi-Fi Range Extenders

• EX2700 fixed in firmware version 1.0.1.68
• WN3000RPv2 fixed in firmware version 1.0.0.90
• WN3000RPv3 fixed in firmware version 1.0.2.100

LTE Modem Routers

• LBR1020 (an Orbi wireless broadband gateway) fixed in firmware version 2.6.5.20

Orbi Wi-Fi Systems

• LBR20 fixed in firmware version 2.6.5.32

Wi-Fi Routers

• R6700AX fixed in firmware version 1.0.10.110
• R7800 fixed in firmware version 1.0.2.86
• R8900 fixed in firmware version 1.0.5.38
• R9000 fixed in firmware version 1.0.5.38
• RAX10 fixed in firmware version 1.0.10.110
• RAX120v1 fixed in firmware version 1.2.3.28
• RAX120v2 fixed in firmware version 1.2.3.28
• RAX70 fixed in firmware version 1.0.10.110
• RAX78 fixed in firmware version 1.0.10.110
• XR450 fixed in firmware version 2.3.2.130
• XR500 fixed in firmware version 2.3.2.130
• XR700 fixed in firmware version 1.0.1.46

Seventeen Netgear Wi-Fi router models are vulnerable to the third flaw, which makes the device serial number visible.

Wi-Fi Routers

• AC2100 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88
• AC2400 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88
• AC2600 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88
• D7000 fixed in firmware version 1.0.1.82
• R6220 fixed in firmware version 1.1.0.110
• R6230 fixed in firmware version 1.1.0.110
• R6260 fixed in firmware version 1.1.0.84
• R6330 fixed in firmware version 1.1.0.84
• R6350 fixed in firmware version 1.1.0.84
• R6700v2 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88
• R6800 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88
• R6850 fixed in firmware version 1.1.0.84
• R6900v2 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88
• R7200 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88
• R7350 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88
• R7400 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88
• R7450 fixed in firmware version 1.2.0.88

Even the most highly-rated Wi-Fi routers with up-to-date firmware can be riddled with security flaws, an analysis by German security researchers IoT-Inspector and German tech magazine CHIP has found.

The researchers looked at nine models on CHIP's "best routers" list: two FritzBoxes from German router-maker AVM, plus one each from Asus, D-Link, Edimax, Linksys, Netgear, Synology and TP-Link. (Two are also on the Tom's Guide list of best Wi-Fi routers.) The Synology and TP-Link had the most vulnerabilities, with 30 and 32 each, although some of those flaws were classified as low-risk.

"The test[s] negatively exceeded all expectations for secure small business and home routers," said IoT-Inspector CEO Florian Lukavsky in a blog post. "Not all vulnerabilities are equally critical — but at the time of the test, all devices showed significant security vulnerabilities that could make a hacker's life much easier."

According to CHIP's report  (in German), the flaws included multimedia and VPN software known to be vulnerable, outdated versions of the Linux kernel, outdated software such as the BusyBox Linux distribution often used in routers, hardcoded administrative passwords and default administrative passwords that were too simple or widely known. 

In all, 226 known software vulnerabilities were found across all nine Wi-Fi router models, which IoT-Inspector and CHIP reported to the router makers. Except for AVM, all the manufacturers responded positively and have issued, or will soon be issuing, firmware updates to fix at least some of the high-risk and medium-risk flaws.

This story was earlier reported by Bleeping Computer.

Which Wi-Fi routers to update, and how

Because router makers use similar firmware for most of their current models, you'll want to update your firmware if you own any recent router from one of the brands named below, even if yours isn't exactly the same model. (In fact, Netgear patched 35 different models earlier this week, although that was for unrelated security issues.)

The Wi-Fi routers examined were:

• Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX110000: 15 serious (high- or medium-risk) flaws
• AVM FritxBox 7530 AX: 9 serious flaws
• AVM FritxBox 7590 AX: 7 serious flaws
• D-Link DIR-X5460: 13 serious flaws
• Edimax BR-6473AX: 16 serious flaws
• Linksys Velop MR9600: 19 serious flaws
• Netgear Nighthawk AX12 (RAX120): 16 serious flaws
• Synology RT-2600ac: 19 serious flaws
• TP-Link Archer AX6000: 22 serious flaws

The Asus, D-Link, Netgear and TP-Link models are high-end gaming routers, while the AVM FritzBoxes are gateway combination modem/routers widely used in German-speaking countries. 

In each case, the most recent firmware available at the time was tested by IoT-Inspector. Tom's Guide reviewed three of these routers and gave the Asus 4.5/5 stars, the TP-Link 4/5 stars and the Linksys 3.5/5 stars.

All or most of these routers are recent and expensive enough so that they should support automatic firmware updates. If you own one of these models, or something similar from each brand, go into your router's administrative interface and make sure that automatic updates are enabled. (Older and cheaper models are certainly not immune to security flaws, however.)

The flaws reported by this latest report won't be the last found in your router model, so best just leave automatic updates on.

If automatic updates are not available or you'd rather not enable them, then use the admin interface to check for new updates and install them from the interface. Every decent router made in the past few years should be able to let you do that.

What to do about older Wi-Fi routers

Things get dicier with older Wi-Fi routers. You may have to go to the manufacturer's website and search the support pages for firmware updates, download the update to your PC or Mac (or Linux box) and load the update onto the router manually via an Ethernet cable. It's straightforward only once you get used to it.

In any case, if your router is more than five years old, you'll want to check the manufacturer's website to see if it's still getting firmware updates at all. If not, then it's time to get a new router — or if you're technically inclined, to "flash" it with open-source router firmware such as DD-WRT, OpenWRT or Tomato. 

If your Wi-Fi router is more than 10 years old, it's probably not getting any more support and you'll definitely want to retire it or flash it with open-source firmware.

And as always, with all routers, the first thing you'll want to do is to change the default administrative password. That's the easiest way that a hacker can attack your router. 

Once you're in the administrative interface, you'll want to disable remote access so no one can operate it from outside your network, and also disable the convenient but needlessly unsafe universal plug-and-play (UPnP) and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) features if your computer has them.

But are all these Wi-Fi routers really unsafe?

There is still the question of how serious these perceived flaws are, however. Physically testing any router for security flaws is time-consuming and expensive, and each major router maker has more than a dozen models in production at any given time, each of which gets unique firmware updates periodically. 

So to save time, money and their own sanity, security researchers often just analyze a router's firmware, or operating system, instead of the router itself. Even that takes a long time, so the process can be automated. 

IoT-Inspector, for example, is both the name of the research firm and the firm's proprietary computer program. The program, noted CHIP, can run through a router's firmware in 15 minutes and spit out a report of more than 300 pages on each model. 

Such "static analysis" has its flaws, though. Even CHIP acknowledged that a known vulnerability in the firmware is not always something that can be exploited — it's possible that the router maker has mitigated the flaw by some other means.

Likewise, running an older Linux kernel doesn't necessarily mean more vulnerabilities, although CHIP argued that it's strongly correlated with the presence of other firmware flaws. 

The most recent stable Linux kernel is 5.15, but Android 11 and Android 12 run Linux kernels as far back as 4.14 and there are tens of thousands of servers worldwide happily and (presumably) safely running Linux with even older kernels.

As noted above, AVM was the only router maker to respond negatively to the report of vulnerabilities. The company, which has a reputation for quickly fixing security flaws, questioned the static code analysis, telling CHIP that such methods generate too many false positives and that old Linux kernels don't always result in security flaws.

"The age of the kernel doesn't matter," AVM told CHIP in German, "but rather whether the kernel contains vulnerabilities that are relevant to the core operation of the router."

The home networking category is no stranger to big numbers and impressive claims, but the new Netgear Orbi Quad-Band Mesh WiFi 6E mesh system may have you doing a double take, thanks to its $1,499.99 price tag. That's more than twice what you'll pay for the already-impressive Orbi Wi-Fi 6 (RBK852), one of the best mesh networking kits you can buy.

For a three-pack mesh system, what on earth could justify paying $500 per unit? Only the most impressive specs and promised performance we've ever seen. Let's run down the highlight list. 

• Check out the best mesh routers we've reviewed
• Tested: Best Wi-Fi 6 routers (including Wi-Fi 6e)
• Latest: Apple 'Unleashed' event set for Oct 18 — how to watch and what to expect

The newest Orbi isn't the first Wi-Fi 6E mesh router to hit the market (though it's one of the earliest to arrive), but it is the first quad-band mesh router we've seen, and the first to offer that combination of both in a mesh system.

Wi-Fi 6E, for those who don't feverishly follow every technical change in router technology, is a major step up from the already speedy Wi-Fi 6 standard, adding a new 6GHz transmission band to the 2.5 GHz and 5GHz bands already in common usage. (Check out our article What is Wi-Fi 6E: Routers, devices and how it’s better than Wi-Fi 6 to learn more.) It's the same standard used by the award-winning Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500, but in a multi-device mesh system for bigger homes.

Unlike those common slices of spectrum, the 6GHz band is virtually unused in consumer products, so it's not just an extra lane on a crowded road — it's a four-lane highway, and 6E-equipped devices have it all to themselves. Congestion is non-existent, especially in crowded environments, like apartment complexes and cities.

The quad-band designation is just as important. Where most mesh systems use one or two wireless bands, the new quad-band Orbi uses three for users — 2.4, 5 and 6GHz — with a fourth 5GHz band dedicated for sharing data between the router and satellite units for an AXE1100 rating. This backhaul channel eliminates the bottlenecks encountered when moving data between devices, ensuring that you get the best speeds for your devices, no matter where you are in your home.

Netgear steps that up further with 12 internal antennas, supporting up to 16 simultaneous Wi-Fi streams, meaning that this mesh kit will be able to keep up, even when you have a house full of guests all trying to get online. For a household full of devices that connect and stream, it's the answer to today's increased bandwidth demands, easily supporting TV streaming, gaming, video chat and content uploading without slowing anything down.

The rest of the Orbi Quad-Band Mesh WiFi 6E RBKE960 series spec list only emphasizes the supreme capabilities offered by the new mesh system. The Orbi can handle up to 10.8 Gigabits per second, and covers up to 9,000 square feet with the standard 3-pack of devices. The main unit can accommodate an impressive 10 Gigabit WAN, and every unit has a 2.5 Gigabit port, as well as multiple Gigabit Ethernet connections for connecting PCs, game consoles, and any other wired device at top speeds.

Netgear then adds its Smart Parental Controls and Armor security, along with easy set-up and management through the Orbi App.

The new Orbi even comes in black, if you want something different from the dozens of white networking devices on the market. The black edition of the Orbi Quad-band WiFi 6E is a limited edition, and offered only through the Netgear website, but doesn't cost any more than the standard white model.

The Orbi Quad-band 6e mesh kit sells as a three-pack (one main router with two satellite units) for $1,499.99 (£1,499 / €1,699). The standard three pack (model number RBKE963) and the limited edition black version (model number RBKE963B) both sell for $1,499 through Netgear.com, and the white model will be coming to major retailers later this month. A smaller two-pack (one main router with one satellite unit) will be selling for $1,099 and single add-on satellite units (model RBSE960) will sell for $599 each.

But the real question is whether anyone even needs this level of performance. And for most people, the answer is no. Gigabit speeds are usually the fastest available to most broadband customers, and the biggest benefit from Wi-Fi 6E will come from Wi-Fi 6E-equipped devices, which are still few and far between. That all translates into unused capability, effectively serving as a really, really good Wi-Fi 6 mesh kit for most users and devices. 

Is that worth the extra $1,000 or so you'll pay for this quad-band behemoth? Not now, but maybe in a year or two. As data-intensive uses like 8K streaming, online gaming and the ever growing demands of online life grow rapidly, it won't be long before this sort of performance goes from overkill to essential, making this a great (if expensive) way to future-proof your home network.

We'll be reviewing the new Orbi quad-band Wi-Fi 6e mesh system in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for our in-depth evaluation.

Dang kids. Because of an optional parental-control feature that apparently wasn't so optional, nearly a dozen widely used Netgear home Wi-Fi router models have a serious security flaw and need to be patched.

The affected models are the R6400v2, R6700, R6700v3, R6900, R6900P, R7000, R7000P, R7850, R7900, R8000 and RS400, most of them in the "Nighthawk" line and physically nearly identical. Firmware updates are now available for all of them. 

• Your Wi-Fi router could tell everyone where you live — what you can do
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• Plus: Every Mac can be hacked using this new flaw, and there's no fix yet

The flaw can be exploited by a bad guy who gets access to your Wi-Fi network, which may not always be as hard to do as it seems, and then used to seize control of your home or small-office network and send you God-knows-where on the internet.

Because Netgear markets its home routers using somewhat misleading terminology — for example, the R7000 is also labeled as the "Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Dual Band Gigabit Router" — you might want to flip your router over and check the sticker on the bottom for the real model name.

How to update your Netgear router's firmware

To update your router's firmware, Netgear's security advisory recommends going to its support page at https://www.netgear.com/support/, then punching in your model's number. From there, you'll be taken to your model's support page. You can download a Zip file to your PC and unpack the file. 

Then use your favorite web browser to access your router's administrative interface (it's most likely at http://192.168.1.1), click the Advanced tab, select Administration and click Router Update. You can upload the file to the router from there.

However, for most of these routers, it's going to be just as easy to download the firmware update directly to the router. Follow the web administrative-interface instructions in the paragraph above, and then click the check-for-update button instead of uploading a file from your PC or Mac.

Vulnerable Disney Circle software

The problem here stems from the Disney-designed Circle parental-control feature, which was rolled out to Netgear Nighthawk and Orbi mesh routers, some of them already in customers' homes, as an optional add-on feature in 2017. 

The Orbis and newer Wi-Fi 6 Nighthawks got parental-control software built in-house by Netgear earlier this year, while the Circle service was discontinued for older Nighthawk models in late 2020.

Here's the catch: If you have one of the affected routers, the vulnerable Circle software is on your device regardless of whether you ever ponied up the $4.99 monthly charge for the Circle feature. 

"The Circle update daemon that contains the vulnerability is enabled to run by default, even if you haven't configured your router to use the parental control features," explained Adam Nichols of the D.C.-area security firm GRIMM in a blog post. (Bleeping Computer earlier reported this story.)

"While it doesn’t fix the underlying issue, simply disabling the vulnerable code when Circle is not in use would have prevented exploitation on most devices."

In other words, you've got a problem that came with software you probably didn't ask for and that may have been introduced to your device via a firmware update after you bought it. 

A side note about Netgear security patches

We've run a lot of Netgear router security alerts in the past few years, with at least two in 2020. So we want to reiterate that Netgear's consistent policy of finding, patching and publicizing its security flaws is a Good Thing, despite the resulting negative headlines. 

The only reason you don't hear about many security flaws with some other major router makers is because they don't tell you about the flaws. At least we know when something goes wrong with Netgear routers and how to fix it.

The same principle goes for Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones and Android phones. All of those devices get regular security updates to fix flaws and are the better for it. You don't want a router that never receives firmware updates.

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What's going on here?

This flaw, catalogued as CVE-2021-40847, was discovered by GRIMM researchers. They noticed that there was a Circle update daemon, or mini-program, called "circled" (presumably pronounced "circle-dee") on older Netgear Nighthawk routers.

After some probing, they found that the Circle update daemon ran as root, was enabled by default and could still be exploited even if it was disabled.

"The update process of the Circle Parental Control Service on various Netgear routers allows remote attackers with network access to gain RCE [remote code execution] as root via a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack," Nichols wrote on the GRIMM blog. 

Because Netgear's firmware updates are downloaded over plain old HTTP and are not encrypted, Nichols explained, they could in theory be intercepted, altered, and then passed along in poisoned form to the routers — a classic man-in-the-middle attack.

Netgear protects against this by encrypting its firmware update files and digitally signing them, making it pretty difficult for an attacker to read, alter or install altered firmware.

Not so Circle. Its update file is just a compressed database without any kind of internal protections. 

GRIMM showed that it wasn't hard to sneak malicious code into a Circle update and from there completely seize control of a router, which in turn would grant the attacker complete control of your home (or small office) internet traffic. 

This may not entirely be Circle's fault. It could be that the firmware-update connections on its since-discontinued Circle with Disney hardware devices were encrypted, removing the necessity of encrypting the update files as well. 

If so, then this new flaw may be the result of something falling between the cracks in the differing update models when the Circle software was ported to Netgear devices.

The Netgear firmware you want to end up with

Here's a list from the Netgear site of the firmware versions that you want to have on each device.

•     R6400v2 fixed in firmware version 1.0.4.120
•     R6700 fixed in firmware version 1.0.2.26
•     R6700v3 fixed in firmware version 1.0.4.120
•     R6900 fixed in firmware version 1.0.2.26
•     R6900P fixed in firmware version 3.3.142_HOTFIX
•     R7000 fixed in firmware version 1.0.11.128
•     R7000P fixed in firmware version 1.3.3.142_HOTFIX
•     R7850 fixed in firmware version 1.0.5.76
•     R7900 fixed in firmware version 1.0.4.46
•     R8000 fixed in firmware version 1.0.4.76
•     RS400 fixed in firmware version 1.5.1.80

A recent trip home to visit my parents gave me ample opportunity to perform what has become a homecoming ritual for many – providing on-site tech support to my parents. Instead of tweaking TV settings or cleaning malware off of a laptop, this trip's tech project was switching my parents over to a cable modem and mesh router. They already had the mesh router (a Christmas present that never got set up), but buying a cable modem sent us on a trip into town, and eventually, to the local Costco.

And it was on this latest parental tech support quest that I discovered something fascinating. Netgear's biggest flaw is completely eliminated when you buy Netgear products from Costco.

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There are plenty of reasons to consider a Costco membership. From great prices to cheap hotdogs and (someday) the return of Sample Day, Costco does an unusually great job in keeping shoppers happy.  And tech products get another boost, with Costco's Concierge Services, which includes free technical support for everything from TVs and laptops to cable modems and routers.

And in the case of Netgear, that year of free tech support neatly closes one of the biggest gaps in the company's offerings. When purchased anywhere else, Netgear offers a scanty 90-day window to get free customer support on any of it's networking products. That's not a terribly long time for a product you might use for years.

The flipside to this is that Netgear also offers subscription-based coverage, giving customers the opportunity to get longer coverage periods for an extra fee. (Netgear will either charge you for additional tech support calls, or you can buy Netgear's extended warranty and support for $49.99 for two years.) And those subscription fees have clearly become a significant part of Netgear's business model, as its rolled out to pretty much every Wi-Fi product the company makes.

In Netgear's defense, most Wi-Fi equipment will run mostly maintenance-free once it's set up, meaning that the majority of tech support issues will come up within the first week or so of ownership. But it's still a problem, because whenever your Wi-Fi equipment gets glitchy, it has ripple effects through your entire home. In fact, Netgear's short customer service policy has been our biggest issue with Netgear's otherwise excellent products over the last few years.

Of manufacturers and model numbers

There's just one wrinkle in this Netgear/Costco situation, and that's the fact that Costco carries its own versions of popular Netgear products with their own distinct model numbers.

In a normal retailer, like Best Buy or Walmart, these unique model numbers would be something like commercial sleight-of-hand, a way to side-step promises of price matching or a means to offer a cheaper product (but usually with cheaper build quality).

But Costco has always been pretty open about the fact that it genuinely tries to offer its members better-than-average quality. The Kirkland Signature brand is well known for being manufactured by the same people that make top brands, whether it's for clothing or groceries, golf balls or mattresses. A few examples: The Kirkland Signature mattress brand is made by Stearns & Foster, Costco batteries are made by Duracell, and Starbucks brews Kirkland Signature Coffee. On top of that, Costco usually asks manufacturers to increase their usual standards, so that shoppers get slightly better products for their money. 

Electronics, however, don't follow the rebranding strategy, since the Samsungs and HPs of the world aren't interested in offering private label TVs and laptops. So Costco instead doubles down on the extras, offering for free what most retailers use as upselling opportunities — extended warranties, tech support access and a generous return policy.

As a result, Costco winds up being a great choice for anyone hoping to score a great deal on big-ticket electronics. (And it's been my secret piece of tech buying advice for years.)

Which brings us back to model numbers.

Costco selection: The same, but different

A glance at Costco's listings for Netgear products will show a lot of familiar faces from our selections of the best Wi-Fi routers and best mesh routers, but with slightly different model numbers.

There's the award-winning, category-beating speed demon, the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500, is listed as the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE450. Both offer Wi-Fi 6E speeds in the same distinctive design, and with more or less identical features. The same is true for the Editor's Choice Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) — Costco carries the essentially identical Netgear Nighthawk Tri-Band 8-Stream AX6200 WiFi 6 Router, which has the same feature set and extremely similar specs.

It's the same deal for mesh routers. The Editor's Choice from our Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review shows up as the Netgear Orbi RBK843S, and the more affordable Netgear Orbi RBK752 becomes the Orbi RBK753S. In both cases, the features and capabilities are just as we saw in our review, but they come with the added bonus of Netgear's Armor Advanced Cyber Security — a service that normally costs $69.99 after an initial 30-day free trial.

Even Wi-Fi extenders get the Costco treatment, as the top-performer from the best Wi-Fi extenders. The awesome Wi-Fi 6 model from our Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20) review, can be purchased as the Nighthawk EAX18 AX1750 — there's a minor difference in total throughput, but it's a minor tweak in the face of the Wi-Fi 6 speeds it offers. 

The real bargain: Concierge Services

In the case of Netgear routers, the big win is found in Costco's tech support offerings, part of Costco's Concierge Services package. A toll-free number gives you access to expert technicians for troubleshooting, giving set-up support and whatever else you might need help with. Whether it's 91 days after buying your device or 11 and a half months, you'll be enjoying a level of personalized attention that Netgear doesn't offer without an extra fee. 

I've used Costco's tech support service myself, and I've always been pleased with the level of service I got — something I can't claim about every support line I've called.

There's only one catch to all of this Costco customer service goodness. You have to be a member. You need a membership card to get in the stores (or tag along with someone who does). You need that same membership card or number to buy at the register or on the Costco website. And there's no non-member option for getting the Costco Concierge Services that come with tech products.

But when you consider that a Costco membership only costs $60, and Netgear wants to charge an extra $49.99 for extended warranty and support, that membership starts looking pretty good. Especially when you consider all of the other savings and extras you can get with a Costco membership, including the $5 rotisserie chickens.

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For a more affordable way to get Wi-Fi 6 connectivity throughout your home, the Netgear Orbi RBK752 isn't just one of the best mesh routers out there, it's also a good affordable option alongside the best Wi-Fi 6 routers.

A smaller and cheaper alternative to one of the best mesh routers on the market – the Netgear Orbi RBK852 – the Netgear Orbi RBK752 kit has lower performance expectations than its older cousin. Based on Wi-Fi 6 technology, it offers a pair of data delivery bands as well as one dedicated to communications from the satellites and the host router that can streamline a mesh network’s operations. The system includes extra security software but you’ll need to pay for updates in the long term. All in all, our Netgear Orbi RBK752 review shows that this mesh kit has the power to fill a mid-sized home with Wi-Fi data. Read on to see if it’s right for your home.

Netgear Orbi RBK752 review: Pricing and availability

Available in stores and on the Netgear site, the RBK752 consists of a preset router (RBR750) and a wireless satellite device (RBS750). The basic two-piece RBK752 kit reviewed here can cover up to 5,000 square feet, according to Netgear. You can also get the three-piece RBK753 kit (with two satellites) that is rated to work with 7,500 square feet and the four-piece RBK754 set (with, you guessed it, three satellites) that can cover 10,000 square feet.

• 2-pack (Model RBK752) - $349.99
• 3-pack (Model RBK753) - $479.99
• 4-pack (Model RBK754) - $749.99
• Add-on Satellite (Model RBS750) - $229.99

A single RBS750 satellite add-on is also available, allowing you to customize the mesh network for your type of home. On the other hand, buying the big kit gives you savings of roughly 30 percent versus buying the devices separately.

Netgear Orbi RBK752 review: Design

If the Orbi RBK752 components look familiar, they should. They use the same basic oval tower design as the RBK852 family, but measure 9.4 x 6.5 x 2.0 inches. That’s 40 percent smaller than the RBK852 devices. The upshot is that despite being smaller, the RBK752 units remain some of the largest mesh products available and make ones like the Eero Pro 6 look tiny.

Still, the RBK752 devices will fit in places their larger cousins won’t. They have soft rubber feet but lack any way to wall mount the devices. Fortunately, several third parties and Netgear sell inexpensive mounting hardware for them.

The Orbi RBK752 gear uses passive cooling, with fresh air coming in from the bottom and exiting at the top. The devices never got over 95-degrees Fahrenheit.

They may look identical but under the skin one is designated as the RBR750 router and the other as the RBS750 satellite – for this review, we'll refer to them interchangeably as the Orbi RBK752 unless it's necessary to specify one or the other. Both lack the array of LED lights that many routers have these days but make do with a single LED band near the bottom to show the router’s status. It’s blue while starting up and turns white when everything is OK. If it's magenta, the unit is offline and needs some attention.

Rather than the RBK852’s array of eight antennas, the RBK752 units have six, reflecting the use of Qualcomm’s Networking Pro 800 Wi-Fi chip instead of the RBK852’s Networking Pro 1200, which offers more data streams. With MU-MIMO and beamforming, the router customizes the signal to match the needs of the connected devices, but it can’t run ultra-wide 160MHz data channels.

Like other Orbi gear, the RBK752 series uses Netgear’s tried and true tri-band design that moves data over 2.4- and 5GHz bands and reserves the second 5GHz band for moving data from the satellites to the host. This dedicated backhaul channel can lower system overhead and streamline operations but ties up more than one-third of the network capacity. Others use a dynamic scheduling system to balance the flow back and forth.

The router has a quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 1GB of storage space for software and settings. In the lab, the set can move up to 600Mbps along its 2.4GHz band as well as 1.2Gbps on its data-supplying 5GHz band. Add in the 2.4Gbps that the dedicated backhaul channel provides and the system has the power to move 4.2Gbps.

The mesh kit’s approach to ports is a mixed bag with the RBR750 router having a WAN input and three wired ports. They all top out at a data flow of 1Gbps and lack the ability to accommodate the latest 2.5Gbps Multi-Gig inputs, but the RBR750 can aggregate a pair of networking ports for up to 2Gbps service, something other mesh kits can’t do.

By contrast, the RBS750 satellite has a pair of networking ports. Neither have a USB connection for adding a hard drive as networked storage.

Both devices have a recessed reset button but only the router has a power switch. Finally, the RBK752 kit can use the Wi-Fi Protected Setup scheme for quickly adding devices. The unit’s Sync button is how to activate it. The Eero Pro 6 lacks this feature due to security concerns.

Netgear Orbi RBK752 review: Performance

As was the case with the RBK852, the RBK752 kit started out strong and its performance fell off quickly with distance. Using Ixia’s IxChariot networking benchmark software we created a busy network with 10 simulated users in my 100-year-old, 3,500-square-foot house. Overall, it did well, but couldn’t fill my home with Wi-Fi, although a third device would likely have done the trick.

On its own, the RBR750 router was able to deliver 506.7Mbps at 15-feet to the Dell XPS 15 test system. This roughly tied the Linksys Velop AX4200 (507.7Mbps) and ahead of the Eero Pro 6 (436.1Mbps). None could touch the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 RBK852 router, however, which moved 833.6Mbps.

With 50-feet separating the test machine from the router, the RBR750’s bandwidth dropped to 100.3Mbps. This is more than enough for most uses but was well behind the Eero Pro 6 (239.9Mbps), the Linksys Velop AX4200 (201.3Mbps) and the Netgear Orbi RBK852 (124.4Mbps).

At 75-feet, the RBK752 moved only 82.5Mbps, just behind the Netgear Orbi RBR852 (85.9Mbps), and well off the pace set by the Eero Pro 6 (208.9Mbps). By contrast, the Linksys Velop AX4200 moved 139.6Mbps. The RBR752 lost contact at 85-feet, the same range as the Netgear Orbi RBR852 and well behind the Eero Pro 6’s 105-feet.

It had trouble competing with other Wi-Fi 6 mesh routers when it came to sending a signal through 25 feet and a wall with 326.6Mbps available on the other side. Under the same conditions, the Netgear Orbi RBR852 moved 782.9Mbps, while the Linksys Velop AX4200 was able to deliver 525.7Mbp and the Eero Pro 6 coming in at 375.6Mbps.

When it came to sending a signal up a floor to a bedroom, the Orbi RBR752 (281.0Mbps) was well behind the RBR852 (670.1Mbps). The Linksys Velop AX4200 and Eero Pro 6 were in a virtual tie at 437.5Mbps and 430.9Mbps of throughput.

With a satellite connected 50-feet from the router on the same floor and the test system another 40-feet away, the RBK752 mesh network came up short with 87.7Mbps of data delivered to the test system. That’s roughly half the Linksys Velop AX4200 (161.1Mbps), although it’s a lot better than the Netgear Orbi RBK852 (39.1Mbps). The Eero Pro 6 kit was in between with 142.3Mbps of bandwidth.

With the satellite a floor above the router and the test system 50-feet away, the throughput it received was 209.4Mbps, or about half the 405.5Mbps that the Orbi RBK852 was capable of. That said, the Linksys Velop AX4200 (329.2Mbps) was impressive, nonetheless.

After using the RBK752 for emails, downloads, music, video and gaming, it did well in my old house, but left a few dead zones. A third unit — like that which comes with the Orbi RBK753 three-pack — would likely have made for a whole-house network. Still, the RBK752 passed our saturation test by streaming high-quality video on my Macbook air while I had Spotify playing music on an Apple iPad Pro tablet and a Lenovo ThinkPad T470 was playing an Internet radio station. All this was going on while an HP Dragonfly Elite notebook moved data onto and off of a network-attached RAID storage system. There were no drop-outs, artifacts or glitches with the audio or video streams.

Both the router and satellite used 8.6 watts of power. If the network is left on 24/7, it should cost roughly $9.80 for each unit for a total of $19.60 a year, assuming the gear is always on and you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity. That’s about $5 less than the RBK852’s $24.40 a year in power costs but about $15 less a year than running the Arris SURFboard Max two-piece kit.

Netgear Orbi RBK752 review: Setup

The Orbi RBK752 kit follows in the footsteps of earlier mesh products with an easy setup procedure. You have the choice of using the Orbi app (available for Androids and iOS devices) or using a connected browser. I set my kit up using my Samsung Tab S7+ tablet and did some configuration using the browser approach.

I started by creating an account with Netgear that included an email verification. Once done, I scanned the QR code on the router’s plastic identification sleeve to reset my tablet’s network connection.

After restarting the data modem, I plugged everything in and followed the illustrations. I set the satellite device 50 feet away from the router and plugged it in.

Following a brief scan, it found the satellite and the network then configured itself. While this was going on, it displayed a slide show about the Armor security software. Next up, I typed in the name and password for my new network.

Next, I inputted a new administrative password and the answers to two verification questions. The system then finished its initial configuration and connected the router to the satellite.

The software then checked for new firmware and automatically upgraded it. After the system restarted, both the router and satellite connected on the first try.

Not quite done, though, because Netgear only includes 90 days of support. The setup routine offers a two year warranty extension for $30 and two years of added support for $80. All told, it might have been one of the easiest set up routines but it took 17 minutes to complete the two-piece mesh network versus 11 minutes for the Eero Pro 6 three piece set.

Netgear Orbi RBK752 review: Configuration

The configuration and customization of the Orbi RBK752 mirrors that of its cousin, the RBK852, with the ability to use the app or a connected browser. On the other hand, the app affords fewer configuration opportunities compared to using a connected browser. The app’s main page puts everything in your face with the online status, how many satellites are connected and links to vital operating parameters like what devices are connected and the Armor security software status.

If you want to do a deep dive on the Orbi RBK752, use a browser that is connected to the router. The Basic section includes much of what the app has, with a good overview page as well as the ability to change the network’s name and password. It has options for turning 802.11ax transmissions off and looking at the details of individual connected devices or setting up the Guest Network. At any time, it allows adding another satellite.

The mesh network’s Advanced section is where all the customization power is. In addition to in-depth usage stats and the ability to reboot the system, the page has a lot of configuration data. Click on Wireless Setup to adjust the channels that the system uses or change the password. The Access Control category let me block computers from logging on or block online services, while the Schedule task let me turn off Internet access at a time of my choosing.

On the downside, Orbi’s Quality of Service (QOS) prioritization remains tied to the company’s Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) settings. It gets activated in the Advanced section’s Wireless Settings sections to automatically prioritize the devices that need the most data.

The Advanced section has its own Advanced portion (Advanced squared?) where the real customization can take place. Here, I was able to do anything from reducing the transmission’s strength to changing the preamble length. It has one more trick up its sleeve: the ability to add another layer of security by protecting the backhaul communications with an additional password. It took less than a minute to set up.

Like other Orbi products, the RBK752 kit includes Netgear’s Armor security program. Based on apps from Bitdefender, the system can help keep the connected computers and the network itself squeaky clean. There are apps for Windows, Macs, Androids, iPhones or iPads. On the downside, 30-days of updates are included – after that it costs $70 a year.

While Netgear’s one-year warranty is on a par with Eero’s, it is well behind the three years of coverage that Linksys provides. Plus, Netgear only provides 90-days of support and service. Others include at least a full year. Netgear uses this as an upsell opportunity with two years of support, service and warranty protection for $80; on its own, two years of support costs $30.

Regardless of whether you pay for support, Netgear has a wide array of do-it-yourself options online. They range from how-to videos and FAQs to optimization and troubleshooting tips.

Netgear Orbi RBK752 review: Verdict

They may be big, expensive and not the fastest mesh products available but the Netgear Orbi RBK752 appeals to both those want a turn-key mesh solution that requires little or no customization, as well as those who revel in adjusting the network’s operating parameters. It runs Netgear’s dependable 5GHz dedicated backhaul channel for data flowing from the satellite to the host and includes the company’s Armor security software so the network and its clients should remain clean and hacker-free. That is, if you subscribe to Netgear’s updates to the software, which cost $30 for two years or $80 with a two-year warranty. Unfortunately, as is the case with its bigger cousin, seen in our Netgear Orbi RBK852 review, the RBK752 suffers from short range and many homes will need a second satellite for adequate coverage.

The Netgear Orbi RBK752 may be cheaper than the more premium Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852), and it's a little less expensive than the three-piece Linksys Velop AXE4200, but the slightly cheaper Linksys offers better range and better coverage for larger homes. In the final analysis, the Netgear Orbi RBK752 is a great way to turn a mid-sized house into a Wi-Fi 6 home.

The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 innovates with the first Wi-Fi 6e router that moves data over the 2.4-, 5- and 6GHz frequency bands, combining the sharp looks of Netgear's current routers with the latest and greatest Wi-Fi standard. With an AXE11000 rating, the tri-band device more than lives up to the hype by delivering nearly 2.5Gbps of real-world data. It's the sort of performance that earned it the 2021 Tom's Guide Award for best Wi-Fi router. On the downside, the RAXE500’s bandwidth falls off sharply as you get farther from the router. Still, it managed an impressive 105-foot range.

Our Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review shows that the new Wi-Fi 6e router adds lots of configuration options to the category-leading short-range performance, while keeping devices and the network clean with Netgear’s Armor security software. Unfortunately, Netgear makes extended protection and additional security updates a subscription-based extra that could add nearly $200 to the already spendy price of the RAXE500. Still, if you crave the newest, fastest and coolest looking router around, the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 fits the bill as one of the best Wi-Fi routers you can buy.

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review: Pricing and availability

The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 can be found through several major electronics retailers, and is presently one of only a handful of Wi-Fi 6E products available to buy.  At $599, it’s roughly triple what some high-performance Wi-Fi 6 routers go for and close to $200 more than the similar-looking Wi-Fi 6-equipped Netgear Nighthawk RAX80.

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review: Design

Stealing a page from the Nighthawk AX8 router, the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 can be thought of as its newer, and larger, brother. It retains the A-Wing design that makes it look like something out of a Star Wars prequel – it's a far cry from conventional looking routers like the Linksys Max-Stream MR8300 – but at 12.0 x 8.6 x 3.3 inches, it’s among the largest routers available. Each wing has four antennas inside and when they’re opened, the RAXE500 is 4-inches taller.

The black winged RAXE500 router can be hidden away or proudly displayed and is as close to sculpture as networking gear gets. Underneath, the RAXE500 has thick rubber feet and two inserts for hanging it on a wall. It has vents up front and underneath as well as a cooling fan; during our evaluation, the fan ran intermittently and the router never got above 112 degrees Fahrenheit.

Unlike traditional triband routers with a 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands, the RAXE500 is the first of a generation of Wi-Fi 6e systems that provide access to the 2.4-, 5- and 6GHz data-delivering bands. Compared to Wi-Fi 6 systems, the RAXE500 opens a wide expanse of 6GHz spectrum, more than doubles the available data channels available and offers an extra six ultra-wide 160MHz channels. It adds up to nearly 5Gbps of extra data carrying capacity.

Built around Broadcom Wi-Fi 6e hardware, the RAXE500 includes a quad-core 1.8GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage space for the router’s firmware and settings. Capable of servicing 12 simultaneous data streams, the RAXE500 has beamforming to match the transmission characteristics to the receiver, MU-MIMO for serving a large number of devices and 1024QAM for increasing the router’s efficiency when multiple systems are demanding data. The RAXE500 can move up to 1.2Gbps on the 2.4GHz band, 4.8Gbps on the 5GHz band and an additional 4.8Gbps on the 6GHz band for a total of 10.8Gbps.

Its connections are in the back, and the RAXE500 has a Multi-Gig data input port that can work with the latest broadband modems to deliver up to 2.5Gbps. If the Multi-Gig port is not being used, it can act as an extra downstream 1Gbps Ethernet connection; there are four other dedicated downstream 1Gbps networking ports available for a total of five wired networking ports. It should be enough for most but is less than the eight wired LAN ports that the TP-Link Archer AX6000 provides. The RAXE500’s first two wired Ethernet ports can be aggregated for top speed.

In addition to buttons for using the router’s Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and turning off the system’s Wi-Fi transmissions, rendering the RAXE500 as the equivalent of a wired router, there’s a pair of USB connections for mounting hard drives on the network. There’s a power connection as well as an on/off button and a recessed reset button that reverts the RAXE500’s settings to the way it left the factory.

Happily, the RAXE500 has a switch for turning off the dozen LEDs that light up when the router is operating, although this can also be done in the router’s software. There are activity lights for power, Internet and its three data bands as well as its wired Ethernet ports and the two USB connections.

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review: Performance and in use

With its ability to move data back and forth in the 2.4-, 5- and 6GHz bands, the Nighthawk RAXE500 blew other routers away. Using Ixia’s ixChariot’s network simulation software and a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra – one of the rare devices that can take advantage of Wi-Fi 6e’s potential – I created a busy network with 10 simulated users. After setting the router up 15-feet from the S21 phone and using the RAXE500’s SmartConnect, channel 36 (for 5GHz) and channel 33 (for 6GHz), the RAXE500 delivered a peak throughput of 1.153Gbps for the 6Ghz band and another 1.242Gbps for the 2.4- and 5GHz bands. That’s a total of 2.396Gbps at 15 feet.

That’s a 42 percent jump over the Netgear Nighthawk AX8’s already-impressive 1.389Gbps. Other Wi-Fi 6 routers were similarly left in the digital dust, with the Asus AC-RT86U’s managed 929.7Mbps, the TP-Link Archer AX6000 moving 884.4Mbps and the Linksys MR9600 delivering 822.0Mbps. That’s a nearly three-fold improvement with the router and client close to each other.

On the downside, as was the case with the AX8, the RAXE500’s throughput falls off quickly with distance, making it the router to use close up. With 50 feet between the RAXE500 and the Galaxy S21 phone, the total throughput dropped to 215.8Mbps, well off the pace set by the TP-Link Archer AX6000 (396.4Mbps) or the Linksys MR9600 (363.3Mbps). At this distance, the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 was mid-pack at 277.1Mbps.

At 75-feet, the RAXE500 moved 148.6Mbps versus the AX8’s 142.3Mbps. The winner at this distance was the Asus AC-RT86U’s 250.1Mbps with 40 percent more delivered bandwidth. Our testing uses a terminal distance of 90-feet, and the RAXE500 managed to move 18.9Mbps, enough for some HD video and some web browsing. The Netgear AX8’s bandwidth was a similar 20.8Mbps while the TP-Link Archer AX6000 and Linksys MR9600 were offline at this distance. The RAXE500 had a range of 105-feet.

The RAXE500 was one of the best at distributing Wi-Fi throughout an older house with thick walls and floors. In my 100 year old home with the Galaxy S21 phone 20 feet and a wall away from the router, it still managed to grab 1.137Gbps of bandwidth from the RAXE500. That’s the best we’ve seen and about 5 percent more data flow than the 1.078Gbps the AX8 was capable of. By contrast, the TP-Link Archer AX6000 and Asus RT86U moved about 40 percent less data at 738.0Mbps and 698.5Mbps.

It was just as good at sending a strong signal through a ceiling to a bedroom a floor above the router’s location. It delivered 851.0Mbps, while the TP-Link Archer AX6000 able to move 671.4Mbps and the Netgear AX8 pushed 629.5Mbps.

A reliable router over a week of daily use moving files, online gaming, shuffling through email and watching 4K videos, it passed our saturation test. While a Macbook Air played YouTube videos and a Galaxy S21 phone played online music, a Dell XPS 15 streamed an Internet radio feed and an HP Elitebook moved files onto and off a networked RAID server. None of the audio or video balked or had artifacts.

As it was moving bytes back and forth, the RAXE500 used a peak of 15.4 watts, which drops to 5.4 watts when the router is idle but still turned on. It took about 10 seconds to wake it up with a data request from a connected client. If the router is used for eight hours and day and it’s idle the rest, the system should cost about $13.70 a year, assuming you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity. That’s a third more than the Netgear Nighthawk AX8’s $10.50 and twice the $6.80 that the Linksys MR9600 costs to use.

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review: Setup

Like many competitors, the Nighthawk RAXE500 provides the choice of using a connected browser to set it up or logging onto Netgear’s Nighthawk app. There are versions for Android and iOS. Both approaches provide illustrations and instructions for setting it up. Using the app and a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra phone, the first step is to get the Nighthawk app, install it and accept its license.

I had to allow the app to see my phone’s location to get things going. Then, I created a Netgear account, which required an email verification.

After I plugged the router in and restarted my broadband modem, I followed the illustrated instructions by picking the type of networking gear I had. Then, I snapped a picture of the router’s QR code.

After the router restarted and displayed a slide show of the Armor security software’s attributes, I confirmed that the router was connected to the Internet. Next, I changed the system’s names and passwords for the combined 2.4- and 5GHz LAN and one for the 6GHz transmissions. I finished off by answering two verification questions.

As it finished up, the router gave me the option of printing all the settings, just in case. Finally, the RAXE500 asked if I wanted to use two factor authentication for making changes to the router’s settings. It connected on the first try with an iPad. The set up process took all of 16 minutes to turn the RAXE500 into an operating tri-band network.

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review: Configuration

The RAXE500 has a multitude of options for customizing the router. This can be done via the app but there are many more options available by using the connected browser approach. All it takes is typing “netgearlogin.com” into the browser’s address and entering the router’s administrative password, and a wide variety of configuration choices are available.

The router’s Home page shows lots of operating data, including the current firmware version along the top. In addition to Internet status, the Wi-Fi name and password, it shows how many devices are connected. There’s information on the status of the Armor security software and the Guest Network as well as if any drives are connected. Click on any for details, like whether Multi-Gig inputs are enabled for the Internet section.

At any time, the interface let me run the setup procedure over or set up port forwarding. The RAXE500 allows subtle changes, like altering the RTS Threshold, changing the Fragmentation Length or picking between the long or short Preamble.

At any time, it’s easy to run a speed test of the Internet connection as well as check on the connection’s details. In addition to running as a router, the RAXE500 can be set up as a wired access point. Unlike gear from Asus and Linksys, it can’t be converted to a mesh routing system.

As is the case with many of Netgear’s products, the RAXE500 comes with the company’s Armor security software but does without the Disney Circle or any parental controls. The company plans to add its own parental control app in the near future. Based on Bitdefender’s Total Security software, Armor has apps for all popular programs, from Windows and Mac to Android and iOS; the lineup lacks a Linux option, though. It does a good job of defending the network and its devices but only includes updates for a month. After that it costs $70 per year. By contrast, Asus includes lifetime updates for its AIProtection Pro defenses.

Like other Netgear products, the company includes a year of warranty protection but only 90 days of service and support. That’s a pittance compared to the two years that Asus provides for its high-performance routers. Upgrading to a two year warranty with support costs $120.

Happily, the Netgear free online support is open to all and contains lots of self-serve help. In addition to troubleshooting assistance and help setting the router up, the site has firmware, an installation guide and videos on tap.

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500: Verdict

Welcome to the Wi-Fi 6e era. The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is the first of an expected onslaught of tri-band Wi-fi 6e routers that push Wi-Fi performance to the limit. It’s been worth the wait because the RAXE500 blows the competition out of the water with the ability to move nearly 2.5Gbps at close range. It not only speeds past Wi-Fi 6 routers but is the fastest router on the planet and sets a new standard for high-performance Wi-Fi. More to the point, it is the ideal router for the real world because in addition to security software, the RAXE500 punches a strong signal through walls and floors to help fill an older house with lots of nooks and crannies.

Rather than being stuck with using either a connected browser or an app, Netgear lets you choose which way you want to install and configure the RAXE500. It offers one of the most complete assortments of customization options – From RTS Threshold to which Wi-Fi channels it uses – so that the RAXE500 can be set up the way you want it to.

It costs twice as much as lower-performing routers, like the TP-Link Archer AX6000 or the Linskys Max Stream MR9600, but the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is worth it because it delivers more data. In other words, the RAXE500 not only brings Wi-Fi up to date but raises the performance bar for others to try to meet. Sure, it’s expensive, but if you want to be the first on your block to tap into the performance potential of Wi-Fi 6e, this is your kind of router.

If your router is not keeping up with your gaming abilities in the all-out battle for domination of the universe, the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000might be able to lend a helping hand, as one of the best Wi-FI 6 routers and best gaming routers we've seen. Its high-throughput, low latency design can push the bytes across the globe to battle your worst enemy, yet the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 does without bandwidth expanding techniques, like Multi-Gig input or port aggregation output. It’s not only a good gaming companion but one that provides protection against hackers, has lots of optimization tools and can customize the data stream and where it goes.

The Nighthawk XR1000 may be more expensive than most of the best Wi-Fi routers, lack some accoutrements gamers take for granted and is a little slower than the Asus RT-AX86U, but the XR1000 comes through when online battle begins.

Netgear Nighthawk XR1000: Design

The third in a series of increasingly powerful gaming routers, the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 follows in the footsteps of the Netgear Nighthawk XR500 and Netgear Nighthawk XR700 with lots of goodies for gamers. Black with orange grilles in front and on top, the XR1000’s front vent looks like a welcoming smile.

It has four antennas, a welcome change from the trend to use six or eight antennas. The antennas, however, are marked and need to be installed with corresponding ports on the back and side or the router will not run properly. They can be rotated and aimed, if needed.

The angled router is meant to lay flat. Underneath, the XR1000 has thick rubber feet and cutouts for wall mounting, so it’s just as happy on a table as hanging from a wall. At 11.6 x 7.9 x 2.5 inches, it’s one half the size of the company’s Nighthawk RAX80 and about 10 percent smaller than the TP-Link Archer AX6000. During testing, the router kept its cool, never getting above 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

Built around Broadcom’s BCM6750 chipset, the XR1000 has a triple-core processor that runs at 1.5GHz, along with 256MB of RAM and 512MB of storage for firmware, apps and settings. The emphasis is on creating a dual-band low-latency high-output router that sets up a dual-band 802.11AX networks over 2.4- and 5GHz. It can tap into ultra-wide 160MHz data channels and MU-MIMO techniques for extra throughput while using the latest beamforming technology to customize the data stream for each receiver. It has two lanes of data traffic that can move up to 600Mbps in 2.4GHz mode as well as four lanes and up to 4.8Gbps of bandwidth in 5GHz mode. It has an AX5400 rating.

In addition to its single input WAN port, the XR1000 has four downstream networking ports. That’s four fewer than the eight networking ports that the AX6000 provides, so those with lots of online connections might want to get a networking switch. All the ports are capable of gigabit per second throughput but there’s neither Multi-Gig input nor port aggregation available, even though the competing Asus RT-AX86U provides both for turbocharging online gaming.

In addition to an on/off button and a recessed reset switch, the XR1000 has a USB 3 port for adding an external hard drive to the network. Rather than looking like a traffic light with different colored LEDs, the XR1000 has small LEDs for power, Internet connection, wireless LAN activity as well as data movement through its four wired Ethernet ports and USB port. There’s also a sedate white LED bar that shows everything is connected; it turns red when the Internet connection is interrupted. The router has buttons for turning its Wi-Fi transmissions on or off as well as using the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) to quickly connect a client. It’s easy to turn the lights off altogether.

Like many other Netgear products, the XR1000 comes with the company’s Armor security software that includes Bitdefender’s anti-malware apps. It can help protect your computers, phones and home automation devices, but Netgear only includes updates for 30-days. After that, it costs $70 a year, compared to Asus’s free updates for the AiProtection Pro defenses on the RT-AX86U.

Netgear Nighthawk XR1000: Performance

Using Ixia’s ixChariot’s network simulation benchmark in my 100-year old house, the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 showed itself to be a reliable and powerful router with the ability to fill my 3,500-square-foot home with a Wi-Fi signal. It may not be able to match the Nighthawk RAX80’s 1.39Gbps of throughput but it delivered a strong 859.1Mbps of bandwidth at 15-feet. That’s slightly behind the Asus RT-AX86U (at 929.7Mbps) and the TP-Link Archer AX6000 (888.2Mbps) but ahead of the Linksys MR9600 (822.0Mbps) at the same distance.

Its throughput fell to 233.4Mbps at 50-feet, well behind the TP-Link AX6000’s 396.7Mbps, the Linksys MR9600’s 363.3Mbps and the RT-AX86U’s 285.3Mbps. The XR1000 redeemed itself at 75-feet by delivering 280.1Mbps, showing its potential at mid-range distances in a large home. By contrast, the AX-RT86U moved 250.1Mbps, while the TP-Link AX6000 and Nighthawk RAX80 could only muster about half as much throughput at 125.4 and 142.1Mbps, respectively.

The XR1000 pulled ahead where other routers lagged with 74.9Mbps of performance at 90-feet, our terminal distance. This is 73 percent better than the RAX80’s 20.8Mbps and infinitely better than the MR9600’s and AX6000’s inability to remain connected at this distance. It had a range of 105-feet, making the XR1000 the high-performance router to get for those with lots of space to cover.

With the ability to move 614.8Mbps across 25 feet and through a wall, the XR1000 was behind the RAX80 (at 1.08Gbps) and TP-Link’s AX6000 (at 667.3Mbps). When it came to sending data up a floor to a bedroom, the XR1000 delivered a respectable 630.1Mbps, compared to 629.5Mbps for the RAX80. Both were second place compared to the AX6000’s 671.4-Mbps.

It proved to be a reliable gaming router for everything from getting gemstones in League of Legends to shooting around the track in Real Racing 3. It’s a good all-around distributor of data as well and over the course of a week of use, working well with anything from YouTube video and online TV to downloading manuals and online learning. It easily passed the saturation test by playing YouTube videos on an HP EliteBook Dragonfly, while a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ was playing the BBC World Service News feed, an iPad Pro was streaming a baseball game and a Dell XPS 15 was moving data onto and off of a file server. Everything came through loud and clear.

With it running at full blast, the XR1000 used 6.1 watts of power, less than half as much as the Nighthawk RAX80. Our estimates show that it should cost roughly $7 a year to use if you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity. That’s on a par with the Linksys MR9600’s $6.80 per year but cheaper to use than the TP-Link Archer AX6000’s $11.30 per year.

Netgear Nighthawk XR1000: Setup

Unlike other recent routers, the Nighthawk XR1000’s third-generation DumaOS software gives you the choice of setting it up through a phone or tablet as well as by using its Web-browser based interface. Both are quick and easy to use with step-by-step instructions. There are apps for Android devices, and iOS devices (like iPhones and iPads) that allow using two-factor authentication for an extra margin of security. You will need to set up an account with Netgear, though.

I started by plugging everything in and screwing in the router’s four antennas, making sure their codes matched the ones printed on the router’s side. After connecting to the router’s default LAN address printed on a label, I typed “routerlogin.net” into the browser’s address bar. It checked the Internet connection and then measured the online speed. After I set an administrative password for making changes to the router’s settings, the software wanted answers to two verification questions.

With the preliminaries out of the way, the next step was to give the router a new network name and password. When done, I was able to print a summary of the settings before the router did two updates to its operating software. All told, it took 17 minutes to go from a sealed box to functioning network.

Netgear Nighthawk XR1000: Configuration

As is the case with the setup process, changes can be made either through the Nighthawk app or the browser based interface. The app is more visual and simple, while the browser approach has more depth and options.

The basics are summarized in the DumaOS Dashboard. Its black and orange color scheme makes everything look vital and alive, particularly next to Asus’s bland blue and gray design. A cornucopia of data that will warm the heart of any cold gamer with everything from current IP address and overall bandwidth available to CPU usage and what apps the router is running. Along the left is a menu of deeper possibilities, including the ability to geo-filter opponents and set the Quality of Service (QOS) details.

Meanwhile, the XR1000’s Connection Benchmark rates your router’s current link to the Internet by several different parameters, including speed and ping. There’s also the Network Monitor that shows current and total usage, and it’s a shame the two could not have been combined for simplicity.

In addition to a Traffic Controller for blocking or allowing data traffic to flow, the XR1000 has a Ping Heatmap that shows the latency data of your favorite global servers so you can pick the lowest one for your next global battle royal. Meanwhile, the router’s Device Manager shows what’s connected to the router, upstream and downstream. It correctly showed all connections in a map format.

The router’s Settings section is one of the most powerful of any networking device. It not only lets you rerun the set up procedure but allows adjusting of everything from IP addresses to using its wide data channels. You can even block sites and services.

Happily, the XR1000 is one of the most flexible routers around. It can run as a router or access point. At any time, it’s easy to turn the router’s LED lights off so as not to divert your attention from alien invaders or inner-city car thieves.

The Nighthawk XR1000 comes with a one-year warranty that pales in comparison to the two-years of coverage that Asus provides for its high-performance routers. More to the point, Netgear comes up short on service and support with only 90-days included with the purchase. Getting two years of support and warranty costs an extra $80. Still, Netgear provides lots of self-service help should you encounter a problem. In addition to downloads of fresh firmware and manuals, there’s assistance with setting up the router, configuring it and troubleshooting problems.

Netgear Nighthawk XR1000: Verdict

With everything from a ping heat map and geo-fencing to the best gaming dashboard around, the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 takes the lead in delivering the online goods for gamers. It might not be the fastest router up close but it delivers the data at mid-range distances where other routers start to lag. Whether it’s taking hot laps in a virtual racer, battling aliens or knocking off zombies, the router delivers with an incredible array of configuration and customization options that let you make the XR1000 operate exactly the way you want it to. To top it off, the XR1000 provides an array of defenses against hackers.

As good as it is, the XR1000 lacks a Multi-Gig input channel and can’t aggregate its ports for peak performance. It’s a step up from the Netgear Nighthawk XR700 and outperforms the Asus RT-AX86U once the router is 50-feet away. Unfortunately, its purchase price is just the start. To maintain its hacker and malware defenses, you’ll need to pay $70 a year for updates as well as $80 to match the warranty protection that the Asus RT-AX86U includes for free. That brings the total tab for the XR1000 closer to $500, making it one of the most expensive routers on the market.

Still, it's one of the best gaming routers we've ever seen, and one of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers on the market. If you have the need for speed, get the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000, have ramen noodles for dinner and laugh at your online opponents.

Big and bad, the Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20) pushes more data into uncovered areas of a home than any other extender, can use the latest 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) techniques and adds extra security. It would be the perfect extender if it weren’t so expensive, big and lacked a USB port for plugging in a printer or hard drive. It may not be as small and easy to hide as many of the wall-plug extenders, but more than makes up for it top flight performance, features and range. In other words, it tops the best Wi-Fi extenders list as the extender to get today for all-out performance. It's also the only extender to make the list of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers, letting you create a mesh extension for a standalone router without sacrificing Wi-Fi 6 speeds.

Editor's Note: We periodically update our reviews to make sure that pricing and information is up to date. The rating and recommendations in our Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20) review is unchanged from when it originally published in September of 2020.

Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20) review: Design

If you like your Wi-Fi extenders large, Netgear’s EAX20 should appeal to you. At 9.5 x 6.7 x 2.5 inches, it’s about the size of a full router or a hardbound book and fits nicely into a bookcase, on a desk or a floor. On the downside, there’s no way to mount it on a wall and it’s huge compared to the likes of the Netgear EX2800, the Rock Space Wi-Fi Range Extender or other wall-plug style extenders. More to the point, it requires a separate AC adapter.

With four gigabit Ethernet ports, the EAX20 can connect networked printers and storage systems but does without a USB port. It has a reset button in the back as well as a key to start the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) process. 

The extender’s six LEDs show everything from Power, Ethernet activity and that it’s online to data flow on the 2.4- and 5GHz networks as well as if you’re using WPS to add devices. In other words, it runs the risk of looking like a Christmas tree. Happily, it’s easy to turn off the LEDs in its app.

Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20) review: Performance

Built around Wi-Fi 6, the Netgear EAX20 is the rare Wi-Fi extender that can push an 802.11ax signal deep into a home. It peaks out at 1.8Gbps throughput. It worked fine using a TP-Link Archer C5400X router in 802.11ac mode but hit the fast lane with a Netgear RAX80 in 802.11ax mode. 

Using Ixia’s IxChariot networking performance benchmark and the RAX80 router, the EAX20 pushed 375.2Mbps across 15-feet to our receiving system, making it the most powerful extender we’ve seen. It delivered more than double the throughput of its smaller brother, the Netgear EX2800 (170.9Mbps) and the Rock Space Wi-Fi Range Extender (175.4Mbps). It led the way with a 95-foot range.

When the extender was set up 40-feet away from the router on the same floor and the receiving system was another 50 feet away, the EAX20 moved 124.2Mbps, more than twice the bandwidth as the Rock Space AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender (50.0Mbps).

For those who live vertically, its upstairs-downstairs performance was just as good with the EAX20 set up on a floor above the router and the receiving system 40-feet away. It provided 173.1Mbps of bandwidth, well ahead of what the Rock Space (112.1Mbps) and Netgear EX2800 (124.4Mbps) were capable of. 

Over a week of continual use, the EAX20 used 9.1 watts of power. If it’s left on and you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, it should cost about $10 a year to use.

Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20) review: Features

Under the EAX20’s skin, it is a fully up-to-date Wi-Fi 6 extender that combines beamforming and MU-MIMO technologies that run on the 2.4- and 5GHz bands. It has an AX1800 rating and, according to Netgear, it can add Wi-Fi coverage to 1,500 square feet of a home. 

It’s one of the most customizable extenders on the market and offers the choice of working as a wireless extender or a wired access point. In addition to combining the two networks into a single network name, the EAX20 can blacklist devices and operate with a static IP address. If the system is too powerful, its output can be adjusted.

The extender is not only compatible with earlier Netgear extenders, like the Nighthawk X6S, but it can act as a mesh satellite for filling in Wi-Fi dead zones in larger homes. On the downside, if it’s used with an older extender, that leg of the network will not have all the speed advantages of a Wi-Fi 6 LAN.

Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20) review: Setup and Software

The Netgear EAX20 can be installed using a connected browser or the company’s Nighthawk app (available for iOS or Android). Using my iPad Pro, I started by creating a Netgear account, selected that I wanted to use it as a range extender and read through placement tips.

After plugging everything in, the app scanned for and quickly found the extender.

The EAX20 let me pick which host networks to use and connected after I plugged in the passwords.

The app allowed me to change the admin password and wanted answers to two verification security questions; unfortunately, it took two tries to get my answers to be accepted. The app then built the extended network. 

With everything working, the app offered to create a QR code that can be shared and snapped to get the LAN’s connection details. The last chore is to decide if I wanted to extend the warranty to two years ($30) and add support ($80). At the end, the process finishes with a firmware update.

It connected on the first try with 137Mbps available of my 200Mbps broadband service. All told, it took 7 minutes to install.

While the app provides a consolidated main page with lots of information, the browser approach allows more configuration using “mywifiext.net.”

The choices include turning the MU-MIMO, Wi-Fi 6 and SmartConnect functions on or off. At any time, I was able to dim the LEDs and adjust the extender’s transmission strength.

Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20) review: Warranty and support

The EAX20 includes a one-year warranty but the support lasts for only 90 days. This pales in comparison to other networking gear. If you want more, it costs $80, along with an extra year of warranty coverage. 

If you’re looking for support, Netgear delivers with people available 24/7 to help. There’s a slew of self-service items that range from troubleshooting help, videos and software to a thorough manual and extensive FAQs. 

Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20) review: Verdict

The Netgear EAX20 does one thing and does well: it extends networks that are faster and have a longer range than the competition. Among the first of a new generation of Wi-Fi 6 extenders, the EAX20 stands out from the company’s other extenders, as seen in our Netgear EX6200 review and Netgear Nighthawk X6S extender review as well as the TP-Link RE650 in its ability to push data into the further reaches of a home. On the downside, at $150, it’s among the most expensive extenders available. It may be a lot to spend on an extender, but the EAX20 is worth it by delivering the goods and the data.

One of the first Wi-Fi 6 mesh networking kits available, the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) takes its place at the top of the food chain, becoming one of the best mesh routers available.

Netgear’s two-piece Orbi RBK852 hits the mark for Wi-Fi 6 homes with a mix of good throughput, a dedicated backhaul channel for data from the satellites to the router as well as extra online security.

Far from perfect, the Orbi RBK852 is large and pricey – so expensive it may be a reach for some digital households. But if you want unbeatable performance throughout your home, it's one of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers you can get and one of the best mesh routers on the market. We even name it the mesh systems to get among the best gaming routers. Our Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review proves that it's the Wi-Fi 6 mesh system to beat.

Editor's Note: We periodically update our reviews to make sure that pricing and information is up to date. The rating and recommendations in our Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review is unchanged from when it originally published in November of 2020. 

Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review: Pricing and availability

It may seem like alphabet soup, but the RBK852 kit comes with two units: a preset RBR850 router and RBS850 satellite. They continue to use Orbi’s tri-band topology where data moves to devices on either the 2.4- or 5GHz bands and data travels back to the router over the system’s second 5GHz channel. This dedicated backhaul channel can potentially reduce congestion and data packets banging into each other.

It’s among the most expensive networking gear you can buy at $700 for the router and satellite that can cover about 5,000 square feet, according to Netgear. With the router and two satellites, the RBK853 kit costs $1,000. On its own, an extra RBS850 satellite costs $380. 

The Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6 system is also available in a 3-pack and 4-pack, or you can purchase additional satellite add-on units individually.

• 2-Pack Orbi AX6000 Mesh WiFi 6 System (RBK852) - $699
• 3-Pack Orbi AX6000 Mesh WiFi 6 System (RBK853) - $999
• 4-Pack Orbi AX6000 Mesh WiFi 6 System (RBK854) - $1,299
• Single Add-on Orbi AX6000 Mesh WiFi 6 Satellite (RBS850) - $379

Available in packages of two, three or four units, the Orbi Wi-Fi 6 AX6000 system can cover a lot of area. The 2-pack seen in our review can cover up to 5,000 square feet, while the 3- and 4-unit packages cover 7,500 and 10,000 square feet, respectively. And if you find yourself needing more coverage, you can always expand your mesh system with an additional Orbi satellite unit, which adds 2,500 square feet of coverage to whatever Orbi AX6000 system it's added to.  

And, since all of the Orbi Wi-Fi 6 AX6000 options are designed to operate with the same range and performance, we're confident in recommending any of these options just as strongly as we do the 2-pack featured in our Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review.

Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review: Design

Netgear updates its Orbi mesh networking kits for the Wi-Fi 6 (aka 802.11ax) era with the Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System. It’s a lot easier to call it the RBK852. Like its predecessors, the RBK852 gear is big and continues with the tall, oval cooling tower look that makes them hard to hide. Both the RBR850 router and RBS850 satellite measure 10.0 x 7.5 x 2.8 inches, making them enormous compared to the likes of the TP-Link Deco X20 or Google Nest WiFi. 

Still, the RBK852 devices can sit on a bookshelf or desk, but there’s no built-in provision for wall mounting them. However, Netgear breaks new ground by offering a wall mounting bracket ($19) for its devices, instead of relying on third party accessories.

Both the router and satellite have a single LED band near the bottom, serving as a status indicator. When the device is starting up, it blinks white and remains blue when data is freely flowing back and forth. When the light is purple, there’s something wrong because it is offline and requires attention.

Inside each unit are eight smart antennas that aren’t replaceable or aimable. With its Qualcomm Networking Pro 1200 chip, the router and satellite supports 4X4 streams of data. Using the latest MU-MIMO technology to support lots of connections and beamforming to tailor the signal to each device’s needs, the system is capable of moving a theoretical 6Gbps of data back and forth. 

The router has a single 2.5 gigabit per second (Gbps) WAN input port for use with the newest modems. Both the router and satellite have four 1 Gbps LAN ports for connecting things like a printer and NAS storage, but no USB port. Both have a recessed reset button.

Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review: Performance

The Orbi RBK852 uses Qualcomm’s newest Networking Pro 1200 Wi-Fi chip with 1GB of RAM and 512MB of capacity for storing firmware and settings. It’s all powered by a quad-core processor that runs at a maximum of 2GHz. It has an AX6000 rating.

Overall, the RBK852 set provided excellent throughput on most of our tests using Ixia’s IxChariot networking benchmark software, which created a busy Wi-Fi network in my 100-year old 3,500-square-foot home. It easily outpaced Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and many Wi-Fi 6 routers. 

With just the RBR850 router set up, it moved 883.6Mbps to the receiving device 15-feet away. While this is off the pace set by high-performance routers, like the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) (at 1.389Gbps), it easily beat out other mesh kits, like the TP-Link Deco X20 (at 622.1Mbps) and the Arris SURFboard mAX Pro (at 820.3Mbps). 

This throughput dropped off quickly to just 124.4Mbps at 50-feet, where the Deco X20 took the lead by sending 255.4Mbps to the test system. This throughput trend held up at 75-feet, where the Deco X20 still led with 112.7Mbps versus 85.9Mbps for the Orbi RBR850. It lost contact at 85 feet, 10-feet short of the Deco X20’s 95-foot range.

The Orbi RBR850 router’s ability to punch a strong signal through walls and ceilings was unequaled. It delivered 782.9Mbps through a wall 20-feet from the router and moved 670.1Mbps through a ceiling to a room directly upstairs from the router. By contrast, the Deco X20 could only manage 556.5Mbps and 320.5Mbps on the same tests.

With the RBS850 satellite online, the mesh network came close to filling my 100-year old 3,500 square foot house. To start, with the satellite on the same floor but 40 feet away and the receiving test machine a farther 50-feet away, it delivered a disappointing 39.1Mbps, versus 125.8Mbps we saw in our Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) review. This rose to 405.5Mbps when the satellite was set up on a floor above the router and the test machine was 40-feet away. By contrast, the ZenWiFi AX pushed a similar 389.3Mbps. A third Orbi device might have done the trick at my home.

Over a week of heavy use, the RBK852 kit worked well for everything from watching a Twitch gaming feed to checking email to downloading large files. It passed our saturation test by delivering high-quality video to an iPad Pro tablet while a Macbook Air was playing an Internet radio station, a ThinkPad T470 was viewing videos and an HP dragonfly notebook moved data onto and off of a network-attached RAID storage system. 

While the router used 11.2 watts and the satellite used 9.1-watts, the network is moderately expensive to operate. Its annual estimated cost for electricity is $24.40 a year if you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity. That’s about what it costs to use the Asus ZenWiFi AX kit, but $10 a year less than the Arris SURFboard Max two-piece kit.

Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review: Setup

If you’ve ever set up an Orbi router, you’ll feel right at home with the RBK852. Like its predecessors, it uses Netgear’s Orbi app. If you’re new to Orbi, the app’s illustrated steps are easy to follow. There are apps for iOS-based iPhones and iPads as well as Android systems but both are vertically oriented with no way to use it in landscape mode.

I started by plugging the RBR850 router’s AC adapter into a power outlet and its WAN port into my broadband modem using the included patch cable. Then, I plugged in the RBS850 satellite about 50-feet away. Using the network name and password printed on the router’s sleeve, I connected to it using my iPad Pro and fired up the Orbi app. After creating an account with Netgear, I snapped the QR code on the router’s sleeve to identify the device. After a minute, the app found the router and satellite.

The app started its setup routine by asking me if I wanted to use the iPad’s TouchID to log in and require two-factor authentication for an extra layer of security. Happily, the system required that I change the administrative password. (Many don't, creating a big gap in security for users who don't know to change their passwords when setting up a new router.) This password change was followed by asking two verification questions.

After restarting, the RBR850 base unit let me change the network’s name and password to something familiar and updated its firmware. Finally, it asked me if I wanted to add a satellite, which took a minute to find and configure. All told, it took 12 minutes to create a house-wide network and both the router and satellite worked on the first try. The router put out 185Mbps while the satellite managed 165Mbps from my 200Mbps connection.

Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review: Configuration

Like so many mesh kits and previous Orbi devices, the center of attention for making changes is the accompanying Netgear Orbi WiFi System app. Its Dashboard is easy to read and use but the app offers less configuration potential than using a connected browser. 

The app’s main screen shows the basics with the network’s online status as well as the number of satellites and connected devices. There’s a section for what’s connected and the included Armor security software. If you want to see how fast it’s running, tap the Internet Speed section to get a Web speedometer. 

Dig a level down under the device security section and you can change the network’s name and password, or share that information via a QR code. There are tools for  adding a satellite and rebooting the network, and there’s a place to update the system’s firmware.

To really get into the nitty gritty of the Orbi RBK852 kit, you need to log on via a Web browser interface. There’s a useful main page dashboard as well as Basic and Advanced sections. In other words, there’s something everyone.

The categories in the basic menu include things like Internet, adjustments for IP address, port aggregation and Domain Name Server selection, as well as Wireless for changing the network’s name and password, data channels and the encryption method. The Orbi online interface lets you add an extra satellite in a step-by-step fashion. 

While many won’t miss it, there’s no provision for heavy duty optimization. In other words, forget about extending the data width to 160MHz channels or changing the fragmentation threshold. There’s also no provision for adjusting the transmission signal strength.

A big plus is that the Orbi RBK852 kit comes with the company’s Armor security package. With unlimited licenses for the equivalent of Bitdefender Total Security software, Armor can protect an entire family’s computers regardless of whether they’re PCs, Macs, Androids, iPhones or iPads. A year is included free, but after that it costs $70 a year.

Netgear’s one-year warranty is second best compared to the three-years of coverage offered by competitors like Linksys and D-Link. Plus, Netgear only provides 90-days of free customer support. It should be plenty of time to get the system up and running, but pales to its competitors. You can buy two years of warranty and support for $120.

If you do need help, the support that Netgear provides is excellent. In addition to 24/7 access to helpful technicians, you can call, chat or email them.

There’s also a link in the Orbi app to get help that takes you directly to the Netgear support page, which is full of DIY assistance for troubleshooting and optimizing your mesh system. From a thorough manual and lots of FAQs to problem-specific articles and how-to videos, there's enough help offered for free that many customers won't need to worry about the 90-day window to speak to live reps.

Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review: Verdict

If you’re looking for the easiest and fastest mesh networking kit on the market, the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) does the trick with excellent performance, particularly for those in older homes with lots of walls. Its tri-band design with a dedicated backhaul data channel continues to be the best mesh approach and the RBK852 delivers on the promise of Wi-Fi 6, although each device is huge and you might need a third device. 

The rare router that puts security first, the RBK852 combines Touch ID and two-factor authentication with malware software from Bitdefender to keep your online home squeaky clean. But, at $700 for the two-part kit, the RBK852 is one of the most expensive ways to distribute Wi-Fi at home and it only includes 90-days of support. 

While larger and much more expensive than Google’s Nest WiFi mesh kit, the Netgear Orbi RBK852 brings Wi-Fi 6 technology and higher performance but lacks the Nest’s built in smart speaker and microphone; to get Orbi’s take on a mesh kit that listens to your commands and plays music you need to get the RBS40V Voice kit that, like Nest, still uses Wi-Fi 5 technology. As far as up to date gear goes, there are cheaper approaches from TP-Link’s Deco X20 but they fall short on performance. It may be costly and large, but the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) kit is the leader in Wi-Fi 6 mesh networking by pushing data where it needs to be: everywhere.

Don't be fooled by the Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 cybersecurity Wi-Fi router's $299 price; it is neither a gaming nor a high-performance router, but instead one of the best security routers available. With reasonable, though hardly stellar performance, an easy setup and three years of Bitdefender Total Security software included, the router can keep hackers at bay while you enjoy a Wi-Fi-filled home.

If you need a security-focused router, then our Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400) review should make it clear that it's one of the best Wi-Fi routers you can get to protect your home while providing Wi-Fi signal.

Editor's Note: We periodically update our reviews to make sure that pricing and information is up to date. Our rating and recommendation for the Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400) review is unchanged from when it originally published in January of 2020.

Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400): Design

Netgear's Nighthawk AC2300 cybersecurity Wi-Fi router (model No. RS400) may look like a plain-Jane piece of networking gear, but it is the rare router that can not only distribute a wireless internet signal throughout the home, but also protect those who use it. Black and angular, the 11.2 x 7.3 x 2.0-inch RS400 looks like a recently landed spaceship. It can easily be hidden in a closet or basement or set up in plain sight on a bookshelf or windowsill; it has two cutouts on the bottom of the router so you can hang it on a wall.

If you think of the RS400 as a midrange router, capable of covering most homes, that comes with some of the best security software available, you get an idea of its potential in the age of malware anxiety. Netgear's Armor starts with 802.11i data encryption, adds a double firewall and includes three years of unlimited use of Bitdefender's Total Security package. The software is available for Windows, Macs, Androids, iPhones and iOS systems, but the iPad and iPhone app doesn't scan for viruses. 

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The RS400's advanced threat detection and remediation service uses defensive layers to protect individual systems and the network: traditional scanning, behavioral analysis to thwart new attacks and Bitdefender's online lab that uses machine learning to react to the newest threats. To that, Bitdefender adds specific defenses for ransomware and denial-of-service attacks, and the software has file encryption and shredding. At any time, you can freeze or wipe a lost or stolen computer, but only if it's turned on and connected to the internet.

Based on its dual-band operation, the RS400 can set up three lanes of independent data traffic in both the 2.4- and 5-GHz channels. Rated to deliver a maximum of 600 Mbps for its 2.4-GHz clients and 1.625 Gbps for its 5-GHz devices, the router can handle a theoretical peak throughput of 2.225 Gbps. A fully up-to-date 802.11ac router, the RS400 takes advantage of MU-MIMO techniques and beam forming to create the fastest connection with the client. It, however, lacks the performance updates that 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) offers.

The system's three antennas can swivel to steer the transmissions in the right direction. They can be unscrewed and swapped for higher-gain or amplified antennas in less than a minute.

Below the antennas is the RS400's connection panel. It provides the expected broadband-input Ethernet port alongside four downstream Ethernet ports for connecting accessories, like a network storage or printers. All are rated to handle gigabit-per-second data flow but can't be aggregated to boost performance. 

You'll find an on/off switch and a recessed reset button along the back of the router. In addition to a USB 2.0 port in the back, the RS400 has a USB 3.0 one up front. These can be used to attach a hard drive or flash drive, turning the router into a network-attached storage device.To tell you what's going on inside the router, the RS400 has a row of a dozen LEDs that glow white when everything is good or amber when something needs your attention. There are lights for power, internet, 2.4- and 5-GHz LAN access, USB ports, and the four downstream Ethernet ports. The final two lights also act as switches, one to start the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) process of quickly connecting a device and the second to turn off the light show.

Unlike the latest mesh products, the RS400 doesn't come with matched extensions to fill a large home and there are no audio extensions available that can respond to commands using Alexa voice control or Google's Home Assistant commands. However, if you have Alexa or Google Home devices, they can be paired with the router and the RS400 will respond to commands for rebooting the device or pausing the internet service. 

Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400): Performance

Designed to be a midrange home router, the RS400 doesn't disappoint. Based on a Broadcom BCM4365E Wi-Fi chip, the system has a dual-core processor that runs at 1 GHz, along with 256 MB of memory and 128 MB of flash storage for firmware and settings. 

Oddly for a security router, the RS400 lacks a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) to authenticate the device's automatic firmware updates and make sure that rogue updates don't slip in; the updates are encrypted for safety. By the same token, its use of Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA 2) rather than the stronger WPA 3 seems like it might soon be out of date. 

Set up in the Tom's Guide offices, the RS400 was more than powerful enough to fill a 30,000-square-foot open space. Using Ixia's IxChariot's networking-benchmark software, the RS400 delivered a peak of 626.6 Mbps to our Dell XPS 15 notebook at a distance of 5 feet. This easily outperformed the Linksys Max Stream MR8300's 577.4 Mbps at the same distance.

The router's performance throughput fell off to 566.7 Mbps at 15 feet, although that performance rose to 573.8 Mbps at 50 feet. This was also higher than the Max Stream MR8300's 566.7 and 573.8 Mbps at 15 and 50 feet, respectively. At our terminal distance of 100 feet, the RS400 could still move a credible 571.2 Mbps, compared to 500.8 Mbps for the Max Stream MR8300 router. 

Netgear's router did well on our penetration tests, where the signal travels 30 feet through three walls to connect four small rooms. The RS400 made 430.9 Mbps available for devices to use, more than enough for one family member to stream a movie while another plays a game, shops online or does homework. By contrast, the Max Stream router mustered 356.4 Mbps on the same test, a 20% shortfall.

In the real world, the RS400's performance wasn't as stellar. In my 100-year-old, 3,500-square-foot home, the router delivered 189 Mbps from my nominal 200-Mbps cable modem. The router had a range of 95 feet, well short of TP-Link's Archer C2300's 110 feet, leaving several areas uncovered by the Wi-Fi signal. Still, the RS400 ran for a week without a problem and proved to be dependable for everything from email to online videos.

The RS400 easily passed my informal saturation test, in which I stream data to four separate systems. While my Macbook Air was set to play the BBC World Service internet-radio feed, my iPad Pro and Thinkpad T470 played YouTube videos, and my Surface Pro 3 moved data onto and off of a networked RAID storage system. Everything went smoothly, without data hiccups or lost video frames.

When it was working, the RS400 used 8.3 watts of power and stayed cool. If it's on 24/7, the router should cost roughly $9.50 over a year, based on the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity. That makes the RS400 a bargain compared to the likes of the Asus Blue Cave, which uses 12.7 watts and has an annual electricity bill of about $14.50.

After I loaded Bitdefender on my Samsung Galaxy 10 Plus phone and Lenovo ThinkPad T470, the software blocked access to four of the top five disreputable sites on the Malware Domain List.

Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400): Setup

It took 17 minutes to set up a home-wide network with the Netgear RS400 plus another 5 minutes to get and install the included Bitdefender software on my main computer. That's a little on the long side for this type of gear, but it pays dividends in terms of protection.

The process started with plugging the router into my broadband modem and powering it up. While it started up, I downloaded and installed the Nighthawk app on my Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus. There are also app versions for iPhones and iPads, as well as Android phones and tablets.

After creating an account or using an existing one, I was given the opportunity to raise the security level by requiring two-factor authentication and using the phone's fingerprint scanner. After a router restart, the phone I used automatically changed its Wi-Fi network connection to the router's default network and logged me in. Most other router apps require you to do this manually.

Once online, the app scans for the router and then remotely checks its cabling and internet connection. The app needed three tries to get it all to work, a frustrating pause that slowed down the installation a little. 

The app now let me change its network name and password, along with the router's administration credentials. After the app sent me a verification email and had me set up two verification questions, the RS400 router updated its firmware. It finished with a diagnostic test, and my iPad Pro connected on the first try.  

Unfortunately, the app then went into upsell mode by trying to get me to buy a two-year warranty and support package for $30. This would extend the all-too-short included 90 days of support. The router comes with a one-year hardware warranty.

Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400): Configuration

Happily, the same Nighthawk app is the ticket to configuring and altering the RS400 router. The main screen shows the connection status, as well as links for making changes.

In addition to an internet speedometer, the screen is where you can access a rundown of what's connected, Parental Controls, Settings, a Traffic Meter and the Guest Network. The center of attention is the Security section, where I was greeted with an overall security score. The app also makes recommendations for creating a more secure network, like beefing up passwords and enabling Parental Controls. 

At any time, the app let me restart the router and remotely manage it. The app's configuration options are minimalist, with little to tweak, optimize or adjust. With the Wi-Fi Settings, I could only combine the two Wi-Fi bands' throughput using Netear's Smart Connect software. There's no way to set static IP addresses, manage ports or adjust transmission strength. For many people, this will be a relief, but for others, it's a needless simplification.

The RS400's Traffic Meter and Wi-Fi Analytics are very powerful and should be on every router app. The former shows upload and download activity over the day, week and month, in addition to allowing you to limit total downloads. The Wi-Fi Analytics let me flip through screens showing the system's signal strength, Channel Interference and other parameters.

The RS400 comes with Disney's Circle app. Capable of limiting internet time and filtering out objectionable material by age, Circle let me pause the web with a single tap to get some digital-free family time. This app is free for a month and then costs $10 a month after that. 

Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400): Verdict

Want to get Wi-Fi throughout your home while protecting your family's computers and network from hackers and malware? Netgear's Nighthawk AC2300 cybersecurity Wi-Fi router has the one-two punch of reasonably fast internet access and top-shelf security software to do it. Easy to set up, the router suffers from a short range and because it doesn't let you tweak its settings. 

Depending on your perspective, the Nighthawk AC2300 cybersecurity Wi-Fi router is either cheap or expensive. At $300, it's a bargain considering that it includes an unlimited three-year license for Bitdefender Total Security, while the Bitdefender's Family Pack for 15 users sells for $250 on its own. On the other hand, the Nighthawk's price is more in line with a high-performance or gaming router that can push through much more data and that allows lots of configuration options.

Whichever way you look at it, the Nighthawk AC2300 cybersecurity Wi-Fi router can protect an entire house of computers while filling the building with Wi-Fi.

Google proves that good things really can come in small packages with its Nest WiFi family of mesh routers ($269 for the 2-pack we reviewed). The compact mesh units have the power to fill a home with strong Wi-Fi signal, and even feature a built-in Google Home speaker for voice commands and playing music, giving owners the same sort of smart speaker control offered by the Netgear Orbi Voice, an expensive add-on to our top pick for the previous best mesh Wi-Fi system, the Netgear Orbi.

The Nest WiFi kit isn't perfect – we'd like to see more customization options and better range from the individual units – but compared to the latest competing mesh systems, the Nest WiFi is smaller and more affordable than the Netgear Orbi with Orbi Voice extension, and more powerful than the latest Eero mesh system. In other words, the two-piece kit takes the lead when it comes to delivering Wi-Fi data and music. Read our whole Nest WiFi review to learn why its the best mesh Wi-Fi solution out there. (In fact, we named the Nest WiFi one of the best products of the year in our 2020 Tom's Guide Awards.)

Editor's Note: We periodically update our reviews to make sure that pricing and information is up to date. Our rating and recommendation for the Nest WiFi review is unchanged from when it originally published in August of 2020. 

• Google Wifi vs. Nest Wifi: Which mesh router should you buy?

 Nest WiFi review: Design 

Composed of devices that look like big plastic marshmallows, the Nest WiFi mesh devices are small and easy to hide. In addition to stashing them on a shelf, they fit on a windowsill or on a coffee table. The router has a 4.3-inch diameter and is 3.6 inches tall. By contrast, the Point extensions are a little smaller with a 4.0-inch diameter and 3.4-inch height. Both have shotgun-cooling holes at their bases and are tiny compared to comparable Netgear Orbi devices, which are larger and measure nearly 10 inches tall.

The Nest WiFi devices should fit into a variety of home decors, thanks to Google Home's evolving design language of organic shapes with no hard edges and soft colors. The router is available only in flat white, but the extensions come in Mist (light blue), Sand (tan) or white. 

The Nest WiFi concept is similar to Netgear's Orbi Voice: the router is the center of home networking while the Nest WiFi Point Extensions do double duty: They push the Wi-Fi signal farther into the house and can respond to voice commands and play audio. In essence, the extensions are a combination of a mesh extender and a Google Home Mini smart speaker.

On its own, the router sells for $169 and can cover 2,200 square feet, according to Google. The router and an extension two-pack, which is enough to fill to 3,800 square feet, costs $269. By comparison, it took three of the older Google WiFi disks to fill roughly that same space. The Nest WiFi three-pack increases the coverage to 5,400 square feet for $349. After that, each additional extension costs $149, a $50 savings compared with the Netgear Orbi Voice speaker extension. 

The Nest WiFi is able to accommodate up to 32 extensions, and all but the smallest homes will require an extension or two. The good news is that the previous generation of Google WiFi gear can be used as extensions with Nest WiFi to extend the network's reach but without the audio abilities.

Unlike the triband network topology of Netgear's Orbi systems, the Google Nest WiFi mesh system uses a dual-band approach that does without Orbi's dedicated back channel for moving data between the extension and host router. It does have proactive band steering that sends the data to the least congested channel and the preferred extension. The beamforming tunes the transmitted signal to suit the receiver and can connect with up to 100 clients per device; my two-pack has the potential to link 200 devices.

Each Nest WiFi device has four internal antennas that work with the electronics to create a self-healing 802.11ac network. While the router's 5GHz transmissions uses a 4x4 setup, its 2.4GHz band uses a 2x2 design, creating a maximum throughput of 2,200 Mbps. On the other hand, the 2x2 extensions top out at 1,200Mbps.

They both have Bluetooth and 802.15.4 Thread mesh networking built in to efficiently connect with low-power home-automation devices. On the other hand, the gear lacks the latest WiFi-6 technology.

• Wi-Fi 6: What It Is and Why It's Better

With minimalist connections, the router has a pair of Ethernet ports, a power plug and a thoughtful cutout to route the cables. The router lacks a USB connector or a power switch, while the extensions do without any wired connection, so they can't be used as cabled access points the way Netgear Orbi hardware can. 

Inside, the extension has a microphone array, a 4.8-watt amplifier and a 1.6-inch speaker that radiates the sound 360 degrees. They can hear commands from about 15 feet away, and can be individually used for music or grouped together digitally for a homewide sound system on the cheap.

Using Google's Broadcast function, the extensions can be used as an intercom that can also link with other Google Home gear and Nest Hubs for audio calls. There is a switch on each extension to turn the microphone off and preserve privacy.

Surprisingly, based on its size, its sound quality is richer and sharper than Orbi Voice but lacks low-end bass response and doesn’t get nearly as loud as the Orbi RBK40V. It should be fine for a small room, but the music will likely get lost in the chatter of a party. Unfortunately, there's no audio-out jack to patch into an external speaker, but I was able to wirelessly link the extension with a Bluetooth speaker in about 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can pair the extension with a Google Mini speaker as the right or left stereo channel for fuller sound.

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The extensions respond to all of the Google Home commands and Google Assistant skills that any Google smart speaker uses and can control everything from the best smart thermostats to smart light bulbs and the best smart plugs. They can be set up with free services, like Google Play Music and YouTube Music, as well as subscription music services; I used my Spotify subscription.

At any time, you can tap the top of the extension to pause or restart the audio track and run your finger over the extension's top to raise or lower the volume. You can also control the volume with voice commands. My favorite is to just say something like "Hey Google, turn it up" or "volume level 4."

 Nest WiFi review: Performance 

Built around a custom version of Qualcomm's QCS400 family of chips, the Nest WiFi router and extensions use a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and a pair of Digital Signal Processors (DSP), while the extensions have far-field voice-pickup technology. The router has 1GB of RAM as well as 4GB of flash storage for firmware and settings, while the extensions have 768MB of RAM and 512MB of storage space.

Happily, the router uses a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) to authenticate its automatic firmware updates. This means that the system's software changes are secure and are only accepted if they're digitally signed by Google. The system has WPA 3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) security built in, but only a handful of networking gear supports this new standard. You can still use the more common WPA 2.

To gauge the performance capabilities of the Nest WiFi gear, we first set it up at the Tom’s Guide open office and tested performance using Ixia's IxChariot. The router’s maximum throughput occurred five feet from the Nest base unit with the ability to move 653.2Mbps. That's a big step up from the original Google WiFi (464.3Mbps) and well ahead of the the 2019 Eero (342.2Mbps). The previous category leader, the Netgear Orbi RBK50 turned in a middling performance of 552.1Mbps at 5 feet.

The Nest WiFi's performance dropped off to 612.0- and 455.1-Mbps at 15- and 50-feet, or between 11- and 15-percent ahead of the Orbi RBK50 mesh system. At 50-feet, the Orbi turned the tables and took the lead with 478.3Mbps versus the Nest’s 455.1Mbps. At 100-feet, the Nest regained the advantage with 394.0Mbps available versus 315.5Mbps for the Orbi RBK50 system.

It blew away the 2019 Eero in our wall penetration testing, where the signal has to travel through three walls and 40-feet of heavy-duty construction. While the Nest delivered 400.6Mbps, the Eero could only muster 84Mbps, less than one-quarter the throughput.

The Nest excelled on our mesh system test with a satellite unit 50-feet from the host router. It was able to transmit 480.1Mbps. By contrast, the Eero managed only 169.1Mbps on the same tests. This is likely the result of its lower performance aspirations. While the Nest WiFi devices are rated to operate at a peak of 2.2Gbps, the new Eero devices top out at 550Mbps, one-quarter the peak abilities of the Nest.

I set the Nest two-pack up in my three-story, 3,500-square-foot home, an older building with thick walls and lots of nooks and crannies. With the router in the basement and the extension a floor above, the two-piece Nest set ran without a problem for more than a week of testing. Because the router lacked the built-in smart speaker, I set up a Nest Hub nearby to provide that same functionality in that room.

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The network ran without a problem, reliably distributing my internet connection and playing everything from the latest Kevin Gates track to the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti to the latest BBC World News headlines. The incoming connection's 235Mbps bandwidth dropped to 187Mbps at the router and 178Mbps at the extension, a 25 % decline.

Overall, the router had a range of 80 feet and the mesh extension added another 50 feet. This should be fine for most homes, but it came up a little short in filling my house, leaving dead spots on the top floor and at the extremities. Clearly, having a second extension would have helped.

The system's throughput was more than enough to pass our informal saturation test, where I connected four different computers, including an Apple Macbook Air, a Microsoft Surface Pro 3, a Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ and a Lenovo Thinkpad T470, to watch videos and listen to Internet radio while moving data back and forth from a networked RAID storage array. I didn't detect any data hiccups or lost frames, even when listening to music on the Nest WiFi extension.

• Google's Nest Wifi Router Doubles as a Google Home

While working, the router stayed cool, but the extension got warm to the touch. The used 3.7 and 4.3 watts of power, respectively, less than half the power an Orbi Router and Voice require. Together, they might cost $8.40 a year in electricity bills if they're connected 24/7 and you pay the national average for electricity of 13 cents per kilowatt-hour. All told, it’s a small price to pay for Wi-Fi and music on demand.

 Nest WiFi review: Setup 

The installation routine for creating a Nest Wi-Fi network is easy and logical with simple illustrated step-by-step instructions. You will need a phone or tablet because, unlike Netgear's Orbi, there's no way to set it up or configure the Nest WiFi units with a connected web browser. All told, it took a little less than 20 minutes to install the router and extension in my home, a little longer than the 15 minutes it took for an Orbi Voice. For me, it started with installing the Google Home app on my Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ phone.

After tapping "Create a home," I tapped to set up new devices. Then, I gave my house a name.

The software then scanned for and found the Nest WiFi router in a couple seconds. I snapped the QR code found on the underside of the router and allowed the software to connect with the router. A series of animated colored rings appeared around the router's photo on-screen to show it connected.

I then named the router's room and entered what I wanted to use as the network's name and password. At this point I agreed to have Google run networking tests, diagnose problems and create statistics.

Once the router is set up, you'll need to add the Point extension. I powered it up and the app scanned for and quickly found it. Once I named its room, the extension played a short tune to verify the successful connection.

Next up, I created a voice print to identity me later; it took about a minute of saying various things and waiting on its processing. I then set the system up to play music using Spotify by logging in. I could have linked to my Sirius XM satellite radio account but chose not to.

Nearly done, the Nest WiFi then updated its firmware. Once it checked the connection between the router and the extension, the extension played a short tune. Finished, the app showed all the setup details.

With everything working, I was able to connect my trusty iPad Pro to the extension on the first try. I then took a test drive by asking Google's voice assistant to tell me the time, weather and current traffic on the George Washington Bridge. Finally, I sat back and listened to some tunes.

 Nest WiFi review: Configuration 

The Nest WiFi equipment relies primarily on the Google Home app for making configuration changes, although the customization options are few and far between. In addition to adding extensions and setting up groups, the app can adjust how bright the router and extensions glow.

At any time, I was able to run a networking test, remotely restart the network or show the Guest network's password on a smart display. The Settings pages for the router and extension show some detail, like IP addresses and firmware version.

What's missing are traditional setting choices that most other routers have, like setting static IP addresses, managing ports or picking which Wi-Fi channel to use. Most won't miss these items, but it might be a deal-breaker for those who like to tweak their gear.

For accessing these more advanced features, use the older Google Wi-Fi app. There you can make DHCP reservations or manage the system's privacy settings. That the two apps haven't been integrated is a mystery.

 Nest WiFi review: Smart-home integration 

Along with the Nest WiFi gear, Google's Home app can be a one-stop shop for controlling a variety of home automation items, like any of the best smart light bulbs. To add a device, tap the "+" in the main screen's upper left corner.

Be warned, the Home app is a little picky and balked at using a Belkin Wemo ligh tbulb and an Amazon Smart plug. I was able to use it with Philips Hue lights and C by GE light bulbs; it also works with Sylvania’s LEDVANCE lights. The system allowed me to independently turn the lights on and off as well as dim them via the Home app and the Nest WiFi extension voice commands. The Home app allowed me to pick from the six light colors the GE bulb offered.

The Google Home app includes Family Wi-Fi. It allows the grouping of devices so that the lights and thermostats are part of a different group than the computers. This let me pause the system's Wi-Fi to stop the flow of data long enough for dinner or screen-free family time without affecting other devices that I want to run 24/7.

Google backs the Nest WiFi gear with a one-year warranty that includes full support with technicians on call to help 24/7. The Nest support site has several DIY items to help get the gear up and running as well as the ability to call, chat or email them for personal help. By contrast, Netgear provides only 90-days of support.

Nest WiFi review: Verdict

The Nest WiFi takes a big step ahead of the Netgear Orbi with a much smaller size, higher overall performance, and a set up that's simple and straightforward. It also has a Google Home smart speaker built in, giving it a leg up on the Orbi, which requires buying the Orbi Voice to add similar Alexa capability to your home mesh system. Sure, the range isn't as broad as we'd like, and the lack of a web interface means you'll have to set it up using your phone, but it outshines the Netgear Orbi where it counts, giving you faster speeds throughout your home. That's enough to make the Nest WiFi our new pick as the best mesh Wi-Fi system available.

Compared with the Orbi Voice, the Nest WiFi also offers better sound in a compact and more affordable package. The overall volume is a little weak, but the functionality and design make the Nest WiFi the one to get if you want to mix Wi-Fi and a smart speaker.

The Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) may look like a spaceship that just landed on your desk but it delivers top Wi-Fi speed to a variety of computers while protecting them from malware attacks. It's a great Wi-Fi 6 router and one of the best Wi-Fi routers we've reviewed.

It's more expensive than some other high-performance Wi-Fi 6 routers and its throughput declines rapidly with increased distance – larger homes will do better with a mesh router. Still, our Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) review shows that it's the top dog for home high-performance routers.

Editor's Note: We periodically update our reviews to insure the pricing and information are up to date. The recommendations and rating in this review remain unchanged since it initially ran in July of 2020.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) review: Design

Looking more like a model of the Star Wars A-Wing fighter than a piece of networking gear, Netgear’s Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) router has a prominent pair of fold-open wings. Inside each wing is a pair of antennas for a total of four. As cool as the wings might look on a coffee table or desk, the antennas can’t be replaced or aimed.

The device measures 10.8 x 8.0 x 2.8 inches when its winged antennas are folded up. Unfurl them and the AX8 gets large quickly at 12.0 x 8.0 x 6.3 inches. As big as it is, it might be a good place to stack file folders or the day’s mail between its wings.

With soft rubber feet, the silver and black Nighthawk AX8 won’t scratch your furniture and could be a conversation starter. It has a pair of inserts underneath for mounting it on a wall or under a table, as well as grilles upfront and on top to help dissipate heat. During our evaluation, the router never got above 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Inside, the Nighthawk AX8 has Broadcom’s BCM43684 Wi-Fi chipset, the same electronics that powers the TP-Link Archer AX6000 and Linksys Max Stream MR9600. All three routers have the same 1.8GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM, but the Nighthawk AX8 comes with 512MB of flash storage versus 128MB for the Archer AX6000. 

The dual-band Nighthawk AX8 creates 2.4- and 5GHz networks but lacks the second 5GHz network that the company’s tri-band Nighthawk RAX200 delivers. Still, the AX8 features the latest beamforming technology, the ability to use ultra-wide 160MHz channels and a theoretical top speed of 1.2Gbps in 2.4GHz mode and 4.8Gbps in 5GHz mode. It has an AX6000 rating.

Its back panel provides access to the AX8’s input broadband connection and five downstream gigabit per second wired Ethernet LAN ports. That’s one more than the MR9600 has, but three fewer than the TP-Link Archer AX6000’s wired ports. If you crave top speed and your gear can support port aggregation, the output of ports four and five can be combined for a maximum of 2Gbps. There’s also a pair of USB 3 ports for use with a printer or hard drive, but the system lacks the Archer AX6000’s USB C port.

For those who don’t like flashy light shows, the Nighthawk AX8 has a demure row of status LEDs. There’re indicators for Power, Internet, its five individual LAN ports, USB, Wi-Fi and using the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) to add devices to the network.

The router has a switch for turning the LED lights off as well as a recessed switch for resetting the router to its factory settings. The router also has an on/off switch as well as buttons for using the router’s Wi-Fi Protected Setup and turning the Wi-Fi transmissions off, converting it into a wired router.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) review: Performance

Based on benchmark testing with Ixia’s ixChariot’s network simulation software in a 100-year old house, the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 is the current top performer among standalone routers and is for those who demand the best throughput. With the ability to move 1.389Gbps of data at 15-feet, it outperforms other Wi-Fi 6 devices by a wide margin. The closest competitors were the TP-Link Archer AX6000 (at 884.4Mbps) and the Linksys MR9600 (at 822.0Mbps). This represents at least a third more throughput for high resolution movies, online gaming and family data hogs.

While it blasted a lot of data short range, the AX8’s throughput fell off quickly as the range increased, making it better for small and mid-sized houses than larger ones. At 50-feet, it was capable of moving only 277.1Mbps versus 396.4Mbps for the Archer AX6000 and 363.3Mbps for the MR9600. By 75-feet, its available bandwidth dropped further to 142.3Mbps, a bit below the MR9600’s 227.0Mbps. 

The system stayed in contact at our terminal distance of 90-feet, but just barely. It moved 20.8Mbps, just enough for viewing movies. By contrast, the Archer AX8000 and MR9600 were offline at this distance. 

If you live in an older home, you’ll appreciate the Nighthawk AX8’s ability to punch a strong Wi-Fi signal through walls and floors. It was able to send 1.077Gbps through a wall 20-feet from the router. That’s nearly one third higher than the Archer AX6000’s 738.0Mbps and almost 80% better than the MR9600’s 219.1Mbps. It was on a par with the Archer AX6000 at pushing a strong signal up a floor with 628.8Mbps available upstairs from the router versus 667.3Mbps; the MR9600 managed a disappointing 72.6Mbps.

The Nighthawk AX8 was a reliable router that worked well for a week of continual home use. I watched movies, used the Web, gamed online and even used it for sending and receiving email. It passed our saturation test by delivering clean video while a Macbook Air was playing YouTube videos, an iPad Pro was playing tunes on Spotify, a Dell XPS 15 was streaming an Internet radio feed and an HP Elitebook moved data onto and off of a networked RAID server.

When it was being used, the Nighthawk AX8 consumed 13.0-watts of power and 5.5-watts at idle. This translates into an annual electricity bill of $10.50 if it’s used for 12 hours a day and asleep the rest of the time and you pay the national average of 13 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity. In other words, it’s between the more economical MR9600 ($6.80 per year) and the slightly more expensive Archer AX6000 ($11.30 per year) to use.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) review: Setup

There’s only one choice for setting up the Netgear Nighthawk AX8: Use the Nighthawk app. This provides less flexibility compared to others, including TP-Link’s Archer AX6000’s ability to perform the set up via a connected computer’s browser. The Nighthawk app provides an illustrated step-by-step path to creating a wireless network. I used the iOS version on my iPad Pro, but there is also a version for Android systems as well. Both, unfortunately, appear to have been written for phones and are locked into vertical orientation.

Creating an AX8 network starts with rebooting the broadband modem and plugging the router in, which is shown in the app. After creating an account with Netgear and allowing the software to detect the router, I scanned the router’s identifying QR code underneath.

Next, the router restarts and it’s time to connect the tablet to the router’s Wi-Fi network with the details printed on a sticker underneath. The app then scanned for the device, checked the router’s cabling and Internet connection. 

After personalizing the AX8 with a new network name and password, I changed the router’s administrative password. Finally, the app asked if I wanted to set up Touch ID with the iPad for extra router security. 

The router then did an update of its firmware, restarted and showed that everything was working. All told, it took 10 minutes to set it up and the connection worked on the first try.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) review: Configuration

As is the case with many recent routers, small changes (like setting up the Quality of Service and 802.11AX mode) can be made with the app but deeper options (like enabling IPv6 and changing the encryption method) are hidden behind the Nighthawk AX8’s browser interface. Unfortunately, some of the pages are too long for the typical screen so you’ll either have to zoom-in and -out or scroll up and down.

The router’s software lacks the Archer AX6000’s processor and memory usage stats, but the router’s Advanced Setup is where the real action is. The section includes adjusting the Fragmentation threshold, whether to use a long or short Preamble and the ability to set up port forwarding and turn the AX8 into a wired access point.

While the AX8’s Traffic Meter lacks the easy-to-read line graphs of the TP-Link Archer AX6000's monitoring tool, it can still keep tabs on individual use and can set a data limit. Its Guest network can allow outsiders to use the router’s Internet connection with or without a password or to allow access to other parts of the network. This potentially blurs the lines between the main and guest networks.

Thanks to Netgear’s Armor software, the Nighthawk AX8 is about as secure as a router gets these days. This protection includes unlimited use of malware protection apps from Bitdefender with software for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS systems. After a year of use, it costs $45 a year for the protection. 

The interface includes set up for port aggregation. It can combine the abilities of two of its LAN ports for a 2Gbps data stream. It lacks any built-in Amazon Alexa speaker or microphone but the router responds to Alexa commands from a paired smart speaker as well as from Google Assistant. Aside from these popular smart speakers, the AX8 lacks the ability to integrate home automation devices into its interface, such as turning the router off at 6PM for a nightly family dinner.

In addition to setting up Internet access on a schedule, the system comes with Disney’s Circle app for blocking inappropriate content. It can be set for keywords or a child’s age. The router comes with a month’s worth of free use and it costs $10 a month after that.

As is the case with other Netgear products, the Nighthawk AX8 comes up short in terms of support. It includes 90-days of access to the company’s squad of technicians to help with set up; to upgrade to a full two years of support costs $30. Netgear’s 1-year warranty is standard in the networking business today and extending that to two years costs $80 with extra support. 

The Netgear product support site has lots of DIY material, including configuration help, troubleshooting and optimization techniques. There are downloads of a manual and firmware updates as well as videos that can help get the most out of the gear.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) review: Verdict

If you’re looking for the best Wi-Fi 6 router, look no further than the Netgear Nighthawk AX8. It not only delivers one-third more throughput than other Wi-Fi 6 routers, but smashes through the gigabit per second barrier with 1.389Gbps of throughput and does an excellent job of pushing its Wi-Fi signal through walls and floors. This means that it will work just as well in the real world as in the lab. With the choice between an easy-to-use app and a more detailed browser interface, the Nighthawk AX8 lets you leave things as they are or optimize it to your heart’s content.

The the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 costs the same as the lower-performing Linksys Max Stream MR9600, but is $100 more than the TP-Link Archer AX6000. This might put it out of the reach of many buyers, but if you and your family have the need for online speed, this is the router to get. 

Netgear’s WiFi Range Extender EX2800 may be one of the simplest Wi-Fi extenders to set up and use, but it can help fill your home with data for just $40.

While it doesn't offer an Ethernet port for additional wired access, this inexpensive range extender has excellent security, and features the ability to use two-factor authentication and Apple’s Touch ID.

Netgear WiFi Range Extender EX2800 review: Design

Netgear’s EX2800 plugs right into an AC outlet, but at 2.7 x 2.7 x 1.8 inches, it won’t block an adjacent outlet. It has a two-prong plug, but lacks adjustable antennas to bring in the strongest signal.

Its design, however, does without an Ethernet port, so the EX2800 can’t be used as a wired access point. There are four LEDS up front for Power, Router, WPS  and Device, which acts like a crude signal strength meter to help with optimal placement. They glow green when everything is OK but there’s no way to turn them off.

The extender’s top and bottom have cooling holes. Its side has a reset button for and there are WPS and Power buttons.

Netgear WiFi Range Extender EX2800 review: Performance

The Netgear EX2800 extender works by wirelessly connecting to the host router and retransmitting stronger 2.4- and 5GHz signals. It uses WiFi-5 technology and under ideal conditions it is theoretically capable of moving up to 750Mbps.  

Based on testing with a TP-Link Archer C5400X and Ixia’s IxChariot networking performance benchmark, the EX2800 does a lot with a little but was left in the digital dust by Wi-Fi 6-rated Netgear AX1800 Mesh Extender (EAX20), however. With a 90-foot range, the EX2800 moved 170.9Mbps to our receiving system 15-feet away. This is just slightly below what we saw in the Rock Space AC1200 WiFi Extender review (175.4Mbps) at the same distance. Both were blown away by the Netgear EAX20’s 375.4Mbps.

When the EX2800 was set up on the same floor 40-feet from the router and the test system another 50-feet away, it delivered 24.4Mbps, half that of the Rock Space Wi-Fi Range Extender and one-fifth that of the Netgear EAX20. It did better when the extender was placed a floor above the router and the test machine 40-feet away. It delivered 124.4Mbps versus 173.1Mbps for its Wi-Fi 6 cousin the EAX20.

During my week using the EX2800, it used an amazingly low 1-watt of power. If it’s left on 24/7, it will cost about $1.10 per year if you pay the average cost of electricity in US of 13 cents per kilowatt-hour. Clearly, it’s for misers with Wi-Fi dead zones.

Netgear WiFi Range Extender EX2800 review: Features

The EX2800 dual-band extender uses 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) technology to push both 2.4- and 5GHz networks into new parts of a home; it can’t combine them into a single network name, though. It has the power to fill an extra 1,200 square feet of a Wi-Fi home, according to Netgear.

There are extensive customization options available that range from backing up and restoring the extender’s settings to allowing a device to hog the extender’s entire throughput. Called Fast Lane, it’s easy to set up but it only works with a single band and might antagonize the family.

Netgear WiFi Range Extender EX2800 review: Setup and software

Forget about using an app to setup and configure the Netgear EX2800 because it requires an old-school connected browser and Netgear’s Genie software to install and make changes. Using my ThinkPad T470, I typed “mywifiext.net,” created a new account and picked that I wanted to use the EX2800 as a range extender.

Next, the software scanned for the device and found my networks. I picked the two networks I wanted to extend and entered their passwords.

The software took a minute to set up the extension. Finally, I entered the names and passwords of the extended networks. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to consolidate them into a single network name. Everything worked on the first try and the extension yielded 116Mbps out of my 200Mbps connection. With everything working fine, I moved the extension to a spot 50 feet away.  Start to finish, it took 5 minutes.

Netgear WiFi Range Extender EX2800 review: Warranty and support

Netgear backs the EX2800 with a one-year warranty but only 90-days of support. If you have problems later on, you’ll need to pay for additional customer support. Thankfully, Netgear’s site is chock full of DIY material to help get the most out of the extender, including help setting it up and enhancing its security. If you need assistance, the Netgear staff is standing by 24/7.

Netgear WiFi Range Extender EX2800 review: Verdict

The Netgear WiFi Range Extender EX2800 does the trick for those with lots of Wi-Fi dead zones by quickly and easily filling in gaps. At $40 it’s a good buy but lacks the features offered on something like TP-Link RE650 AC2600 Wi-Fi Range Extender, which boasts a wired Ethernet port for converting it into a wired access point and has superior performance. Still, it’s a small and inexpensive Wi-Fi extender that can help fill a home with data. 

When working from home full time started in earnest this past March, I thought my home network was pretty well set up, but it only took a few weeks of my wife and I trying to do video conference calls simultaneously to realize that our home Wi-Fi connection needed improvement. And, it took three tries to get things right before I landed on the Netgear Orbi mesh router.

A little background: The attic in my house had been converted into a finished space by the previous owners. Prior to working from home full time, I had turned it into an entertainment area, as well as a place to test smart home gear. I also had my computer set up there for those days I did work from home.

On the first floor of my house, I had a Linksys EA8300 router that did a great job in terms of covering the first two floors, as well as outside. However, it didn’t quite reach my home office, so I needed to do something.

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First try: The Wi-Fi Extender

I started by purchasing a Linksys RE9000 Wi-Fi extender to give the attic space a bit more oomph. This setup worked pretty well for a while, because what was up in the attic generally stayed in the attic. The problem was that the extender was powerful enough to reach down a floor, which caused problems when a device, such as a phone, would connect to the extender, but then have trouble jumping back to the main router as I descended down to the first floor. 

Other times, a device would remain connected to the main router even when I was in the attic, and as a result, webpages and the like would load real slowly because of the weak connection. 

Once my wife joined me in the attic full time, this became more of an issue as one of us would have to take our laptop down to the dining room or bedroom if we both had Zoom calls at the same time. It was just too erratic to work properly.

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Second try: The cable provider

Because we have Comcast’s Xfinity internet service, my next thought was to upgrade our cable modem to its xFi Gateway, and to purchase its Pods (about $120 for a three-pack) to set up a mesh network in our house. It looked like a relatively inexpensive solution. The Pods were small, easy to set up, and I was able to cover my whole house. The Xfinity xFi app is pretty good, too, alerting you when new devices connect, if there are any security threats, and automatically blocking issues. 

And it worked, for a while. But, after a few weeks, Pods, especially the ones in the attic, would suddenly go offline, often in the middle of one of us doing something important. We’d then have to unplug and re-plug the Pods back in and wait for them to reconnect to the rest of the network. It was incredibly frustrating. I even bought a second three-pack of Pods, in the hopes that by having more, it would spread out the network traffic or at the least, provide a bit more backup. 

No luck. The Pods still went offline with regularity, and our laptops—mine a Mac, and hers a PC—did not quickly jump to a new Pod. Often, the two nearest Pods would go offline, which didn’t help matters. It was hugely frustrating.

The solution: A mesh router

So, I strapped on a facemask and went to my local Best Buy, where I bought the Netgear Orbi mesh Wi-Fi system. I chose the RBK50 (AC3000) model, one of the few models in stock at the store.

At $329 for the base station and a satellite, it wasn’t the least expensive option, but I liked that it has a dedicated backhaul channel, and that both the base station and the satellite have Ethernet ports, which allows me to plug in other accessories, such as a desktop PC.

I also wasn’t willing to pay upwards of $500 for a Wi-Fi 6 router, though given the number of smart home devices I have — upwards of 50 — it’s probably an upgrade I might need in a few years. 

We’ve had the Orbi up and running for about a month now, with no issues. I still have my Xfinity Pods in place, and they’ve remained online too, so I suspect that they just couldn’t handle all the traffic from our work computers, as well as the dozens of smart home devices I have on my network. I also like that the Netgear app monitors my network traffic, and offers Bitdefender Security for any machine connected to the network. It also has parental security controls. 

Seeing as we’re going to be working from home for at least the next six months — if not more — I’m glad to have resolved my network problems. 

Given everything that’s going on in the world, and the fact that there are a lot of less fortunate people than myself who have a lot more to worry about, my difficulties getting a decent Wi-Fi signal to my home office are very trivial. But, at least for me and my wife, having a reliable Wi-Fi connection is essential for us being able to work, which is why the Netgear Orbi proved to be the best thing I bought during the pandemic. Well, that and a big block of cheese.

Updated with comment from Netgear.

Forty-five different Netgear Wi-Fi routers and home gateways will never get security patches despite having serious security flaws that were disclosed in June, the company has now confirmed. 

If you own or use one of these routers, it's best to just throw it out and get a new one. You could try installing open-source router firmware such as OpenWRT on the old model if you're technologically inclined.

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These routers were among nearly 80 Netgear models prone to total takeover by hackers who could exploit flaws in their administrative interfaces. The Netgear router flaws were revealed in mid-June. 

Netgear has since been pushing out firmware updates and "hot fixes" for individual models one by one, but until last week it wasn't clear which models would never get the fixes.

Now we know. Netgear updated its advisory on the issue July 20 with a grid listing each affected model and whether it would get a temporary hotfix, a full "production release" firmware patch or, sad to say, that the model was "outside security support period" and would get nothing.

Tom's Guide has reached out to Netgear for comment, and we will update this story when we receive a reply.

Our friends at The Register went through the trouble of going through Netgear's grid and compiling a text list of each dead-router-walking. We've borrowed that list and put it below.

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How to find your Netgear router's model number

One catch, however: Netgear is terrible at communicating the actual model number of a router to consumers. So while you may think your router model is, for example, "Nighthawk Smart WiFi AC1900", those are just marketing terms used to describe both the R6900 and the R7000. (Both have hotfixes available.)

Go to your router, flip it around and look for a sticker on its bottom or backside. That will have the model number printed on it. Some model numbers have variants, such as R6300 (or R6300v1) versus R6300v2; that means something's different about the internal hardware. In this case, v1 is "outside the security support period" while v2 gets a hotfix.

Every router that has not been declared to be part of the walking dead does have a hotfix or bonafide firmware update available, so if it's not on the list below, go to Netgear's security advisory or to this handy spreadsheet for links to the updates. We've got generic instructions on how to update your Netgear router at the end of an earlier story.

Update: Netgear statement

A Netgear representative provided us with this statement:

"Netgear has provided firmware updates with fixes for all supported products previously disclosed by ZDI and Grimm. The remaining products included in the published list are outside of our support window. In this specific instance, the parameters were based on the last sale date of the product into the channel, which was set at three years or longer."

The 45 Netgear routers that won't be patched

• AC1450
• D6300
• DGN2200v1
• DGN2200M
• DGND3700v1
• LG2200D
• MBM621
• MBR1200
• MBR1515
• MBR1516
• MBR624GU
• MBRN3000
• MVBR1210C
• R4500
• R6200
• R6200v2
• R6300v1
• R7300DST
• WGR614v10
• WGR614v8
• WGR614v9
• WGT624v4
• WN2500RP
• WN2500RPv2
• WN3000RP
• WN3000RPv2
• WN3000RPv3
• WN3100RP
• WN3100RPv2
• WN3500RP
• WNCE3001
• WNCE3001v2
• WNDR3300v1
• WNDR3300v2
• WNDR3400v1
• WNDR3400v2
• WNDR3400v3
• WNDR3700v3
• WNDR4000
• WNDR4500
• WNDR4500v2
• WNR3500v1
• WNR3500Lv1
• WNR3500v2
• WNR834Bv2

Netgear’s PLP2000 can put high-performance data just about any place in your home with throughput that puts other powerline networking devices to shame while giving you an extra outlet to replace the wall outlet it covers. With gigabit connectivity, superb range and better performance than competing powerline extenders we've tested, the Netgear PLP2000 Powerline Extender is our favorite extender kit.

Although it leaves the others in the digital dust, the PLP2000 suffers from being among the most expensive powerline kits you can get, and only includes 90-days of support. It also lacks any way to monitor and configure the equipment. 

Even with it's flaws, the Netgear's excellent performance makes it the top pick among the best powerline extenders you can buy. (Still confused? Check out our article Wi-Fi extenders vs powerline adapters: Everything you need to know to learn more.)

It’s expensive, but as our Netgear PLP2000 Powerline Extender review makes clear, it can put data where it’s never gone before.

Netgear PLP2000 Powerline Extender: Design and features

At 5.3 x 2.8 x 2.3 inches, the Netgear PLP2000 is a little smaller than the TP-Link TL-PA9020P, but three times larger than the tiny D-Link DHP-601AV. It has a replacement wall outlet to compensate for the one it covers, but its three-prong plug requires a grounded outlet.

The white plastic PLP2000 has three LEDs upfront for power, powerline connection and Ethernet status that are much easier to see than the TL-PA 9020P’s side LEDs. On the sides of the adapter are holes for heat ventilation.

Along the bottom is a pair of gigabit Ethernet ports so the powerline kit won’t need a network switch to service two digital appliances, like a TV and computer. The Security button underneath can change the system’s 128-bit AES encryption keys.

The Netgear PLP2000 uses the HomePlug AV2 standard and supports Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transfers so that many members of the family can be using it at once. To that the PLP2000 adds a noise filter on its AC outlet that allows you to plug an appliance into its AC outlet without worrying about interference interrupting the data flow. It tops out with a 2Gbps spec and can work with up to 16 powerline devices on a network, according to Netgear.

Netgear PLP2000 Powerline Extender: Performance

Like many of its peers, the PLP2000 is built around Broadcom’s BCM60500 chipset. The Netgear extender led the way in terms of performance with the ability to move a maximum of 101.0Mbps out of my home’s 200Mbps connection. This makes it the powerline kit to get for those who crave lots of data. In many cases, the Netgear's throughput was more than twice any of its competitors, putting it in a class by itself. By the 100-foot mark its throughput dropped to 81.9Mbps, still overwhelmingly the leader.

With a maximum range of 775 feet, the Netgear PLP2000 supplied 24.3Mbps to my previously unconnected garage, filling it with HD videos, online games and Web site journeys. The excellent speeds we saw at 100 feet stayed consistently high, but the category-leading performance only continued until about the 600-foot mark, where the TP-Link TL-PA9020P’s extended range took over the lead. The ability of the PLP2000 pair to stay online with 775 feet of cable between them was second best to the TP-Link TL-PA9020P’s 1,075 feet. The Netgear PLP2000 was also way ahead of the D-Link DHP-601AV’s 525-foot range. 

The PLP2000 got a little warm during use and hit a peak temperature of 108-degrees Fahrenheit. The sender and receiver units used 3.7-watts each when moving data and 1.3-watts at idle. That translates into an estimated annual electricity bill of about $5.70, good but not in the same class as the stingy D-Link DHP-601AV. 

Netgear PLP2000 Powerline Extender: Setup and software

After plugging both Netgear extender units in, it took a few seconds for the data to start flowing through the PLP2000 pair. Unlike the other extenders we tested, the Netgear comes with a preset pair of encryption keys, so the data flowing between the two units in the extender kit is always secure. You can change the encryption keys to a random set by pressing the Security button for a few seconds. 

On the other hand, the PLP2000 lacks the Quality of Service (QOS) software and monitoring dashboard offered on the TP-Link TL-PA9020P. While Netgear offers tips, security help and an excellent manual, it falls short with a 1-year warranty and 90-days of technical support; competitors include up to three years of support and warranty on their extender kits. For the PLP2000, you’ll need to pay more to extend the coverage.

Netgear PLP2000 Powerline Extender: Verdict

If you need top performance from your powerline gear, look no further than the Netgear PLP2000 powerline extender kit. It not only pumps out the data faster than other powerline kits we tested, but has more than enough range to fill most homes with data.

While it’s $20 more expensive than the TP-Link TL-PA9020P, the Netgear PLP2000 is our top pick because it moves much more data than its competitors while using only a little electricity. That means that the device does its job well, but doesn’t cost a lot to use. 

Netgear does offer a shorter warranty on the PLP2000, and provides only 90-days of support and lacks a monitoring and configuration utility. Still, with its ability to deliver high-speed data to different parts of a home, the PLP2000 is a great choice for satisfying the data hogs at your home.

Collecting art is a lavish hobby. Netgear's Meural Canvas II offers to make it a bit more accessible. That is, if you're okay viewing Degas or Seurat on an LCD display and still have $400 to spare.

While some of Meural's Wi-Fi digital art frames cost as much as an original gallery piece, Netgear's latest product, the Canvas II, comes at a more palatable price and offers an expansive virtual art collection.

And Meural's hardware is only half the product. Its app and membership unlock thousands of works from famed painters and promising photographers. It's the ultimate gift for the art enthusiast, short of an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris.

Meural Canvas II price and Meural membership

The Meural Canvas II unit I reviewed costs $399.95. The larger 19 x 29-inch variant costs a heftier $599.95. And any of the premium wood frame finishes will tack on another $100 to your cost, while a swivel wall mount that lets you rotate your Canvas between portrait and landscape orientations costs another $49.95.

Long story short, you'll likely end up paying more than $400 before you've even looked at Meural's memberships. It costs $69.95 per year or $8.95 per month for access to Meural's expansive art library, and you can't view more than a few works without the subscription. Even then, you'll have to pay an extra fee to access some of Meural's premium playlists. 

Meural Canvas II design

The Meural Canvas II looks like a standard art or photo frame, but thicker. Its 16 x 24 x 2-inch body creates an unassuming shadow-box effect on the 21-inch display when viewed from any distance that's more than a few feet away. However, the black plastic frame bordering the unit really underserves the Canvas II's aesthetic. Plus, its paint scraped easily. I would likely opt for a premium wood frame if I were to buy one.

One side of the Canvas II has a power button, a dock for an SD card and a micro USB input. Both blend in well and won't distract from the illusion that Meural's frame isn't electronic. The power cable, on the other hand, could be a pain to deal with. You might want to obscure it with furniture or run a conduit through your wall if you want to avoid unsightly cords. 

Meural Canvas II picture quality 

The Meural II's 1920 x 1080p LCD display has a matte finish that prevents glare and makes it look more elegant than a TV showing a photo. It also supports strong off-angle viewing. Van Gogh's self-portrait maintained its brightness and color as I moved around the room. 

The Canvas II doesn't have a video input like a TV or monitor might, so I didn't use our typical lab testing to obtain detailed display data. But I'm fairly confident such testing would back my anecdotal experience that the color reproduction appears realistic. I even fooled a few passersby into thinking the Canvas II held a printed image of Frida Khalo's "The Broken Column" rather than a digitally recreated one. 

There's no denying Meural's display is stunning. The company's patented True Art Technology claims to bring 16.7 million colors to life, and I'd believe it, given the rich blacks and complex hues I saw in Goya's "Two Old Men" and other famous paintings.

• Pros and Cons of Digital Photo Frames

And for photography, the Canvas II's resolution is high enough that my colleague mistook stray hairs on a dress shirt in a Dorothea Lange portrait for scruff on the display. When I uploaded photos of my dog captured on an iPhone 11 Pro Max, I could see the leathery texture of his perfect little nose. 

MORE: See our Lenovo Smart Frame review

Meural setup

Setting up the Meural Canvas II was mostly painless. I opted to stand it on an easel for the sake of simplicity, but you can mount it on the wall if you'd prefer. Meural provides basic mounting materials and includes a leveler to help you hang your Canvas evenly.

There is a caveat with Meural's mount, though. It's ill-disposed to alternate between portrait and landscape orientation. If you imagine you'll want to flip it somewhat regularly, consider investing in Meural's swiveling wall mount. The Lenovo Smart Frame, coming later in 2020, will include a swivel mount in its $399 fee. I wish Meural did, too.  

Meural's digital art library 

Much of Meural's appeal lies in its dynamic art library. Viewable on the web or on the Meural app (iOS and Android), Meural's collection includes more than 30,000 works. When you discover a playlist or work you like, click "Send to Canvas," and it should begin downloading onto your Canvas right away. It never took more than a few seconds in my testing.

Meural's playlists are editorialized by artists, like Georges Seurat; color themes, like Pantone's 281 C deep blue; moods for events, like New Year's Eve; and museum galleries, like what you'll find on display right now at the Louvre or the Hungarian National Gallery. Meural also partners with properties such as Marvel and Game of Thrones to bring movie stills and concept art to life.

As broad as Meural's library may be, I was disappointed that my search for Dali and Warhol came up short. Meural says it's constantly adding more work to its collection, but I would want to know that my favorite artists' masterpieces are available before I get a Canvas. 

• Digital Picture Frame Vs. Photo Album

You can also upload your own art to your canvas from your phone's camera roll or an SD card. Meural supports JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, SVG, MP4 and MOV files. But I found Canvas II looks more like a giant digital photo frame than a premium art display when showing my amateur photography. 

Motion gestures and smart features

What's new about the Canvas II versus the original is the introduction of motion sensors beneath the bottom and side borders. You can swipe your hand in front of the sensors to shuffle through a playlist of images, pull up a work's information and adjust your device's settings. I found the technology worked well on the Canvas II. 

The Canvas II has neat scheduling features, too. You can set what time you want your Canvas to go to sleep and when to display playlists. You can also adjust the time your photos change, from once every 2 seconds to once every week or sometime in between. Similarly, you can set the Canvas to go to sleep when you turn off the lights.

You won't be able to integrate the Canvas II into your smart home system, though, which I consider a major drawback. I would love to ask Alexa or Google Assistant to change playlists, or at least incorporate the device's scheduling into my existing routines. 

Meural vs. the competition

While digital picture frames have been around for some time, there are only a few available that are Meural's size. The Canvas II might remind you of Samsung's Frame, which also doubles as a 4K TV and starts at $800 for a 43-inch unit that only displays art in landscape orientation. The Samsung Art Store only has 1,000 works available to view, too.

Then there's Canvia, which is closer in experience to the Meural. Prices for its 27 x 18-inch frames start at $550 but include a year of access to Canvia's 10,000-plus art library. An annual membership costs $120 after the first year.

• Hands-on: Lenovo Smart Frame review

The Lenovo Smart Frame ($399), which is coming out later this year, features a 21-inch matte display and includes a swivel mount. It also sports built-in microphones and dual 2-watt speakers. Lenovo says the speakers and mics won't be active at launch but might be used to add smart assistant functionality to the frame. 

Bottom line

The Meural Canvas II hasn't quite convinced me, a casual gallerygoer, to join the virtual art collection trade. However, art enthusiasts will love the true-to-life display and Meural's massive work library. I just wish that the annual subscription gave me access to all of its artwork.

If you're looking for something with more emphasis on personal photography, the forthcoming Lenovo Smart Frame might be more your speed. But the Canvas II's competitive pricing makes it worth a glance among digital home decor devices. It lets you visit hundreds of museums and exhibits without ever leaving home. Which, when considering the crowd permanently stationed around the "Mona Lisa" in Paris, seems like a great idea.