Best Netgear Nighthawk Routers
Here’s our selection of the best Netgear Nighthawk routers currently on the market. You can expect to find top-of-the-range products from one of the leading networking brands out there. The below-listed devices are products capable of impressive internet speeds, great coverage, and easy-to-use user interfaces.
Products at a Glance
How we picked the best Netgear Nighthawk routers
When coming up with this shortlist, we paid close attention to a router’s coverage, WiFi speed, and the latest Wifi features – including Wifi 6 and 6E. User-friendly interfaces and solid security capabilities were integrated features we looked out for when coming up with our list of the best Netgear Nighthawk routers. After taking this into consideration, here’s what we came up with.
Best Netgear Nighthawk Routers
- Sleek design
- Netgear Armor
- Very expensive
The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is our top pick on our list of the best Netgear Nighthawk routers. With the latest WiFi 6E technology, the RAXE500 is capable of incredibly fast wireless speeds. This router is steps ahead of the game with support for 2.5 Gigabit/sec ethernet speeds. It’s fair to predict that 2.5 Gigabit/sec ethernet support will be a common feature we’ll see popping up on new routers in the future.
Whilst the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is a very advanced bit of gear, it has a user-friendly interface nonetheless, and the setup is fairly straightforward. You can set up the RAXE500 through your mobile device by using the Nighthawk app. Furthermore, advanced network settings can be tweaked further on the web interface. The RAXE500 does not offer any form of parental control, however, it does feature a robust security system – Netgear Armor. Netgear Armor automatically blocks suspicious connections, scans devices for vulnerabilities, and provides excellent malware protection. The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is incredibly high performing and tops our list of the best Netgear Nighthawk routers.
The Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 is a gaming router in the Nighthawk range specifically designed for gaming, providing users with high-speed, dual-band WiFi 6 capabilities. With a maximum speed of 5.4 Gbps per second, the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 is packed with features designed to provide gamers with high-speed, lag-free connections. Furthermore, its 4 antennas are designed to provide great, far-reaching coverage. This, combined with the QoS (Quality of Service) feature, allows users to prioritize their router for specific services – such as gaming or streaming.
In terms of setup and configuration, the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 uses an app that makes setup incredibly straightforward. Further configuration can then be carried out on the router’s browser interface. Since the XR1000 is specifically a gaming router, and all of its features, therefore, focus on gaming – there are a few blindspots that may be frustrating for some users. The main issue is that the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 lacks robust filter features and parental control options. Regardless, the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 is an incredibly capable router and sits comfortably on our list of best Netgear routers.
- Four gigabit LAN ports
- MUMIMO
- Slightly lower spec
The Netgear Nighthawk X6S is an impressive Tri-Band gigabit router, capable of combined speeds of up to 4000 Mbps. Powered by a 1.8GHz duel core processor, the Netgear Nighthawk X6S also supports the latest WiFi technologies such as beam forming and MUMIMO streaming. The back panel features four gigabit LAN ports and a WAN port – providing users with great connectivity options.
The Netgear Nighthawk X6S is highly customizable. Its preferences can be set up through the Netgear mobile app, or over on the web console. The home screen gives users access to parental controls as well as basic settings such as setting channel width and creating guest networks. The Netgear Nighthawk X6S is a very capable Netgear router, at a slightly more affordable price than other routers listed here – a model definitely worth considering.
- Sleek design
- Expensive
The Netgear RAX80 is a very impressive 802.11, WiFi 6 router. With a powerful quad-core processor, 5 gigabit LAN ports, and WiFi 6 technology, the Netgear RAX80 boasts an impressive set of features. With a sleek design very similar to the Netgear RAXE500, you know the Netgear RAX80 means business.
The Netgear RAX80 can be managed over on the Netgear Nighthawk app, or on the web interface for more detailed configuration. The mobile app is particularly useful as it sends users push notifications and offers live network updates. Users can also select/pause access for each connected device and measure download speeds over on the Netgear app.
Things to consider when looking to buy the best Netgear Nighthawk router
Bandwidth
Bandwidth (calculated in Mbps) is the volume of data that is transmitted over an internet connection in a given amount of time.
Speed
Network speed dictates the rate at which data is transferred from a source to its destination. In other words the faster the router is, the faster you can download/upload data.
Coverage
Good internet coverage will mean that your devices will receive good reception throughout your home/office. The further a device is from the source of WiFi, the lesser the signal. However, good coverage can ensure that the signal remains strong even when you’re far from the source.
Our Verdict
The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 takes first place as our best Netgear Nighthawk router. It’s capable of incredibly fast Wifi speeds, has Wifi 6E technology, and an incredibly effective security system – Netgear Armor. The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is simply a great Nighthawk router.