The design language of the NETGEAR line-up of Nighthawk routers strongly evokes a certain sci-fi franchise – but the elaborate wraparound wings and jet-black finish aren’t for show.

Eight antennas lie within for far-reaching 2,500 square footage coverage, and Wi-Fi 6 capability for eye-watering speeds exceeding 10 gigabits per second. This router is truly awesome, with features and functionally easily surpassing bog-standard boxes thrown in by your internet provider.

Lag-free gaming

You’re highly unlikely to saturate the theoretical speeds of this router by loading up a single instance of a non-demanding speed test. More importantly, it means the router can valiantly withstand multiple incoming bandwidth-sapping connections simultaneously, without faltering.

Think in relation to a modern family home. One instance of Netflix (they’re adding games to your subscription) by itself isn’t too demanding, but when you introduce additional burdens like auto-updating smart devices and unwieldy game updates, conventional routers start to buckle under the pressure. Knowing you’ve got an impressive amount of speed on tap means internet-related anxiety disappears.

Reduced interference

The Wi-Fi comes in two separate bands – 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The lower frequency provides a more reliable connection passing through intrusive obstacles like walls at the cost of speed, whereas 5GHz is super-fast when devices have a direct line of sight to the router. A tri-band router doesn’t introduce a third frequency to contend with. It doubles down on a secondary 5GHz signal, evenly distributing the workload for reduced interference.

Out of the box, this router seamlessly connects to all internet providers. For an even snappier set-up, there’s an accompanying smart phone application. The router itself is astonishingly hefty, easily the heaviest we’ve ever held! Under the hood, a 1.8GHz quad-core processor effortlessly manages congested networks. It requires a built-in cooling fan – a revealing insight into the specifications behind this absolute unit.

Transfer multiple gigabits per second

In terms of I/O, practically everything is covered:
• External internet port.
• Dual-USB 3.0 ports for network-attached storage.
• Four gigabit ether ports (two can be aggregated for combining dual-gigabit speeds).
• Multi-gig (2.5G/1G) port.

Taking into account all the ports, you can theoretically transfer multiple gigabits per second over the wired and wireless connections.

Who knew a router could be so technologically advanced? However, high-end routers are defined by their software solutions which provide uncontested control over your network.

Basic mode

To access the software suite, input 192.168.1.1 into your browser. Essentially, this is your router’s default IP address. 1.1 represents your devices – with .1 being the router since it’s the very first device on the network!

Logging in with the credentials you created during the set-up process, you’re immediately presented with a whole host of options. Don’t worry, it doesn’t throw you in at the deep end with a relentless barrage of protocols and statistics.

Beginning in basic mode provides the must-have information like internet status, wireless credentials and attached devices. Here, you’ll also access parental controls, turn security settings on-and-off and even enable a guest network.

Guest network

This is an ingenious inclusion for people hosting gatherings and parties. Essentially, you can create a secondary sub-network for your guests to join, instead of sharing your sensitive credentials and introducing vulnerabilities in your main network.

You can easily create a guest network through the software interface and just as easily dispose of it once the party’s over, with optional controls to limit bandwidth so no-one hogs the speed. Considering this router is suitable for up to 50 devices, this is a much-welcomed feature.

ReadySHARE Storage

Delving deeper, we’ve discovered the advanced mode. Jump in and discover what’s going on behind the scenes – whether that’s updating the firmware, statistics, connection statuses or even more features like ReadySHARE Storage and ReadyCLOUD.

Remember the USB 3.0 port for ‘network-attached storage’ earlier? Plug in any compatible USB HDD or SSD and ReadySHARE Storage smartly makes a shared location for storage, accessible across the entirety of the network or user-defined devices. It’s ideal for backing up, hosting and streaming media files like family memories or TV shows to devices on your network.

ReadyCLOUD

ReadyCLOUD takes the ReadySHARE Storage to the next level. Imagine you’re away from home, but crucially forgot a file stored on your network drive. Protected by log-in credentials, ReadyCLOUD lets you remotely access the network-attached storage even from outside the router’s network. It’s advanced software solutions like these which make the NETGEAR Nighthawk clearly stand out against simplistic routers.

Advanced mode

There’s also a multitude of customisable security options to fine-tune your network set-up. Block certain devices from accessing certain sites, set schedules for switching on-and-off a device’s internet access and enable e-mail alerts for suspicious activity on your network.

The sheer amount of data freely available to the end user is astonishing. You may not meticulously comb over every log file, but it’s reassuring knowing nothing is shadily obscured. Rather than relying on a crudely implemented blinking light to convey network issues, full-on logs make diagnosing easier.

Far-reaching coverage

This router is recommended for 5–6-bedroom homes. James from GeekAWhat puts the back of the box claims to the test and is continually impressed by just how far the connection reaches. He’s left Ebuyer HQ entirely and stranded himself in the far reaches of the car park, yet he remains connected to the router even during a video call.

It’s this degree of flexibility, from hardware to software, which makes a high-end router like the NETGEAR Nighthark a worthy upgrade.

Check it out, over at Ebuyer: NETGEAR Nighthawk Wifi 6 Router (RAX200) – AX11000 Tri-Band Wireless Speed | 2,500sq ft Coverage