Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Router, hands on: High-performance, high-capacity Review

While most of us are determining no matter if or not to upgrade to a new router that supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard (a.k.a. 802.11ax), it turns out there is certainly yet another new flavour of Wi-Fi now on its way. Called Wi-Fi 6E (E for ‘Extended’), this new normal provides the 6GHz frequency band to the two.4GHz and 5GHz bands presently supported by Wi-Fi six and its predecessor, Wi-Fi 5 (previously regarded as 802.11ac).  

With the two.4GHz and 5GHz bands getting more and more crowded, the new 6GHz band provides extra potential that, in accordance to the Wi-Fi Alliance, offers robust general performance “even in really dense and congested environments”, these types of as sports arenas and enterprise complexes. 

Many networking firms have declared new routers that assistance Wi-Fi 6E, but Netgear is to start with off the starting off block with its new Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Router. Priced at $599.ninety nine (United kingdom pricing TBA), the RAXE500 is really substantially a top-of-the-variety selection, boasting a top combined pace of ten.8Gbps, and eight internal antennae created to stream facts to as quite a few as sixty devices simultaneously.  

Netgear states that the new 6GHz band also permits the use of large-bandwidth 160MHz ‘channels’ — alternatively like sub-bands in just the main 6GHz band — that are ideal for large-potential purposes these types of as streaming 4K or 8K online video for amusement or online video conferencing. 

The router is powered by a 1.8GHz quad-main processor and supports the latest WPA3 security normal. As effectively as offering large-general performance Wi-Fi, the RAXE500 also involves several large-general performance wired connections for an office environment network. There’s a focused two.5Gbps ‘multi-gig’ Ethernet interface for large-pace world-wide-web connections, as effectively as five extra Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired devices, which also offer the ability to blend — or ‘aggregate’ — two ports for bigger pace. The router also involves two USB 3. ports for connecting USB storage devices that can be shared with other network buyers. 

Netgear’s Nighthawk variety tends to be primarily aimed at household buyers, but with so quite a few individuals even now operating from household, Netgear is describing the RAXE500 as an ‘all-purpose’ router that’s suitable for online video conferencing and e-understanding as effectively.  

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The company hasn’t but brought Wi-Fi 6E to its enterprise-oriented Orbi Professional mesh systems, but it has just released a new Orbi Professional product that aims to offer a extra economical entry-level for Wi-Fi six engineering. 

SEE: Choosing Kit: Computer system Hardware Engineer (TechRepublic Top quality)

Former types have been pricey tri-band mesh systems aimed at more substantial enterprises, but the new Orbi Professional Wi-Fi six Mini is a extra economical twin-band selection for household office environment use and small enterprises. There are two possibilities offered, the two offering Wi-Fi six speeds of 1.8Gbps and supporting up to 40 devices. Costs start out at $299.ninety nine for a two-piece method suitable for masking areas of up to two,000 sq.ft, though a 3-piece method that can cover four,000 sq.ft arrives in at $399.ninety nine. Like other Orbi Professional systems, the Mini permits you to produce 4 individual networks (SSIDs) that can be assigned to distinctive duties or distinctive groups of buyers, these types of as visitors, workers, IT staff members or admin. 

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