Additionally, devices connected via 6GHz can avoid interference from the numerous household devices that use the congested 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, including those being used by close neighbors. The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 holds the distinction of being the first real tri-band router we’ve seen, and the first router we’ve tested that can access the 6GHz radio spectrum. also you will check our article on Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review. This unusual-looking router is packed with features such as multi-gig LAN and WAN capabilities, link aggregation, a powerful quad-core processor, and cyber threat protection provided by Bitdefender. It is powered by the most recent Wi-Fi 6 E technology and an optimised CPU. It is one of the most expensive and fastest consumer routers available, costing $600. Although Wi-Fi 6E client devices are scarce, the RAXE500 won’t let you down if you’re an early adopter looking to future-proof your network.
Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review: Design
The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 router can be compared to the older, larger Nighthawk AX8 router by taking a page from it. It retains the A-Wing design that gives it the appearance of something from a Star Wars prequel—a far cry from more traditional-looking routers like the Linksys Max-Stream MR8300—but at 12.0 x 8.6 x 3.3 inches, it’s one of the largest models on the market. The RAXE500 is 4-inches taller when the four antennas inside each wing are extended. The black winged RAXE500 router, which is as close to sculpture as networking equipment gets, can be discreetly stored or ecstatically displayed. The RAXE500 has two inserts for hanging on a wall and thick rubber feet underneath. It has cooling fans and vents on the front and bottom; during our testing, the router’s temperature never exceeded 112 degrees Fahrenheit. The RAXE500 is the first of a new generation of Wi-Fi 6e systems that offer access to the 2.4-, 5-, and 6GHz data-delivering bands, in contrast to conventional triband routers with a 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands. The RAXE500 opens up a large portion of the 6GHz spectrum in comparison to Wi-Fi 6 systems, more than doubles the number of available data channels, and provides an additional six ultra-wide 160MHz channels. It results in an increase in data carrying capacity of almost 5Gbps. The RAXE500, which is based on Broadcom Wi-Fi 6e hardware, has a quad-core 1.8GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 512MB of flash storage for the router’s firmware and configurations. The RAXE500 has beamforming to match the transmission characteristics to the receiver, MU-MIMO for serving a large number of devices, and 1024QAM to boost the router’s efficiency when multiple systems are requesting data at once. It is capable of serving 12 simultaneous data streams. The RAXE500 can transmit data at speeds of up to 10.8Gbps overall, including 1.2Gbps on the 2.4GHz band, 4.8Gbps on the 5GHz band, and an additional 4.8Gbps on the 6GHz band. The RAXE500 has connections on the back and a Multi-Gig data input port that can deliver up to 2.5Gbps when used with modern broadband modems. There are four other dedicated downstream 1Gbps networking ports available for a total of five wired networking ports; if the Multi-Gig port is not in use, it can function as an additional downstream 1Gbps Ethernet connection. It is less than the eight wired LAN ports that the TP-Link Archer AX6000 offers, but should still be sufficient for most users. The first two wired Ethernet ports on the RAXE500 can be aggregated for maximum speed.
Feature
The same dull web panel that was used to administer networks on Netgear’s Wi-Fi 6 routers is still used to control your network. Only a few new configuration options have been added to accommodate the new 6E frequencies: you can either combine the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz networks under a single SSID and let the router choose the best band for each client, or you can set separate names and security settings for each of the networks. The Nighthawk mobile app allows you to see who is connected to your network, check the wireless signal strength as you move around the house, and turn the guest network on and off. It also supports dynamic DNS and a VPN service that you can use to access your home network from anywhere. also you will learn our article on Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review. The Nighthawk software, as usual, lacks an effective parental control function. You can manually block specific websites, but you cannot impose time restrictions or timetables for each device. Additionally, a 30-day trial of the Netgear Armor security module is the only inclusion. After that, you will need to pay £34 to maintain the service for the first year and £85 per year after that if you want protection against intrusions, dubious websites, and suspicious network activity.
Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review: Installation
In testing, setting up the RAXE500 was quick and simple. We downloaded the Nighthawk mobile app, chose New System Setup, and from the list of available devices, chose Wi-Fi router. We followed the directions to unplug and re-plug our modem after scanning the QR code on the sticker that was included with the router. We used the supplied LAN cable to connect the RAXE500 to the modem, turned it on, and waited for it to boot up for about 45 seconds. The app finally recognised it after another 30 seconds, and we were then asked to join the network. We were told to create a network name and password as well as an admin name and password after the router was immediately identified. The installation was finished after we responded to two security questions and waited a minute for the app to customise the router and preserve our settings. There are no comparable 6GHz throughput results since the RAXE500 is the only Wi-Fi 6E router we have tested. In addition, we were unable to enable the 6GHz band on a laptop powered by an Intel AX210 6E CPU. A Netgear representative claims that this is a Windows 10 compatibility problem rather than a router problem. In fact, connecting a Samsung S21 Ultra 5G phone that is 6E ready to the 6GHz band was effortless.
Performance
The Nighthawk RAXE500 outperformed other routers with its capacity to transfer data back and forth in the 2.4-, 5-, and 6GHz bands. We built a busy network with 10 simulated users using Ixia’s ixChariot network simulation software and a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, one of the few gadgets that can utilise Wi-Fi 6e’s capability. Using the RAXE500’s SmartConnect, channels 36 (for 5GHz) and 33 (for 6GHz), and positioning the router 15 feet away from the S21 phone, the RAXE500 was able to deliver a peak throughput of 1.153Gbps for the 6Ghz band and another 1.242Gbps for the 2.4- and 5GHz bands. At 15 feet, that amounts to 2.396Gbps in total. Over the already impressive 1.389Gbps of the Netgear Nighthawk AX8, that represents a 42 percent increase. Other Wi-Fi 6 routers performed similarly poorly, with the Linksys MR9600 delivering 822.0Mbps, the TP-Link Archer AX6000 moving 884.4Mbps, and the Asus AC-RT86U managing 929.7Mbps. With the router and client close to one another, that represents a nearly three-fold improvement. The RAXE500’s throughput suffers from a rapid decrease with distance, similar to what happened with the AX8, making it the router to use close to your device. The total throughput fell to 215.8Mbps with 50 feet separating the RAXE500 from the Galaxy S21 phone, far behind the pace established by the TP-Link Archer AX6000 (396.4Mbps) or the Linksys MR9600 (363.3Mbps). The Netgear Nighthawk AX8’s 277.1Mbps was in the middle of the pack at this distance. The RAXE500 moved at 148.6 Mbps at 75 feet, compared to the AX8’s 142.3 Mbps. The Asus AC-RT86U won in this range with 250.1Mbps and 40% greater provided bandwidth. The RAXE500 was able to move 18.9Mbps during our testing at a terminal distance of 90 feet, which is sufficient for some HD video and light web browsing. At this distance, the TP-Link Archer AX6000 and Linksys MR9600 were offline, but the Netgear AX8 had a similar bandwidth of 20.8Mbps.The RAXE500 had a 105-foot range. In comparison to the AX8, which moved at 142.3 Mbps at 75 feet, the RAXE500 moved at 148.6 Mbps. In this category, the Asus AC-RT86U triumphed with 250.1Mbps and 40% more available bandwidth. During our testing, the RAXE500 was able to transmit 18.9Mbps at a terminal distance of 90 feet, which is adequate for some HD video and light web browsing. The TP-Link Archer AX6000 and Linksys MR9600 were unavailable at this distance, but the Netgear AX8 had a comparable bandwidth of 20.8Mbps. The RAXE500’s range was 105 feet. It performed equally well when beaming a strong signal through a ceiling to a bedroom located one floor up from the router. When compared to the TP-Link Archer AX6000’s 671.4Mbps and the Netgear AX8’s 629.5Mbps, it was able to deliver 851.0Mbps.
Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review: Security
Although it is said that security is “baked in” to the router, we were surprised to learn that the RAXE500 requires an additional fee. After a 30-day trial, the price is $69.99 per year. To scan every traffic and maintain its security, the programme can operate on the network level via the router. However, several rivals offer security without charging extra, particularly for higher quality equipment. However, users who do pay receive Bitdefender Security and Bitdefender VPN in addition to Bitdefender Security, so if you were going to pay for a VPN anyway, the cost is reasonable.
Price and availability
The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is one of only a few Wi-Fi 6e products that are currently being sold, and it is available from several major electronics retailers. At $599, it costs almost three times as much as some high-performance Wi-Fi 6 routers and nearly $200 more than the visually comparable Netgear Nighthawk RAX80 with Wi-Fi 6. you will read our article on Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review.
Conclusion
WiFi speeds on the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 are incredibly fast. Compared to the triband design of the RAX200, the triband design with three distinct band frequencies makes a lot more sense. While older devices can use 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz, modern devices can benefit from the new, fancy 6Ghz band. Even though we gush about mesh WiFi systems, the Nighthawk RAXE500’s range and overall performance more than adequately cover our 4-bed semi-detached home with great speeds all around. Therefore, if you can locate your router properly, a mesh network is not required. We also discover that 6Ghz’s range problems are exaggerated; it can easily pass through a few rooms with brick walls.
