Netgear Nighthawk Ac1900 Smart Wifi Router Model R7000 Review
Thanks for tuning into our review of the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 router. We're going to refer to it only as the R7000 from here on out, just for ease of language.
We've been putting it through its paces to find out just how good it really is. That means spending plenty of fourth dimension experimenting with its features and testing its performance capabilities in terms of speed and range.
And the results of our studies have at present come to fruition in the class of this review. If you lot've been considering purchasing the Netgear R7000, you lot're going to want to stay tuned!
It'south certainly a badass-looking router and has some crawly features to kicking just other than that, nosotros feel like it falls a picayune apartment. Stay with us as nosotros explicate why.
Specifications
| Brand | Netgear |
| Model | R7000 |
| Max Tested Wi-Fi Speed | 254.63 Mbps |
| Approximate Range | 80-90ft |
| Wireless Standard | Wi-Fi v |
| Bands | two.4 GHz, five GHz |
| WAN Port | x1 |
| LAN Port | x4 |
| USB Port | 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0 |
| QoS | Yes |
| Parental Controls | Yes |
| Guest Network | Yeah |
| OFDMA | Yes |
| Dimensions | 11.2 × 7.three × ii in |
| Weight | 750 g |
| Warranty | I twelvemonth warranty, xc days of technical support |
For more info, check out the official page.
Netgear R7000 Overview
The Netgear R7000 doesn't exactly offering the best value for coin. Information technology's certainly i of the pricier routers without Wi-Fi 6.
And it's not even like its Wi-Fi five capabilities are very skillful. Nosotros tested the download speed from but 5ft away using the five GHz band and it only managed 254.63 Mbps.
If you idea that the ii.four GHz band might make up for it, you'd be wrong. It clocked merely 54.59 Mbps from the same altitude. That'due south really not then great.
The range isn't fantastic at 80-90ft but could be a lot worse. So, if you have a small to medium-sized abode and an cyberspace service plan of less than 200 Mbps, you might not want to dominion this one out just all the same.
1 thing that did impress us about the R7000 is Netgear Armor security, some of the strongest router antivirus technology going. But and so we realized it cost an extra $100…
Simply that high level of protection stops when information technology comes to the hardware itself. The warranty is just a year, the bare minimum. Plus, you simply get xc days of technical support so if you need whatsoever assistance on day 91, you lot're screwed!
Before we go started on breaking downwards the review, it's important to permit yous know that this is just a router, not a modem besides. So, if you're using cable cyberspace, make sure you pick upward a modem likewise (if you demand one).
Performance: iii
We think it'due south fair to say that the Netgear R7000's performance is less than impressive. In that location are certainly slower routers out at that place but they cost a fraction of the price.
The fact of the matter is that this router should be competing with much more than powerful routers at the price it's at. Hither are some stats to break that down.
Download speed
The R7000 has 2 bands just like most routers: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The v will always exist quicker but with a lower range and less ability to penetrate objects such as walls. The ii.4 GHz wins on range but is a lot slower for speeds.
Unfortunately, both of these bands are pretty poor on the R7000. The 5 GHz band managed a download speed of just 254.63 Mbps from 5ft away. That might sound like enough, and information technology will be for some plans.
Simply compared to other routers that cost around the same price, it falls brusque. Permit'southward accept the TP-Link Archer AX50, for example. Information technology'southward at a like toll point, but it managed a download speed of 533.97 Mbps. That's more than double the speed of the R7000.
To contextualize how big that difference is, permit'due south take a quick look at what you tin do with those speeds. 250 Mbps would allow you lot to stream 10 4K Netflix streams simultaneously and downloading a 100GB file would take 53 minutes, 20 seconds.
500 Mbps, on the other hand, could get you equally many equally 20 4K Netflix streams and would download 100GB in 26 minutes and xl seconds. Think nearly what y'all could practice with that actress half an hr saved!
The two.iv GHz band ain't much better. The R7000 managed 54.59 Mbps from 5 ft abroad compared to the 106.85 Mbps from the AX50. Over again, that's around double the speed. That'due south an immense departure in performance and ane that should really not exist overlooked.
Range
According to our tests, the R7000 operates to a range of eighty-90ft. And then, for a pocket-sized to medium sized home, it should be enough. Simply it also could be better.
The TP-Link Archer AX50 wins again this time around. We found that it managed to operate at 90-100ft. 10ft might not sound like much, but when you consider that it actually could be the departure between covering your whole home or non, it starts to sound a flake more substantial.
You tin can ever extend the range by picking upward a Wi-Fi extender or two. Merely then again, you lot might as well merely pick upwardly a more than powerful router in the get-go identify when you're already going to accept to spend a lot to buy the R7000 in the first place.
Features: four
The R7000 certainly does a picayune better in terms of features than it does for performance. But again, there are a few niggles that we have that we feel should be acknowledged. Here'south a expect at what y'all'd go for the toll of the R7000.
Nighthawk app
Near of the controls for this router can be changed through the app. So, personalizing your network proper noun and password is one matter. Sorting out QoS is another. Plus, you tin can apply the app to set the device upwards in the first place.
The app is okay. We've certainly seen ameliorate but nosotros've seen worse. It's easier to utilise, but it'due south not exactly beautiful. And overall, we feel that the functionality of the app is pretty good. You can do a fair amount with it.
MU-MIMO, OFDMA and Beamforming+
These are the big three when it comes to Wi-Fi router technology. They might not brand a lot of sense right now, so let's break them downward and find out how they tin help you.
Firstly, in that location's MU-MIMO and OFDMA. We like to pair them together as they accept like functions albeit they deport them out in different means.
MU-MIMO helps to connect to multiple devices at the aforementioned time by using each of the beams together to seek out devices on the network. OFDMA does information technology by assigning subsets of subcarriers to devices on the network.
Both these technologies in unison increment the max devices on the network and the speed at which they connect to the network in the showtime place. Plus, they improve the overall internet speed on those devices. These are all essential things!
And so at that place's beamforming, which is kind of a part of MU-MIMO as well. Netgear's brand of beamforming is called Beamforming+. We're non certain what the + is all almost because information technology looks like regular beamforming to u.s., but that'southward always a good matter to accept on a router.
Beamforming effectively uses the power of each individual antenna to seek out private devices on the network and direct Wi-Fi signals straight to them. This stops 'wasted' beams and improves overall performance.
Parental Controls
An essential characteristic of the R7000 is Parental Controls. Controlled through the app, this applied science enables y'all to restrict internet usage to particular devices or the whole network.
Why would you want to practice this? Because it protects vulnerable internet users and your network every bit a whole. Kids or perhaps elderly relatives are going to exist a lot more likely to accidentally obtain malware which can compromise a device or whole network.
On acme of this, you lot're going to want to go on your kids' eyes away from sensitive content. This is another affair you tin can do with Parental Controls. For extra peace of mind, make sure you ready upwards Parental Controls with whatsoever router. And y'all can practice it with the R7000.
Security
Netgear Armor is really good security technology. It does a actually great job of protecting your router from viruses, and that's super essential. If your router catches a virus, it could exist passed on to all the other devices on the network. So Netgear Armor is quite important.
Simply then comes the downside. You gotta pay for it. And it own't cheap. It costs an extra $99 for life which is more than another routers price. When you consider that the R7000 is already quite expensive this does feel similar a bit of a kick in the teeth.
If you decide to go for the R7000 anyway, nosotros recommend buying this no matter the price. Protecting your home network is really important equally if your router becomes compromised, each device on the network is at risk too.
Warranty
TP-Link's warranty for most of their routers is for life. ASUS' is two years. Why are nosotros telling you this? Because these are the benchmarks of the router warranty business organization! And Netgear fall curt of information technology with the R7000.
The warranty for this router is a mere one yr. That'south the blank minimum allowed past The states constabulary. While it's obviously ameliorate than no protection, information technology'southward not corking.
You do get 90 days of tech support from the day you buy the router. But if you take any issues from mean solar day 91 onwards, you're going to be left in the night unfortunately.
You can actually pay for an extended warranty to bring the total up to two years if you're based in the United states. That's currently at a price of $thirty which is probably worth it, but it does make the router even more expensive.
What else is missing?
For the toll of this router, we'd expect to meet a more enhanced way to expand the range. For example, Linksys offers a technology called Max Stream with their EA7300 model. That allows you to motility around the house from satellite to satellite seamlessly without having to change to a new network and dropping the connection.
ASUS goes one better with the RT-AX56U. This has a feature chosen AiMesh, which opens the door to Mesh integration. Mesh is a more than sophisticated version of the Max Stream technology that allows for even meliorate, piece of cake Wi-Fi range expansion.
Of form, with these options yous will need to pay more coin for the actress $.25 of hardware. Just if you accept a large abode or are setting upwards a network at work, information technology's going to be good to know that the option is in that location.
Design: 4.5
The R7000 literally looks similar a stealth bomber and that's actually ane of our favorite things virtually it. If you're into the style your hardware looks, have a good look at this ane.
And that'southward not the only thing we like nigh the blueprint of this device. It's of a reasonable size and light so it won't take up too much space on your shelf. That'southward always a good thing. But so again, at that place are certainly smaller routers available.
In terms of ports, the R7000 checks out. It has the standard iv LAN ports so y'all can plug your devices direct into via Ethernet for a quicker wireless connection. That might be an of import thing to do considering that the Wi-Fi from this router is rather poor.
Naturally, there's a WAN port which you're going to need to plug this router into a modem. You'll need to practise that if you're using cable Wi-Fi. For the R7000, it's a regular Gigabit WAN port.
One cool thing about the R7000 is that information technology has ii USB ports: one 2.0 and one 3.0. This means you lot can plug in external hardware such as a printer if you so wish. Plus, you tin can apply your router as a charger for your smartphone and other USB-charged devices.
Setup: 4.3
Just like most routers these days, the R7000 is dainty and easy to gear up if you have a smartphone. When we tried it for ourselves, nosotros establish that the unabridged procedure took less than two minutes from the moment nosotros plugged it in.
All you have to practise is connect your smartphone to the router via Bluetooth, download the Netgear Nighthawk app (it'due south bachelor from the App Store and the Play Shop), open up it up and follow the instructions on the screen. Easy as that.
We tin can't requite the R7000 full marks for setup as the app y'all use to set it up is a little bit clunky and doesn't look so great. Just that'due south one pocket-size niggle that should be easy plenty to expect over for about people.
There is another pick for those who don't take a smartphone. You tin set it up from your desktop reckoner instead. But enter 192.168.1.1 into your browser and get stuck in. This might have a fiddling longer, mind.
Value: 3
Nosotros're not quite certain why the Netgear R7000 costs so much coin when information technology doesn't even support Wi-Fi six. It isn't particularly fast, it doesn't have gratis antivirus technology and it but comes with a yr of warranty.
While it does have some cool features that bring information technology out of the budget router category, it's still less than impressive compared to some other options. Take the TP-Link Archer AX50, for example. That's around the same price but it's improve in about ways, and by a long way.
We'll go through another options before long that will help you to come across why we think this router is poor value, so make sure you don't miss those if you lot're in the market for a new router.
Views from Other Reviews
Interestingly, a lot of critics were really rather impressed past this router. We dug deeper to discover out why.
A lot of the opinions that propose that the R7000 justifies its price are based on the fact that it has fast internal processing ability, which is truthful. But that doesn't actually have much benefit to the user other than the fact that it tin can boot up fast. It certainly doesn't seem to be doing much for its Wi-Fi speed. That being said, it's quite quick when you plug in an Ethernet cable.
Something all critics have agreed on with this router is that it has a very dated interface on the app. The same tin can be said for the network config page you would access the router on a desktop computer with. This should really be updated shortly as it looks like it was produced in 1997.
Another general consensus amongst reviewers online is that it is an expensive router. And that's the bottom line for us. Information technology merely does not exercise plenty to justify that price tag no affair how quick its internal workings are. Information technology would need to be doing double the Wi-Fi speeds that we managed in our speed tests to come close to being worth information technology.
A Few Other Routers to Consider
If the R7000 doesn't sound similar the right router for y'all then nosotros totally get that. Here are a couple more than options y'all could take a look at instead.
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Source: https://networkshardware.com/routers/reviews/netgear-r7000/
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