Nighthawk WiFi 6E Router (RAXE500) - Security Features, 12-Stream Gigabit Router AXE11000 Tri-Band Wireless Speed (Up to 10.8Gbps), New 6GHz Band, Coverage up to 3,500 sq. ft, 60 Devices

In the world of home networking, the NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router AXE11000 (RAXE500) stands as a towering testament to what the future of internet connectivity can and should look like. From its sleek, futuristic design to its unparalleled performance, the RAXE500 is not just a router—it's a game-changer. Design and Build Quality: First impressions matter, and the RAXE500 impresses with its aesthetic and build quality. Its angular, stealth-like appearance not only makes it a conversation piece but also reflects its cutting-edge capabilities. The build is solid, exuding a premium feel that assures you of its durability. Performance: Diving into performance, the RAXE500 is a behemoth. Equipped with the latest WiFi 6E technology, it delivers blistering speeds up to 10.8Gbps across three bands (2.4GHz, 5GHz, and the new 6GHz). This ensures that every device in your home, from smart TVs to gaming consoles, receives optimal bandwidth with minimal interference. The range is equally impressive, providing reliable coverage across large homes without the need for extenders. Advanced Features: The router's Tri-Band capabilities are a standout, intelligently allocating devices to the most appropriate band to ensure seamless streaming, gaming, and browsing. Furthermore, the inclusion of a powerful 1.8GHz quad-core processor allows for smooth 4K/8K streaming and low-latency gaming, even when multiple devices are connected. NETGEAR's Nighthawk app simplifies setup and management, making it accessible even for those less technically inclined. Features like Netgear Armor (powered by Bitdefender) offer an added layer of cybersecurity, protecting all connected devices from online threats. Connectivity: With multiple Ethernet ports, including one 2.5G port, the RAXE500 caters to a wide range of connectivity needs, from high-speed internet plans to home servers and NAS devices. The addition of USB 3.0 ports allows for easy sharing of storage across the network, enhancing the router's versatility. Final Thoughts: The NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router AXE11000 (RAXE500) is not just an investment in a router; it's an investment in an ecosystem that promises to elevate the home networking experience. Its forward-thinking design, robust performance, and suite of advanced features position it as a pivotal piece of technology for any modern home. Whether you're a hardcore gamer, a streaming enthusiast, or simply seeking a reliable, high-performance home network, the RAXE500 exceeds expectations and sets a new benchmark for what is possible. In conclusion, the RAXE500 is more than just a router—it's the gateway to the future of home connectivity. Highly recommended for anyone looking to upgrade their home network to the cutting edge of technology.

This router and AP totally slams the speeds on compatible devices. It seamlessly rolls backwards to support Wi-Fi 6 and various other devices except for one item... Legacy Samsung smart TV's... they seem to struggle with anything beyond WPA-2. So reserve a channel or set up a WPA-2 only guest channel to get them running. Same goes for older wireless laptops and dated phones. Latest FCC rules state and restrict use of external antennas, so you cannot "upgrade" to anything beyond orientation of the "wings" to boost reception and use. However as equipped from the box? It has flawless use from corner to corner on an entire ½ acre plot. You may not get full 6GHz coverage, but it falls back to Wi-Fi multi band v6 in a heartbeat to keep things rolling. Zero SMS & Wi-Fi calling glitches on supported devices. It seems to be able to penetrate 3200 sq ft. for great performance despite concrete and steel house. However, for best Wi-Fi 6e performance? Stay closer to the AP. No more than 2x walls between device and router. No expectation of 6GHz beyond the walls and home windows. However, strong multiband 2~5GHz performance makes it unnoticed. She runs up to 2.5Gb/sec after configuring it properly to select a dedicated port on multi gig service plan. It will not do it out of the box. On my cable internet plan, she is a perfect fit and more then gracefully handles 1.25Gb/sec incoming stream speeds. Wireless 6e devices pull to plan maximum very easily. It also allows legacy, multiple 1Gb Ethernet clients to draw at full speed. Built in QOS and QOS in the DOCSIS 3.1 modem contribute to always on and near full speed no matter how many connected clients draw at the same time. Above 400Mb/sec service, I suggest turning QOS *off* on the router. The built in QOS in a full DOCSIS3.1+ modem will handle it all properly. She's very expensive for what it does, but I've found Zero flaws thus far for bulletproof 6e wireless and wired performance with amazing plot coverage if you're a primarily wireless user. No more dropped calls on simultaneous Wi-Fi calling devices, Ooma VoIP, stream boxes, etc. This is a hot little box that's very hard to beat. It's a no- compromise router that keeps my core network humming like a banshee. For now, for sub 800Mb/sec premises service? Excellent! On higher tiers, she won't fall down at all beyond 2.5 Gb/sec incoming and seamlessly provisions multiple clients and doesn't skip a beat.

From the moment I unboxed the NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router AXE11000 (RAXE500), I knew I was in for a treat. This router has completely transformed my home's internet experience. Firstly, the setup was a breeze. The instructions were clear, and I had the router up and running in no time. The sleek design is not only aesthetically pleasing but also fits perfectly in my living space without being intrusive. Performance-wise, the RAXE500 is nothing short of remarkable. The tri-band feature ensures that all my devices get the bandwidth they need without any lag or buffering. Streaming 4K videos and online gaming have never been smoother. The WiFi 6E technology really makes a noticeable difference in both range and speed, providing consistent and reliable connections throughout my house. Security is a top priority for me, and the RAXE500 delivers on that front as well. The NETGEAR Armor powered by BitDefender offers an added layer of protection that gives me peace of mind, knowing that my network and connected devices are safe from cyber threats. Lastly, I must commend the NETGEAR team for their excellent customer support. Any queries I had were promptly and professionally addressed, which only added to the overall positive experience. In conclusion, the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 is a top-tier router that offers unparalleled performance, range, and security. It's a significant upgrade from my previous router and well worth the investment. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their home internet experience.

Updated - 09/20/2021 PROs: One of the absolute easiest WiFi routers to setup with the mobile app. Insanely fast WifI speeds (fastest I have ever seen) and signal strength. I have zero dead signal issues in my 3700+ sq. ft. home with this unit squarely mounted in the middle of the home on the main floor. Smart Connect absolutely works as advertised. It's great to have devices that can use the 5ghz band steered over to that radio without reconnecting over and over again. Seamlessly running over 80+ devices (50+ IoT, multiple Apple TV 4Ks, laptops, etc.). CONs: So many issues for . . so . . much . . money. Honestly . . this really was a bad purchase that cost me an arm and a leg. Once you start talking with their support team about anything beyond hooking the router up, you're in for a rollercoaster ride of meaningless time-sucking back-and-forth. They don't care either . . they want you to wipe your unit and re-flash just about for every issue. The unit stops processing WiFi data literally just about every other day. Ethernet devices continue to work, and I can use the remote access on cellular to control the router and restart it. Yes, I've re-flashed firmware and factory defaulted the unit a zillion times. Sadly . . nothing seems to make this better. *ZERO* parental controls (sorry Netgear, toggling internet access per device *does not count*, because that doesn't even work either!) No Circle smart parental controls (even though previous models like the RAX200 with the exact same CPU as the RAXE500 have this amazing feature). The mobile app is flaky. Installed on four different devices and all were unable to do simple things like toggle the internet access on specific devices (the app threw an error) even after factory defaulting the router and reinstalling the app on all the devices. Advanced settings are not available from the mobile application. Advanced features like IPv6, MU-MIMO, and a few others aren't enabled by default. The Smart Connect feature does not currently support the 6ghz radio, so you have to join a completely different AP SID for the 6ghz band. Listen . . if we're being really honest . . this unit has one of the worst web interfaces of any router I have ever seen.

The NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router AXE11000 has far exceeded my expectations, from when I opened it to setting it up. Not only does its sleek design add a touch of elegance to my workspace, but it also hints at the impressive performance that lies within. Setting up this router was incredibly easy, thanks to the user-friendly Nighthawk app. It guided me through a seamless process that had my network operational in just minutes. As someone who has struggled with complex router configurations in the past, I greatly appreciate NETGEAR's approach to making things simple and intuitive. In terms of performance, the AXE11000 is truly remarkable. With its WiFi 6E capability, all my devices now experience lightning-fast speeds and minimal interference or congestion due to its tri-band setup—even with multiple tech-savvy teenagers constantly using bandwidth-intensive activities like online gaming and streaming high-resolution videos in 4K. Thanks to this exceptional router, these activities now run smoothly without any interruptions or disruptions. The level of coverage is truly impressive. I've noticed a significant reduction in areas with weak signals, and even when I'm at the furthest distance from the router, the signal strength remains consistently strong. It's evident that NETGEAR has made substantial investments in advanced antennas and powerful amplifiers to ensure maximum reach and performance. When it comes to security, the RAXE500 excels as well. With its integration of NETGEAR Armor powered by Bitdefender, I feel confident knowing that all my devices are fully protected against various cyber threats lurking in today's digital world. If there is any downside worth mentioning, it would be its slightly higher price point. However, given the remarkable features and stability it offers, especially for homes requiring high connectivity demands, I believe it proves itself a worthwhile investment. In summary, the NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router AXE11000 is an impressive addition to any household network. It offers high-speed connectivity, extensive coverage, and robust security features—all without sacrificing performance. I highly recommend this product for anyone seeking to enhance their home internet experience and unlock its full potential. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Finally overloaded my venerable old Linksys WRT 1900 AC router with too many devices & it would just choke up & overheat until I power cycled it. Again. It did that when it was new too, but the signal strength & massive coverage I got with it made it worth the trouble of cycling pwr once every 2 or 3 weeks. Until it was every other day & that’s when I started looking at a replacement. Did the research on latest tech wifi & was totally surprised at finding wifi 6 & 6E. Cutting edge stuff in June, 2021. Not a lot of choices either but then not a lot of comparisons to mull over. (Duckduckgo is your friend) So after reading up on the new tech & available hardware, I decided on the Netgear RAXE500. Like I said, I have a LOT of devices on my network – Alexa, alarm systems, wireless security cameras, assorted laptops, desktops, iPhones, iPads printers & scanners…whew. I figured on a full day or two to set up the new WIFI router but was pleasantly surprised. I just reused the same SSIDs & PWD’s from the old Linksys router & everything just automatically (re)connected to the Nighthawk like old pals. Took like about 5 or 10 minutes. Netgear wants you to do the entire install via the IOS or Droid app which is fine if you don’t care about the finer details like changing defaults or tweaking passwords or other icky stuff. The app is actually pretty slick in that it does ALL the administrative typing of serial numbers, model numbers “unique” SSIDs, PWDs, MAC addresses etc for you & you just have to set up an email address & PWD for your user account at Netgear. Most of which can be edited & changed later if you like via the app or the web interface (192.168.1.1 just like everyone else) which is easier for me but to each his own. Having all the basics covered in the first few minutes is pretty awesome in my mind so all that’s left is to go a-tweaking in the ill-conceived browser interface. Don’t get me wrong, the browser interface works very well if you can find what you’re looking for in it, it just looks like it was designed by a disgruntled, color blind code engineer who hates his job & wants you to hate his boss as much as he does. But I digress. Another thing I noticed about this Nighthawk AXE500 is that it’s pretty big. 13 inches wide by about 10 inches deep is a lot of bookshelf real estate. Antennas are roughly “book height” so no problem there really. It looks cool anyway. Did I mention this thing is unbelievably fast? Well it is. Netgear Community (https://community.netgear.com) leaves a bit much to the imagination. I think it was organized by the same disgruntled engineer who wrote the User Manual & Web Interface. Everything you could ever need is there if you can find it, you just need to be creative. Or lucky. Still, Duckduckgo will get you answers faster than searching their site. It’s a *Feature*. All in all, I recommend the Nighthawk AXE500 highly. With all its faults, it’s still an awesome upgrade if you are in need of a new router. It is brand new technology just hitting the market so you can’t expect it to be totally flawless yet. If you can wait for more updates to WIFI 6E you probably should & you’ll probably be happier you did. But I would still allow my big sister to have one of these without worries even though she’s a crazy artist type who doesn’t actually know bits from bytes or WI from FI, if you know what I mean. She would probably plug in all her cables, stuff it into a wicker basket somewhere in a corner with plastic flowers sticking out of it where the cats would play & it would just sit there & be blinding fast WFI for her for years without her ever having to move away from her iPhone or Mac. Pros: -Seriously faster than AC, even on the same devices/hardware with no modifications. Throughput is phenomenal. -Unbelievably easy setup – like 10 minutes? Coverage is really, REALLY good – way better than what I was getting from the old router even they are both 802.11AC. As soon as it’s plugged in, it looks for an internet connection & will automatically phone home for firmware updates. (In case you’ve never dealt with routers or network hardware before-it just does all the things you should have thought of before calling tech support lol) -The Nighthawk RAXE500 lust LOOKS cool wherever you put it. Like having a miniature X-Wing Fighter on your bookshelf. -WIFI connections to devices are bullet proof. No dropping signal any time even on legacy hardware. -You can make backups of your config file anytime you want manually or set autobackups on a schedule. Cons: -Damned expensive. -Netgear Armor Free Trial installs whether you want it or not & there’s no way to stop it or turn it off once it’s there. (I will add to this review after the free trial period expires to let you know what happens when I decline the $70/month pay-to-play). -Do NOT check the box to enable mandatory use of https for wireless access as it disconnected my Nighthawk app from ever logging back on to the router without a complete factory restore & full setup again. (Web interface was just fine though & if I’m honest, full factory restore & setup is only another 10 minutes out of your day, so WTF? It’s all the little details & tweaks that take up your time anyway right?) UPDATE: -After the free 1 month trial of Netgear Armor was over & I didn’t fall for paying $70 to continue subscription, it just turned itself off & that was it. No having to reconfigure anything or any pain at all. Although I still get “Special Offers” from Netgear at drastically reduced pricing for another year of coverage. (Last one I got was about $30 for 1 year plus auto-renew for ever after at $70. No thanks) Things to think about: -For full WIFI 6E you will need to replace WIFI NICs to an Intel ax210 card. WIFI 6E is out but Windows 10 doesn’t support it, we will have to wait for Win 11 to see how all this shakes out. -Linux kernel 5.11 will support it but I haven’t had any luck with it yet. Ubuntu 21.04 can detect the signal but I can’t get it to connect yet. I think WPA3 is an issue. -On the whole, this has been rock solid for months now & I’m very pleased with it.

I've been using the NETGEAR Nighthawk 12-Stream WiFi 6E Router (RAXE500) for a few weeks now, and I have to say I'm blown away by its performance. This router is a game-changer when it comes to delivering lightning-fast internet speeds and providing reliable coverage throughout my home. With its AXE11000 Tri-Band Wireless Speed, I can stream 4K videos, play online games, and download large files without any lag or buffering. The new 6GHz band is a great addition, providing a dedicated channel for high-speed data transfer that doesn't interfere with other devices on the network. But what really impressed me was the coverage. The RAXE500 has a range of up to 3,500 sq. ft and can handle up to 60 devices at once. I have a large home with several floors, and I've never experienced any dead zones or dropped connections since switching to this router. Setup was a breeze, thanks to the user-friendly interface and clear instructions. I was up and running in no time, and I haven't had any issues with the router since then. The design is sleek and modern, too, so it looks great in my home office. Overall, I highly recommend the NETGEAR Nighthawk 12-Stream WiFi 6E Router (RAXE500) to anyone who wants a router that delivers incredible speed and coverage. It's a bit pricier than some other options on the market, but in my opinion, it's worth every penny.

I recently replaced the Netgear X4S (R7800) after having continuous dropouts and slowed internet connection with the Netgear RAXE300 router. After install and using for several days the only thing I noticed was an increase in the distance and a very slight speed increase and i ultimately wasn’t impressed. Still I decided I would keep it as it was better than the X4S, but I decided to purchase the RAXE500 to test drive and boy was I impressed! The RAXE500 immediately showed an internet speed increase that I’ve never reached before and the distance was also slightly better or on par with the RAXE300. Overall for my 4400sqft home, the RAXE500 has shown impressive consistency in increased download speeds and coverage for the 20 connected devices on the network. To be more specific with the bands, the 2.4ghz appears to be much faster and stronger in distance, the 5ghz is also blazing fast and reaches distances about as far as the 2.4 ghz with this router. The 6ghz for me was fast but had very short coverage and was unusable. Maybe with a 6e extender this could be beneficial, however; the speeds that I’m receiving doesn’t leave me caring too much. This routers powerful gpu truly shows and lives up to the hype. The coverage and speed is amazing, and this definitely lives up to the hype. I do suggest enabling the MU-MIMO and OFDMA on all three bands to achieve the best performance out of this router. Just buy it!!!!