7 Best Smart WiFi Routers 2021 (Top Rated 7 Smart WiFi Routers 2021)
| Cons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | + Seriously Affordable + Reasonable Performance + Manages Network Congestion | - Limited Range | ||
 | + Great Speeds + Compelling Feature Set + Great for Gaming and Streaming | - Exceedingly Large Wall Wart | ||
 | + Good Range + Built-in VPN + Attractive Design | - Heavy Router | ||
 | + Affordably Priced + Easy to Install + Supports MU-MIMO Streaming | - No USB Ports | ||
 | + Uncongested Whole-Home Coverage + Straightforward Set-Up + Compact Design | - Limited Ports | ||
 | + Super-Simple Setup + Great Value + Excellent Design | - Limited Hardware Control | ||
 | + Great Speeds + Compact Housing + Better Coverage | - Not Enough Capacity for Large Family |
“Gone are the days when a basic router with crawling internet speed and weak signals used to be enough. Thanks to ever-evolving Wi-Fi technology, modern routers are designed to be more efficient. The best Wi-Fi router like the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50 6-Stream WiFi 6 Router comes with the latest Wi-Fi technology which is Wi-Fi 6.”
Of course, this comes at a price, the Nighthawk RAX50-100NAS comes at a slightly higher price tag compared to other Wi-Fi devices from Netgear with older Wi-Fi generation. The big question for anyone that intends to make a purchase is whether or not this router is worth the extra cost. Here’s a breakdown of the features and specs of this WI-Fi Router.
Specs Summary
- Compatible with both older generation Wi-Fi devices and newer Wi-Fi 6 devices
- Wired Ethernet
- 5GHz 3-core processor, 4 amplifier antenna, OFDMA, Smart communication
- Security: WPA2 / WPA3 wireless security protocol, guest network, VPN and Firewall
- Wired Ethernet: 4 ports to connect to wired devices
- USB connectivity: USB 3.0 x 1 port
- Fast WiFi performance 6: The AX5400 (dual-band up to 600 4800 Mbps) provides wireless coverage for medium and large families.
- 6 Concurrent Flows
Build And Connections
Like many of the other routers in the Nighthawk series, this Nighthawk RAX50-100NAS has an impressive futuristic look that lets you know right from the get-go that it means business. The sleek and edgy look is indicative of strong performance and fast speed.
On the router, you get 4 LAN ports and 1 WAN port. All these ports Gigabit Ethernet which is quite useful if your broadband line delivers somewhere in the range of the 1Gbps. The Nighthawk RAX50 features 4 external antennas which not only contribute to its imposing look but also help to increase the range of this device.
It is not the biggest router out there, but the connection is strong enough for a three-bedroom apartment. This should give you an idea of what to expect in comparison to your home size.
Is the Nightwalk Easy To Set Up?
One of the main highlights of the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50 6-Stream WiFi 6 Router is how easy it to set up is. You’ll actually have it up and running in no time thanks to a seamless setup process. In the past, you’ll need to have a laptop, Lan Cable, and a bogus IP address from your browser. Netgear has simplified all of this through the possibility of setup using the Nighthawk app from your mobile device. The old-school method is still available if you prefer that. But using the app is obviously the simpler approach.
To set up, follow these steps:
- Power the router up and connect to your internet modem. The app will automatically detect it.
- You will be prompted to do a firmware setup for security. You can skip this step, but it is recommended.
- The app will work you through the rest of the setup.
The entire process of setup takes less than ten minutes.
Is Netgear Nighthawk a Good Router?
So how does the Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 perform? As mentioned, this router works great for a typical 3-bedroom apartment. It covers the indoor area quite well. But the specific speed you get may depend on the device you are connecting with and the distance from the router.
You can expect this router to deliver a speed of about 330Mps when there is no obstruction between the device and the router. The RAX50 will deliver up to 240Mbps through three walls and around 90Mbps when the device is up to 4 walls away from the router.
In addition to Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, this router has common router features such as SSID broadcast, channel designation, and the possibility of connecting a guest network. There are also additional features that are unique to it such as the smart connect feature. This allows the router to automatically detect the best broadband between 2.4 GHz or 5GHz and select one for you.
There’s also the OFDMA feature which is a unique feature of Netgear AX routers. This feature makes bandwidth sharing a lot more efficient. The router can send and receive more data without the communication lag that is common with other devices.
Is the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50-100NAS Wi-Fi 6-Compatible?
A major distinguishing feature of this device is the WiFi 6 compatibility. Wi-Fi 6 is the latest generation of Wi-Fi connections known for faster speed and longer range. The NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50-100NAS’s Wi-Fi 6 features work effectively on both old new and old Wi-Fi 6 enabled devices. This allows you to download at speeds of up to 5.4Gbps on enabled devices.
Is the Netgear Nighthawk Good For Streaming?
Thanks to Wi-Fi 6 technology, the streaming speed of this router is up to is 4.5X faster than older Wi-Fi generations. The faster speed makes it possible to movies, play games, or make video calls from all your devices simultaneously on all connected devices with no lag. You can connect up to 25 smart home devices and have all of them working at full capacity.
Conclusion
The Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi router is quite loaded spec-wise and delivers quite effectively as far as performance goes. The connection is reliable and fast and users can enjoy lag-free streaming on connected devices. If you are willing to pay the slightly higher price tag, this device is well worth it.
Thanks to the latest Wi-FI technology, you can enjoy four times the capacity of the older WiFi 5 on a compatible device. This gives connected devices a more consistent and stronger signal strength which allows them to perform better for a wide range of applications.
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