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Forum Discussion
Help selecting new router
I'm looking at 2 different routers and am not tech savvy enough to know how they compare. One is the Nighthawk AX5400 (RAX50) which is WiFi 6. The other is the Nighthawk X10 AD7200 Smart WiFi route...
It's on sale because it's not WiFi 6. WiFi 5 routers are just not in demand.
Chances are, you don't have very many WiFi 6 client devices, and WiFi 6 routers really come into their own when you're using all or mostly WiFi 6 devices (they're better at juggling multiple concurrent connections).
So to answer your question: how soon do you expect to have all or mostly WiFi 6 devices in your house? If you buy the WiFi 5 router now, are you going to be OK with purchasing a new WiFi 6 router at that future date?
One thing to keep in mind: WiFi 6E routers should be coming out at the end of the year, but I have no idea when WiFi 6E phones, laptops, etc. will be available. Bear in mind that the new 6 GHz band in WiFi 6E will have an even more difficult time penetrating walls and floors than the 5 GHz band does. I rather suspect that the 6 GHz band will be mostly useful as a backhaul for tri-band mesh routers.
Stay away from the R9000. It's dead technology (AD) and NETGEAR barely supports it any more. If you want a decent AC router, go for the R7800. For AX, I recommend the RAX120, though it's a bit expensive
Thanks. I'm not wanting to spend $500, but what about the RAX50? My house is a single level, 2500 sqft home. The router is positioned near the middle of the house. Max of 15 devices connected at a time (couple of gaming consoles, smart TV, 4 phones, couple of laptops, Nest thermostat, garage door opener, water softener, refrigerator, Sonos speakers).
My internet provider is a wireless broadband and I have a 30 mbps download package. I typically get 31-35 download and 7-7.5 upload.
- I've never used the RAX50, but I was considering the RAX45 to replace the secondary (AP mode) router.
Speaking of which, maybe keep your old router around. If you can string am Ethernet cable between two different rooms, you can use your old router in AP mode to help cover dead spots.
