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Forum Discussion
Netgear Suggested Upgrade Due To EOL Support
Just received a notification email from Netgear re: the end of life / support on my working, old R6700 Nighthawk AC1750. Continues to work fine for our home size, broadband speed, and devices. Home specs are:
*≈1,850 sq ft. Router located on 2nd floor, in my (in essence) centrally located tech closet.
*Two person household. No gaming.
Eq:
(2) 4K TVs.
Both Android & Apple phones & tablets.
4 Ring security cameras.
5-6 Google Mini Home IOT devices.
6-7 various brand lighting device packages.
2 Nest T-stats.
A microwave ;)
Wired HiFi audio home system occasionally used.
2 RF A/V remotes.
2 notebook PCs.
2 Wi-Fi Air filters.
>Broadband = AT&T 2023 fiber & router (Wi-Fi turned off) ≈ Wi-Fi tested ≈180MPS average on various wireless phone, tablets & TV devices over 2025.
>BGW-320 500: (turned off currently) 802.11a/n/ac/ax with concurrent Wi-Fi 4 x 4 802. 11ax on 2. 4GHz and 4 x 4 802. 11ax on 5GHz both High & Low band.
>Maximum Upstream Data Transfer Rate 2.4E+3 Megabits/s
>BGW-320 500 gateway ports:
*(3) standard 1 gigabit Ethernet ports, ONE USED FOR EXISTING 1x13 node EXISTING CAT5e WIRED home network.
*(1) 5 gigabit Ethernet port - UNUSED.
Usage: Only 2 People. LOTS of gadget IOT devices occasionally accessed. No gaming. Occasional dualing 4K TVs, dualing tablets, with simultaneous Ring cameras, or sound system, etc.
>Everything operates at ≈96-98% efficiency when used.
Opt 1: No new Netgear needed for now; leave as is.
Opt2: No new Netgear needed, simply turn ON & use AT&T's BGW320 Wi-Fi 6 modem router in same closet.
Opt3: Look at Netgear router #______ & here's why___________.
Opt4:_____________________.
1 Reply
I sense no urgency to do anything. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
WiFi6 has the potential for greater performance, provided that
- There are devices in the house capable of 802.11ax (WiFi6) None of those IoT gizmos are capable of higher speed. How old are the TVs?
- The actual use would benefit from greater bandwidth. For example, a video stream consumes only so much bandwidth. i.e. If a car is capable of 150mph, but the speed limit is 55mph, a car can go only 55mph. Upgrading from WiFi5 to WiFi6 (or even higher) might not result in any noticeable change.
If you would enjoy experimenting, it might be interesting to temporarily enable the WiFi on the AT&T router and measure the WiFi signal strength at various locations in the house as compared to the R6700. See how a tablet or TV performs when connected to the AT&T.
