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Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

Dustin_V
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

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With the influx of smart home devices on the market making their way into our homes, one thing we tend to overlook is the infrastructure that supports it. From smart speakers, security cameras, appliances, locks, and more, your home WiFi network needs to be able to perform efficiently to ensure a more enjoyable experience. This Holiday season may be a true test of how well your network can stand up to the challenge. Whether you’re hosting friends and family who’ll be bringing connected devices into your home or you're expecting to receive smart home goodies as gifts, the last thing you want is an underperforming network that is too slow and unreliable to get the job done.

 

Enter NETGEAR’s first AX WiFi router, the Nighthawk AX8. By using the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard (802.11ax), the AX8 will help future-proof your home and will improve network capacity for multiple smart home devices, old and new. Now, when your family comes to visit, you can proudly provide them guest WiFi access without feeling embarrassment about bogging down your network and being known as the family member with slow WiFi.

 

By touting features like Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), you’ll experience improved network capacity, giving you more available bandwidth for more added devices to your network. As an 8-stream WiFi router, more WiFi streams will mean less congestion on your network and more reliable connections to all your connected devices. By being backward-compatible, not only will your current WiFi devices be supported, but all future AX WiFi-supported devices as well.

 

Whether you’re looking for more reliable smart home connectivity, smoother UHD 4K/8K streaming, or faster and farther coverage, the Nighthawk AX8 is here to proudly lead the new era of WiFi. If this isn't already on your Holiday wish list, now is the perfect to add it! 

 

Learn more about the Nighthawk AX8: https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/RAX80.aspx

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BretD
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Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

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delkoman
Tutor

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

I recently purcased and installed AX8 in my home and had a very odd thing happen. When setting it up, I used the same SSID and password as the device being replaced. All of the wifi devices in our home connected to the AX8 execept my HP ENVY Laptop (purchased new in 2017). After qutie a bit of trial and error, I found that with the AX mode turned on, the PC did not recognize the SSID broadcast, With AX mode turned off, the router would show up as a wifi option. The laptop is running the latest version of Windows 10.

 

None of the other devices showed this behavior including Echo's, other Laptops, PS4, Mobiles, secuirity cameras, and IPADs. They all reconnected with AX turned on or off.

 

Any thoughts on how do fix this? I'd liek to benefit from the AX8's WiFi 6 AX mode.

Message 2 of 13
myersw
Master

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

Does the laptop support AX? I suspect not. 

There are maybe one wireless hardware manufacturer that is making a chip that supports AX. AX is a coming down the road thing. 

 

Folks let me know if wrong.,

Message 3 of 13
delkoman
Tutor

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

AX supposed to be backward compatible with all existing WIFI chipsets. The fact that I have a dozen or so older devices in my house that do not have the AX chip but DO see the SSID broadcas confirms the backward compatibility. It maybe the AX8 is only backaward compatible with some devices but not all and this needs to be addressed in an firmware update.

 

Message 4 of 13
myersw
Master

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

Backward compatible can be iffy when the standard is not even finalized yet. So I am not surprised that a device does not work. Until there are clients that support AX I would turn it off. 

Message 5 of 13
fraczek12345
Aspirant

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

Can you tell me if I buy 4 units of Nighthawk AX12 will they work as a mesh network or will I have any problems when moving with my phone between the during making calls on WhatsApp?
Message 6 of 13
Eric_Cartman
Guide

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

Hi Netgear
How many concurrent devices can this support on the 2.4ghz band? Just wondering is it worth upgrading from my x6 R8000

Cheers

Eric
Message 7 of 13
Ojaga
Initiate

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

I am having the same problem with Delkoman! I am so glad that you raised this issue here. I have submitted my case to Netgear and I am waiting for them to fix it.

Now what I need to is what effect turning off or turning on the AX mode have on the overall router, performance and all? Guys at Netgear, you need to attend to this ASAP because I spent some pretty dollars on this router and I am about to drop my review on it.
Message 8 of 13
Ojaga
Initiate

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

I forgot to add that everything in my home can see the WiFi But my Dell Inspiron 17 7000 series. This laptop has not failed me one day and now it doesn’t even see my brand new powerful router. Help!!
Message 9 of 13
Polar1823
Initiate

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

Hi all

 

I have had the same problem with one of my laptop not able to see the WIFI SSID. you might want to update the WIFI driver of your laptop to the latest version. At least it works for me.  However, I do have one desktop computer with problem connecting to the router. It show  the network adaptor is not connected even tho it is. I am pretty sure the desktop/LAN cable is ok. so it's has to be some compatibilty issue. Also, the VPN configuration file download in the adanced page is obviously broken. I hope netgear address these issue in the coming firmware asap.

 

Ken 

Message 10 of 13
joelbb
Guide

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

Like the person who replied above (although I have an AX12), the solution was to simply go to device manager, click on the wifi adapter (this was on an HP desktop) and then click update.  Once the drive was updated, the computer saw the router without any problem.  All other devices in my house connected without any problem. 

Message 11 of 13
1961theo
Star

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

if you connect your new ax8 directly to the laptop they will connect. and once that is done you can make it wifi?

just a wild gues.

 

i am having trouble to install a VPN provider on the router. i see no possibilty which provider support this particulair AX8 Router.

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BretD
Admin

Re: Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router - Buyer's Guide

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