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Re: What is the recommended network adapter for this router (Nighthawk AX8 - RAX80)

computeraddict
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What is the recommended network adapter for this router (Nighthawk AX8 - RAX80)

I'm currently using Netgear R7000 router with an ASUS PCE-AC68 network adapter and looking to upgrade.

This one that i'm looking at is a next-gen WiFi 6 router 802.11ax that I'm willing to upgrade to: NIGHTHAWK® AX8 8-STREAM AX6000 WIFI 6 ROUTER WITH NETGEAR ARMOR™ (RAX80) (https://www.netgear.co.uk/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/rax80.aspx)

Goal: To be able to utilize my Fiber internet fully and get 1 Gbps speeds through WiFi. Right now with my current setup, I'm getting only 350 mbps download/upload speeds through WiFi. However if I connect via ethernet I can get up to 900 mbps.

 

I'm a little confused about the network adapter that's compatible with this that I need to get for this router. On the Netgear website, I see many network adapters, but there are no "WiFi 6" ones. I see ones for the previous gen (i.e. 802.11ac) called Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi USB Adapter (https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-adapters/). This is the best network adapter I think Netgear has. It lists: 

  • 802.11ac - USB 3.0 provides faster access, while extreme download speeds of up to 600 (2.4 ghz)/1300 (5 ghz)Mbps
I'm a bit confused on this. The router I'm getting is capable of:
  • 802.11ax (2.4GHz) : up to 1200 Mbps
    802.11ax (5GHz) : up to 4800 Mbps
However the network adapter can only do up to 1300 Mbps (5 ghz), it's less than what the router is capable of. So I mean is it really the best one suited for that router i'm looking at getting? Is Netgear currently working on making new ones that will be better suited for wireless ax (WiFi 6) users? Is this really the best network adapter they have for WiFi 6?
Model: RAX80|Nighthawk AX8 8-Stream WiFi Router
Message 1 of 3

Re: What is the recommended network adapter for this router (Nighthawk AX8 - RAX80)


@computeraddict wrote:

Goal: To be able to utilize my Fiber internet fully and get 1 Gbps speeds through WiFi.

 

Forget it. Wifi never does the same speed as wired.

 

A quick tutorial might help:

 

Understand Wi-Fi 4/5/6 (802.11 n/ac/ad/ax)

 

@duckware knows their stuff.

 


@computeraddict wrote:

Right now with my current setup, I'm getting only 350 mbps download/upload speeds through WiFi.


That about as fast as many wifi clients can manage.

 

That is where the bottlenecks lie. In your case, the ASUS PCE-AC68 network adapter. Asus diesn't even promise that that will do faster than 867 MBps and that is marketing rather than real world experience.

 

PCE-AC68 | Networking | ASUS United Kingdom

 

Message 2 of 3
computeraddict
Aspirant

Re: What is the recommended network adapter for this router (Nighthawk AX8 - RAX80)


@michaelkenward wrote:

@computeraddict wrote:

Goal: To be able to utilize my Fiber internet fully and get 1 Gbps speeds through WiFi.

 

Forget it. Wifi never does the same speed as wired.

Yeah that's what I thought too until I saw this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHKIwtSCUnQ&list=

watch at 12:38. Those are his WiFi speeds. He uses an Asus PCE AC-88 network adapter and his router is also faster than mine. Not as fast as today's routers but still faster than the R7000 which is what I'm using. And look at the speeds he's getting. That's on WiFi dude. You can watch the whole video if you want its pretty cool. 

 

Yeah I could go wired but I have to call an electrician to do the wiring for me because I live upstairs and my routers in the basement, I'm not even sure if it's possible to do the wiring for this. I might have to just take the wire and just walk it through the doors just out in the open or something if the electrician can't do the wiring for this. The cost for the wiring is probably about the same as what I would pay if I upgrade my router setup (go WiFi) and network adapter. so that's why I was considering to do this.

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