How long do Netgear routers last?

Netgear is one of the biggest and most reputable manufacturers of networking products. All Netgear routers come with warranty support , and you should register your device online . The warranty support for default is one year and 90 days of complimentary technical support, extended warranty support is two years. Refurbished products come with 90 days of warranty and 90 days of complimentary technical support.

Where are Netgear routers made?

Netgear routers are manufactured primarily in mainland China and Vietnam, though some lower-volume products are also manufactured in Taiwan. Netgear has product quality organizations based in both Hong Kong and mainland China.

Are Netgear routers compatible with Xfinity?

Netgear routers are compatible with Xfinity modems in most cases, though you should check this list to confirm compatibility . If you can't find your modem on the list, you may want to call Xfinity customer support and have them verify support for your Netgear router.

The 5 Best Netgear Routers of 2023

The best Netgear routers give you a stable Wi-Fi connection and good range and can help you connect multiple devices. The company offers standard dual-band routers, gaming-oriented tri-band routers, and whole-home mesh networks.

The Rundown

Best Overall:

Netgear Home Wi-Fi System at Amazon

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Best Speed:

Netgear Nighthawk RAX80 Wi-Fi 6 Router at Amazon

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Best Value:

Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000 at Amazon

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Best for Gaming:

Netgear Nighthawk XR500 at Amazon

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Best Budget:

Netgear Nighthawk R6700 at Amazon

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in this article

Our Picks
What to Look for in a Netgear Router
FAQ

4.5

Amazon

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What We Like

Speedy performance
Full home coverage
Beautiful aesthetics

What We Don't Like

Very expensive
Older devices complicate things

Netgear Orbi Review

Netgear's Orbi Mesh Wi-Fi is the company's first specifically-made mesh router system, with a pair of units acting as a base station and a "satellite" unit to provide corner-to-corner coverage at a 5,000-square-foot home. The system is simple to set up via Netgear's Orbi smartphone app, so you can get online within minutes of plugging it in.

The tri-band coverage offers lightning-fast performance, thanks to technologies like MU-MIMO and six internal antennas, reaching speeds of up to 1,733Mbps on the 5GHz band and 833Mbps on the 2.4GHz side. The Orbi also works with Amazon Alexa voice commands, and the smartphone application allows for parental controls powered by Circle. There's even the ability to set up guest Wi-Fi networks and connect new devices.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: NETGEAR Armor, WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AC3000 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}

4.5

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What We Like

Easy setup
Fast file transfer
Future-proof Wi-Fi 6 support

What We Don't Like

Only dual-band
Expensive

Even if your PCs and gaming consoles aren't ready for Wi-Fi 6 yet, the RAX80 still provides up to 2,500 square feet of coverage for your 5GHz 802.11ac and older 2.4GHz devices with a throughput of up to 4.8Gbps and 1.2Gbps on each of its bands, respectively, thanks to the four antennas encased in its hawk-like wings.

With support for MU-MIMO and eight simultaneous 160MHz channels, plus a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core CPU, more devices can use maximum Wi-Fi speeds simultaneously, so you don't need to worry about your family members or roommates slowing down your connection. It's also more than capable of handling even the more tricked-out smart homes, and thanks to WAN port aggregation, it can even manage Multi-Gig internet plans up to 2Gbps.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: Netgear Armor, WPA2, 802.1x | Standard/Speed: AX6000 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 5}

Netgear Nighthawk RAX80 Wi-Fi 6 Router — Lifewire / Jeremy Laukkonen

4.3

Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router

Lifewire / Yoona Wagener

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What We Like

User-friendly mobile app
Three bands for optimal multi-device Wi-Fi support
Meant for 4K streaming and gaming
Advanced parental controls

What We Don't Like

Expensive
Takes up a lot of space
Some performance drops
Buggy initial setup

Netgear Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router Review

The Netgear Nighthawk X6 is integrated with Amazon Alexa for voice command prompts and features six external high-performance antennas that combine with tri-band Wi-Fi for increased performance and signal strength. A 1GHz dual-core processor works alongside three offload processors to maintain network performance, while Netgear's Smart Connect software works to allow each device to connect to the strongest signal.

Beamforming+ technology helps improve existing signals by directing unused bandwidth directly at each connected device. And setting up the X6 is a snap, thanks to the downloadable Netgear Up smartphone app that's available for Android and iOS and can connect you to your home network with just a few taps. With a total speed of 3.2Gbps across the 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11ac bands, the X6 excels at online gaming or 4K streaming.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: WPA, WPA2, | Standard/Speed: AC3200 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 5}

Netgear

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What We Like

Very configurable for gamers
Good 2.4GHz performance
Easy setup

What We Don't Like

Poor longer range performance
Pricey

One of the best-reviewed gaming routers on the market, Netgear's Nighthawk XR500 is built with gamers in mind. The hardware includes gaming-specific features such as QoS for prioritizing gaming devices on the network for the best possible signal and allocating any extra bandwidth to eliminate lag. A gaming dashboard helps to show real-time bandwidth use, so users can help minimize ping times, while a gaming VPN allows instant connection to any VPN client to maintain security and privacy.

Monitoring network strength is easy via the downloadable Netgear smartphone application, and the dual-core 1.7Ghz processor helps to maintain the hardware performance and support the demands of online gaming traffic. With four external antennas for increased signal strength, the XR500 adds MU-MIMO and Quad-Stream technologies for more gaming boost. Add a total network speed of 2.6Gbps across the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and you've found a gaming router worthy of its price tag.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AC2600 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}

Netgear Nighthawk R6700 Smart Wi-Fi Router

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What We Like

Solid 802.11ac performance
Advanced features like QoS
Inexpensive

What We Don't Like

Weaker 2.4GHz speeds

Compatible with 802.11ac, the Netgear Nighthawk R6700 speeds up to 450Mbps on the 2.4Ghz band and up to 1,300Mbps on the 5GHz band. Capable of simultaneously supporting up to 12 devices at a time, the Nighthawk offers a straightforward setup with the company’s smartphone application. There, parents can find a slew of parental controls and options to create guest networks and update the router with the latest firmware for up-to-date security and performance.

Compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice command usage, the Nighthawk has a dual-core processor inside that powers the hardware to help maintain steady performance. The three external high-performance antennas can be directed toward device locations (i.e., a desktop or television) for improved signal strength and range.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AC1750| Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: No | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 5}

What to Look for in a Netgear Router

Ports

There are a lot of cases where it’s better to plug a computer, game console, or another device into an Ethernet port. Count all the devices you want to connect via Ethernet and look for a Netgear router to accommodate your setup. Most routers have four LAN ports, but if you have many devices to connect, the alternative is to invest in an additional Ethernet switch later. These can expand your Ethernet port options to 16 or 20. A USB port on a router can also be handy for connecting a printer, external hard drive, or other devices to create sharable storage.

Multiple antennas

Unless you live in a tiny studio apartment, you’ll need a Netgear router with multiple antennas. Three is enough for most houses and small businesses, but you’ll need four or more if you have a big, multi-story home or a large office. Higher-end routers can have as many as six or eight. Generally speaking, the more antennas, the better your range and connectivity are, though that also depends on the type of router. The Orbi can cover 5,000 square feet with its six antennas. The more budget Nighthawk R6700 has three antennas, covering up to 1,500 square feet.

Multiple bands

You can get by with a single-band router for most basic usage but look for a dual- or tri-band Netgear router if you want to connect many devices. Some dual-band routers can provide a solid connection to up to 20 devices simultaneously, and tri-band routers give you even more options. You'll also want to look at the Wi-Fi standard. Many options support Wi-Fi 6, though Wi-Fi 5 is still the standard.

FAQ

How long do Netgear routers last?

Netgear is one of the biggest and most reputable manufacturers of networking products. All Netgear routers come with warranty support, and you should register your device online. The warranty support for default is one year and 90 days of complimentary technical support, extended warranty support is two years. Refurbished products come with 90 days of warranty and 90 days of complimentary technical support.
Where are Netgear routers made?

Netgear routers are manufactured primarily in mainland China and Vietnam, though some lower-volume products are also manufactured in Taiwan. Netgear has product quality organizations based in both Hong Kong and mainland China.
Are Netgear routers compatible with Xfinity?

Netgear routers are compatible with Xfinity modems in most cases, though you should check this list to confirm compatibility. If you can't find your modem on the list, you may want to call Xfinity customer support and have them verify support for your Netgear router.