Netgear R7000 Review (AC1900 Nighthawk Dual Band WiFi Router)

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You will be surprised to know that some old routers designed with AC1900 standard provide high Wi-Fi speed and excellent coverage. The Netgear Nighthawk R7000 is an AC1900 standard Wi-Fi router, which remains relevant today for the majority of users.

It is one of the best wireless routers available on the market with advanced 802.11ac technology as compared to other routers that rely on older 802.11n technology.

The Netgear R7000 offers high-speed networking performance, elegant design, powerful hardware, and easy setup. Is that so? Well, let’s find out in today’s review article based on our testing of the device. Read on!

Specifications

Size: 13.7 x 10.1 x 3.1 inches

Antennas: 3 detachable

Wi-Fi Spec: 5 GHz 802.11ac dual-band

Ports: 1x USB 2.0 and 1x USB 3.0

Peak Performance: 1300 Mbps

Range: 1800 sqft.

Unbox Video

Networking

The Company claims that R7000 performs well. To validate their claim, it was important for us to test the router. The R7000 has 1300 Mbps speed on the 5 GHz radio band and 600 Mbps on 2.4 GHz band. So, it is a combined speed of 1900 Mbps. This is due to the high-speed Broadcom Wi-Fi chipset. Many users think that is not the fastest AC standard router. However, we tested the device and found that it provides a stable speed even at a large distance.

At 15 feet, on the 5 GHz radio band for 802.11ac, we measured as peed of 430 Mbps. However, the speed of the router went down to 300 Mbps at 100 feet. For 802.11n, the speed measured was 190 Mbps at 15 feet on the 5 GHz radio frequency band. Similarly, the router scored 180 Mbps at 100 feet.

Besides, we found that the stability and coverage of the R7000 at 5 GHz is awesome. We steamed videos, connected multiple devices, and played video games but never encountered issues.

On the other hand, we also wanted to test the router on the 2.4 GHz radio frequency band. This time, at 15 feet, the speed we measured was 110 Mbps. At 15 feet, however, the speed was 60 Mbps. When it comes to the results of R7000 on the 2.4 GHz band, we see that the speed is not up to the mark as it was on a 5 GHz radio band. Moreover, you can couple the router with USB 3.0, which makes it a reliable NAS server – i.e. you get 60 Mbps reading and 40 Mbps writing speed.

Design

Netgear R700 has a unique and new design. It is different from other boring designs of most of the Netgear models. It features sharp angular lines. It has a black matte finish, which does not retain fingerprints. Also, R7000 has a plastic case but this does not mean the device is not sturdy. The 1.8 pounds weight of the device makes it a bit heavy. This is an advantage, the router stands in one place even if you connect many cables to the ports.

The router looks like a big undetectable jet. The dimensions are 13.7 x 10.1 x 3.1 inches. The size, color, and design match with most of the room décors, making it an impressive router aesthetically. You can place the router horizontally. Also, you can mount it on the wall. The R7000 has 3 detachable fin-like external antennas, which optimize and amplify the signals. The antennas look cool.

On the backside of the router, you will see a Reset button, 1 WAN port, 4 Ethernet ports, the ON-OFF button, and a USB 2.0 along with a power input port. There is an array of LED lights on the front of the R7000 router. The LEDs are responsible for internet link, power, 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands, 2 USB, 4 Ethernet LEDs, and WPS.

On the right side, there are two LEDs, which are for the Wi-Fi ON-OFF Button and WPS. The router features a USB 3.0 port on the front side. All these design features make it an aesthetically appealing router that can ease your eyes through its style and elegance.

Hardware

Compared to Linksys WRT1900ACS, which uses Marvel Amanda 1.6 GHz dual-core chipset backed by 128 MB flash storage and 512 MB of RAM, the Netgear R7000 has the Broadcom BCM4709A0 wireless chipset with Turbo-QAM boosting technology.

It has the ARM Cortex A9 CPU with a clock speed of 1 GHz. The processor is dual-core backed by 128 MB of flash memory and 256 MB of DDR RAM. On 2.4 GHz, the router speeds up to 600 Mbps and on the 5 GHz radio band, it speeds up to 1300 Mbps.

Testing the wireless capabilities of the router, we had some good results. We believe that it is not the fastest router in the AC series by Netgear, yet, we are impressed by its excellent performance, especially on the 5 GHz radio frequency band.

Installation

While installing the router, we found that it is not as easy as we were expecting. You can start by using the default password. Then, you are promoted to the Genie, an application or interface by the Netgear. This UI shows you the number of clients that are connected to the network, the active bands, as well as connected USB devices.

Using the Genie, you can check the parental controls and whether or not they are enabled. You can likewise check the status of the guest network. The Netgear R7000 has separate SSIDs for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio frequency bands. This router comes with a built-in VPN server and Open-DNS Parental Control, Ready-Share Vault for scheduled backup to the USB device. The Netgear Genie can be operated remotely from any part of the world.

The package also includes network Map, DLNA media, EZ mobile connect, iTunes music server, etc. Overall, the process of installation plus other features in the UI is awesome. Again, you need to go through the steps to properly set up the device. The steps are not that easy.

What We Liked

• Good Range
• USB 3.0 (NAS possibility)
• Built-in VPN
• Attractive Design
• Enhanced QoS

What We didn’t Like

• Heavy Router
• Complicated Installation

Related Netgear Router

• Netgear Orbi Mesh Router
• Netgear R8000P
• Netgear R9000
• Netgear AX6000

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