Netgear Nighthawk RS600 Review Features scaled

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Netgear introduced its first WiFi 7 Nighthawk router at the end of last year, the Nighthawk RS700S, the flagship model of the Nighthawk series.

They then followed this up with the more affordable Nighthawk RS300. I found that the main difference in performance was the omission of 10GbE ports, as the RS600 was able to achieve a throughput of up to 3.55 Gbits/sec with iPerf on the iQOO 12.

Netgear has now launched three new Nighthawk models, the RS600, RS500, and RS200.

In my opinion, the RS600 is the most interesting model. It features two 10GbE ports, one for the WAN and another for the LAN, so it should be able to provide similar performance to the RS700S but cost £300 less.

As I recently reviewed the RS300 and the RS700S, as well as a separate review for Netgear Armor, I won’t cover the underlying features in as much detail as I would the other models, as they are basically the same.

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NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-band WiFi 7 Router (RS600), BE18000... NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-band WiFi 7 Router (RS600), BE18000... No ratings yet £499.99Amazon Prime

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Netgear RS600 vs RS700S vs RS500 Specification

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 Review 1
FeatureRS700SRS600RS500RS300
WiFi StandardWiFi 7WiFi 7WiFi 7WiFi 7
6Ghz4×4 BE: up to 1376Mbps
(80/160/320MHz
4×4 BE: up to 1376Mbps
(80/160/320MHz)
2×2 BE: Up to 5760Mbps (80/160/320MHz)2×2 BE: Up to 5760Mbps (80/160/320MHz)
5Ghz4×4 BE: up to 5762Mbps
(80/160MHz)
4×4 BE: up to 5762Mbps
(80/160MHz)
4×4 BE: up to 5762Mbps
(80/160MHz)
2×2 BE: up to 2881 Mbps
(80/160MHz)
2.4Ghz4×4 BE: up to 1376Mbps
(20/40MHz)
2×2 BE: Up to 688 Mbps
(20/40MHz)
2×2 BE: Up to 688 Mbps
(20/40MHz)
2×2 BE: Up to 688 Mbps
(20/40MHz)
Max WiFi Speed19 Gbps18 Gbps12 Gbps9.3 Gbps
Coverage Area3,500 sq. ft.3,300 sq. ft.3,000 sq. ft.2,500 sq. ft.
Max Connected Devices200150120100
WAN Port10 Gbps10 Gbps2.5 Gbps2.5 Gbps
LAN Ports1x 10 Gbps, 4x 1 Gbps1x 10 Gbps, 3x 1 Gbps1x 2.5 Gbps, 3x 1 Gbps2x 2.5 Gbps, 2x 1 Gbps
USB Ports1x USB 3.01x USB 3.01x USB 3.01x USB 3.0
ProcessorQuad-core 2.6 GHzQuad-core 2.0 GHzQuad-core 2.0 GHzQuad-core 2.0 GHz
Memory2 GB RAM, 512 MB Flash2 GB RAM, 512 MB Flash2 GB RAM, 512 MB Flash2 GB RAM, 512 MB Flash
Antennas8 internal8 internal6 internal4 internal
Dimensions (cm)28.17 cm x 14.20 cm x 12.40 cm25.65 cm x 14.99 cm x 10.16 cm24.89 cm x 14.99 cm x 10.16 cm24.89 cm x 14.99 cm x 10.16 cm
Weight1.635 kg1.24 kg0.967 kg 0.95 kg

Additionally, there is the RS200. While this is a WiFi 7 router, it lacks the 6GHz band, which helps bring the price point down to be much more affordable. I left the above comparison off as I felt it didn’t really compete with the other Nighthawk routers.

Features

WiFi 7 Speeds

Experience WiFi 7 speeds of up to 18 Gbps, providing smooth performance for real-time gaming, 4K/8K streaming, high-definition video conferencing, and augmented or virtual reality entertainment.

Enhanced WiFi 7 Technology

WiFi 7 delivers speeds 2.4 times faster than WiFi 6, along with significantly reduced latency, ensuring optimal performance across all connected devices.

Comprehensive WiFi Coverage

The router’s compact design, combined with high-performance antennas, offers seamless WiFi coverage across an area of up to 2,700 square feet, ensuring consistent connectivity throughout your space.

Improved Speed and Reliability

Supporting both multi-gig cable and fibre connections, this router features a 10 Gig internet port, allowing access to the fastest available speeds. The 10 Gbps and 1 Gbps Ethernet ports provide fast and reliable connectivity for wired devices.

Security and Privacy

This router is built with security as a priority. It comes with automatic firmware updates and industry-standard safety features, helping to keep your network and family secure.

Comprehensive Internet Security

Netgear Armor provides ongoing protection for your WiFi network and connected devices, offering real-time defence against threats such as hacking attempts. A 30-day trial of the security software is included.

Simple Setup with Any Internet Service Provider

Setting up is straightforward. Just connect the Nighthawk router to your modem and use the Nighthawk app to complete the installation with ease.

Design and Build

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 Review vs RS300

Netgear has maintained a familiar design language with the RS600 and RS700S. Both routers have a sleek, minimalistic design, with internal antennas and a matte black finish. The compact design of the RS600 is a slight improvement for users with limited space; it is lighter at 1.24 kg compared to the 1.635 kg RS700S. The difference is marginal but may be an important factor for those looking for a less conspicuous router.

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 Review vs RS300 side view

The RS600 measures 25.65 cm x 14.99 cm x 10.16 cm, a tad smaller than the RS700S at 28.17 cm x 14.20 cm x 12.40 cm. While both routers are designed for medium to large homes, the RS600 offers coverage up to 3,300 square feet (306.58 m²), slightly less than the 3,500 square feet (325.16 m²) offered by the RS700S. The difference in coverage might not be significant for most households, but it is worth noting for those with very large homes.

The port configuration is similar, they both have 10GbE for WAN and LAN but the RS700S has 4x1GbE ports vs 3x1GbE on the RS300. It is disappointing that Netgear didn’t use 2.5GbE instead of 1GbE, considering competing brands are dropping 1GbE for mid and upper-range products.

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 Review vs RS300 Ports

Set Up and Nighthawk App & Web UI

The set-up process, Nighthawk app and web UI are identical to the RS300 and RS700S. The main difference between this and the RS700S is that the RS700S comes with 1 year’s worth of Netgear Armor included, whereas this comes with a month’s trial.

As always with Netgear, the app is quite basic, which makes it more user-friendly to people without a lot of technical expertise.

The Nighthawk app has the following features:

  • Network monitoring: View connected devices and their data usage
  • Speed tests: Check your internet connection speed
  • WiFi settings: Adjust network names, passwords, and guest network options
  • Device prioritisation: Set bandwidth priorities for specific devices
  • Parental controls: Set up basic content filtering and access schedules
  • Security: Monitor network threats and access Netgear Armor features

Then, the WebUI provides:

  • Detailed WiFi configuration: Fine-tune channel selection, transmit power, and other advanced wireless settings
  • QoS (Quality of Service): Set up traffic prioritisation rules
  • Port forwarding and VPN settings
  • Advanced security options
  • Network storage configuration for the USB port
  • System logs and diagnostics

Test Set Up

Devices I tested the router with include:

For this review, I changed my test set-up slightly as I had some issues getting it to perform as well as I would have liked, as I recently moved most of my network to Ubiquiti.

I used my main PC as the server, connected directly to the RS600’s 10GbE port. I also retested the RS300 with the same setup. To try to keep things consistent, I will likely use this setup for all future reviews.

6GHz Wi-Fi 7 Performance

All results in Mbps

6GHzRS600RS300RS700S
Office
Laptop20751912N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL22661656N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra26502074N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A3530
Living Room
Laptop13311201N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL13721133N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra12431260N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A2047
Front Room
Laptop254142N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL264127N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra167140N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A214
Kitchen
Laptop101N/AN/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL90N/AN/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra110N/AN/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A208

I have included the results from the RS700S to give an idea of performance differences. I no longer have the iQOO 12, and at the time of the review, I did not have access to a PC or laptop with a Wi-Fi 7 module.

Just like previous reviews, I am impressed that the 6GHz band performs well between the two rooms. Many people will have you believe that it is only usable in the same room.

While the 2.5GbE port on the RS300 does hold it back, when compared to the RS600, it is not significant in my scenario.  However, the 10GbE will become more useful when MLO is better supported.

5GHz Wi-Fi 7 Performance

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 5GHz Wi Fi 7 Performance
5GhzRS600RS300RS700S
Office
Laptop18461912N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL23221656N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra24322074N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A2331
Living Room
Laptop1197934N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL1328950N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra1200890N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A1567
Front Room
Laptop244212N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL234220N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra394250N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A214
Kitchen
Laptop13198N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL120107N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra13081N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A244

Things are more balanced between the RS600 and RS700S for 5GHz. The RS300 performs well, but the mid-range performance helps justify the increased cost of the RS600 and RS700S.

2.4Ghz Wi-Fi 7 Performance

2.4 GhzRS600RS300RS700S
Office
Laptop167114N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL120108N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra162100N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A184
Living Room
Laptop4941N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL4036N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra4855N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A93
Front Room
Laptop327N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL284N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra252N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A45
Kitchen
Laptop1213N/A
Pixel 9 Pro XL156N/A
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra1311N/A
iQOO 12N/AN/A37

I don’t often test 2.4GHz extensively as it tends only to be used by IoT devices now.  It is always advertised as the best option for range, but in my scenario, with a quite congested environment and solid brick walls in a big house, the performance was disappointing for both the RS300 & RS600. It provides some insight into why things like 2.4Ghz video doorbells often perform poorly with notifications and streaming.

While my results don’t look great, single routers are not really suitable for a brick-built 4-bed semi-detached house, and this is why mesh systems have become so popular.

Price and Alternative Options

The Netgear Nighthawk WiFi 7 Router lineup is priced as:

  • RS700S: £800 (£700 on Amazon at the time of writing)
  • RS600: £500
  • RS500: £400
  • RS300: £300
  • RS200: £200

For alternative options, you have:

  • TP-Link Archer BE800: £511
    • Oddly, TP-Link class this EOL. But it is probably the best alternative option as it is almost the same price but has 2x10GbE and 4×2.5GbE with 4×4 MU-MIMO for all bands.
  • TP-Link BE9300: £249
    • This has five 2.5GbE ports, so it is an appealing option vs the RS500 and RS300.
  • TP-Link Archer BE900: £675
    • Quad-band WiFi, so this could be upgraded to a good mesh system, and it features dual 10GbE + four 2.5GbE ports.
  • ASUS TUF Gaming BE9700: £260
    • More of a competitor for the RS300. This has four 2.5GbE ports, but it does have a single 10GbE LAN/WAN port (which I always find a bit pointless for most people).
  • ROG Rapture GT-BE98: £700
    • More of a competitor vs the RS700S. This is a quad-band WiFI 7 router with 2x10GbE and 4×2.5GbE.

Overall

When I received the Nighthawk RS600, I expected it to make the RS700S redundant. But, with a big caveat, my results show that is not the case. Obviously, I used a completely different phone for that review, so I would take the difference in performance with a pinch of salt.

However, the RS600 performs well, and I think most people would prefer saving £200-300 with the RS600 when the real-world performance will be similar.

I think the RS600 is well-positioned against the alternative options. At a price point similar to 10GbE, the only other option is the TP-Link Archer GE800.

I still need to review the RS500, but I have a feeling that I will find both the RS600 and RS300 the best two options for most buyers out of the Nighthawk Wi-Fi 7 lineup as I think they will provide the best overall value for money, depending on your needs.

Overall, the Nighthawk RS600 is a superb option if you can’t justify the expense of flagship routers.

Netgear Nighthawk RS600 WiFi 7 Router Review vs RS700S vs RS300

Summary

The Nighthawk RS600 is a superb option if you can’t justify the expense of flagship routers. A close range, the 6GHz band can comfortably exceed the 2500Mbps throughput limitation of cheaper routers, including the RS300. With MLO, it should provide significantly more throughput than the RS300 is capable of. While it didn’t have the same jaw-dropping speeds as the RS700S, I doubt most people will see real-world differences, especially as OpenFibre fibre caps out at 2500Mbps in the UK.

Overall
85%
85%
  • Overall - 85%
    85%

Pros

  • Good price to performance ratio
  • 10GbE allows WiFi 7 to reach its potential

Cons

  • 1GbE ports instead of 2GbE

Last update on 2024-11-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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