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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.
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-band WiFi 7 Router (RS600), BE18000... | £499.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Related Reviews
- Netgear Nighthawk RS700S WiFi 7 Router Review
- Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router Review
- Netgear Orbi 770 Mesh Router Review
- Netgear Armor Review
- Netgear Orbi RBE973 Review
- Netgear Orbi 770 Mesh Router Review
Netgear RS600 vs RS700S vs RS500 Specification
Feature | RS700S | RS600 | RS500 | RS300 |
WiFi Standard | WiFi 7 | WiFi 7 | WiFi 7 | WiFi 7 |
6Ghz | 4×4 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) |
5Ghz | 4×4 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) |
2.4Ghz | 4×4 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 Speed | 19 Gbps | 18 Gbps | 12 Gbps | 9.3 Gbps |
Coverage Area | 3,500 sq. ft. | 3,300 sq. ft. | 3,000 sq. ft. | 2,500 sq. ft. |
Max Connected Devices | 200 | 150 | 120 | 100 |
WAN Port | 10 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps |
LAN Ports | 1x 10 Gbps, 4x 1 Gbps | 1x 10 Gbps, 3x 1 Gbps | 1x 2.5 Gbps, 3x 1 Gbps | 2x 2.5 Gbps, 2x 1 Gbps |
USB Ports | 1x USB 3.0 | 1x USB 3.0 | 1x USB 3.0 | 1x USB 3.0 |
Processor | Quad-core 2.6 GHz | Quad-core 2.0 GHz | Quad-core 2.0 GHz | Quad-core 2.0 GHz |
Memory | 2 GB RAM, 512 MB Flash | 2 GB RAM, 512 MB Flash | 2 GB RAM, 512 MB Flash | 2 GB RAM, 512 MB Flash |
Antennas | 8 internal | 8 internal | 6 internal | 4 internal |
Dimensions (cm) | 28.17 cm x 14.20 cm x 12.40 cm | 25.65 cm x 14.99 cm x 10.16 cm | 24.89 cm x 14.99 cm x 10.16 cm | 24.89 cm x 14.99 cm x 10.16 cm |
Weight | 1.635 kg | 1.24 kg | 0.967 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 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.
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.
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:
- My main work PC is the server, which is upgraded with the StarTech Intel X550-T2 Dual Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet Card
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Huawei Matebook 14 upgraded with the Qualcomm WiFi 7 module out of the MSI Herald-BE NCM865 WIFI 7 PCIe Adaptor
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
6GHz | RS600 | RS300 | RS700S |
Office | |||
Laptop | 2075 | 1912 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 2266 | 1656 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 2650 | 2074 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 3530 |
Living Room | |||
Laptop | 1331 | 1201 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 1372 | 1133 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 1243 | 1260 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 2047 |
Front Room | |||
Laptop | 254 | 142 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 264 | 127 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 167 | 140 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 214 |
Kitchen | |||
Laptop | 101 | N/A | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 90 | N/A | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 110 | N/A | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 208 |
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
5Ghz | RS600 | RS300 | RS700S |
Office | |||
Laptop | 1846 | 1912 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 2322 | 1656 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 2432 | 2074 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 2331 |
Living Room | |||
Laptop | 1197 | 934 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 1328 | 950 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 1200 | 890 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 1567 |
Front Room | |||
Laptop | 244 | 212 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 234 | 220 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 394 | 250 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 214 |
Kitchen | |||
Laptop | 131 | 98 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 120 | 107 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 130 | 81 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 244 |
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 Ghz | RS600 | RS300 | RS700S |
Office | |||
Laptop | 167 | 114 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 120 | 108 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 162 | 100 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 184 |
Living Room | |||
Laptop | 49 | 41 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 40 | 36 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 48 | 55 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 93 |
Front Room | |||
Laptop | 32 | 7 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 28 | 4 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 25 | 2 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 45 |
Kitchen | |||
Laptop | 12 | 13 | N/A |
Pixel 9 Pro XL | 15 | 6 | N/A |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 13 | 11 | N/A |
iQOO 12 | N/A | N/A | 37 |
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%-
Overall - 85%
85%
Pros
- Good price to performance ratio
- 10GbE allows WiFi 7 to reach its potential
Cons
- 1GbE ports instead of 2GbE
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
Last update on 2024-11-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API