Netgear Nighthawk X4S AC 2600 Router R7800

Super performance from a super router

$239 Manufacturer Netgear, netgear.com Features 802.11ac Wi-Fi, multiple streams, traffic prioritization

Any router that exceeds the $200 mark has to be considered a premium choice, and this Netgear is intended for large homes and families who use tons of devices. It’s a replacement for those fed up with free ISP routers or for anyone who wants to upgrade to the latest, speedy 802.11ac standard.

As with many – but not all – routers around this price, the R7800 features MU-MIMO – a technology that enables it to “sense” where your wireless devices are in your home and direct wireless signals accordingly. It also boasts Dynamic QoS (Dynamic Quality of Service) to further boost internet traffic management capabilities – it will make sure that certain connection types have their speeds protected, even if someone starts downloading something massive. To that end, its wireless throughput speeds are terrific – some of the best we’ve seen. This router is particularly aimed at keen gamers and streamers, as it’s designed to prioritize media and gaming traffic, and boasts a 1.7GHz processor to ensure there’s no traffic lag.

We clocked the R7800 transferring data at over 400Mbps between two Macs in the same room. The other benefit of the technology inside this 802.11ac router is that it will provide complete home coverage; we had no problems picking up a signal pretty much everywhere, even when we escaped down to the far end of the yard to sit out in the sun and still wanted to stream music – perfect.

the bottom line. Not cheap, but if you’re looking for super gaming and media streaming capabilities, then look no further. dan grabham