Netgear’s latest Nighthawk router supports WiFi 6E, which is a step up from Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) that helps particularly congested network issues by adding previously unavailable 6GHz Wi-Fi spectrum to the mix in addition to 2.4 and 5Ghz.
Essentially, that means your next router could connect to many more devices with faster speeds and reliability. Capacity is the name of the game here with around three times the bandwidth. There are four streams of 6GHz, four streams of 5GHz, and four streams of 2.4GHz. There are also Multi-Gig Ethernet ports for fast Ethernet connectivity, too.
Introduced at CES 2021, the Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band router is as expensive as you might expect from something so new, with a $600 price point. However, for some that outlay will be worth it – it provides up to 10.8Gbps to devices for seamless 4K and 8K streaming in particular.
The Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router also promises lower latency and new-generation WPA3 security. The disadvantage, of course, is that barely any devices are yet compatible with Wi-Fi 6E.
At CES Netgear also announced three new products compatible with cellular networks for those who want a backup solution or are constantly on the move. – these are the Wi-Fi 6 compatible $300/£309 Nighthawk 4G LTE WiFi 6 Router (LAX20) and the $150 4G LTE Modem (LM1200) in the 4G space.
There’s also a new Nighthawk M5 Mobile Router boasting Wi-Fi 6 and 5G compatibility and with an integrated battery that lasts up to 13 hours per charge. However, it’s rather costly at $510 from AT&T in the US and a UK unlocked price of £739.