Netgear N600 Vs Ac1900 – Which Router is better
In a network, routers are positioned between the local network and internet connection, however, it is not possible to connect directly to the internet by using a router only, you will, therefore, need to first plug onto a modem, which will then transfer digital traffic over the relevant internet connection.
Over time I have grown conversant with the operations of a router and realized that unlike the wired network, the wireless tends to experience more interruptions. Using the router at home, you don’t expect your wireless signals to be interrupted, which is a misconception because at home is where we have many devices that produce electromagnetic waves.
Some of the devices are such as the wireless speakers, microwaves, and the cordless speakers. So a simple test that I do once I realize the internet signals are no longer reliable; is to connect to my network through the Ethernet and if the problem disappears, then I immediately turn off the device that emits the electromagnetic waves.
Table of Contents
What are the differences between the Netgear N600 and the Ac1900
Model |
Netgear N600 (Winner) |
Netgear Ac1900 |
Speeds |
300mbps upload speeds
300mbps download speeds |
600mbps upload speeds
1300mbps download speeds |
Data Transfer Rate |
300mb per second |
1300mb per second |
Wireless communication standard |
802.11a/b/g/n |
802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
Connectivity Technology |
Wi-Fi˄Wired |
Wi-Fi |
The Netgear N600 vs the Ac1900- How do they compare?
Speeds
Netgear N600 offers high upload and download speeds at 300 Mbps and can, therefore, provide reliable networking speeds to your school or home network. Faster internet signals equal a faster transmission of information between the networking devices while offering broader range coverage. Important to note is that the N600 hasn’t incorporated the speed-enhancing features and can only cater to the basic networking activities such as browsing, downloading, and video streaming.
The Ac1900 is dual-band and offers high networking speeds at 600mbps upload and 1300mbps download, the router has thus been configured to effectively cater to the bandwidth-intensive applications such as HD streaming and online gaming. The router offers a range of up to 1800sq. ft while comprehensively accommodating up to 30 networking devices, which then makes it a reliable unit to be used in busy environments.
Netgear N600 offers faster speeds but can only take up to 5 networking devices in its network, be assured however that all the devices in the network will experience seamless Wi-Fi because the router intelligently selects between the dual-band and consequently minimizes interference while maximizing the speeds for your wireless devices. The range offered by this router is also considerably low at only 300 feet on the 2.4 GHz band and 250 feet on the 5GHz band.
Netgear Ac1900 is a high performance router offering high networking speeds at 600mbps upload and 1300mbp download, while simultaneously accommodating up to 30 networking devices.
Data transfer rate
And just like the speeds provided by your router should match the ones offered by your ISP, the data transfer rate might experience hiccups if your router cannot match the speeds. Data transfer rates are normally used to measure the speed with which data is transferred from one location to another. Theoretically is that the higher the number of megabits per second the faster your internet speeds.
Netgear N600 therefore, offers a poor performance with the low data transfer rates at 300mb per second, while the Netgear Ac1900 offers higher data transfer rates at 1300mb per second. The latter is a high performer and if adopted in a busy environment then you can be sure of productivity, the N600 is an average performer, and you should, therefore, not stretch its limits because you might experience high latency.
The Wireless communication standard
Netgear Ac1900 has been equipped with the fifth generation of Wi-Fi technology via the 802.11ac wireless communication standard making it a high performer than the Netgear N600. The above helps enhance the networking speeds of a router and is faster than the 802.11n’s. The Netgear N600 on the other hand has not incorporated the latest wireless communication standard thus its low performance in speeds.
Additionally, the n600 has a clique of devices that it can complement such as Microsoft Windows 2000, 10,7,8, Vista, and XP. Others are such as Linux or Unix, Mac OS and Microsoft internet explorer 5.0, and Safari 1.4 among others.
Device
Netgear Ac1900 does feature a rather unique and highly functional design via the three antennas incorporated at the back, and the cooling vents at the side that protect the router from overheating. Remember that overheating can do some longterm permanent damage to your router. The N600 on the other hand, can achieve two different positions, doesn’t have an antenna thus the low performance.
The Netgear N600 is easy to deploy when compared to the Ac1900 as you will just have to get rid of the stand and lay it flat on a high surface.
The Netgear N600 vs the Ac1900 – A comparison overview
Netgear N600 Overview
- Faster WiFi Speed: N600 Dual Band WiFi delivers 300 + 300Mbps
- Ideal WiFi range for medium to large homes. System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 7, 8, 10,Vista, XP,...
There isn’t much going on with this router, apart from the faster Wi-Fi speeds and the simultaneous dual-band feature that helps reduce interference while enhancing better connections to more Wi-Fi devices. Besides being configured for basic networking, the router has incorporated four fast Ethernet wired connections, which will deliver faster internet connections to your wired devices such as the gaming console or your computer. The provided wired speeds on the N600 are 100mbps.
Pros
- Set up and installation is easy via the Netgear genie application
- The dual-band Wi-Fi delivers 300 +300mbps
- Offers seamless Wi-Fi to 5 devices
- The incorporated USB port at the back increases the number of devices connected
Cons
- The router drops internet connection
- The range offered seems to be a lot less.
Netgear Ac1900
- Fast wifi performance: Get up to 1800 square feet wireless coverage with AC1900 speed (Dual band up to...
- Recommended for up to 30 devices: Reliably stream videos, play games, surf the internet, and connect...
The Netgear Ac1900 has been optimized for high performance, first because it has incorporated the latest technology, such as the dynamic QoS, which helps improve internet traffic through device identification and better traffic. The feature employs traffic prioritization and bandwidth allocations techniques to maximize its performance.
The router has also been equipped with the Gigabit Ethernet ports to enhance the performance of the gaming consoles and can be adapted for use with the smart home devices, such as Alexa. Both your wireless and wired connections are safe because the unit offers the guest Wi-Fi access option, and supports the WPA2 wireless security protocol.
Pros
- The Netgear Amor protects the network from the internet threats
- Can accommodate up to 30 devices
- Incorporated the smart parental controls option
- Offers whole coverage at least up to 1800sq ft.
Cons
- The guest network is not isolated
- Drops the networking signals and loses connection
Conclusion
Choosing between the Netgear N600 and the AC1900 should not be a problem because while one will only run the basic networking activities, the other has been configured to carry the heavy networking engagements. The N600 will, therefore, cater to a small and simple network with only 5 devices connected, while the Ac1900 is best for businesses and offices that run the bandwidth-intensive applications.
Verdict; so which is the better router? The Netgear N600 or the Ac1900
The Netgear N600 is the better router because it offers higher data transfer rates at 1300mb per second which allows devices connected in the network to upload and download larger amounts of data and this includes music, videos and photos. The unit also allows network scalability through the Wi-Fi and wired connectivity technology.
Frequently Asked questions
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How many devices can the Netgear N600 handle?
The Netgear N600 is a dual-band router meaning it can comfortably support up to 64 clients simultaneously, which then means that the router will accommodate 32 devices on each band.
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Do I need to use a modem with my Netgear Ac1900?
The Ac1900 doesn’t have any modem capabilities thus does not need a modem to function properly
