Everything you need to know about the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 [A Review]
The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router is highly valued for its OpenVPN capabilities and its Turbo QAM which allow you to experience a fast and stable internet connection throughout. It is recognized as the fastest 802.11ac router from NETGEAR and is notably faster than other similar routers in the same category.
I presume that purchasing the best router is among the most challenging things to do when you don’t really know what exactly to look for, but the most important thing would be finding one that gives you a fast and reliable network. However, it was easier for me to find the best router for my home when I came across the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router which is identified as among the fastest and rangiest routers of its class. Let us take a look at the features of the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 that contribute to its efficiency.
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NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Review and Breakdown
- 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 Nighthawk AC1900 is a dual band router with throughput speeds of up to 1900 Mbps; 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz channel and 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz channel. Its performance has been optimized with a 1 GHz dual core processor and Dynamic QoS which prioritizes network traffic so that you can enjoy uninterrupted video streaming on high bandwidth applications such as YouTube or Netflix.
It is equipped with Ready Cloud USB which gives you a chance to enjoy personal and more secure cloud access to USB storage at all times. Through the Nighthawk app, you are easily able to set up the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router and control your home network. It is also compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google assistant which allows you to use voice commands to control your network.
What we liked;
- It has a sleek design with white LED activity lights
- It has an excellent network performance on the 5 GHz frequency band
- It beamforming technology keeps the network stable on connected devices
- It has incredibly fast speeds
- It has excellent range coverage
What we didn’t like;
- It is a large and pretty heavy router
- Unlike other 802.1 1ac routers, the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 cannot work as a bridge
- With the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900, you cannot remotely access your network
NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Specifications
Model |
NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 |
Wi-Fi technology |
AC1900 |
Speed bandwidth |
Up to 1900 Mbps |
Range Coverage area |
Up to 1800 square feet |
Frequency band |
2.4 and 5 GHz |
Operating temperatures |
0 – 40 °C |
Wireless encryption |
128-but encryption |
Security protocol |
WPS, WPA/WPA2 |
Connection log |
30 devices (maximum) |
MU-MIMO and Beamforming technology |
Yes |
Home network control |
Nighthawk app |
Availability |
NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Features
Design and Structure
The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router comes with a sleek design that has a matte black finish. It has three external antennas which have been designed to extend and improve Wi-Fi coverage around your household. It is a slightly heavy router with a weight of 750g. Aside from that, it is a large router with its dimensions as 285 x 184 x 50 millimeters which makes it difficult for you to store in a small area.
It comes with activity LED lights at the front of the router whose behavior are supposed to indicate to you the power status of your router, the internet connection status, WPS and the Ethernet connection status. There is a front mounted USB 3.0 port on the router which allows you to easily add external USB storage. It comes with 4 Ethernet ports for you to establish wired connections to your devices.
At the back of the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router there is a router label which contains the long in information of your router. It shows your Wi-Fi Network name (SSID), the serial number, the MAC address and the password to your network. Generally, you should ensure to place your router from radiative materials because it would affect the radio frequency and eventually tamper with your network.
Speed and Performance
The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 has a maximum throughput speed of 1900 Mbps which is fast enough for an 802.1 1ac router. It is fitted with a Broadcom BCM4708A chipset which brings Turbo QAM that boosts the speed on the 2.4 GHz channel from 450 Mbps to 600 Mbps. This works together with the 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz channel to give you a maximum throughput speed of 1900 Mbps on your connected devices.
Also, its performance is enhanced with its dual core 800 MHz ARM Cortex 19 Central processing unit that gives you ultimate network efficiency. The beamforming technology which enables the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router to recognize your connected devices and boost the Wi-Fi signal directly towards their direction. Additionally, it comes with four gigabit Ethernet ports which give you a faster wired connection to our connected devices than fast Ethernet.
Generally, you can connect your NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router through a wired or a wireless connection. In the event that you have set up your computer to use a specific static address, you would need to change the settings that make use of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). You would need to identify IPV6 specifications when configuring the router.
Range and Capacity
The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 covers a range of up to 1800 square feet which makes it suitable for large sized homes or offices. This router works best within this range as it delivers its maximum speed and stable internet connection. However, if you use your devices beyond this range you will find yourself having connectivity issues such a dropping Wi-Fi signals and connectivity failures such as ‘Wi-Fi connected but no internet’ problems.
It has a flash memory of 128MB and 256MB of RAM. This large capacity of memory allows you to easily grow your connection log and expand your network. This way you are constantly prepared for whatever applications you would come across that require high bandwidth from your NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900.
Security and Network Control
The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router is secured with WPS and WPA/WPA 2 security protocols and it has up to 128-bit encryption. The 128-bit encryption on this router prevents other users from connecting to the wireless network by using your own WEP key. Aside from that, it also protects your wireless communications from being hacked by other users. This router also supports VPN servers. It has advanced QoS and has been equipped with a customized URL for you to set up a personal FTP server.
Through the Nighthawk app you are able to control and manage your home network. You are able to secure your children’s internet access by blocking malicious content and restricting the devices access to your network. At the same time you are able to monitor your connection log and create a separate guest network for your friends and visitors in case they come over to your house.
Who is it best suited for?
The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 is a router that works very well for high bandwidth activities such as online gaming and 4K video streaming because of its excellent network performance on the 5GHz frequency band. If you are largely invested in high bandwidth activities and applications, you should consider purchasing the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900.
Are there any alternatives to the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router?
Yes. The Linksys WRT1900AC, the ASUS RT-AC68U and the TP-Link AC1900 are among similar routers with the AC1900 Wi-Fi Technology and have almost similar performance and efficiency.
Features of alternative routers
Model |
Linksys WRT1900AC |
Asus RT-AC68U |
TP-Link AC1900 |
Wi-Fi technology |
AC1900 |
AC1900 |
AC1900 |
Speed bandwidth |
Up to 1900 Mbps |
Up to 1900 Mbps |
Up to 1900 Mbps |
Range Coverage area |
Up to 1800 square feet |
Up to 1800 square feet |
Up to 1800 square feet |
Frequency band |
2.4 and 5 GHz |
2.4 and 5 GHz |
2.4 and 5 GHz |
Operating temperatures |
0 -40 °C |
0 -40 °C |
0 -40 °C |
Wireless encryption |
128-bit encryption |
128-bit encryption |
128-bit encryption |
Security protocol |
WPA/ WPA 2 |
WPA/ WPA 2 |
WPA / WPA 2 |
Connection log |
25 devices (maximum) |
25 devices (maximum) |
25 devices (maximum) |
MU-MIMO and Beamforming technology |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Home network control |
Linksys app |
Asus Router app |
TP-Link Tether App |
Availability |
Verdict: Should you get the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900?
Yes, you should. The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router has excellent performance on the 5GHz frequency band so your high bandwidth activities are guaranteed to work without glitches and connectivity failures.
FAQs
What does AC1900 mean on my NETGEAR Nighthawk router?
The “AC1900” designation on your NETGEAR Nighthawk router refers to the Wi-Fi standard that it supports, that is up to 802.11AC and it identifies that the total theoretical maximum bandwidth that your NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router can support (Up to 1900 Mbps)
What should I do when I face connectivity failures on my NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router?
When you receive connectivity failures such as dropping Wi-Fi signals you should keep your connected devices closer to the router and ensure that they are all within the recommended range of the router (up to 1800 square feet). However, if you are facing connectivity failures such as ‘Wi-Fi connected but no internet’ you should consider troubleshooting steps and hard resetting the router from the button at the bottom.