Everything you need to know about the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 [A Review]

The NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S AC2600 Smart Wi-Fi router has been designed and optimized to take your gaming experience to the next level. Let us take a look at its features and analyze its overall performance.  

Generally, the market is flooded with a variety of routers but being a professional gamer limits my search to a router that is able to give me the most stable connection and extreme speeds so that I can enjoy lag-free gaming. The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 is among the best gaming routers I have come across. It has quad screen technology and it comfortably delivers Wi-Fi to all my connected devices simultaneously.  Aside from that, it has excellent range coverage to all corners of my home which makes it very reliable to use with both wireless and wired connections.

NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 Review and breakdown

NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S Smart WiFi Router (R7800) - AC2600 Wireless Speed (up to 2600 Mbps) | Up to 2500 sq ft Coverage & 45 Devices | 4 x 1G Ethernet, 2 x 3.0 USB, and 1 x eSATA ports

• Fast wifi performance: Get up to 2500 square feet wireless coverage with AC2600 speed (Dual band up to...
• Recommended for up to 45 devices: Reliably stream videos, play games, surf the internet, and connect...

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The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 is an elegant router that has been identified to have the fastest gaming performance. It gives you a chance to enjoy ultimate Wi-Fi speeds of up to 2.53 Gbps and it is a powerful dual band router. It has a strong 1.7 GHz dual core processor and Dynamic QoS which work together to deliver smooth online gaming and streaming by prioritizing devices and applications. Whether you are streaming or gaming, you are able to get 160 MHZ bandwidth that ensures best stream quality and low-ping.

The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 comes with two USB 3.0 ports and an eSATA port. It has four Gigabit LAN ports and one Gigabit WAN ports. It covers a range of up to 2,500 square feet. It has a web interface that may be too complex to use at times especially for beginners.

It has been optimized with the MU-MIMO and Quad Stream technology which makes it deliver Wi-Fi to multiple devices simultaneously while maintaining faster speeds. To help you manage your network, it has been featured with the NETGEAR Nighthawk app and it is equipped with Real Cloud that allows you to access your home network remotely.

Aside from that, its Kwilt app and OpenVPNsupport allow you to share photos on the storage from anywhere around your house. You are also able to control your home network using voice commands as it is compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google assistant.

What we liked;

• It comes with a powerful 1.7 GHz dual core processor
• It is equipped with Quad Stream wave 2 Wi-Fi for extreme range coverage
• It has MU-MIMO technology for simultaneous Wi-Fi transmission to connected devices
• It is featured with 160 MHz channel bandwidth that ensures maximum speed for all devices
• It comes with USB 3.0 and eSATA ports for fast storage access

What we didn’t like;

• Sometimes it does not recognize all devices when connected to a 16 port Gigabit switch
• When configured through a wired network, it refreshes slower than when connected by Wi-Fi
• It has a slightly confusing user interface

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NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Specifications  

NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 Features

Design and Structure

The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 is an elegantly designed black router.  It has its size dimensions as 11.22 x 7.26 x 1.97 inches which makes it a large router and it takes up a lot of storage space. Also, it weighs about 3.50 lbs which makes it a pretty heavy router to move around. It has four detachable and adjustable antennas that help extend the range coverage area.  Aside from that, it has five network ports; four of them are LAN ports and one of them is a WAN port.

Also, at the back of the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600, there are three peripheral ports. Two of them are USB 3.0 ports and one is an eSATA port. It has LED lights at the top of the router that are supposed to indicate router activity. These indicate whether the router is powered on or off, firmware status, internet connection status, Ethernet connection status and the USB status. Also, it has a hard rest button which you can make use of while troubleshooting because of a connectivity failure.

Speed and Performance

The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 Smart Wi-Fi router has been optimized with 160 MHz, Quad Stream and MU-MIMO technology to deliver Wi-Fi to your multiple connected devices simultaneously for even faster speeds. You are able to get ultimate Wi-Fi speeds on your devices of up to 2600 Mbps and it has a well-built 1.7 GHz dual core processor which boosts Wi-Fi, WAN-to-LAN performance and wired connection. Its Dynamic QoS prioritizes your internet traffic by device and application for a lag-free gaming experience.

Its four external antennas are high performing as they have been designed to give you ultimate Wi-Fi connectivity throughout your large home and can even reach outdoor areas in your home such as the backyard. Its beamforming technology focuses Wi-Fi signals directly to connected devices for better Wi-Fi performance and range. The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 has been optimized with quad stream support that has high speeds of 1,733 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and maximum speeds of up to 800 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. The two bands work together to give high bandwidth of 2,533 Mbps.

Range and Capacity

The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 router covers a range of up to 2,500 square feet which makes it suitable for very large houses and some multi-story buildings. However, when the home or office is too big and beyond 2,500 square feet you may find yourself having connectivity failures and may tamper with its efficiency at large.

The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 router’s 1.7 GHz dual core processor has 256 MB of RAM and 512 MB of flash memory which allows you to grow your connection log and expand your network. With this router, you are able to connect up to 45 devices and still expect a reliable and fast network.

Security and Network Control

The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 router has security enhanced parental control which allows you to manage the access to the website of your family members and you are also able to restrict website access on devices that are being used by your children as well. Through VPN support, you can secure access to your home network by other users and you can create a separate network for your guests when they come to visit.

Your home network is made secure with WPA/WPA 2 security protocols. Its open source support feature allows you to download open source firmware to the router. It is an easy to use and setup because it makes use of the NETGEAR Genie software which gives you a personal dashboard where you can monitor, repair and control your home and network.

Who is it best suited for?

The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 router is suitable for gamers, both professional and ordinary gamers because it has features that support your high bandwidth online gaming and is able to provide you with a seamless gaming experience.

Are there any alternatives to the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600?

Yes. Other gaming routers would be the Asus RT-AC86U AC2900, the D-Link DIR-867 and the Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600.

Features of alternative routers

Verdict: Should you get the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600?

Yes, you should. The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 is among the gaming routers that would take your gaming experience to the next level as it delivers fast speeds and its MU-MIMO and Beamforming technology are a plus for your multi-player and competitive games.

FAQs

How many devices can my NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 router hold?

The NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 router has the potential to hold about 32 clients in each of its frequency bands. Considering the fact that it is a dual band router, it holds 32 clients on the 2.4 GHz and 32 on the 5 GHz band which makes it able to support a maximum of 64 clients so you should always ensure to check through.

Does the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 dissipate heat well and does it have a cooling fan?

When using the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2600 you would not need an active fan because all of the heat dissipation on the router is passive. At the top of the router, there is a mesh covering which gives out a large area for heat dissipation. This significantly reduces elements of overheating that could damage your router.