Everything you need to know about the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 [A Review]

Can a mesh router improve the efficiency of your network? To answer this question, let us expound on the features of the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 as we analyze its performance and efficiency to confirm whether it is a suitable network device for your network.

Purchasing an ideal mesh router system is all about ensuring that it is capable to provide you with a guarantee for full home Wi-Fi coverage. I mean, you wouldn’t want to purchase a whole new network device and then continually experience connectivity failures as you go through your daily internet activities. The NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 is among the mesh routers with the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology that have been designed to expand the network coverage throughout your home and improve your network experience. However, is it worth the hype?

NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 Review and Breakdown

Netgear Nighthawk Whole Home Mesh WiFi 6 System, 3-Pack (MK63-100NAS)

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The NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 mesh router has 3 identical satellite modules; one is a router and the other two operate as satellites. This allows you to experience seamless 4K UHD streaming and reliable Wi-Fi throughout all the rooms in your home. It is developed with the fastest and latest Wi-Fi 6 technology which in turn improves the efficiency of your network. With the latest 802.11 ax Wi-Fi standards, it has improved dual band technology which has been designed for faster and a more reliable connection that is able to handle up to 25 devices and even more.

Aside from that, it delivers combined throughput speeds of up to 1.8 Gbps to cater for all your gaming, streaming and smart home needs. It is backwards compatible with 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi devices. Also, it provides you with both stable and reliable coverage as it covers a range of up to 3,500 square feet. It has unlimited scalability and is expandable therefore allows you to add satellites to your network to expand tour Wi-Fi coverage even further. It creates an integrated network with a single Wi-Fi name and password which provides seamless roaming as you move across different rooms in your house in such a way that you can stream without experiencing connectivity issues such as dropping Wi-Fi signals.

Through the Nighthawk app, you are able to setup and control your home network from your phone. Also, it allows for remote management of your network and you are able to carry out internet speed tests to check the broadband speeds from your Internet Service Provider. Unfortunately, the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 does not come with a multi-gig WAN port for your wired connections and it may exhibit poor long-rang performance and throughput.

What we liked;

• Provides ample Wi-Fi coverage
• Has reliable throughput speeds
• Has an elegant and compact design
• Very affordable
• Equipped with the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology
• Easy to set up and use

What we didn’t like

• Poor long-range performance and throughput
• No multi-gig WAN port

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NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 Specifications

NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 Features

Design and Structure

The NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 comes as a three-piece mesh router where one operates as a router and the other two operate as satellites. Each node is black in color and are cube-shaped with smooth edges. Each satellite module measures 11.2 x 7.7 x 6.6 inches and weighs about 4.14 pounds which makes it small enough to fit in tiny spaces around your household and its weight keeps it sturdy once you deploy it.

The identical satellites come when they are already paired therefore you don’t have go through the entire configuration process. Towards the front, each satellite module has an LED indicator whose behavior indicates the status of your mesh router and the status of your internet connection. When you have a strong internet connection, the LED indicator turns blue.

The router comes with two gigabit Ethernet ports and each satellite has one gigabit Ethernet port which allow you to establish wired connections to your devices. It comes with a 2m long Ethernet cable which makes it easy to move around.

Speed and Performance

The NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad core processor and its Wi-Fi 6 technology provides dual band on the 2.4 and 5 GHz. It delivers total throughput speeds of 1800 Mbps which is distributed as 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 1200 Mbps on the 5 GHz band.

The reliability and stability of your network is advanced by the OFDMA technology on the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 mesh router. Generally, all your connected devices have different bandwidth needs. The OFDMA technology ensures that each of these devices are served simultaneously and it further ensures that each of their bandwidth needs are met. Aside from that, the beamforming technology on the NETGEAR Nighthawk focuses the Wi-Fi signal directly to your connected device makes your internet connection faster and more reliable.

The MU-MIMO technology, on the other hand, allows your NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 mesh router to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously. This way the time which your connected devices need to wait for a signal is significantly reduced and your network becomes faster. Generally, with all these technological advancements, this particular mesh router is able to give you a fast, strong and reliable network for all your high bandwidth activities.

Range and Capacity

The NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 has been designed to extend the Wi-Fi coverage over a range of up to 3,500 square feet. When you move your devices further away from your mesh router you may experience connectivity issues such as dropping internet signals and no internet connection. At the same time, it is able to hold a maximum capacity of 25 devices on its connection log.

Security and Network control

Through the Nighthawk app, you can easily set up and configure your NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 router. It has an easy to use web interface as well which allows you to monitor your network. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do is carry out internet speed tests, check your connection and check your connection log to see the devices that are connected to your network. You are not able to entirely access parental controls and it does not come with malware protection features.

Who is it best suited for?

The NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 maintains its optimal performance in small to medium sized homes. It is able to extend the Wi-Fi coverage over a range of 3,500 square feet therefore any environment within this particular range makes it ideal to use the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 mesh router.

Are there alternatives for the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63?

Yes.  Among the alternative mesh routers to the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 are NETGEAR Orbi which is a higher performing Wi-Fi 5 mesh router, the Linksys Velop MX5 and the Google Nest Wifi.

Features of the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63

Final Verdict: Should you buy the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63?

Yes. The MK63 mesh router may have a few shortcomings but it had the potential of being an added advantage to your network. If you are looking for an affordable router that allows you to make use of the Wi-Fi 6 technology, then you would be impressed by the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63. However, you should acknowledge that there are better performing Wi-Fi 6 mesh routers that would significantly reduce the time you would use troubleshooting your network.

Also, the NETGEAR Nighthawk does not have advanced security control features such as parental control neither does it have built-in security systems so you may not have a guarantee of a safe network for your children, if need be.

FAQs

Is the NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 mesh router compatible with my existing Internet provider?

Yes. The NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 mesh router is compatible with most Internet providers including Satellite, DSL, Fiber, Cable and more.

Does my NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 mesh router support 802.1 q VLAN map loading?

No, it does not. The NETGEAR Nighthawk MK63 mesh router has not been designed to support VLAN map loading.