Everything you need to know about the Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 Router [A Review]

Wi-Fi 6 routers are generally more technologically advanced routers which elevate your wireless networking experience. Let us take a look at the features of the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router and analyze its overall performance.

Considering the variety that is in the market, finding the correct router to suit my needs has been a challenging task. Even worse, shopping for an upgrade is so confusing when in a hurry. Despite this jargon, coming across the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router has got to be the game changer for my home and my network at large. This new generation router offers a stable, fast and reliable network and exceptional Wi-Fi coverage throughout my home.

Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 Router Review and Breakdown

TP-Link AX6000 WiFi 6 Router(Archer AX6000) -802.11ax Wireless 8-Stream Gaming Router, 2.5G WAN, 8 Gigabit LAN Ports, MU-MIMO, 1.8GHz Quad-Core CPU

• High Speed WiFi 6 Interent Router: AX6000 Dual Band Wi-Fi speed boosted by 1024QAM deliver wireless speed...
• Highly efficient: OFDMA increases average throughput by 4x in high density scenarios, compared with an...

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The NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 is a dual band router that has been designed to cover medium-to-large homes. It has fast throughput speeds of up to 5400 Mbps which is distributed as 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 4800 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. It is compatible with devices that have older Wi-Fi standards such as Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5. It is also compatible with newer devices that have Wi-Fi 6 such as the iPhone 11 and many others.

It has been optimized with 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports that offers reliable network for your wired devices such as your gaming consoles, plug in computers and streaming players as well. It has been optimized with advanced technological features such as 4 amplified antennas for added Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home and smart connect which switches the band on which your devices have been connected to base on device prioritization. Also, it supports the beamforming technology which focuses Wi-Fi signals directly on your devices.

Aside from that, the Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router allows you to control your network using voice commands because it is compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant. It is featured with a 3.0 USB port that allows you to share a storage device with any connected devices. It supports WPA 2/ WPA 3 wireless security protocols and it also supports Firewall and VPN servers. With this router, your network security has been optimized with the NETGEAR Armor that is intended to protect your network and connected devices from threats that exist within the internet.

What we liked;

• It has a fast, stable and reliable network performance
• It supports the 160 MHz channel which contributes to faster Wi-Fi speeds
• It comes with the Nighthawk app that helps you monitor and control your home network
• It comes with the NETGEAR Armor which gives added protection to your home network
• When hosting a storage device, it has exceptional NAS performance

What we didn’t like;

• It does not come with a multi-gig network port
• It does not support dual-WAN or link aggregation
• It is a large router

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Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 Router Specifications

Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 Router Features

Speed and Performance

The NETEGAR Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router has been optimized with the latest Wi-Fi technology that provides you with strong and consistent signal strength across your home. It has throughput speeds of 5.4 Gbps that allows you to enjoy lag-free online gaming, uninterrupted video calls and HD streaming without having to deal with buffering. It is a dual band router with its speed bandwidth distributed as 600 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz and 4800 Mbps for the 5 GHz channel. This means that both your high and low bandwidth activities operate on stable, fast and reliable connections throughout.

In addition, the Nighthawk RAX50 is featured with the OFDMA technology for new generations of Wi-Fi which makes the wireless bandwidth sharing more effective. This eliminates connectivity failures such as communication delays within your frequency channels. This router is powered with a 1.5GHz triple-core processor and its beamforming technology allows it to focus the Wi-Fi signal directly to your connected devices which reduces connectivity issues such as dropping Wi-Fi signals.

Design and Structure

The NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX5O router is a black elegantly designed router which comes with a modern design and blends well into your home in such a way that it raises its aesthetic fabric. It is a large router whose size dimensions are 14.7 x 10.1 x 4.7 inches and it weighs about 3.04 pounds.

Also, the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50 router comes with four detachable antennas. Two have been made to fit on the side of the router and the other two are for the back of the router. It comes with 4 x 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports at the back of the router that allows you to establish wired connections to your router.

Range and Capacity

The Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router covers a range of up to 2000 square feet. It works comfortably for medium-to –large sized homes. When your devices are slightly beyond this recommended range you may experience a few connectivity failures. However, to deal with this you would need to use a Wi-Fi range extender for added coverage.

The Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 Router has added capacity and is able to handle more than 25 connected Wi-Fi devices. It six Wi-Fi streams technology allows it to increase the Wi-Fi capacity of your devices up to four times. When there is a heavy connection log on your network, there is an increase in the available bandwidth of your connected device and an increase in the amount of data that can be sent and received. This allows you to consistently access high speed internet at all times.

Security and Network Control

The Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi six router comes with a multi-layer security software known as the NETEGEAR Armor which offers added protection to all your connected devices as it equips them with anti-malware, data theft protection and anti-virus so you do not have to constantly pay for anti-virus on your devices. Also, you can easily set up your Nighthawk RAX50 router using the Nighthawk app that gives you the ability to monitor and control your home network. With this app, you are able to perform internet speed tests, internet pausing and you can remotely access your network.

Additionally, it supports WPA 2 / WPA 3 wireless security protocols that give you a more secure network. It comes with a guest Wi-Fi access feature which allows you to create a separate network for your friend and visitors. It supports VPN and Double Firewall servers as well.  Its compatibility with Amazon Alexa allows you to control your Wi-Fi network using voice commands.

Who is it best suited for?

The NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router is suitable for medium-to- large homes. If you are looking for fast Wi-Fi speeds and a high performing router to elevate your gaming experience and for seamless HD streaming, the Nighthawk RAX50 router would be ideal for you.

Are there any alternatives for the Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router?

Yes. An Alternative router to the Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 routers is the Nighthawk RAX80 router, the

Features of the alternative routers

Verdict: Should you get the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router?

Yes, you should. The Nighthawk RAX50 router gives you guaranteed throughput speeds of 5.4 Gbps and covers a range of up to 2000 square feet which guarantees reliable Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home. Its new technological advancements make it even a better router to use for your network needs. With this router, all your high bandwidth activities like online gaming and HD streaming are catered for and you are able to work with a very secure network considering its added protection through the NETEGAR Armor software.

FAQs

Does my Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router come with the USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 port?

No, it does come with both USB ports. It is only featured with the USB 3.0 port which allows you to add your external storage devices like the flash disc or hard drive.

Does my Nighthawk RAX50 Wi-Fi 6 router have VPN capabilities?

Yes it does. However, you should acknowledge that its VPN capabilities are very limited.