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Netgear Nighthawk R8000 Triband AC Router Review and Comments Thread

17K views 71 replies 24 participants last post by  bobsilver 
#1 · (Edited)
New Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000 Triband AC3200 Router June 24 2014

Netgear just introduced the new Nighthawk R8000 which is an advance over their hugely popular Nighthawk R7000 which many here feel is the the best AC router available. I was invited to Netgear a week ago to get an overview of the new Nighthawk. I was very curious how this router could be better then what they already accomplished with the R7000.

Netgear lately has been very creative with their high end wireless technologies. A big capability first seen in the R7000 was "Implicit Beam Forming". This is where the router intelligently can determine the best RF path to connect to a mobile device for the most optimum performance. The big difference here was the "Implicit Beamforming" works with standard N based devices as opposed to the AC standard of "Explicit" which requires an AC client to work. For more see the thread on the R7000 here at AVS http://www.avsforum.com/forum/39-ne...awk-ac1900-router-review-comments-thread.html

I bring this up as it was one of the many unique and powerful aspects of the R7000 that set it apart. So when I was being introduced to the R8000 I was really curious as to how this would be better.

While the R8000 hasnt be released yet (I am told it is a few weeks a way) the description of the feature set and enhancements were easy to see how they bested the R7000.

The R8000 includes everything that made the R7000 what it is. It has all of the R7000 software features including Implicit and Explicit Beamforming,iTunes Server, Readyshare Vault, Readyshare Printer, DLNA and a host of other features we would expect from a high end Netgear router.

The R8000 Difference


The R8000 is the industry's first (to my knowledge) Triband Router. TriBand? Up to now we have had dual band. The 2 bands were the standard 2.4ghz band and the enhanced 5ghz band. So where is the 3rd band? And why?

Given the growth of mobile wifi devices and the increasing consumption of streaming video wifi bandwidth in the home is under pressure. If 2 people are streaming wirelessly the current wifi technology must adapt to the slower of the 2 devices. Then add another device and congestion and speed suffer.

Netgear has taken a very novel approach to this problem. The "3rd" band is another set of 5 ghz radios. In essence it doubles the available wireless bandwidth in the 5ghz range.

What is completely unique and fascinating is that to your devices they see only the 1 5ghz SSID. The R8000 manages the traffic placing faster devices on 1 5ghz radio set and the slower on the other 5 ghz radio thus maximizing the performance for all devices without compromise. The software and intelligence built into the R8000 is impressive as described.

To support this added radio overhead the R8000 is in a new form factor that require 6 antennas. Unlike the R7000 there is no guesswork on antenna positioning. When set up the antennas rise to a 90 degree position relative to the router. It is very cool to watch as they automatically rise on their own.

The R8000 also supports Implicit Beamforming as mentioned earlier working with N based devices as well as Explicit Beamforming for the emerging AC based clients.

What should you buy a R7000 or R8000?

So who is the R8000 aimed at? The R8000 is designed for the family that cares about video streaming performance and has a variety of simultaneous users. With the multitude of mobile phones, tablets and laptops in the average home this is pretty much the norm. Our increased bandwidth to the home allows for many online activities at the same time. The R8000 is designed to eliminate or reduce the in home wireless bottleneck. If this describes your home environment then the R8000 was designed for you.

Review and Usage Report

As mentioned the R8000 has not yet hit the streets so I can only comment on what was told to me by Netgear product management. I expect a unit in hand in a few weeks and I will report back.

I am looking forward to trying this as I am constantly juggling my own network for best performance. The R8000 may be a big problem solver.

Data Sheet

Here is a link you can download the data sheet on the R8000
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rsgtyp33jwi90ca/R8000_DataSheet_23May14.pdf

Bob Silver
Netgear AV Consultant
 
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#5 ·
Update for converstation with the Product Manager

I had a long talk with the Netgear Product Manager last week. They have begun shipping the units to distribution so we should see them in the wild shortly. I expect that I will get a unit next week.

My conversation detailed why the R8000 was different and better than the R7000 Nighthawk and how it justified a 50% price bump to $299 from the R7000 very reasonable $199.

Our conversation focused on the challenges of today's routers with the significant increase in device activity in the average home. This is particularly true with families with kids with multiple tablets or phones streaming video.

The big change in the R8000 (aside from the triband and the 9 radios!) is in the processing make up. There are now 4 cpu's in the R8000. There is the same dual core we saw in the R7000 but this is now relegated to routeing and USB functions. With the increase in device traffic the routing function is taking and ever greater load on the router cpu. The second area is in the usb performance. The R8000 has 50% greater throughput in the USB 3.0 ports then the R7000 does. This is a big jump. Its all related to how much cpu cycles can now be committed to this function.

The other area that the R8000 is different is in the use of dedicated cpu's for each of the radio bands. By doing this not only has the main processor been freed up to handle other functions but there can be much more smart processing done at the radios.

What this smart processing does (which falls under what Netgear calls Smart Connect) is able to parse varying devices and their varying wireless performances to the appropriate radio. (note this only applies to the 5ghz radios).

The 5ghz radios are set up for the best configurations. Unfortunately range cost speed and vice versa. So 1 5ghz radio set is set up for slower speed devices but provides best range. Higher speed devices are put on the other 5ghz band. The router does this automatically.

Other elements are proper channel selections to minimize interference. Some folks have asked could they do this with 2 routers one being an access point. Well not as well. The R8000 is constantly monitoring performance and will dynamically change channels to get the best performance with the lowest interference. As someone who does this now I can tell you its never rights.v Some days my net seems to fly and other times I think its broken. I am looking forward to trying the R8000 and see how this issue goes.

The other thing I learned is how the antennas are set up. There are 6 in the R8000. Three are used for a combo of the 2.4/5ghz band and the other 3 are dedicated to the high speed 5ghz band.

So in the end this is a fairly radical enhancement to the R7000 technology. Now more then ever I am looking forward to using it.

Bob Silver
Netgear AV Consultant
 
#6 ·
I had a long talk with the Netgear Product Manager last week. They have begun shipping the units to distribution so we should see them in the wild shortly. I expect that I will get a unit next week.

My conversation detailed why the R8000 was different and better than the R7000 Nighthawk and how it justified a 50% price bump to $299 from the R7000 very reasonable $199.

Our conversation focused on the challenges of today's routers with the significant increase in device activity in the average home. This is particularly true with families with kids with multiple tablets or phones streaming video.

The big change in the R8000 (aside from the triband and the 9 radios!) is in the processing make up. There are now 4 cpu's in the R8000. There is the same dual core we saw in the R7000 but this is now relegated to routeing and USB functions. With the increase in device traffic the routing function is taking and ever greater load on the router cpu. The second area is in the usb performance. The R8000 has 50% greater throughput in the USB 3.0 ports then the R7000 does. This is a big jump. Its all related to how much cpu cycles can now be committed to this function.

The other area that the R8000 is different is in the use of dedicated cpu's for each of the radio bands. By doing this not only has the main processor been freed up to handle other functions but there can be much more smart processing done at the radios.

What this smart processing does (which falls under what Netgear calls Smart Connect) is able to parse varying devices and their varying wireless performances to the appropriate radio. (note this only applies to the 5ghz radios).

The 5ghz radios are set up for the best configurations. Unfortunately range cost speed and vice versa. So 1 5ghz radio set is set up for slower speed devices but provides best range. Higher speed devices are put on the other 5ghz band. The router does this automatically.

Other elements are proper channel selections to minimize interference. Some folks have asked could they do this with 2 routers one being an access point. Well not as well. The R8000 is constantly monitoring performance and will dynamically change channels to get the best performance with the lowest interference. As someone who does this now I can tell you its never rights.v Some days my net seems to fly and other times I think its broken. I am looking forward to trying the R8000 and see how this issue goes.

The other thing I learned is how the antennas are set up. There are 6 in the R8000. Three are used for a combo of the 2.4/5ghz band and the other 3 are dedicated to the high speed 5ghz band.

So in the end this is a fairly radical enhancement to the R7000 technology. Now more then ever I am looking forward to using it.

Bob Silver
Netgear AV Consultant
Any updates / further thoughts now that it's out?
 
#7 ·
I think I am going to get this. I am getting tired of paying $8 a month for the comcast/xfinity modem/router. I have their 105 blast but don't see much past 80mbps with their modem/router. My neighbor has the 7000 with a cheap motorola dc3 and is getting around 110 with his 105 blast package.

Which modem would this pair best with ?

Thanks
 
#10 ·
Hi Bob, I have a question.

I have a 1200 sq. ft. ranch and own a Netgear WNDR3700v2. I have it located next to my cable modem & switch up on a high shelf in the corner of the basement. I generally get 4 & 5 bars depending on where I am at upstairs on the first floor. I am cat5e wired in all rooms on the first floor. Could I add this new R8000 upstairs as a repeater or is this overkill? Or would one add the R8000 downstairs as the new router and use the WNDR3700v2 upstairs as the repeater? The basement will eventually be finished so, I want a good signal down there as well.
 
#11 ·
Hi Tom

The R8000 will not require any access points or repeaters in your situation. It by itself will be best. The R7000 and the R8000 do better solo then with an access point attached. Overall throughput and signal strength is best when it is unimpeded by combining it with another wireless device.

You didnt mention outside. I assume that you would want coverage there too. If that is the case I would try this. Use the RXXXX in the basement, (where I assume your internet access is located). If that isnt good enough then set the Rxxx as an access point, placed upstairs and turn wifi off on the 3700. The 3700 will handle DHCP, routing etc. The Rxxx will handle all wireless functions.

But my guess is the Rxxx as your only device will be just fine.

Bob Silver
 
#13 ·
Nighthawk X6 R8000 First Impressions

I received my Nighthawk X6 yesterday. NETGEAR has begun shipping the X6 this past week. The unit shipped with V1.0.1.46_1.0.17 firmware. When booted up there was no notice of additional firmware upgrades. I haven't confirmed with NETGEAR what this firmware has or doesn't have regarding limitations but I will do that this week.

The unit is very sleek. It is larger then the R7000 by about 30%. It is table top or wall mountable. I will wall mount this once I get things situated. I have set it up as an Access Point. This operates as all the latest NETGEAR routers with an easy selection to turn access point on. Then you simply connect it to your network and you are good to go. In access point mode it looks for an ip address from the DHCP server. After the initial reboot I went in and changed it to a manual address so I can easily access it for settings and other maintenance functions.

The first thing you will notice is that the router boots with 3 wifi bands. One 2.4 and two 5ghz bands. You then have the option of turning on Smart Connect in the wireless section which combines the 2 5ghz band into 1 with a common SSID. Very easy and really seamless to do.

All other aspects of the router work as expected.

The hardware is very nice. The unit has a good array of led lights so you can get an idea of what is happening at a glance. My power light is flashing white and amber so not sure what that is about but the router appears to be functioning normally though.

The antennas are interesting. I was in error when I thought they operated on on their own. They require manual intervention to raise and position them. But unlike the R7000 is is clear where the antennas should be placed. They all extend from the case and extend outward about 45 degress from the case. The upper and lower antennas can then be rotated about 45 degrees up and for the top and down for the bottom set.

NETGEAR has said that the range of the R8000 is similar to that of the R7000. Untill I can mount the R8000 in a simalr place I will need to wait to determine that.

But again first blush with the unit all seems very good.

I will report back once I have had a few days to live with the R8000 and report on its 5ghz performance.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR AV Consultant
 
#27 ·
My power light is flashing white and amber so not sure what that is about but the router appears to be functioning normally though.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR AV Consultant
My power light is doing the same thing - flashing white and amber (but seeming to operate normally). tried doing an online chat with netgear support but never got through. Were you able to have any light shed on what the cause is?

Thanks in advance.
 
#14 ·
Hmm. Before I pull the trigger and get the R8000 I'm wondering if the R7000 would be a better fit. I only have Comcast 105mbps therefore feel maybe the R7000 is more than enough.

What I need is the following:

I stream from my HTPC and Netflix via 2 ipads, 360, PS3 and Mac PRO. At any given time 2-3 of these devices could be streaming. Also during the time my kids are streaming I could be playing the Xbox 1 which is hardwired next to my HTPC. Currently I'm using Comcast's Xfinity modem/router and it tends to lag during some blu ray playback.

Given my needs would I still be best to purchase the R8000 with a new modem or will the R7000 be just find?

Thanks
 
#15 ·
Well let me start with the easy one. Your Xbox. Since that is hardwired it wont matter which router you use since it will not be impacted by wifi usage.

Given you stated you may have 3 wifi streaming sessions going on simultaneously it will burden any one wifi band if you are streaming in any HD format. Also given your devices all have the 5ghz band capability so you really will benefit from the doubling of the 5ghz band of the R8000 Id say that your situation would justify the R8000.

If you wanted to save some money you could continue to use your Xfinity modem router with an R7000 operating in Access Point mode. And use the additional bands in the Xfinity for your kids as an example. It will be more complex this way and not nearly as seamless as you will see 4 unique networks in your home. If everyone piles on to the same wifi band then you defeat the entire purpose. So you will need to be vigilant about who is using what band.

The R8000 should intelligently manage the traffic of all your devices to give you the best performance. Additionally the R8000 significantly increased cpu power will manage the wireless devices faster as well as managing the wifi radios better too.

So if it were me and you can afford the R8000 I would do that. You really have the use case that the router was designed for.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR AV Consultant
 
#16 ·
Thank you so much Bob. I am going to place my order with Amazon this evening for the r8000. I just got home from purchasing the Motorola SB6141 modem. So far I noticed my wired speed is faster. Could be a fluke, but any how I read good reviews on this modem that I hope once paired with the r8000 will give me a pleasurable experience. Having 3 gadgets stream at the same time tends to put a small burden on my blu ray streaming at times which can be annoying. Can't wait to test the r8000 out. Again, thank you Bob!

Judd
 
#18 ·
I just have to share this. This isn't about the r8000, but rather the WNDR3700. I went down into my basement and decided to dig this router out and use it until the r8000 arrives. All I can say is I'm even more impressed. Currently streaming movies from my HTPC with my MAC PRO and oldests iPad and there's not even the smallest hint of lag. Although a great modem/router, perhaps the comcast xfinity one just couldn't keep up to my house holds demands. Now I'm really excited for the r8000. This new netgear router should be good for a few years given the amazing speeds. =)
 
#20 ·
The WNDR3700 is still a great router after alll these years. I still have one in service. Range wise it is also excellent only bested by the R7000/R8000 and the V1 R6300.

The user interface is dated though along with the feature set as you will see when you get the R8000.

Bob
 
#19 ·
Thanks for all this great info on the R8000 Bob.

The one case you haven't really covered is if you really do need to extend the wifi network due to the size of the coverage area. My property is a little over an acre and I want access outside throughout most of the property. The house is 2 stories, about 5000 s.f.

Would I be better off with the R8000 serving one side of the property and most of the house, with a Netgear wifi extender towards the other end of the house? Or, since I do have cat 6 outlets in all rooms, should I use an older Airport Extreme or Time Capsule in "bridge" mode, turning those into access points for that part of the property? Third choice would be an additional R7000 or R8000 acting as an access point for the other side of the house/lot... does the secondary area benefit by the faster speed of an R7000/8000 if it's just acting as an access point?

I guess I just can't figure out the benefit of a "wifi extender" vs. a decent access point?

thanks much for any advice,

--josh
 
#21 · (Edited)
Hi Josh,

With a house and property that size you will need to employ 2 maybe 3 devices (2 of which will act as access points). Since you have the cat6 in place that will make this task much easier for you. The NETGEAR routers all have Access Point mode as well as Bridge and Repeater mode. More on that in a minute.

As far as a R7000 versus R8000 the difference will need to be decided on how many concurrent wifi streams in the 5ghz band you will need. And what those streams are doing. If they are HD video at all then consider the R8000. Range wise they are the same.

In your situation I would place the R8000 (assuming you need multiple streams) closest to your living area where it will get most traffic. If this happens throughout your home you can use 2 or more R8000 in access point mode. The benefits of the R8000 for the most part are acheived in AP mode. IN AP mode you can still use the usb functions so really you lose nothing as I think about it.

You can also use your Airports too as access points. You wont have the range but it can be used as a fill where you may need added coverage. You will need to try this out and see.

If you have an Andriod device download WiFi Analyzer which can check signal strength so you can see where you have poor signal strength around your home and property.

Now covering the outdoors is another issue. Unless of course you have access to your cat 5 cable at some remote points. If not you will need to use a repeater or bridge. (same thing except a bridge also gives you Ethernet ports).

For the best performance and range NETGEAR recently introduced a an AC1200 Repeater / Bridge the EX6200. This has the best reception (which is key in a repeater when you are on the fringe of coverage). I believe this is the best repeater on the market now. Certainly the best I have experienced.

You can the use the EX6200 in key locations around your property to fill in coverage. It will also extend your Airport Extreme if you choose.

The advantage of repeaters are they can receive and broadcast a wifi signal in essence repeating although thats not entirely correct. Repeaters receive your existing signal a broadcast an entirely separate one. As compared to an access point repeaters are slower as they have to use their wireless bandwidth for receiving and sending. In the EX6200 and other NETGEAR repeaters they have a technology called FastLane which can use one band to communicate with the host network and the other to communicate with your devices. The best case in a device like this. So the net is use AP's where you can and repeaters where you cant.

Gaining seamless coverage is tough in a large area like yours. Careful placement through some trial and error will help a lot. You can make it work though.

Im my case I have a 3000 sq ft ranch. On one network I use 2 access points to cover the entire home. Outside I get coverage 20-30 feet surrounding my home. As example a single r7000 centrally placed near matches that. So with multiples you will cover a lot of ground.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR AV Consultant
 
#22 ·
Incredibly helpful, thorough response Bob! Thank you so much.

At the risk of taking too much advantage of your expertise here, can i ask a couple of followup questions?

In the situation you describe with 1 or 2 other access points, should I manually set the wifi channels to non-overlapping numbers (i.e. 1,6,11 on 2.4ghz)? or do these latest gen APs do better with just letting them figure it out for themselves with auto-channel-select?

And, when you set up multiple access points, do you tend to set different SSID's or do you set up the same SSIDs in hopes that devices will just roam from one to the next without issue, and will only show a single SSID to devices from which to pick?

THANK YOU once again for all your assistance here.
 
#23 ·
Hi Josh,

When setting up multiple access points you will make the SSID's the same. But on the 2.4ghz band make sure the channels overlap. And what is not clear is overlap means either channels 1,6 or 11. If you use more then 3 AP's then set the 4th to the channel that is farthest away to minimize interference. The 5ghz band I leave on auto. It has much more bandwidth then the 2.4 and seems to coexist well on its own.

When you set an AP this way what will happen is as you move from 1 AP to another your device will switch to the stronger AP. This works fine everywhere EXCEPT in the middle of coverage where the signals are about the same. Some devices like my iPhone will have trouble deciding what to connect to at this point so IU actually get poor connections at that mid point. Moving one way or another takes care of it.

So keep that in mind when placing you AP's as well as when you are using the network.

Bob
 
#32 ·
Has anybody connected a USB external drive to their X6, and if so, what model is it? I have tried two drives and it won't recognize either of them.
 
#33 · (Edited)
I have attached a usb powered drive to my X6. I see the drive in the network area of my net. No issue or anything unusal.

Question is what drives (are they self powered or powered from USB), do you see anything in the USB setup area like the drive showing up at all?

The X6 should work with most any usb drive.

Bob Silver
 
#36 ·
Still no QoS there yet
 
#41 ·
Does the r8000 extend beyond the r6300

Hi Bob -

I have the r6300 and I still need two wi-fi extenders at either end of my house to get complete coverage.

Is there any way to assess whether the distance of the r8000 is greater than the r6300?

I don't think I need much to get rid of the extenders (which seem to complicate the situation).

Also, just as an aside, when don't they have a way to compare the distance of each router? Couldn't they just put them in a large field with nothing in between and see how far they can go before dropping the signal?!

Thanks
 
#42 ·
Hi Bob -

I have the r6300 and I still need two wi-fi extenders at either end of my house to get complete coverage.

Is there any way to assess whether the distance of the r8000 is greater than the r6300?

I don't think I need much to get rid of the extenders (which seem to complicate the situation).

Also, just as an aside, when don't they have a way to compare the distance of each router? Couldn't they just put them in a large field with nothing in between and see how far they can go before dropping the signal?!

Thanks
The R7000/R8000 routers have greater range then the R6300. Its about 15-20% greater. There are other elements like Beam Forming plus the antennas designs that will help you. I am in a 3000 single floor home and both of these routers cover it. At the edges signal is lower but usable.

I would suggest you look at the R7000. Range wise I think it is better then the R8000 by a little bit. Plus since range is your goal here the big benefit of the R8000 is twice the available bandwidth in the 5ghz range which by its nature has less range then the 2.4ghz band so you wouldn't be getting the benefit.

If there is a way to get a cat 5 cable to another location you can use the R7000 or R6300 as an access point using the other as a router with wireless. This way you could use both devices to get seamless coverage. This is much better then using extenders.

About your question on range testing. Good question but looking at wireless in an unobstructed environment doesn't tell you much. In the end the real world has walls, electrical wiring, other devices that can cause interference, neighbors etc. All of these elements have a lot to do with real range. I agree it would be nice to have a standard but to my knowledge none exist.

So to summarize the R7000 will definitely be better then the R6300 in range. By how much is going to be determined by your environment and placement.

If you are interested I saw a great deal from NewEgg on the R7000 that includes a Chromecast if that is of interest.

Let us know what you do and how it works out. Happy to help you through the process.

Bob

Bob Silver
NETGEAR Networking Consultant
 
#43 ·
the upgrader in me wants to blow the cash on two new R8000's.... The realistic person in me says the two R7000's I have are more than enough.......UGH

Bob, If I am reading your comments from an earlier thread, your saying the router should be in the main area (living room) and the AP in the secondary location?

I have them both connected by Cat6 cable so I am not sure if that matters.

Also, the SSID are the same on both units, should the 2.4 ghz channels be the same or different....... (sorry I just robbed this thread thats probably a no no)
 
#44 ·
The router if you are only using 1 should be in the middle of where the wireless devices are likely to be used. Often that isn't easy so we need to find a work around. In you case where you have 2 R7000 (no need to upgrade IMHO) I would place them at each end third of the house. Again only if you can. The net though with 2 R7000 you should be able to cover a 5k sq ft home. So I doubt you will have any issues.

Use some of the network tools to determine signal strength and noise for testing. Netsp[ot for Mac and inSSIDer home for pc. They will help a lot determining placement.

Bob
 
#45 ·
Updated Beta Firmware available V1.0.0.102_1.0.45

R8000 Beta FW V1.0.0.102

http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=XXBqdeWwAN

Uploaded on: 2014-08-07 10:26:46
File name: R8000-V1.0.0.102_1.0.45.chk
File size: 23.38 MB

Release notes –
(1) Improves the wireless connection stability.
(2) Improves the USB 3.0 IOT and the stability for file access.
(3) Fixes some IPv6 connection issues that happen in certain cases.
(4) Adds support for some IPv6 service over PPPoE.
(5) Improves Time Machine support.
(6) Fixes the issue that may consume more battery power of mobile devices connected to router.
(7) Fixes the issue that disallows multiple port forwarding rules to the same internal port.
(8) Fixes some GUI display issues in the Show Statistics window.
(9) Fixes the connection issue with Sonos speaker.
(10) Removes the detection function for AP mode.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR Networking Consultant
 
#46 ·
R8000, r7000 & wndr4500

I've had my R8000 since right after they released. I had started using the Netgears when they rolled out the WNDR4500s. After years of hacking the Linksys routers, Netgear started rolling out some decent hardware that made me look. Plus, after awhile you get tired of always monkeying around with stuff and just want it to work. Used the 4500 for a cpl years though they seemed to brick at 1 yr a cpl times. So When the 7000 came out I was overjoyed at the jump in power and range. With the devices at home becoming more and more WIFI centered I chomped at the bit when I saw the specs for the 8000. Initially after I rolled out the 8000 was a bit disappointed because I lost a bit of range and a few bells/whistles but the power this thing has streaming all the devices we got going is awesome. I am extremely happy with the R8000.
 
#47 ·
I've had my R8000 since right after they released. I had started using the Netgears when they rolled out the WNDR4500s. After years of hacking the Linksys routers, Netgear started rolling out some decent hardware that made me look. Plus, after awhile you get tired of always monkeying around with stuff and just want it to work. Used the 4500 for a cpl years though they seemed to brick at 1 yr a cpl times. So When the 7000 came out I was overjoyed at the jump in power and range. With the devices at home becoming more and more WIFI centered I chomped at the bit when I saw the specs for the 8000. Initially after I rolled out the 8000 was a bit disappointed because I lost a bit of range and a few bells/whistles but the power this thing has streaming all the devices we got going is awesome. I am extremely happy with the R8000.
Hi Tim,

Compared to the 4500 range I experience this. About the same maybe a bit less 2.4g Range. Much better 5ghz range. In fact I find the 4500 5ghz range to be a bit lacking. Compared to the 7000 the 8000 seems very close in performance. I swap between a 7000 and 8000 to compare and they seem very similar to me.

What features are you missing that you want from the 4500?

Without saying something I am not allowed let me say this. NETGEAR is working to unify software and feature sets among the routers. Look to early next year for new firmware that should add back some missing features of early products.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR Networking Assistant
 
#48 ·
Hello,
So I am currently deployed and need to get an extender. We have decent wifi in the common area but it does not reach into the rooms very good. I was looking at the ex6200, but once I get back stateside I won't have any use for it. Can this router work as an extender while I am here so I can use it as a router after I get home? Thank you.
 
#49 ·
The Ex6200 is not a router. It is an wifi based AC extender. A very good one in fact.

When you return it will work with other routers even non AC routers. But again you need a router to use with it. If you want a router you can use as an range extender now and a router later look at the NETGEAR R7000. You can use it in Extender mode now and then as a router. I assume you do not have AC based wifi where you are so getting an AC device is a bit overkill. But if you are looking for a great router solution when you get home then then the R7000 would do you quite well. And the EX6200 has the best range of any extender I have used.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR Networking Assistant
 
#50 ·
I know this thread hasn't been updated in almost a year so I figured I would add to it. Just got an R8000 today. So far everything works but range seems to be the same as the R700 I just moved downstairs. My issue is that the lower 5GHz band keeps dropping out according to my wi-fi analyzer but the other 5GHz channel and the R7000 5GHz channel don't drop out. I just updated to the latest firmware. Anyone see this before? I watch it. it comes in strong then goes away and 5 - 10 seconds later it comes back and disappears again. Never seen that before. I am using both routers in AP mode since I have FiOS. One is upstairs, the other downstairs. And none of the channels are overlapping. The R8000 is on 44 and 153 and the R7000 is on 161. Channell 44 is the one that keeps disappearing.


Any suggestions?
 
#51 ·
I havent seen drop outs in the lower band buy as a rule you get better performance at the higher channels. When set up that way with Smart Connect the router will put slower devices on the lower band. But range is somewhat better on the lower band but not by much. You could be seeing some interference that is causing your issue as well.

Bob Silver
Netgear Networking Advisor
 
#53 ·
I just bought the R8000 and set it up today. This is my very first router, so I have never used one before. I went to the website www.routerlogin.net and logged in with the default username and password. The instructions tell you have to change the password but not the username. I did change the password. I would like to change the default username but I don't know how. I also changed the wifi network names (SSID) and the passwords (x3). I'm currently using a wired connection to my laptop. I want to add my laptop on wifi at some point but for now I want to add my cellphone. I download network genie and installed it but I don't think I need ReadyShare at this point.
 
#54 ·
User names are a point of confusion. Some Netgear routers allow you to change them. Others no. Thats the case with the R8000/7000. The real security will come in the form of your password. So choose a good PW and you will be OK.

Regarding your cell phone just add it along with your laptop to the wifi network. No concerns here. Also again set a strong wifi password (Caps, special characters etc) if you are concerned. Another thing you can do is turn off SSID broadcast. What this does is make your network invisible. It can be seen with wifi sniffers but without that you are invisible. Be sure to name your network something you will remember or connecting new devices can be a pain.

The Genie app is a nice to have utility. It will allow to monitor your network and perform basic functions. Its worth the download to become familiar with it. Since this is your first router there is a lot to take in. But for the most part it should operate trouble free. The R8000 is a rock stable router.

Bob Silver
Netgear Networking Advisor
 
#57 ·
I've had an R8000 now since spring of 2015 and no issues to report. Working great, never let me down, no reboots required ever. SecureVault system backup works great with attached USB hard drive, OpenVPN works great, 5GHZ connection & speed has had no issues. I have an access point in a far part of the house and the signal from the Nighthawk is almost as strong as the AP that I'm sitting across from.

One thing I can bring up is the UPnP functionality I guess which has been odd at times and assigning the wrong thing to the wrong device and then missing assigning ports to others that I needed it assigned to. I ended up switching it off and just setting my ports manually and it's fine ever since.
 
#58 ·
I checked into the settings and looked up things. I found WPA2-PSK (AES) is the best security option. I then wanted to disable SSID broadcasting and got an error pop-up that WPS requires it, so I had to look up WPS. From what I have found it's best to at least disable the PIN option which I did and then I disabled SSID broadcasting.

I then found the 3 guest network options (not enabled) but I configured those with new names and passwords (and disabled SSID broadcasting). I think the basics are now covered. Next, I need to add my cellphone - don't know when to get to that. :)
 
#59 ·
Hi Bob. I'm now running an R8000. It's a lot faster than my R7500. I am back to having the message to close my window when I logout. I forget how to stop that. The attached devices screen isn't as pretty either. I may enable QoS and see if it works better. I'll give it a few days to see if it fixes the issue I was having with my R7500.

The issue with my R7500: I am using an EX7000 that is allows my computer, AVR, two Blu-Rays and TiVo to get wireless access to the R7500 that is located on a lower floor. Every few days I would lose internet access on the computer. I could change the computer to its internal wireless and gain access. I did find I get my internet access back by doing a power cycle of the router. This operation was 100% repeatable. But if the R8000 doesn't have this issue I will be very happy. BTW, none of my 15 devices has a fixed IP address and 10 have a reservation.
 
#60 ·
Hi Joe,

No idea about the log out issue? When I log into the router and log out via a browser window I jut close the window. That does all I need.

Are you using the Ex7000 as an AP or Repeater? I use one as an AP and have no issues. Seems if its just one pc you are losing internet from its something with that pc. You might try putting in a static ip address and DNS server. If you switch from one network connection to another and it works its something getting refreshed. Is it a windows or mac?

If you are seeing a speed change from the R7500 and R8000 then something was up with the 7500. Unless its because you have more bandwidth in the 5g range. Speed wise they should be very similar. In fact the R7500 even has a faster cpu in it. I had been using a r7500 as my router for almost a year (now R7000). Was fine. That said I used the R8000 (now R8500) as my AP along with a R7000 (now EX7000) as an AP. Worked fine for me. I have 60 ip devices on my network. About 1/3 wireless. As a rule (am old school) I always assign a static ip to pc's that are fixed in the home (not laptops). That way I always know their ip addresses and never have issues with them. Reservation is fine too except you get more control via static like defining dns servers.

Hope I helped in some way Joe.

Bob
 
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