Next Gen Netgear Nighthawk X4 AC2350/R7500 Detailed

NETGEAR-nighthawk-7500-specs

Via an overseas briefing and FCC filing, details of the next generation Netgear Nighthawk wireless router have begun to clarify. The Nighthawk X4 AC2350/R7500 builds upon the success of the existing Nighthawk, as cited by Wirecutter, with additional horsepower, more finely tuned QoS, quad-stream wireless, and a pair of USB 3.0 ports and eSATA to meet our NAS or Mac Time Machine archival needs. It also bumps up the antenna count from 3 to 4. Of course, this sort of tricked out network solution comes at a price. And, to meet my 802.11ac router needs should I flip from Verizon to Comcast, I’m not sure I’m willing to pony up the $250.

6 thoughts on “Next Gen Netgear Nighthawk X4 AC2350/R7500 Detailed”

  1. Was browsing around AVS when I stumbled upon this. I do like the idea of better performance, better coverage, and VPN. But maybe I’ll just pick up the existing Nighthawk… presuming I flip providers and this new model further pushes the 7000 down in price. Regardless, I got an Apple wireless router that’s been unplugged a few years that I really should ebay.

  2. I’ve actually had good luck lately with just extending the range with simple cheap extenders like this:

    http://amzn.to/1rzDScd

    For example, my existing Wi-Fi router wasn’t reaching the front porch. Plug one of these into an outlet with some coverage (inside wall nearby the front door in my case), and this thing repeats with a strong signal. Easiest setup of any network device I ever used. Yes I know there are better devices that will create a stronger signal, but his is simple and cheap and at least for me headache-free.

    I’ve for the moment given up on the one device will get everywhere dream.

  3. I have a few routers around here, including that Apple. I could probably make one into both a wireless bridge and an extender. And still have a couple left over to be the main router, should I lose Verizon’s. Then again, after seeing this recent Charter Internet box install, maybe I should just leave well enough alone and stick with Verizon – I could knock a few bucks off my bill by swapping ESPN for BBCA (and BBC News), saving me even more money given what I’ve invested in Sherlock, Luther, and Orphan Black via Amazon Unbox.

  4. I had the original Nighthawk, and had nothing but problems with it. Great hardware, terrible software. I ended up making the switch to the Asus RT-AC68R and have been very happy with it so far on the wireless front. Much better performance, and the software seems more stable.

  5. Thanks for the first hand report, Chris – I do know the ASUS models also come highly recommended. I dragged my old Apple router out of storage last night, applied probably two years worth of firmware updates, and set it up as an extender. It’s a cost-effective short term solution to at least expand coverage. Maybe I’ll drop a drive on it to automatically backup our iMac photo collection as well. We’ll see what happens later this year. :)

Comments are closed.