Netgear genie Nighthawk X8 review

The Netgear genie is an associate degree oft-overlooked a part of a home computing setup. A slow network has the facility to bring even the highest-end computer to a crawl and troubleshooting a wireless network could be an imprecise and frustrating method. Sure, there area unit routers like Google’s On Hub that create the method simple and supply wonderful coverage, however specifically, for gaming, there’s a skinny line between optimum performance and crushing defeat. Netgear genie Nighthawk line has continuously gone higher than and on the far side in network performance, and the new X8 is not any exception.

The 802.11ac router is capable of five.3Gbps of total Wi-Fi information measure across 3 channels, and it doesn’t stop there. The Nighthawk X8 is filled with nearly every feature conceivable in a very router. it's beamforming and MU-MIMO; it’s a DLNA and FTP server; it will run VPN utilities, and it offers security measures like DoS protection and an integral firewall. All of that practicality doesn’t return low cost, and the Nighthawk X8’s $400 tag goes to be a right of way turn-off for a lot of users. will the X8 keep a gentle course within the rough waters of stormy network demands, or is it a shipwreck waiting to happen?

Large and responsible

There’s no concealment the Nighthawk X8. the huge box is 3 times the scale of the quality home router and has four thick plastic antennas that stick straight up off the rear. It’s thus massive it'd look right reception with the instrumentation want to communicate with the Mars rover. Despite its size, its easy black style is fashionable enough to suit in with any theater, or advanced network gear.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The top of the device isn’t flat however instead shifting by 2 massive bumps. They’re laborious to explain, however they serve a vital purpose. wherever the surface of the device flat, you would possibly be inclined to stack a tool on high of it, sort of a cable electronic equipment or a game console. however, that may cause cooling issues. The bumps make certain nothing will be set flat on the router. Netgear genie app download

That means finding a small number of houses for the device is important. It’s not aiming to work on the rear of the shelf the printer sits on, nor can it slide simply between devices in a very theater cupboard. Netgear genie Nighthawk X8 could be a serious piece of hardware, and it wants the house to try its best work. Always connected The X8 offers a complete of seven Gigabit local area network ports. One is for the web into the router and 4 area unit ancient computer network ports. the ultimate 2 area unit a combine of aggregative ports, largely for hyperbolic information measure to high-end NAS solutions.