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We examined and benchmarked the complete Netgear Orbi RBKE963 setup, together with RBRE960 host router and two RBSE960 satellites working in unison
Up to date: Jun 12, 2024 1:16 pm
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Desk of Contents
Desk of Contents
The Netgear Nighthawk RS700 is a standalone router with WiFi 7 help and highly effective wired choices in addition, although it’s actually not low-cost. Nonetheless, shopping for this router ought to, in principle, preserve your community setup future-proofed for a very long time to return. Let’s see under the way it measured up in our testing.
Specs
Wi-fi normal: WiFi 7
Band Frequencies: 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
Max Pace: 19Gbps
LAN Ports: 1x 10Gbps, 4x 1Gbps
WAN: 1x 10Gbps (Router)
CPU: Quad-core 2.6GHz
Reminiscence: 512MB NAND Flash and 2GB RAM
USB: 1x USB 3.0 Kind-A
Dimensions: 281.7 x 124.0 x 142mm (11.1 x 4.9 x 5.6in)
Weight: 1.635kg (3.61lb)
Present extra
What We Assume
The Nighthawk RS700 from Netgear is actually not a router for everybody, given its exorbitant pricing for a single router unit, nevertheless this isn’t precisely atypical for WiFi 7 routers: if you’d like the most recent normal, you’re going to should pay a big mark-up for it.
To your cash although you get a robust performing router that may future-proof your setup for a while, with the 10Gbps WAN and LAN ports guaranteeing you received’t get bottlenecked with any future ultrafast fibre enhancements. It’s good to see the inclusion of a USB-A 3.0 port, although we’d have preferred to have seen USB-C for this value.
The general design of the router itself is kind of good and unobtrusive, and the devoted app offers you loads of management over how it’s arrange and what you are able to do along with your community, though we may do with out the fixed subscription service adverts. All-in-all although, this can be a highly effective router in the event you’re prepared to pay for it.
Execs
Easy and fast setup that guides via the app
App management presents loads of customization and modifications however can also be included on the internet web page
Wonderful efficiency throughout the board, together with USB
Good measurement that matches in lots of locations together with in design, plus can flip off blinking lights
Future proof requirements for WiFi, and 10Gbps WAN and LAN ports
Cons
Costly for the US market, ridiculously so within the UK
Annoying subscription adverts
A USB-C port would have been good
Pricing
Within the US the Netgear Nighthawk RS700 has an MSRP of $699.99, which comes with a 1-year subscription to Netgear Armor cyber safety. That is clearly not low-cost, though it’s fairly typical of WiFi 7 routers with these types of specs on the time of writing.UK prospects should pay considerably extra although: a ridiculous £799.99 (the equal of round $1,000 on the time of writing) which frankly simply isn’t price it, irrespective of how nicely it performs: you could possibly purchase a renewed MacBook Air for a similar value.
General Design
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The Nighthawk RS700 is kind of a nice-looking gadget, in the event you’re into vaguely sci-fi wanting tech. It resembles a tall (28.17cm/11.09”), all-black obelisk of an irregular hexagonal form, with fairly a comparatively slim (although secure) base of approx 4.9” throughout, which means it fortunately takes up a minimal of desk area.
The entrance has all of the standing lights and buttons working down it in a single vertical strip, with the ports and sockets doing the identical on the rear aspect. Warmth vents are positioned on the highest and backside. General it’s fairly unobtrusive wanting, and preferrred for any workplace or dwelling setup.
The quad-core 2.6Ghz processor, plus 2GB of RAM and 512MB of NAND Flash offers loads of energy and reminiscence to handle a number of connections and allocate bandwidth.
The RS700 has accommodates 8 inner antennas, and is rated for a WiFi protection of three,500ft2, having the ability to hook up with 200 totally different gadgets.
Frequency bands embrace one 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, which may be linked to individually or merged collectively and linked to concurrently via Multi-Hyperlink Operation, a function distinctive to WiFi 7 routers, permitting the router to choose the quickest pace in your gadget from the mixed choice of channels.
Wired connections embrace a 10Gpbs WAN (Wider Space Community) enter in your ISP connection (nicely above the net bundle most individuals can get now, nevertheless it offers some good futureproofing). Extra uncommonly you additionally get one 10Gbps LAN (Native Space Community), which implies you possibly can match the bandwidth coming into any of your gadgets linked to this through ethernet, which may be very good. As well as you get 4 extra 1Gbps LAN ports (although two of those may be aggregated collectively to type a 2Gbps connection) and one USB 3.0 Kind-A for a quick storage connection.
Different options
Further options embrace the flexibility to arrange a visitor community with totally different permissions, which provides you that further little bit of community safety: fairly typical for routers at this value level. The RS700 additionally comes with the flexibility so as to add a VPN to your total community, which updates routinely for the most recent safety patches.
For added safety, you need to use Netgear Armor with its sensible parental controls, extra VPN and basic safety towards hackers, although this requires a paid-for subscription which is a bit irksome contemplating the asking value of the router within the first place.
The inbuilt utility to manage the router is fairly feature-rich on the entire, providing in depth controls and a simple interface. The requirement to check in and register the router, which routinely begins your subscription trial and guarantee, is a bit lengthy winded (this is applicable to different Netgear routers we’ve examined). Lastly, the app does include frequent pop-ups promoting extra subscriptions and options, which is a bit irritating, however realistically you received’t want to make use of the app fairly often after the preliminary setup, in order that they’re manageable.
Efficiency
In our efficiency testing, we subjected the router to quite a lot of situations to guage its effectiveness. It needs to be famous that our testing surroundings was a bit extra restricted than is right: we solely had WiFi 6 gadgets to check with (we opted for the Samsung S21 FE smartphone particularly), so our WiFi testing was restricted to the two.4 and 5GHz frequency bands. Moreover, the community was restricted and throttled to round 300Mbps.
The wi-fi connection (between the router and the testing gadget i.e. the telephone) was examined at the usual distances we all the time use: 10ft/3m (uninterrupted), 30ft/9m (uninterrupted), 60ft/18m (with a wall between the 2 gadgets), and at last 90ft/27m (with two partitions between the gadgets).
Given there was no USB port on the router, we couldn’t carry out our normal file switch pace check.
Sign power and latency
In our testing, we evaluated a router’s effectiveness throughout quite a lot of standardised situations. It’s vital to notice nevertheless that our testing surroundings has sure limitations: we solely have WiFi 6 gadgets accessible, particularly the Samsung S21 FE smartphone, so our WiFi testing was confined to the two.4 and 5GHz frequency bands. Moreover, the net connection is restricted and throttles at across the 300Mbps mark.
We examined the wi-fi connection between the router and the telephone at our normal distances: 10ft/3m (uninterrupted), 30ft/9m (uninterrupted), 60ft/18m (with one wall in between), and 90ft/27m (with two partitions in between).
Lastly, we conduct a file switch check by connecting an SSD to the USB port on the router, then transferring a file to and from it with a PC linked to the router’s ethernet port.
Sign power mainly measures the reliability of the connection, and is measured in dBm (decibel milliwatts). The dimensions of outcomes sometimes measures between -30dBm and -90dBm, with the previous being thought-about the ‘preferrred’ consequence, and disconnection sometimes occurring at round -90dBm. The principle issue governing sign power (apart from exterior interference) is often the standard/energy of the antenna on the router.
On this check the RS700 scored strongly, significantly throughout the 5GHz band, the place it bested each different router we’ve bested thus far. At 2.4GHz outcomes ranged from -41dBm to -62dBm as much as 60ft (with lack of sign at 90ft), with the 5GHz outcomes starting from -31dBM to -76dBm (together with these readings taken at 90ft). The RS700 advertises a protection of three,500 sq. ft., which might be roughly the 60ft check, although it does attain past this on the 5Ghz frequency as we will see.
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Latency is measured in milliseconds (ms), and represents how lengthy it takes for knowledge to journey between the router and the gadget, with the decrease values clearly being faster. Latency ranged between 13-20ms within the 2.4GHz band throughout the primary three distances (with lack of connection at 90ft). Within the 5GHz band, latency ranged between 11-23ms on the first three distances, leaping to 36ms on the 90ft vary.
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Relating to the pace check, we carried out a number of checks to guage web pace, together with the bodily connection pace between the telephone and router, and a WiFi pace check to evaluate how sign power impacts efficiency.
Community obtain pace was measured by the Oopla pace check app in Mbps (Megabits per second). Measured on the 10/30/60/90ft distances, the two.4GHz averaged at 103/78.4/5.6/0Mbps respectively, with add speeds of 62/50/22/0Mbps. 5Ghz attained common downloads of 273/269/117/25.5Mbps and uploads of 239/227/131/8Mbps. On LAN, the RS700 achieved a obtain pace of 262Mbps and an add pace of 254Mbps, which doesn’t sound lots given the utmost 10Gbps LAN restrict, nevertheless contemplating the restrictions of our web this was nonetheless a stable consequence.
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Bodily obtain/add pace is measured through the WiFiman app, additionally in Mbps. Measured on the 10/30/60/90ft distances, the two.4GHz band had a 206/206/137/0Mbps obtain power, with an add of 286/258/149/0Mbps respectively. The 5GHz channel achieved 1200/864/288/8Mbps obtain and 1080/1080/576/17Mbps add speeds respectively.
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File switch check
For our last check, we benchmarked the learn and write speeds when transferring recordsdata between a PC linked to the router through a LAN port, and an SSD (in a USB adapter sled) linked to the router through the USB port.
Utilizing the CrystalDiskMark software, we noticed the router obtain a 260MB/s learn and 159MB/s write pace within the first sequential check (with 8 queues and 1 thread) – that is when the recordsdata are organized linearly and so is all the time the quickest check of the bunch. Within the first random check this dropped to 75MB/s for the learn and 66MB/s for the write within the 32 queue and 1 thread check, with the 1 queue 1 thread being even slower.
As you possibly can see within the bar graph picture, out of all of the routers we’ve examined thus far, the RS700 was the quickest choice, significantly with regards to write pace.
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