If your router can't handle your growing number of gadgets, Netgear's latest WiFi 6 router could solve the problem. The freshly-announced Nighthawk AX4 comes in yet another spaceship-like design, and offers dual-band 4-stream WiFi with up to 600 + 2400Mbps speeds -- a whopping 3Gbps in total. These are handled by the AX4's dual-core processor plus Intel's WAV600 WiFi chipset, with the latter being a notable achievement since this is Intel's first foray into the WiFi 6 router market. As for physical ports, the AX4 comes with five Gigabit Ethernet ports (one WAN and four LAN) plus a USB 3.0 socket.
If your router can't handle your growing number of gadgets, Netgear's latest WiFi 6 router could solve the problem. The freshly-announced Nighthawk AX4 comes in yet another spaceship-like design, and offers dual-band 4-stream WiFi with up to 600 + 2400Mbps speeds -- a whopping 3Gbps in total. These are handled by the AX4's dual-core processor plus Intel's WAV600 WiFi chipset, with the latter being a notable achievement since this is Intel's first foray into the WiFi 6 router market. As for physical ports, the AX4 comes with five Gigabit Ethernet ports (one WAN and four LAN) plus a USB 3.0 socket.
For PC owners looking for a WiFi 6 option, this router may be a perfect fit -- so long as their PCs have integrated Gigabit WiFi, of course. And even if all your devices don't fit the new 802.11ax wireless standard, the AX4, like all WiFi 6 routers, has backward compatibility and should be able to handle them.
So what exactly can a WiFi 6 router give you that your old WiFi 5 router can't? First, there's the obvious benefit of higher connection speeds. According to Intel, users can see a 40 percent improvement in connection speeds; or in Netgear's words, WiFi 6 "delivers up to four times better performance."
WiFi 6 can also handle multiple devices better, up to 256 devices at a time. If your household's current model is struggling with multiple Alexa devices, a streaming device like Apple TV, a few smartphones, and a gaming console or two, it may be time for an upgrade. All that said, a new router isn't a cure-all for sluggish internet speeds -- your ISP or the device itself could be the issue.
Like many of the WiFi 6 routers available now, the AX4 is expensive. The Intel-based router retails at $199.99. That's less costly than Netgear's other WiFi 6 routers (the AX8 is $400), but it's still nothing to sneeze at. But if speed is your priority, the AX4 may be a more reasonable option. If you're still balking at the cost, don't fret. Consumers should expect less costly options as more WiFi 6 routers hit the market later this year.
For PC owners looking for a WiFi 6 option, this router may be a perfect fit -- so long as their PCs have integrated Gigabit WiFi, of course. And even if all your devices don't fit the new 802.11ax wireless standard, the AX4, like all WiFi 6 routers, has backward compatibility and should be able to handle them.
So what exactly can a WiFi 6 router give you that your old WiFi 5 router can't? First, there's the obvious benefit of higher connection speeds. According to Intel, users can see a 40 percent improvement in connection speeds; or in Netgear's words, WiFi 6 "delivers up to four times better performance."
WiFi 6 can also handle multiple devices better, up to 256 devices at a time. If your household's current model is struggling with multiple Alexa devices, a streaming device like Apple TV, a few smartphones, and a gaming console or two, it may be time for an upgrade. All that said, a new router isn't a cure-all for sluggish internet speeds -- your ISP or the device itself could be the issue.
Like many of the WiFi 6 routers available now, the AX4 is expensive. The Intel-based router retails at $199.99. That's less costly than Netgear's other WiFi 6 routers (the AX8 is $400), but it's still nothing to sneeze at. But if speed is your priority, the AX4 may be a more reasonable option. If you're still balking at the cost, don't fret. Consumers should expect less costly options as more WiFi 6 routers hit the market later this year.