Netgear R8000 Nighthawk X6 AC3200

Designed for users with lots of different devices on different Wi-Fi bands, the X6 does a very capable job over decent ranges.

A versatile tri-band design, easy setup and long range make Netgear's R8000 a strong router for a house filled with data hogs.

While there is no doubt that the Nighthawk X6 is an excellent solution for keeping our increasing numbers of devices connected to the net efficiently, those who already have a good router may be dissuaded by the price, however for those who are suffering the pain of device dropouts and ‘too much data in too few pipes’ could do a great deal worse than Netgear’s latest offering.

The Nighthawk X6 is what I call a transition router, with legacy 2.4GHz devices having their very own band, and then having two separate 5GHz bands, allowing you to use 5GHz 802.11n, at the same time with 802.11ac, without bottlenecking the AC devices.

The Netgear Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router (R8000) makes an impressive debut, proving the concept of tri-band router by deftly handling multiple wireless devices on a single network, despite a few minor rough spots.

The Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000 Tri-Band router really does set a new standard in high-performing wireless routers not only giving you an extra radio to play with, but an upgraded firmware that does load balancing to keep your devices running at peak speeds. If you can afford the price tag, this is the router to buy.

The Nighthawk X6 isn't for everyone, but if you need to support lots of 802.11ac clients, this is the best choice—for now.

Even when it's working well, the Netgear R8000 Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Gigabit Wireless Router has nothing to justify its expensive price tag.