While MU-MIMO has not been universally adopted for a large number of devices, its good to know that the function is present on the router, but at this cost we really would like to see it active. There are certainly routers that have three radios, feature beamforming, Dynamic QoS, and can convert your USB hard drive to Network Attached Storage. Does the R8500 do anything more than other routers? Nope, not at all. Sure you could go with something more economical and scaled back, but what fun is that? Does everyone need to purchase the Netgear X8 R8500? At $343, certainly not. The Netgear X8 R8500 is like that luxury vehicle that you want not need. Netgear outfits the Nighthawk R8500 with a limited 1-year Hardware Warranty that also gives you 24/7 technical support for 90 days from the purchase date. The R8500 has been a rock solid performer when it comes to throughput, WiFi speeds, and all the features one could imagine, but the fact remains that the router costs the same as a laptop computer. For a router that has only a few never-before-seen features, this might be a show-stopper for many people. At $343.00 shipped, the router is one of the most expensive we have tested. One of the biggest issues with the Netgear R8500 is the price. The antennas are trimmed in a nice mellow blue and you can control how the rest of the LEDs act from the router itself no need to grab a computer and log in. The router wont keep you up at night in a mostly dark room with a bunch of flickering lights. The router is still quite large, but the design isnt exactly radical. The Netgear R8500 is a return to sleek and stylish.
![netgear r8500 ac5300 netgear r8500 ac5300](https://images.anandtech.com/doci/9880/cropped-Single-Link-Wired.png)
When the R8000 was introduced, it was not only large, but radical in style looking like an alien mothership with its flip-up antennas and Batman-inspired slopping nose. When the Nighthawk line was introduced a few years ago, it was a departure from the boxy form to a more sleek style. For many years, Netgears routers looked cookie-cutter and the same. Other routers in this class (like the Netgear R8000 or Linksys EA8500) already have been working with multiple radios, MU-MIMO-ready setups, and network attached cloud storage.Īs we look at the Netgear R8500, we have to note the design change from R8000. The Netgear Nighthawk X8 AC5300 WiFi Router is not really that revolutionary and essentially contains only a few features that we have not seen on other flagship routers: the new active antenna design, and aggregated Ethernet ports are the two new highlights that Netgear has introduced. Because they have been very consistent releasing high-quality products and updates to their entire line of products is one of the reason they have been one of the first companies we mention when making recommendations. Netgear has been one of our favorite networking brands for many, many years. Additionally, all DD-WRT Routers include a 1 year Hardware Warranty and a 30-Day Customer Satisfaction Guarantee.Netgear R8500: Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Netgear r8500 ac5300 free#
All DD-WRT purchases come with setup instructions and free e-mail or ticket tech support for the life of the router.
![netgear r8500 ac5300 netgear r8500 ac5300](https://c1.neweggimages.com/ProductImage/33-122-814-05.jpg)
DD-WRT unlocks powerful features that allow you to better manage network traffic, access your home computers remotely, surf the web more securely using OpenVPN or PPTP and much more. Your DD-WRT Router will arrive with a recent and stable build of DD-WRT. NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK X8 R8500 OPTIMIZED BY DD-WRTĪll DD-WRT routers are flashed and tested by a Sabai Technology expert. Two (2) USB ports: 1 USB 3.0 & 1 USB 2.0 portĮight (8) high performance antennas with high-powered amplifiers
![netgear r8500 ac5300 netgear r8500 ac5300](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71XQdry+qZL._AC_SS450_.jpg)
Seven (7) 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports: 1 WAN & 6 LAN Nighthawk X8 is the next wave in WiFiġ Netgear Nighthawk X8 R8500 flashed with DD-WRT firmwareġ Dual voltage American style power adapterĮmail or Ticket support for the life of the router Six gigabit Ethernet ports means even more wired devices can connect and with port aggregation 2 ports can combine to double maximum wired speeds.
Netgear r8500 ac5300 plus#
Four external Active Antennas plus four internal antennas amplify WiFi range.
![netgear r8500 ac5300 netgear r8500 ac5300](https://community.netgear.com/ejquo23388/attachments/ejquo23388/home-wifi-routers-nighthawk/192729/1/16234659495608833159614194552144.jpg)
Tri-Band WiFi and Quad Stream performance boosts X8's combined wireless speeds to up to 5.3Gbps. The Nighthawk X8 AC5300 Smart WiFi Router is the next wave in WiFi.