Netgear Nighthawk R6700 has been around in the market for close to a decade and it is one of the best-selling routers under $100. If you want to find out how good is it in typical home usage, you are in the right place.
In this article, you’ll find out what makes the R6700 so successful, even without MU-MIMO, a feature prevalent in most budget routers.
Netgear Nighthawk R6700 Specs
| Wireless Standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) |
| Aggregated Speed | AC1750 (1750 Mbps) |
| Band Frequency | Dual-Band |
| 2.4 GHz Speed | 450 Mbps |
| 5 GHz Speed | 1300 Mbps |
| WiFi Range | Up to 1,500 Sq Ft |
| Maximum Device Capacity | 25 |
| Ports | 4 x Gig LAN + 1 x Gig WAN + 1 x USB 3.0 |
| Suitable Internet Plan | 500 Mbps |
| App Support | Yes |
| QoS Prioritization | Yes |
| MU-MIMO | Yes |
| Security Standard | WPA2 |
| Processor | 1GHz Dual-Core Broadcom BCM4709 |
| RAM | 256 MB |
| NAND Storage | 128 MB |
| Dimensions | 11.22 x 7.26 x 1.97 inches |
| Weight | 1.58 Pounds |
| Release Date | August 2014 |
Netgear R6700 Review: After Using it for One Month!
This budget-friendly router from Netgear was set to manage my home office network for over a month. Over that period, I tested its performance across several metrics, which include speeds, coverage, device handling, stability, reliability, and more.
In the following review of the Netgear Nighthawk R6700, you’ll find the gist of its performance.
Wireless Speeds & Suitability
The Wi-Fi 5 standards on the R6700 would still be relevant for most households, a router capable of achieving a total speed of 1750 Mbps over a dual-band setup.
The individual band speeds are as follows:
| 2.4 GHz: 450 Mbps | 5 GHz: 1300 Mbps |
While it’s among the routers that support 1000 Mbps internet, the load of activities will stress out the hardware unit. Hence, pairing it with a 500 Mbps or lower plan makes complete sense.
While testing this router, I had a 500 Mbps plan from Spectrum. The 20 feet test on 5 GHz recorded impressive numbers. The download speed clocked 441 Mbps and the upload reached 22 Mbps.
I even tested the speeds at a long distance (over 70-75 feet), where the numbers still turned out to be impressive. My phone was downloading at 310 Mbps and uploading at 10 Mbps.
I switched to the 2.4 GHz at the furthest point and the download speeds improved to 186 Mbps and uploads to 8 Mbps. Overall, this router achieves good enough speeds.
Wi-Fi Coverage & Devices Capacity
The three huge beamforming external antennas can handle 1,500 Sq ft. My two-tier home office, measuring 1,550 sq ft, had little to no dead zone except for the washroom. Note that since it’s an office, there were no major physical obstacles.
In standard households, I believe, it should fare well till 1,300-1,400 sq ft.
The lack of MU-MIMO limits the number of simultaneous connections. While Netgear rates the device capacity at 25, I noticed big drops in speeds once the number of devices crossed 18. Still, paired with the Dynamic QoS, the router will be ideal for a household with 10-15 devices.
Design & Wired Connectivity
Netgear R6700 comes in a glossy black chassis with a large footprint, status light LEDs spaced out on the front, and three bulky antennas towering on the rear. The vents on the sides and rear are useful in keeping the heat regulated.
You’ll find four Gigabit Ethernet ports and one Gigabit WAN port on the rear. My wired PS4 was clocking downloads at 432 Mbps and uploads at 19 Mbps, thanks to a speed bump from Spectrum. An occupied USB 3.0 port on the front, made the wiring bit more messy and complicated.
Security Features
The WPA 2 standard encryption, guest network, inbuilt VPN support, SPI and NAT firewalls, and DoS attack prevention keep the network safe from most of the vulnerabilities of the internet.
The parental controls are basic without the Armor subscription. For a yearly charge of $100, you’ll get the advanced protection of Netgear Armor, which is imperative if you are operating a partially smart home and got kids at home.
This keeps the devices safe from malware, spyware, and phishing attacks. You’ll also have access to comprehensive parental controls, that give you complete control of internet exposure.
Netgear R6700 Setup
You can choose between the Nighthawk App or the Netgear Genie web portal installation. Either way, the well-formulated steps make it simple.
The entire setup took me less than 10 minutes. When you activate remote management, you will keep some control of the network even when you are on the move.
Hardware & Other Features
Netgear back the Broadcom-based dual-core processor to deliver the demands on this router. With 256 MB RAM and 128 MB flash storage, the router will be up for demands put forward by a small household.
Simultaneous gaming and heavy streaming sessions seemed to push the device to its limits, the performance otherwise was stable and reliable.
It’s also one of the few budget WiFi routers that support DD-WRT, an open-source firmware, making it even more enticing for the experts.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Netgear R6700 has three beamforming antennas that make sure the signal quality remains good for areas spanning 1500 Sq ft. This is ideal for smaller homes.
While Netgear claims the R6700 can support up to 25 devices, you can get optimal performance by limiting the number from 10-15.
Yes, R6700 has remained a customer’s favorite since its introduction. Credit to reliable performance, and easy management, it was one of the most preferred options for small-medium households. If you grab hold of one on a discount, it’s a steal deal.
The Netgear R6700 was introduced on the 5th of August 2014. It’s close to completing a decade of its existence as one of the most reliable performers.
Conclusion
The FTP URL and file-sharing setup turned out to be useful for my small office. The reliable performance and secure ecosystem of Netgear, with frequent updates and fixes, make it a huge success in the long run.
