Netgear Nighthawk RAX120

amazon Netgear Nighthawk RAX120 reviews

Early Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) routers have been out, but Wi-Fi 6 clients are still few and far between. Finally, we got our hands on a laptop equipped with an 802.11ax network adapter and started testing a few Wi-Fi 6 routers, including the Netgear Nighthawk RAX120 12-thread Wi-Fi 6 Router, a rather expensive device. $499.99 that conjures up images of B-2 stealth bombers. This odd-looking Router delivers excellent 5GHz transfer rate performance, and its file transfer performance is also very fast. It has a multi-gig LAN port and supports WPA3 encryption, lacking malware protection and strong parental controls.

About Wi-Fi 6

The next generation of wireless networking, called Wi-Fi 6 or 802.11ax, builds on the 802.11ac (or Wi-Fi 5) standard that has been around since late 2013. The new version promises performance delivers faster transfer rates, increases client capacity to match the growing smart home market, and increases battery life for connected mobile devices. However, before you decide to buy a Wi-Fi 6 router, you’ll want to check out our explanation to determine if now is the time to upgrade.

Familiar look

The RAX120 looks identical to the Nighthawk RAX80 we reviewed. It features a Star Wars-like dual-wing design, measuring 6.5 x 13.5 x 8.5 inches (HWD) with fully extended “wings” and featuring a matte black finish. The top of the Router contains small LED indicators for power, WAN, LAN (five), USB (two), Wi-Fi (two), and WPS, as well as Wi-Fi and WPS on/off buttons. Surrounding it are four gigabit LAN ports (two of which can be configured for link aggregation), one WAN port, and one 5GbE port for high-speed Ethernet connectivity. Here you will also find the power and reset buttons and the power jack.

The RAX120 is equipped with a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 512MB of RAM, and 1GB of flash memory. It’s a 12-thread dual-band router (four streams on the 2.4GHz Band and eight streams on the 5GHz band) that can reach a maximum (theoretical) speed of up to 1.2Gbps 2.4GHz Band and up to 4.8Gbps on the 5GHz Band. Unlike the TP-Link AX6000 and Asus RT-AX88U Router, the RAX120 supports the new WPA3 encryption standard. It also supports 802.11ax technologies, including 8×8 MU-MIMO data transmission, direct beamforming, 1024-QAM, and OFDMA data transmission.

The RAX120 uses the same mobile app and web management console as the Nighthawk RAX80. As is the case with the RAX80, you can use the mobile app to do things like configuring Wi-Fi settings and basic internet, pause and resume network access for any device with the touch of a button, and run Speedtest. Still, you will have to use the web control panel to use the advanced settings to enable services like link aggregation, port forwarding, port activation, and VPN (Virtual Private Network).

The Basic screen includes settings for Wireless and Internet, Guest Network and Quality of Service, Attached Devices, and ReadySHARE USB devices. Use the Advanced tab to configure Media Server settings, view system logs, update firmware, and check network statistics. You can also schedule visits and block websites and services, but you don’t get the age-appropriate anti-malware or parental controls that come with the TP-Link AX6000.

Powerful performance

I got the RAX120 up and running in minutes. I started by connecting the Router to my cable modem and desktop and then powered it on. I opened a browser on my PC and typed http://www.routerlogin.net, which launched the setup wizard. After creating the admin password and setting up two security questions, I waited about 15 seconds for the Router to connect to the internet. I confirmed that my firmware is updated, created a new Wi-Fi password, and completed the installation.

I performed the Labs Wireless Router test on the RAX120 using our client’s Dell XPS 13 Laptop equipped with the Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s (802.11ax) network adapter. Its score of 125Mbps on the 2.4GHz proximity test (same room) is slightly faster than the TP-Link AX6000 but slightly slower than the Asus RT-AX88U. At 30 feet away, the RAX120’s 63Mbps score was faster than both the TP-Link AX6000 and the Asus RT-AX88U.

The RAX120’s 5GHz transfer rate performance is impressive. It clocked 839Mbps in the proximity test, beating the TP-Link AX6000 at 64Mbps and the Asus RT-AX88U at 57Mbps. On the 30-foot 5GHz test, the RAX120’s 417Mbps score was 100Mbps faster than the TP-Link AX6000 and Asus RT-AX88U.

To test file-transfer performance, we moved a 1.5GB folder of photos, videos, music, and office documents back and forth between a USB 3.0 drive connected to the Router and the desktop to test it. Check to write and read speeds. The RAX120 hit 69MBps on the written test, topping the Asus RT-AX88U but not the TP-Link AX6000. The RAX120 also hit 69MBps in the reading test, but the TP-Link AX6000 and the Asus RT-AX88U are slightly faster.

Power comes with a price.

The Netgear Nighthawk RAX120 is a reliable choice for users looking to take advantage of the 802.11ax standard, but its $500 price tag will put your wallet in serious jeopardy. It has the distinction of being the only 802.11ax Router we’ve tested that supports the new WPA3 security standard, and it’s the only 12-stream Router we’ve seen so far. The RAX120 delivers high scores in our 5GHz transfer rate tests and performs admirably in our file transfer tests. Still, its 2.4GHz performance is just average, and it lacks the parental controls and powerful anti-malware that you get with the TP-Link AX6000 and Asus RT-AX88U Router.

where can you get a Netgear Nighthawk RAX120 online

NETGEAR Nighthawk 12-Stream AX12 Wifi 6 Router (RAX120) – AX6000 Wireless Speed (Up to 6 Gbps) | 3,500 sq. ft. Coverage: Buy it now

NETGEAR Nighthawk AX12 Dual-Band 12-Stream Wi-Fi Router RAX120-100NAS (Renewed): Buy it now

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX120 IEEE 802.11ax Ethernet Wireless Router – 2.40 GHz ISM Band – 5 GHz UNII Band – 8 x Antenna(8 x Internal) – 768 MB/s Wireless Speed – 5 x Network Port – 1 x Broadband Port –: Buy it now