Netgear's Nighthawk AC 1900 Smart WiFi Router, better known as the R7000, is for those who need to save a few bucks while creating an up-to-date wireless network. At $190, it's priced about $100 less than the competition (including Netgear's own R8000) and delivers strong throughput, but can't match...

Excellent combined throughput; Genie software; Removable antennas; Affordable; Open-source firmware

Disappointing range; Large in-wall AC adapter

I use the Nighthawk in Spain with Vodafone ONO and a CBN (Compal Broadband Network) CG7486E router. It sits in a room above where the CBN router is and the signal strength is excellent.

Fast when it works

Stops working just about every night

While most of us are always looking for the best possible PC hardware including CPUs, memory modules, graphics cards and solid state drives there are others who are struggling to find the best possible WiFi router to complete or to expand their home or work wireless network.

- Build Quality; - Design; - Wireless Performance (Fastest In Our Charts; - AC1900 Technology (Concurrent 802.11n & 802.11ac; - User Friendly Web Interface; - Features; - Technologies Used (Beamforming & TurboQAM; - Android & iOS App; - 4 Gigabit Ethernet Ports; - 2 USB Ports (USB 3.0 & USB 2.0

- Price (For Some

It seems NETGEAR is on a constant refresh loop with many of their product lineups. What started years ago as a single solution with the R7000 Nighthawk is now the name for an entire portfolio of products.

NETGEAR's original R7000 Nighthawk has stood the test of time, becoming one of the top-selling AC class routers. NETGEAR has wisely left the design alone, resisting the lure of a Rev A to shave a few pennies off manufacturing cost.

In all, despite the clunky web user interface, the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 is a triumph. It may not deliver the fastest top speed over 802.11ac, but its class-leading range across all network types more than makes up for this slight lack of top-end grunt.

For future-proofing, it's a great buy. But for current needs, you'll get a better deal from a cheaper router.

Netgear's R7000 Nighthawk is one of the fastest, if not the fastest routers you can buy today. In addition to leading the field when it comes to throughput, the router offers stellar range and a host of features that differentiate it against other AC1900 routers, like the Asus RT-AC68U and Linksys...

Netgear's R7000 Nighthawk Dual-Band AC router delivers everything that a flagship router is supposed to. Cutting-edge speeds, user-friendly GUI and a competitive price

As far as we're concerned, if we put everything together, Netgear provides one of the better routers currently available with the R7000 Nighthawk. It especially performs exceptionally well on 802.11ac and when under heavy loads, The other tests show it performs well in other areas too.