Netgear announces $280 Nighthawk X4 R7500, its first quad

Netgear

The Nighthawk X4 AC2350 Smart WiFi Router (aka the R7500) is Netgear's answer to Asus' recently reviewed RT-AC87U. And it's a strong answer.

Most powerful hardware to date

The company's first quad-stream (4x4) 802.11ac router, the R7500 is also equipped with a 1.4 GHz dual-core main processor, currently the fastest on the market. That chip powers the 2.4Ghz frequency band, NAS functionality, and all other functions of the router, while another 500Mhz processor handles just the 5Ghz frequency band. By comparison, the main processor on the Asus device runs at only 1Ghz.

What's more, the Nighthawk's two USB 3.0 ports and one eSATA port promise fast network storage performance when coupled with an external hard drive. Up to now, no other router has boasted that combination of ports.

More speed

As the first two 4x4 802.11ac routers on the market, both the Asus and Netgear routers support the quad-stream 802.11ac on the 5Ghz band for a top Wi-Fi speed of as fast as 1,733Mbps. Meanwhile, on the 2.4Ghz frequency, the top potential speed maxes out at 600Mbps.

Netgear

That makes them among the fastest routers on the market, but there's an important caveat for now. If you need to take advantage of those top speeds, remember that's possible only with a client that also supports the same standard. As there are currently no client devices on the market yet that support those top speeds, you won't be able to achieve the highest ranges just yet. In the meantime, though, existing Wi-Fi clients will benefit from the Nighthawk's better range and higher wireless bandwidth.

Generous feature set with Dynamic QoS

Netgear says that one of the R7500's selling points will be the new Dynamic QoS feature, which will automatically prioritize Internet bandwidth for a better online experience. In other words, instead of treating all devices and applications equally, the R7500's Dynamic QoS feature recognizes each individual application -- gaming, streaming, file transfers, Web browsing, and so on -- and prioritizes them accordingly.

Netgear says the R7500 also is device-aware, meaning it knows the difference between gaming consoles, smart TVs, computers, smartphones, and so forth, and hence is able to allocate its bandwidth appropriately.

Other than that, it comes with many other common features and settings available in previous models, such as the R7000 and the R8000.

Netgear

Here's a list of what the new router has to offer:

The 1.4GHz dual core processor 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi technology with up to 2,333Mbps combined Wi-Fi bandwidth Application-aware and device-aware Dynamic QoS technology Beamforming+ that improves Wi-Fi coverage and reliability Powerful amplifiers and four high-performance external antennas Security features include VPN support, customized free URL, SPI and NAT double firewall, separate guest network access, and parental controls Five Gigabit Ethernet ports (one WAN, four LAN) One eSATA port and two USB 3.0 ports ReadyShare Vault desktop software that automatically backs up Windows-based PCs to a connected USB hard drive Media server supporting DLNA, iTunes (AirPlay-compatible), and other streaming protocols. Netgear Genie firmware with mobile app for Android and iOS devices.

The Nighthawk X4 AC2350 Smart WiFi R7500 router is available now at the suggested retail price in the US of $280. Pricing for the UK and Australia will be announced in the future. Check back soon for its full review.