Netgear Nighthawk Pro Mesh WiFi Router Targets PC And Console Gaming Enthusiasts
The Nighthawk Pro Gaming Mesh WiFi System is targeted specifically at gamers, while the company's typical Orbi mesh Wifi system is intended more for everyday consumers. The system includes a Nighthawk Mesh EX7700 Tri-band WiFi extender and the Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 WiFi router. The extender automatically syncs with the router to provide a seamless and streaming and roaming experience.
![netgear nighthawk mesh wifi system](https://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/48520/content/netgear-nighthawk-mesh-wifi-system.jpg)
The router incorporates a dual-core 1.7GHz processor and a NPG DumaOS Gaming Dashboard. The Dashboard allows for a hybrid VPN, geo filtering, and broadband prioritization. The extender provides a “dedicated back channel for high-speed data flow and a Smart Roaming feature” to help connect devices in a large home and supply faster WiFi speeds. The system also includes a total of 6 ports-- 4 ports on the router and 2 ports on the extender. It is therefore able to provide both wired and wireless connectivity.
Users will also be able to enjoy one single WiFi name for the entire home, sharing their USB hard drive to connected devices, Netgear's ReadySHARE Vault PC utility, and other features. The WiFi system is pre-paired out of the box to allow for a quick set-up. It is compatible with a variety of gaming systems like the Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PCs and can be controlled by the free Nighthawk app.
Some users may be disappointed that the system does not support WiFi 6, especially for the price tag. It instead supports 802.11ac at up to 2.6Gbps. Some users may need the higher multi-device support of WiFi 6, but the mesh system is likely plenty for most users. The Nighthawk Pro Gaming Mesh WiFi System will ring in at $399.99 USD. It will be interesting to test how this latest offering from Netgear compares to their existing Orbi systems.