The Netgear Nighthawk R7900 X6 AC3000 is a more budget-friendly alternative to Netgear’s premium X6 R8000.
The X6 AC3000 clocks in at a little over $100, making it an excellent option for people who wants an incredible router from Netgear without spending a couple of hundred bucks.
Read about this other top-tier Wi-Fi router from Netgear to see if it will fit and suit your needs.
Main Features:
- Tri-Band MU-MIMO Support
- 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
- 1GHz Dual Core CPU
- 1GBps LAN (x4), 1GBps WAN (x1)
- 256MB RAM
- 3Gbps max speeds
- Nighthawk App – Netgear Genie
- 6 Adjustable High-Gain Antennas
Design
One interesting aspect of the Nighthawk R7900 X6 AC3000’s design that I noticed is with its almost insect-like aesthetics.
It looks like a beetle or spider that is turned upside-down.
I quite enjoyed this design choice as it gave it more character, not quite sure it was what the designer intended though.
Still, big ups to whoever designed its exceptional appearance.
Now, on to the functionality of its design. The X6 AC3000 takes cues from the standard wireless router design with the majority of the ports located on the back end.
You will get access to four Gigabit LAN ports there as well as one lone Gigabit WAN port.
There are also two USB ports there that support both 2.0 and 3.0 USB connectivity.
Button controls are also situated at the back of the device. You will find the power and reset button there as well as a switch to disable the LED panel.
Setup
As with all Netgear Nighthawk routers, you can expect the X6 AC3000 to provide a user-friendly and straightforward installation and setup experience.
- The router is preconfigured; all the user needs to do is input their username and password to get started.
- To go into further detail, all of the recent and current Netgear routers utilize the Netgear Genie app.
- This app is tremendously useful as it allows for more convenience in accessing the router’s more advanced features.
- We do want to note that if you wish to take full advantage of the Netgear Genie application, you will need to register for an OpenDNS account.
- This is required if you want to adjust the parental setting in the router. While it is not complicated to register for an OpenDNS account, it does feel like an unnecessary extra step.
- Once you have an OpenDNS account logged in, you can fully customize every aspect in the router.
- The app is compatible with Android, iOS, PC, and MAC which makes accessing your router from any wireless device a breeze.
- I would also like to note the comprehensive Netgear instruction manual that comes with their products.
It is competently well-detailed with an easy to follow troubleshooting solution guide as well as the installation and set-up tutorial.
Functionalities and Features
In terms of performance, the Nighthawk X6 AC3000 delivers what you would expect from the famous brand.
- It provides Tri-Band features that incorporate two 5GHz bands to ensure your internet speeds are as fast and stable as possible.
- It has managed to clock in at max 3GBps at optimum setting and range.
- On average, it leads to hit around 40% of that speed which is still a substantial number.
- It sports a dual-core CPU that also incorporates three offload processors.
- This is a beneficial inclusion as it allows to divide the load and strain of supporting wireless, Ethernet, and USB connected devices.
- The X6 AC3000 also comes with a 3.0 USB port which is perfect for transferring huge files due to its fast transfer rate.
- Another noteworthy feature that the X6 AC3000 provides users is with its Smart Connect technology.
- This feature automatically places clients in bands that will optimize their performance.
- For example, the X6 will separate faster devices with slower ones and put them on two different bands.
- Additionally, the Nighthawk R7900 router series is known for its impressive sharing options.
- You will get access to useful programs such as the ReadyShare software which allows you to send files via USB to other devices within your network.
- This feature also automatically backs up relevant data such as pictures with the Vault option.
- The DLNA feature also allows connected devices to share and stream media such as videos and music files to other devices that are connected to your network.
- The ReadyShare also comes with a feature called the ReadyShare Printer which allows you to share your wireless printer with everyone in your network once it is connected to the router via USB.
- As a bonus, this router is also readily compatible with iTunes out of the box. Just connect your AirPlay or Apple Remote.
- As for its security, the X6 AC3000 utilizes SP and NAT firewalls.
- The network can be secured with the standard WEP and WPA2 security protocols.
- AS we have noted earlier, you will need to register for an OpenDNS account; this will grant you full access to the router settings such as the parental controls.
- The parental control that Netgear offers is quite impressive. It allows the main account (admin) to set the time allowance for internet use for specific devices.
It also has an excellent filter that can block various contents online that you may deem inappropriate for your children.
Pros:
- Runs smoothly and the unit rarely reaches high temperatures.
- Excellent NAS performance and throughput.
- Easy to install and set up.
- Automatically optimizes different devices to separate bands.
Cons:
It requires you to set up an OpenDNS account to take full advantage of the Netgear Genie application.
It has a pretty short Wi-Fi range which is even more of an issue if you have several walls in between.
Conclusion
The Netgear Nighthawk X6 AC3000 is a great affordable alternative for those who can’t afford Netgear’s more premium models.
It performs amazingly well when optimized. It does have trouble maintaining this level of performance the farther you get, even more so than usual.
Other than that, this is an excellent Netgear router designed for use in homes and studio apartments.