
We frequently had four simultaneous online games or videostreams running without noticeable hitches. Netgear says it can cover up to 2,500 square feet. Surveying the signal strength in my 1,600-square-foot home produced a heat map that showed the Nighthawk RAXE300 delivering strong Wi-Fi to every nook and cranny. (But bear in mind that 6-GHz speeds drop off sharply with distance and obstacles.)
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I got more than 600 Mbps down on my Pixel 6 Pro sitting around 10 feet away. In close proximity, the RAXE300 blew away the Deco XE75 (an affordable 6E mesh system I tested recently) on both the 6-GHz and 5-GHz bands. The top speeds I recorded from the Nighthawk RAXE300 are the highest I have seen, although I have not tested many high-end Wi-Fi 6E systems, because they are too expensive for most people. Some folks may need more or higher-capacity ports, and the lack of USB-A could be an issue.

There is also a USB-C port marked USB 3.0. There is a single 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN port and five Gigabit LAN ports, with link aggregation on LAN 3 and 4, enabling you to reach 2 Gbps. Naturally, it is backward-compatible, offering 5-GHz and 2.4-GHz bands to support all previous Wi-Fi standards. The RAXE300 is a tri-band router with the latest Wi-Fi 6E support, which means it can connect to devices on the 6-GHz band. Routers that bristle with antennas may not look as neat, but the ability to angle them manually can prove handy when you need to direct the signal. While it’s unlikely to go unnoticed, the matte-black plastic finish has beveled edges and pleasing curves, making it a more attractive device than many of its arachnoid-looking competitors.
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The RAXE300 is a large router, but it can be mounted on the wall. The distinctive collapsible wings are a trademark of the series, and apart from evoking an Imperial Shuttle, they host an antenna array that ensures a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout your home. Netgear’s Nighthawk range is aimed squarely at gamers.
