14 DAY TRIAL // Want to hear about an industry first? Of course you do, as these tend to be the most exciting news. NETGEAR has just unveiled the Nighthawk X6 AC3200 (R800) router, which is the first Tri-Ban consumer-bound router to grace the market.
At this point, you might be wondering what the Tir-Band part means. Well, according to NETGEAR, the Nighthawk X6 has been designed to support one 2.4GHz WiFi band and two 5GHz bands.
The router takes advantage of a smart system which allows the device to allocate the right network band according to the capacity of the device you are trying to connect.
Basically, the router doesn't discriminate based on whether the device is old and new, so it's capable of adjusting itself to their respective needs.
What this means is that an older laptop capable of supporting only older Wi-Fi strands will take advantage of 2.4GHz band, but newer devices like smartphones and tablets will use one of the two 5GHz bands.
On top of that, the router will accommodate the needs of two distinct users, because it takes advantage of two separate 5GHz bands, not just a single one.
To make things even more attractive, NETGEAR is bundling the device with some extra fancy features, in case Tri-Band isn't enough to peak your elitist attention.
One of the most notable additions is the Beamforming+ tech which allows the router to form a “special” bond with one of the devices connected to it, in order to favor it and send it the best signal possible.
Even if you move the device further away, the system will try to compensate the distance and keep blowing Steam up its way as much as it can.
The Nigthhawks takes advantage of a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port, which lets you connect a storage device to it. So just like that, you’ll be getting a media hub too, complete with support for DLNA and AirPlay streaming for compatible devices.
Security concerns have also been taken care of thanks to the ReadShare Vault embedded software. NETGEAR’s new router is kept alive by a 1.6GHz dual-core processor fitted with three offload processors that should help maintain the optimal levels of performance, no matter how many devices you end up connecting to the Wi-Fi.
Wired connection can also be added thanks to the 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, four for LAN and one WAN.
Don’t expect such a richly featured device to sell for a bargain price. The Nighthawk X6 is now available for pre-order online and will set you back with $299.99 / €220, which isn't that much after all, if you think that you can get a Samsung Gear 2 for the same amount of money.