As far as dual-band models go, it is among the strongest of them all

Oct 2, 2013 07:54 GMT  ·  By

Routers are pretty common nowadays, which is why only the really good ones actually cause waves in the media. Products like the new Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router from Netgear, bearing the part number R7000.

This isn't the usual sort of dual-band router. Verily, one might actually say that just being a dual-band router means it's not normal.

Still, even among this elite community, the newcomer stands out, due to the Beamforming+ technology, which locks on a wireless device in a network and aims Wi-Fi signals straight at the device.

This is the only reason why that 1900 Mbps transfer speed can be achieved: 600 Mbps over 2.4 GHz and 1300 Mbps over 5 GHz.

"NETGEAR designed Nighthawk to be the best WiFi router in the world today, bar none. Our goal was to make the best router for data-intensive activities such as online gaming and video streaming," said Sandeep Harpalani, NETGEAR director of product marketing for Core Networking.

"We've listened to the demands of high bandwidth users and packed Nighthawk with features to surpass their expectations for speed, range, sharing, reliability, ease of use and security - the must-haves for enabling an increasingly connected digital lifestyle. Simply put, Nighthawk is for anyone who wants the best."

The Netgear AC1900 has three external antennas capable of reaching through walls, in a way that covers the entire home and adjoining constructs (garage, back yard, front lawn, etc.).

A dual-core 1 GHz CPU runs as the heart, and the advanced QoS protocol automatically recognizes and prioritizes streaming and gaming applications.

This is, after all, a consumer device, and strong Wi-Fi routers are only bought by those that just aren't satisfied with cable clutter of LAN networks. Which is to say, people likely to play online or LAN games.

And since it's not easy to just lug around a LAN cable when going outside with your laptop, routers like the AC1900 are the way to go. There's even built-in iTunes server compatibility, USB 3.0 support, customized free URL (create an FTP server) and, for when LAN cables are available, a set of five Gigabit Ethernet ports (one WAN and four LAN) if you want fast wired connections.

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router (R7000) is priced at $199.99 / €199.99.