I needed to replace my old Linksys that was six years old, and beginning to drop the 2.4 GHz channel at random times during the day. I picked this router due to the high ratings in Consumer Reports, plus my local Best Buy had it in stock. This is an outstanding router. VERY fast with a STRONG signal, and the Nighthawk phone app is amazing as well. But here's a VERY important installation tip. At first I couldn't get it to connect to my modem - no internet. All of my connected ethernet cables were recognized immediately, but the "Internet" LED kept blinking orange. I swapped out cables between the router and my modem, reset the modem, etc... I played with it for an hour and a half. Nothing worked. So I made a call to my provider, Xfinity tech support. An amazing tech at Xfinity (who just happened to have the same router) told me that I needed to change the default factory password (which was "password") before it would connect. Apparently that is a security concern with Netgear, but that step wasn't mentioned anywhere in the documentation, which was sparse to begin with. Once I did that, it came to life. This thing is incredible. I'm now getting speeds like never before, and the signal meter on my phone is a solid 100% around my house, even if I go out to the backyard. Last night I ran a speed test (over WiFi) on my Surface Pro, which is in my living room a floor below. It registered a blazing 200mbps over Wifi. (I'm on a 250mbps plan with Xfinity). That is just incredible for a WiFi signal. My old Linksys router never even got to 100mbps, even if I used the 5GHz band. It also comes with a feature called Smart Connect which automatically detects each device, and determines which ones should be connected to the 2.4GHz channel and which ones would be better on the 5GHz channel. I checked it after I enabled it, and sure enough it had moved a few devices around, like my DirecTV Genie II server, which can stream 4K content was now on the 5GHz. And this router has another amazing feature - it displayed a popup during setup that said that if I were to rename the wireless connections (2.4 & 5GHz channels) to the same names and passwords as the old router, it would make sure that I wouldn't need to reconfigure any of my devices. And I couldn't believe it, but it WORKED. I have probably three dozen or more wireless devices in my home - security cameras, smart plugs, smart watch, phone, laptops, my home thermostat, an Alexa Spot and several Echos, TV's, my DirecTV Genie server, Google Home Hub, and even my car is connected for Sync updates. I didn't have to reconfigure one single device in my house. Not one. Every one simply reconnected once I did the name and password change using the old credentials. That alone made this purchase all the better. I had expected to spend the afternoon going around and reconnecting everything after I made a list beforehand, which was 2 pages long.

I read a lot of reviews when it comes to spending my money on gadgets, especially routers that are expensive like this one. Let me just say that this is well worth the money! I have Cox as my internet provider and the default router/modem they gave me was absolute garbage. I could barely get Wifi throughout my apartment (only 1200 sq. ft.). However, I bought this router based on the great reviews and it impressed me. I was able not only to get WiFi anywhere in my house, I could get it a few houses down! I pay for extremely fast internet and with this router, it feels like I'm getting my money's worth. I used to game/stream a lot and the configuration settings helped me prioritize gaming and get the best connection possible. You can also prioritize streaming or other devices as well! The amount of features are great and I would definitely recommend this router to anyone looking to upgrade. IT IS WORTH THE MONEY!

Was looking to replace my Netgear "N" router that was several years old with a new "AC" router to get better range and wireless speeds throughout our new house. Also picked up a couple of Netgear AC adapters for two of our wireless PC's. In a word...WOW! I should have upgraded a long time ago. Wireless speeds immediately tripled and the signal strength extends halfway down the street. Everything connected right away and the throughput is outstanding. Highly recommend this router. Only downside (but not a serious problem) is that it is BIG. I usually have the router on my desk in the room where the cable service enters the house, but this router has no vertical stand option and it's so big I had to mount it on the wall.

Please do you own research, as this reviewer has nothing to compare this product to. I purchased it new at the Best Buy in Poughkeepsie, NY. I have no complaints to speak of. I am satisfied with the product and its performance. I'm using a cable modem; and when hard wired to the modem itself my download speeds are approximately 200mbps. After connecting this wireless router and performing the same test again, my wireless download speed is roughly 80mbps less than one foot away. I'm running three smart phones, one tablet and two televisions all streaming HD video. At 70 feet from the router, signal strength drops less than four Mbps even after passing through two walls. If I had to choose again, I would've gotten the next model up.....just because.

This router has performed flawlessly. Speed is great, and i've had no issues with dropped connections. Advanced setup options worked for successfully connecting our home security cameras for remote viewing. Very happy with the product.