NetGear Nighthawk RS700 WiFi 7 Tri-Band Router Review

The world of wireless networking is constantly evolving, and with the advent of WiFi 7, routers are reaching unprecedented speeds and capabilities. Netgear is one of the best-known and most recognisable networking brands in the world and has thrown its hat into the ring with the Nighthawk RS700. This is a flagship tri-band WiFi 7 router promising blazing-fast speeds, expansive coverage, and cutting-edge features, but of course, this comes at a significant cost. This router boasts impressive specs on paper, claiming to deliver up to 19 Gbps with a range of up to 3500 square feet, making it an enticing option for those seeking the ultimate WiFi experience in a larger home with multiple users. WiFi 7 But the arrival of WiFi 7 raises the question: is it really necessary? With more devices than ever demanding bandwidth, and applications like 4K streaming, VR gaming, and online gaming pushing the limits of our home networks, the answer is increasingly becoming a resounding "yes." WiFi 7 brings wider channels, higher frequencies, and improved efficiency, all contributing to significantly faster speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity for connected devices. There's an elephant in the room too, as WiFi 7 compatible devices are still relatively scarce, with even the latest phones and laptops often not featuring the technology, at least, not yet. 10GbE One of the standout features of the RS700 is its inclusion of a 10GbE port. This future-proofs your network, allowing you to take full advantage of multi-gig internet speeds that are becoming increasingly common. While most users may not need this level of connectivity just yet, it ensures that your router won't become a bottleneck as internet speeds continue to climb. That being said, this router doesn't make much sense if you don't have some form of 10GbE or multi-gig fibre, so keep that in mind before you place your next order. Premium Features and Design Beyond raw speed, the RS700 also boasts a sleek, modern design. Its vertical form factor, with strategically placed antennas, looks good and aims to optimise signal strength and coverage without compromising on home-friendly aesthetics. The premium price also dictates a few other things, as you'll find this router comes with a suite of high-end protection and management features, not that we would have expected anything less, of course. Features Unrivalled WiFi 7 Speeds: Unleashes WiFi 7 speeds up to 9.3Gbps for gaming, smooth streaming, video conferencing, and entertainment. Latest WiFi 7 Technology: Delivers 2.4x faster speeds and significantly lower latency than WiFi 6 to maximize performance across all devices. 360° WiFi Coverage: Sleek new body offers smaller footprint and high-performance antennas for up to 2,000 sq. ft. of 360-degree WiFi coverage. Reimagined Speed & Reliability: Get the fastest speeds available today with a 2.5 Gig internet port, compatible with multi-gig cable or fiber. 2.5Gbps & 1Gbps Ethernet ports unlock unbeatable speed and reliability for wired connections. Secure and Private: NETGEAR® routers are secure out of the box with automatic firmware updates and industry-leading safety features. Essential All-In-One Internet Security: NETGEAR ArmorTM software provides an automatic shield of security for your WiFi and connected devices with real-time protection. 30-day trial included. Easy Set Up with Any Service Provider: Simple to plug Nighthawk into your modem and set it up with the Nighthawk app. How WiFi 7 Works Whereas WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 are dual-band systems, WiFi 7 taps into all 3 WiFi bands (6GHz, 2.4GHz, and 5GHz bands). WiFi 7 effortlessly changes lanes between the bands to avoid network traffic and/or keep you connected if you move out of range of one band. This feature, called multi-link operation, ensures data is delivered with maximum speed, reducing latency and improving reliability for online gaming, AR and VR, Zoom calls, and more. Streamers and gamers will enjoy smoother crisper video, with the ability to stream multiple pieces of 4K and 8K content at once throughout the home. With improved bandwidth, speed, and resource allocation, a household can easily stream UHD videos, host Twitch streams and avid gamers in VR, work on Zoom calls, and browse the web without issue. Packaging The box looks neat enough, with a picture of the router up front, and some nice colours highlighting it, as well as some key specifications listed off to the side, but otherwise, pretty simple. There's a lot more detail around the back, showing the speed and capacity benefits of WiFi 7 vs. WiFi 6. There are some details on the Nighthawk App, which allows you to monitor traffic, manage devices, guest WiFi, and all those other networking goodies. In the box, you'll find a power cable with some international adaptors, as well as a good-quality ethernet cable. A NetGear Armor subscription is included for one year. And a simple quick-start guide on how to set up and operate the device. A Closer Look Well, it's certainly an attractive piece of hardware. The router I have in my house has eight massive antennae sticking out of it, and it looks like an upturned spider, it's big, it's obnoxious, and it's notoriously tricky to find a good space for. However, the Nighthawk has a very compact footprint, making it easier to place around your home. It's also very sleek, nothing is jutting out of it at all, which is nice. On the front there are two control buttons, one for connect and one for the lights, allowing you to stop it flashing if it's distracting you while you work, sleep, watch a movie, etc. All the business stuff is around the back in a vertical layout, with just a little bit of ventilation at the top and bottom to allow for airflow throughout the device. There's a 10GbE WAN port, and a 10GbE LAN port, allowing for extremely fast internet connections, and at least one extremely fast home network device. There are also four Gigabit ports with aggregation, a USB Type-A port, and a master power switch here. The bottom looks smart enough, there's a rubber grip to stop it sliding around, plenty more ventilation for airflow, and two mounting holes so you can secure it to a bracket. While up on the top, there's even more ventilation, as well as a sticker with the default WiFi password, although it's standard practice that you should change this in your initial setup for security reasons. Software The Netgear OS is pretty clean and easy to understand, which is great for new users, but there are plenty of tucked-away advanced features for those who need them too. The home screen allows you to see all the network names, IP addresses and other key networking information with ease. USB storage options allow you to add external storage to the router, operating it much like a NAS, which is great for sharing files around the home. Access control allows you to whitelist or blacklist devices, improving home security, or just kicking your kids off the network if they haven't done their homework. You can operate your WiFi as usual but also set up a guest network. This means friends and family can use the internet, but you can restrict them from accessing your smart devices, network shares and other devices that you would rather keep under your own control. There are also all the usual network tools, such as IP configuration, as well as port forwarding, which is often needed when using various network-dependant software such as Plex, Minecraft server, etc, where you need to open the ports for users outside of your home to access them. QoS is built-in, allowing you to optimise various settings by performing a built-in speed test and simply ticking the QoS box. There's also VPN support, so you can connect your VPN from your router, rather than from a single device, making it much easier to roll out a secure network throughout your home. Performance Speed testing was done using a WiFi 6E capable laptop. Unfortunately, even us tech folk don't have much access to the latest WiFi 7 hardware right now. And unfortunately, even if we did, the internet in our new office leaves a lot to be desired, at least for now. However, we managed to get our maximum internet speed from right next to the router via WiFi. Next to Router 5M Away 5M away, the signal remained perfect, no drop off in performance here. 10M Away At 10M away, we saw no performance drop again, actually, it went up a little bit, so again, no issues. 10M Away (Outside) We tried to test outside, but we're in a bit of a unique scenario here, We're in a warehouse, so the front wall is 40ft tall insulated dual steel monstrosity, and basically, a Faraday cage, so the fact we have any connection is a bit of a marvel. However, speeds were maintained perfectly. 20M Away (Outside) It was only when we got to around 20M away, which when you think about it, is a really freaking long way to be away from the router with a laptop. I suspect if we had a desktop system out in the car park that had a stronger antenna it wold hold up pretty well. Floor Above From our bottom floor to our upstairs mezzanine the signal helped up great there too, we performed the test in reverse and again got a similar result. We also performed the tests at similar distances in different directions to test the 360-degree coverage, and again, the results held true, so I'm very happy with the range of network coverage on offer here. How Much Does it Cost? The NetGear Nighthawk RS700 WiFi 7 Tri-Band Router isn't cheap, OK, it's not even just expensive, it's ruinously expensive! It costs a wallet-busting £899, so I can appreciate if you've just closed the tab in horror. That being said, bear with me here, it's far from their most expensive solution, with the Orbi mesh system often costing much more. However, keep in mind this is flagship hardware, with next-generation WiFi technology, it's at the bleeding edge of home networking, and in that regard, you get what you pay for. If you're rocking a couple of phones, a games console and a single desktop computer in your small to medium-sized home, then something much more affordable will do the job just fine. However, it's the capability of delivering massive speeds and up to 200 devices on a single router that make the Nighthawk RS700 so expensive, as it's built for the enthusiast tech family and modern smart home environment. Further down the range is the Wifi 6 model that supports 6.6 Gbps for just £229.11, then there's the WiFi 7 version with 12 Gbps for just £399.99, while this flagship model is 19 Gbps capable at £899.99. Conclusion So who is this router for? Well, most likely for someone like myself. I have 8000/8000Mbps internet at home with YouFibre, my PC runs on 10GbE LAN, I have a NAS on 1 GbE, I have a home server on 2.5GbE, my partner has her WiFi 6 laptop, and the kids both have gaming PCs upstairs on WiFi 6. On top of that, we have four phones in the house, two tablets, and a plethora of smart devices, such as four Alexa's, and about 30-ish Philips Hue lights. We only have a small home, so I can imagine if we had a big house, the number of smart devices could easily double just on lighting alone, then add our security cameras, alarm systems, etc, and already you're at a point where the "I got this router for free with my internet company" people would be having serious networking struggles. Future Proofing If you're building a flagship gaming or work PC in 2024/2025 then it's more likely now that the top-end motherboards will come with WiFi 7 support too. True, those motherboards are not cheap, but again neither is the router, and you're simply paying an early adoption tax for the latest hardware. However, if you want multi-gig WiFi and extremely fast LAN, then this is how you're going to get it. No doubt the next generation of phones will leverage these technologies more consistently too, giving you a level of future-proofing in your network. Software Features The Nighthawk app and web interface provide a user-friendly experience for both novice and advanced users. While basic setup is a breeze, the RS700 offers granular control over network settings, including robust parental controls, guest network configuration, and Quality of Service (QoS) prioritisation. Which is everything you would expect from a quality router really. Furthermore, there's a year of NETGEAR Armor, which gives you an added layer of security, though a subscription is required after the initial trial. Connectivity The RS700 truly shines in its connectivity options. The inclusion of a 10GbE port and a 2.5GbE port ensures you can maximize the potential of high-speed internet plans. The multiple Gigabit Ethernet ports provide ample connectivity for wired devices, while the tri-band WiFi 7 delivers exceptional wireless performance over a vast area. However, there's no mesh support, which is surprising, but this is meant to be an all-in-one solution, still, their ORBI routers offer mesh, so I would have liked to see that option regardless. 360-degree Coverage Netgear's claim of 360-degree coverage with a range of up to 3500 square feet seems accurate based on your testing, which is about an 18M range and certainly more than enough to cover most mid-to-large homes. The router's consistent performance across various distances and through obstacles is commendable, and with support for hundreds of simultaneous devices too. Design The RS700's sleek and modern design is a welcome departure from the bulky, antenna-laden routers we often see, and that I have at home too actually. Its vertical form factor and compact footprint make it easier to integrate into any home environment. It'll fit on a shelf, a side table, windowsill easily enough without looking garish or distracting. Should I Buy One? The Netgear Nighthawk RS700 is undeniably a premium router with a premium price tag. It's aimed squarely at users who demand the absolute best performance and are willing to pay for it. If you have a multi-gig internet connection, plan to have a significant amount of connected devices and a need for future-proof networking technology, the RS700 is an excellent choice. However, for most enthusiast gamers, and smart device users, something further down the range, and further down the price range, would more than suffice.