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.
