Netgear Nighthawk RS600 WiFi 7 router reviewed

A new phone or laptop will almost definitely come with WiFi 7, so how do you get faster wireless at home? Start with a WiFi 7 router, like the sub-$1K Netgear RS600.

Owning a new phone or computer often means getting new technology with it, often coming from a faster processor, a better camera, new operating system features, and so on. However, one feature many new devices this year are seeing is better and faster WiFi across the board.

WiFi 7 is here, and with it, there’s more speed and reach, improving how quickly your devices can talk to your network, as well as keeping the connection consistent as you move around your home.

It’s in so much this year, too. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has it, as does the standard iPhone 16, and the other models between these, too. WiFi 7 is in the latest Dell XPS, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and its foldable cousin, the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro, and a few other devices.

In short, WiFi 7 is here, and if you’re upgrading to a new device, you’re probably going to have it there waiting for you to use it.

However, you need a WiFi 7 router to get it going. It’s the same with WiFi 6E: if you have one of last year’s phones, you need a WiFi 6E-compatible router to make those work, as well.

Netgear’s Nighthawk RS600 technically covers both of those, plus the previous WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and WiFi 5 (802.11ac) standards, as well, and it does it in a fairly simplistic design. Is it worth the $799 price?

What is the Netgear RS600?

One of several WiFi 7 routers Netgear has released recently, the RS600 forms part of Netgear’s Nighthawk range, offering WiFi 7 without the typically prohibitive price the technology comes with.

Available for $799, the RS600 is one of three options geared at more price conscious customers, ranging between the $599 9.3Gbps RS300 and the $1100 19Gbps RS700S. By comparison, the RS600 maxes out at 18Gbps with a coverage maximum of 250 square metres, something the more expensive RS700S beats with more speed and move coverage, hitting up to 325 square metres.

While the tech isn’t quite as up there as its RS700S sibling, the RS600 still has it where it counts.

Officially, this is a WiFi 7 BE18000 tri-band router, covering 2.4GHz at 700Mbps, 5GHz at 5.8Gbps, and 6GHz at 11.5Gbps, equally 18Gbps all up (hence the “18000” in the name).

The hardware includes eight antennas, a 2Ghz processor, 512MB storage for the small operating system it uses, and 2GB RAM, plus four ports you can use for network connections, including three 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet ports and one 10Gbps Ethernet.

There’s also a single 10Gbps internet port for NBN connections in Australia (and connections from the modem in other places), and a single USB 3.0 port for network drive additions if need be.

Up to 150 devices can be supported by the RS600, with password security covering WPA, WPA2, and WPA3, as well as guest networks on offer if you don’t want to hand out your passwords to friends and family.

Does it do the job?

Like most other network devices we see lately, there’s an app to help you get your new network under way, available for both iOS and Android.

You’ll need that app for setup, as well as a power port and your NBN connection, whatever it may be.

Setup

You can see Netgear has tried to ease the setup woes commonly associated with bringing a new network device online, complete with what seems like an artificial wait button. Simply put, when you start the installation up via the app, it will make you wait five minutes until the system has gone “all white” on its LEDs, so you can keep going.

Our system was ready a little before the setup in the app, so we just waited five minutes for pretty much no reason. In fact, if you leave the app to get your NBN login details, you’ll have to wait more time while the system works out what to do, noting that you need to “wait while your device fully powers on” even if it has.

Ideally, you’ll want your login details at your side so you can avoid this artificially long process. It shouldn’t take more than 10 or 15 minutes to set up a router, and yet if you don’t have everything ahead of time, it sure will feel like it.

It’s not a perfect setup experience, that’s for sure.

Think of this as a minor inconvenience you’ll just slightly grumble about, a slowdown before getting into the speed on offer from a WiFi 7 system. Almost like a reminder of what things used to be like.

When it eventually works, you’ll connect to your new network, renamed to whatever you want it to be, or to left the way Netgear set it up from the factory. Alternatively, if you’re having it replace an existing network, make sure you name the network the same as it was, and use the same password to make sure all your old devices can connect quickly and easily.

At least in theory. Every little time you want to do something in the app, you will need to “wait a few minutes while we make sure that your mobile device is connected” to your network, a message that feels like it should be near instantaneous, and not a several minute long ordeal for just wanting to check something.

In-use performance

Once the network is up and running, you can start using it, which if you’re a reviewer typically consists of speed tests and moving very large files from one place to another. Tests need to be performed.

Our tests include moving large lossless audio and select video files over the network, tracking speed, while also using several devices to see how much the network can be flexed.

Upon setup, we found the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz network bands were all ready to go, though the use of a WPA3 password meant some devices in the home needed to see the password re-entered just to use the network. No worries, that’s easy enough, and it might be something you need to keep front of mind if you decide to use this router.

Testing with the Samsung Z Flip 6 being reviewed, we maxed out at a WiFi 6E connection, and typically found speeds ranging from 20 to 26MB/s. Meanwhile, the WiFi 7-enabled Galaxy S24 Ultra managed a maximum of 34MB/s, but typically saw speeds between 9 and 18MB/s. While the 18Gbps maximum equals a combined maximum of 125MB/s, the split between multiple devices landing at around one quarter of that isn’t bad, even if it could still be a little better.

You definitely get the WiFi 7 you’re craving though. Devices supporting WiFi 6, WiFi 6E, and WiFi 7 had no problem seeing the Nighthawk RS600, each connecting with the obvious indicator.

Older devices also connect, though the range may be a little lower. We found an older WiFi 5-enabled Mac — 802.11ac for those playing along at home — saw one less bar of networking activity in a room several walls and a few metres behind the router, compared to the full-strength of the WiFi 6E equivalent in the 2023 MacBook Pro.

Range and reach is still there, clearly, but the newer devices are definitely going to get a better experience. That’s a combination between the better technology that is WiFi 6E and 7, and the smaller antennas built into the RS600 design.

What does it need?

But what does it need? A faster app would be one thing, with every little thing feeling like it takes time.

Apps have bugs and apps need tweaks, but even with the fastest iPhone around, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Netgear Nighthawk app can feel like a slog. The app is somewhere between too simple and not complex enough, giving you features, but lacking the feeling of control.

It’s easy to use, that much is definitely true, but it can also be a little patronising at times.

The Nighthawk brand prides itself on being fast and for enthusiasts, and this app is neither. There is a settings screen to let you get at some of the more tech-y details, but it still feels like you’re missing things.

There’s no quality of service (QoS), though you can find parental controls and jump into each device one by one, assigning profiles.

Our guess is aspects of this are hidden by the other obvious negative about the whole thing: the constant push to get you to pay for a subscription feature.

Every 👏 time 👏 you 👏 use 👏 the 👏 app you’ll be reminded to try out and consider subscribing to Netgear Armor, a trial service that asks you to install an app on supported devices and pay between $75 and $230 per year for the privilege of security, an optional extra that feels less like an option when it’s pushed in your face repeatedly.

We didn’t buy it, but it’s one of those extras that should feel extra, rather than forcibly get in your way.

As an example of that, our “protection level” score went down because we didn’t turn on security notifications. We’re not sure how that degrades security, but apparently it’s a thing Netgear cares about, even if you do not.

Is it worth your money?

Available in Australia for $799, the RS600 isn’t a cheap wireless router, but it’s also not as expensive as you might think.

WiFi 7 can fetch as high as four grand for a mesh variation on that theme, and this is a shade under a quarter of that, which is quite accommodating by comparison.

It’s not quite as high performing as the expensive models, but for most homes, the RS600 is definitely a comfortable compromise, offering speed and reach, plus that new WiFi 7 technology devices are beginning to take advantage of.

Yay or nay?

Appreciating a new phone or computer for its high-end hardware is only one part of the experience. You also need to embrace the extra tech on offer from wireless networking.

And frankly why shouldn’t you? WiFi has improved over the past few years, so it makes sense to take advantage of what’s out there, and what is on a new gadget you might own.

The problem is cost; if you’ve already spent a couple of thousand on a new gadget, spending the extra thousand or so on a wireless router to boost your speeds is a hard ask.

Fortunately, there’s where devices like the Netgear RS600 come in, giving you most of what a WiFi 7 router can offer, but with perhaps a little less in the speed and reach department than you might need. Think of it as a good value WiFi 7 proposition, rather than the full-strength option.

For most, that’ll be fine, even if it needs some tweaks. A little more consistency in speed, a little more reach, and an app that has more development. If you can live without those, the Netgear Nighthawk RS600 is easily worth a look.