expired Posted by dhizzy • Mar 11, 2021
Mar 11, 2021 1:08 PM
Item 1 of 1
expired Posted by dhizzy • Mar 11, 2021
Mar 11, 2021 1:08 PM
NETGEAR - Nighthawk RAX35 AX3000 WiFi 6 Router - Walmart.com - $91.99
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First, this is probably a re-badged RAX40. The RAX35 was originally a Walmart-exclusive RAX40 minus the USB 3.0 port. Not sure when it changed, but since the product pictures show a USB 3.0 port, this is almost certainly an RAX40.
Second, despite their attempt to make it look like a 4x4 device based on large, bolded numbers in the images, this is a 2x2 device (they're combining the 2x2 from 2.4GHz and 5GHz to make it seem like 4x4). Related: the number of antennas matter...sometimes. In a proper setup, more antennas means the ability to handle more devices at one time (MU-MIMO) and increase the range and throughput to individual devices (beam-forming). All other things being equal, 4 antennas are better than 2. Of course, at the budget end of the spectrum for AX routers, does it make any difference? Maybe not, depending on the router itself, your home's layout, and the devices that are connecting to the router.
Third, this is an Intel-based device (both SoC and radios). It will almost certainly never see third party firmware support. Because of this, you're stuck with Netgear firmware, which seems to be the source of the majority of negative reviews. That said, the overwhelming number of negative reviews seem to be from middle-to-late 2020 and related to whatever firmware was released at that time. Is it better now? I don't know. Maybe.
I think the take-away for this particular unit is that it might be fine. It seems to be available locally for a lot of folks, so it's easy enough to pick up, try out, and return if it sucks. In recent years, Netgear has been known for terrible firmware and lackluster support, especially on their lower-end units. They charge for service after 6 months, I believe. Understand what you're paying for.
Personally, I'm going to pick one up. I had the $90 TP-Link AX21 (AX1800) that recently went on sale and while it was a noticeable improvement for my WiFi 6 devices, I missed the control I have with the Merlin firmware on my ASUS RT-AC68U. I sent the AX21 back to Amazon, but not before giving it a week of solid use and getting some signal/throughput numbers. I'll do the same with this Netgear RAX35 / RAX40 and report back. It'll probably get returned because I don't trust Netgear, though.
This deal was lukewarm before when I thought mine would have a USB port. Since it doesn't, the deal gets a TD.
We've got a while before 6E is prevalent and considered affordable by the average consumer. If a person needs a router now - and has a fair number of WiFi 6 devices - get a WiFi 6 router now. The people who will see an actual benefit from 6E before 2022 are few and far between.
This deal was lukewarm before when I thought mine would have a USB port. Since it doesn't, the deal gets a TD.
And you're right, if the USB 3.0 port is artificially limited to USB 2.0 speeds because they did a poor job shielding it and so there's interference on the 2.4GHz band, then it doesn't matter.
I don't know about this router in particular, but even when using the "interference reduction" option in my ASUS, the actual throughput on the is more like 50-60Mbps. Real-world USB 2.0 is 30-40Mbps, so USB 3.0 would still be preferable, especially if you're streaming large media files from the drive. In testing my ASUS with reduction mode disabled, I get around 80-90Mbps (I can't leave it like this, though, because it causes my 2.4GHz band to be flaky).
I assume Netgear's USB 3.0 port is forced to "interference reduction" mode at all times, but that's still faster than USB 2.0.
That said, Netgear has a terrible reputation for firmware and support, so I'd consider the TP-Link AX21 / AX1800 that is currently $90: https://slickdeals.net/f/14878840-tp-link-wifi-6-router-ax1800-smart-wifi-router-archer-ax21-w-alexa-90
It's probably better in every way.
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