NETGEAR R6700 Nighthawk Gigabit Ethernet

My Buddy Ivaneth say Do not trust the specifications shown within the Amazon page. They are for the R6700 not the R6700v2 they are shipping!.

In all honesty, this is certainly a capable router and will be a good fit for many. It will provide fantastic speeds and will be a nice upgrade for older routers not capable of keeping up with the increasing internet speeds provided today by most ISPs.

Unfortunately, Netgear decided to dramatically change the internal components and then still sell it under the same name (R6700). With that said, Amazon has a little product alert indicating either R6700 or R6700v2. Well, they are shipping the R6700v2 which does not match some of the specifications shown on this page (in particular the CPU speed).

I know because after receiving a router that did not match, they offered to replace it and send the first version of the router (the one with the higher clock speeds as indicated on the actual product details) and ended up receiving the same thing (another V2).

I will say that for those interested in a router that will not be flashed with custom software or that will not use other more advanced functions a router can provide, this is no problem. For those of us that know the hardware and know what we are expecting, that is a problem.

I have it a 3 star because any company that makes an original version with better specs and then turns around and significantly changes this without changing the model number and making minor modifications on the box (see amazon's own photos - both boxes are pictured) simply does not deserve my trust. Speaking of ratings, many of the ratings you see here are lumped up with other Netgear products and also apply to the original more capable version.

I encourage you do your research and check reviews from different sources. This way, you will not be disappointed with the V2 that you will receive. I hope this help you make your decision!

My Old Fellow David B Talk Atrocious Customer Support.

This is for the NetGear Nighthawk X4S (R7800)

Here's what I really like about this router.

- Easy to set up and despite it's features, it's very noob friendly
- Mobile apps that help you tweak and trouble shoot
- Firmware upgrades are easy and painless.
- Excellent throughput on all bands and channels.
- Excellent wireless range and signal strength on all bands.

Now onto the bad things, of which there is really only one.

Here's what happened. I've purchased two of these routers. One for me, one for the girlfriend. The 5Ghz band on my router has ceased to function. At first it was transmitting a very weak and unstable signal. Now it's just gone. I now have a very expensive 2.4Ghz wireless router.

And to be perfectly fair, the wired and 2.4Ghz bands/channels are still going like gangbusters. But I bought this for the 5Ghz, not the 2.4

- NetGear customer service and support is one of worst I have ever encountered.

If your product is less than 90 days old, they will be more than happy to assist you. If your product is more then 90 days old then they expect you to PAY THEM to "trouble shoot" your item. In my case, they wanted 49.99 for "Advanced" tech support to come to a conclusion that I already knew about. The router needed to be replaced.

I get that we (the customer) need to jump through their hoops to verify that the product is actually defective. But why should I have to pay you to replace your faulty product?

We went through the entire process and guess what... The router needed to be replaced. Was told that I would get a follow up email with instructions on what I needed to do next to complete the RMA 24 hours later, email never arrived. They cant even be bothered to do that much. Apparently if I want to RMA this device, Im expected to jump through even more hoops. NetGear, my time is more valuable than that. I'll simply wash my hand of this and move on.

TL:DR NetGear Customer Service and Support is a joke. If your breaks, don't bother with CS, simply buy something else.

My Old Neighbor Matt Sayar said The Router That Was Promised.

When I moved in with my wife, she brought with her a router that was better than mine, so we kept hers. After a while, more and more of our house became smarter. Smart devices were chatting across our house more and more every month. So I decided to upgrade to a TP-Link Router. I grew to regret that mistake every day over the course of a month.

Over the course of the next month, the smart devices grew angry. They couldn't chat freely and with reckless abandon. Sometimes they wouldn't ever hear each other. The Chromecast cried in solace. The smart lightbulbs faded to dark. Our guests grew angry with our unreliable network as Game of Thrones struggled to stream. We lost friends. Made enemies. At a certain point we decided enough is enough: it is time to throw more money at this problem.

That's how we ended up with this spaceship. I spent twenty minutes going through all the advanced settings to make sure it was set up well enough to satisfy my inner geek, then I unleashed it upon the internet. Game of Thrones streamed quickly. Netflix couldn't feed my router fast enough. My smart devices snapped to attention. The Chromecast wept, this time with tears of joy.

I am a hero. And all it took was a lot of money.

My Old Man James C. Talk Having connection/ping spike issues on wireless? READ ME! (Nighthawk 4XS).

Hello! Short version up here!

If you are experiencing 1-5 second dropouts on your wireless network like clockwork (every 5-10 minutes) then you need to Roll back your FIRMWARE VERSION. You probably have a version ending in .58 or .60. You need the 1.0.2.52 firmware version.

Long review, details, and explanation below.

If you are playing a game using the wireless network (not LAN) and every 5 to 10 minutes your connection drops for 2-10 seconds, or you are watching a stream on twitch/youtube and it regularly cuts out LISTEN UP. It is your FIRMWARE. To be clear, I am not talking about a spotty connection. I am talking about a full on 50-300mbps constant wireless communication that has practically no latency EXCEPT, every 5-10 minutes, it cuts out like someone turned off the wireless transmitter. This makes any online gaming UNPLAYABLE as just about every server will drop you since your computer essentially disconnects for those 1-5 seconds like a wifi plug was pulled.

If that is the case, you probably have 1.0.2.58 or 1.0.2.60. You can check by logging into the router (Default 192.168.1.1) and checking to see in the upper right corner what version number you are on. If it ends in a .58 or .60 or higher, that is 99% your problem.

You need to go to Netgear's website and download 1.0.2.52 for the X4S R7800. The .52 version is the latest STABLE WIFI build. Upload it (maybe hard reset) and reconfigure your router and BAM, problem solved!

Netgear customer support is less than useless and won't admit fault regarding the firmware update. Period. They will constantly ask you to hard reset your router and blame interference in your environment over acknowledging the router is the issue. I have not done networking and IT for long, but I know how to use network analysis tools and watch ping/turnaround time and monitor when throughput drops.

To verify this issue, I tested with the AC frequencies and channels, and the B/G/N frequencies and channels as well. All still suffered a regular 1-10 second dropout every 5-10 minutes like clockwork. Different devices (Note 8 streaming twitch, 3 different desktops playing games/streaming, TV streaming, Steamlink streaming, etc) all behaving the EXACT same.

To help reinforce the point that this was the router, I dug out a DECADE old Relic (the D-Link DSL-2640T) and set it up in the same spot, and fired up its "Deluxe dual channel B/G wireless network" and my signal was rock solid consistent. I was capping out around 50 Mbps all over my house in connection with the router, but I could stream live videos, have Skype calls, and game for HOURS without any drops whatsoever.

A DECADE old B/G 54mbps router was beating the pants off of this B/G/N AC 2600mbps powerhouse in terms of reliable steady internet connection. Nobody wants a sports car you have to push start every 5-10 miles if their Grandma's station wagon will actually get you around town.

Once I rolled back the firmware to the 1.0.2.52, the signal issue evaporated. No more inconsistency issues, no latency spikes, all smooth sailing, my old D-Link can go back in its dusty coffin.

In all, Netgear Customer Support won't help you since that involves admitting they made a mistake they have yet to fix. Do yourself a favor and roll back to 1.0.2.52 and disable auto updates under Advanced>Administration>Firmware Updates and choose the "I disagree" option.

Thanks for reading!

My Old Man Jim Talk Failed in seven weeks.

This review applies to the Netgear R7000P ac2300 router. No compensation-bought it out of my own pocket.

Two months ago I was upgrading my home network from old 100mbs to gigabit. Did a lot of research and this R7000P seemed to be the best compromise between cost and capability. My son was also upgrading his home and agreed with my assessment. He bought first. Router was excellent so I bought mine shortly thereafter in mid March 2018.

It installed easily, plugged it in and it worked perfectly. Setup was a breeze. My home LAN is a mix of wireless and ethernet devices-two computers, a printer, five NAS devices connected through switches, some phones and tablets. Everything connected, the ethernet ports at 1000mbps.

Fast forward seven weeks. One bright May morning I looked at the router and noticed that the LAN ports LED indicators had changed from white to amber. The ports had switched to 100mbps. Not a good thing.

Speed tests were surprising-the wireless part of the router was still running as fast as always at 39MBps. The ethernet ports could barely hit 6MBps.

So I did all the things one normally does to show love for electronics. Rebooted, power cycled, reset to factory specs, flashed new firmware, direct connected computer to the modem(to verify the modem wasn't in some way failing) and to each lan port through brand new cat 5 and cat 6 cable. I even yelled at it hoping intimidation would work. No joy. The router management software reported and speed tests confirmed that the ethernet ports were under 100mbps, not even close to 1000mbps. Phone support was less than helpful.

It's beyond 30 days so I can't return it to Amazon and if I spend hours navigating a support system directing me do do all the troubleshooting I have already done I might eventually be able to return it for exchange. I pay shipping both ways, wait a week or three with no network.

About a week after mine went wonky my son's failed in exactly the same way. He bought his at Walmart and had no trouble returning it and getting an ASUS.

So, the most expensive router I have ever owned is operating in cripple mode. When I can afford it I'll buy something else. Not Netgear.

One thing I did learn is that the 21,500+ reviews are not necessarily for this router. There is a filter switch near the review stars that lets you see only confirmed purchasers of this specific router-and that is lots less. Turns out I'm not the Lone Ranger-others have had similar issues.

All of which is a very long-winded way of explaining how the R7000P managed to earn a single star.

My Old Fellow gv115 say fantastic router - got v3.

there's a lot of confusion out there with the r6700 as netgear has done three different variants of it. so as of writing, here are the specs of the three versions:

r6700v1:
chipset: broadcom
cpu: bcm4709a0 - 1ghz dual core - arm cortex-a9
wifi adapter #1: bcm4360 - an+ac
wifi adapter #2: bcm4360 - bgn
ethernet: bcm4709a0
switch: bcm4709a0 - 10/100/1000
flash storage: 128mb - samsung k9f1g08u0d
memory: 256mb - samsung k4b2g1646e-bck0
manufacter: china

r6700v2:
chipset: mediatek
cpu: mt7621at - 880mhz dual core - mips based
wifi adapter #1: mt7615n - an+ac
wifi adapter #2: mt7615n - bgn
ethernet: mt7621at
switch: mt7621at - 10/100/1000
flash storage: 128mb - macronix mx30uf1g18ac-ti
memory: 256mb - nanya nt5cc128m16ip-di
manufacter: china

r6700v3:
chipset: broadcom
cpu: bcm4708c0 - 1ghz dual core - arm cortex-a9
wifi adapter #1: bcm4360 - an+ac
wifi adapter #2: bcm4331 - bgn
ethernet: bcm4708c0
switch: bcm4708c0 - 10/100/1000
flash storage: 128mb - spansion s34ml01g200tfi00
memory: 256mb - samsung k4b2g1646f-bck0
manufacter: Vietnam

r6700v2 was a step down in performance. mediatek mips based 880mhz was not only slower than the arm cortex-a9 based 1ghz processor by frequency terms, but also by clock for clock single threaded performance as well. the broadcom chipset is also more stable and feature rich than mediatek's. luckily in the same year as the release of the v2, netgear released v3 which brought back the broadcom chipset and arm based processor. but there are still a lot of v2 units still out there on store shelves. I purchased mine back in sept. 18' and received a version 3 but there is still a chance of getting v2. if you walk into a brick and motor store the easiest way to tell is that the v2 box just lists "dual core" while v1 and v3 lists "1ghz dual core."

overall I love my v3 r6700. been rock solid stable. has all the features you want without the bloat. interface is simple to use. also supports dd-wrt which v2 does not.

My Old Fellow R Wilk Talk This thing is garbage and the warranty is worthless.

This is just terrible, I bought this thing a couple of months ago because I have had good luck with Netgear for years. A couple days ago, it just stopped working, it would not connect to the modem, even though the IP address came through. I swapped out my identical AC1750 from work and it worked fine. I took this one to work and tried to troubleshoot it included resetting it to the old firmware, updating the firmware again, etc. I already have 2 hours of my life invested in this thing when I called up to get an RMA to return it under warranty. I talked with "Ann" who was so hard to understand between the accent and the awful equipment her employer gave her we could barely get the serial number down. (Not her fault, she was very nice)

Despite having all my information from the case number I received online, I had to go through all those hoops again. Finally, she said I would need about an hour to go through their troubleshooting script before she could issue an RMA. She started to describe what the lights on the front do and I just stopped her. Seriously Netgear? I am sending it to you at my expense, worst case it is fine and you send it back. If I spend an hour at work going through a completely worthless troubleshooting (Did you try turning it off and on again??) script, I have lost enough billable time that it makes more sense to just buy another router.

It is clear this is set up not to help the end user but to frustrate you enough that you give up. Well, I am giving up on Netgear. After years of telling everyone how great their products are, I am definitely changing my tune. So not only have you lost a customer but also an advocate.

If you buy this thing, be aware it has some documented issues already and that Netgear is not interested in good products or service anymore

My Old Chap Reading&Writing said Quadrupled my speed 😀.

Quadrupled my speed at home. There are 4 important points I'd like to make:

1) All these years I paid for a 50mbps speed from my cable company. I had an older Netgear from 2009 which has served me well all these years (and still works) but I decided it was time to upgrade. Typically I was getting only 12-17mbps through my wi-fi (for example, to my iPhone6). After getting this Nighthawk Router, I now get 57mbps on the same iPhone. All of my devices are much faster now... PS4, iPhones, iPads, Epson Printer, Baby Monitor, Tablets, Roku 3 box, Roku Streaming Stick, etc...

2) Cables .... Please note, one other thing I did in addition to getting this router is that I also bought all new cat6 cables (from Amazon Basics), and that has helped the router to connect well to the cable modem. From the router itself, I have a few wired items (Roku 3 box, PS4, my PC). And note that I tested the Roku 3 box, PS4, and PC wirelessly as well. In all conditions, wired with Cat6 cables and/or wi-fi, this Nighthawk router has delivered the speeds I was missing for years.

3) Interface.... Also, I like the interface for setting up and using the router. I like that you get two options of 2.4ghz or 5ghz connection. One thing to keep in mind is that some older devices can only use 2.4g so it is that old device itself that limits the connection speed (not your wi-fi necessarily). Newer devices are 5g capable and can maximize the speed capability.

4) Security... I also like the "Access Control" feature so that you have to permit a device to connect to your wi-fi. For example, when I got a new iPad this Christmas, I logged into my wi-fi network and put in the proper password, but it wouldn't connect to the internet. Then I went to the Netgear interface on my PC and it displayed that the iPad had been blocked (because Access Control is turned on). So then I simply hit a check box to "allow" the iPad onto my home network, and then it connected.

Finally, I am not a tech person, I just try to read up on things to the best of my ability. I hope my review helps some of you.

5 STARS

My Buddy Andrew Beauchamp experience It worked until a firmware upgrade broke it.

I bought this router less than a year ago and it worked great. The Circle feature was kind of cool and the app was nice. I had to move some furniture so I rebooted it a couple of days ago. I suspect that the reboot caused the upgraded firmware to load and I started having some devices drop from the network and be unable to reconnect. I hard reset the router, set everything up again from scratch, canceled the Circle feature, and after a few hours devices would drop again and be unable to reconnect. I went to the forums and found a beta version of the firmware. I loaded that, hard reset, reconfigured, and still devices were dropping and unable to reconnect.

I love the idea of this device being feature rich, but it can't be at the expense of providing the base function. I went out a bought a Linksys router to replace it.

My Buddy BSmi tell us Security flaw: Guest networks are NOT isolated, only partially filtered at the L3 layer, and wide open at L2..

Hardware-wise this is a 5-star great router, esp for challenging small-business environments. Except there's a glaring software security issue: the Guest networks are NOT isolated from the private networks! L2 level access is wide open, which of course is a deal-breaker.

A guest can use Fing and in 2 seconds see every device on your private network, read their MAC addresses, discover services and printers, manage private routers, etc. Guests can even receive DHCP leases from private internal servers! The only thing that's blocked (using a software filter) is most of the Level3 IP traffic. Sure, pings and data packets may get blocked, but any simple network intrusion scanner has a field day.

Yes, my device is configured correctly, set as a Router, properly secured, etc. I did a little digging in Netgear forums and discovered this is a long-time (over 5 years) and still currently known problem for many of Netgear's products. (search for "netgear guest isolation not working"). This flaw stems from Netgear oddly using the same subnet for guest and private, which popular competitors don't do. I can't fathom why Netgear hasn't yet resolved this.

Again, this really is a great piece of hardware, providing fast rock-solid connections for 50-100 users in a challenging multi-level concrete structure. Better than any others we've used. But the advertised security of Netgear's guest network isolation simply does NOT work. Be aware of this security weakness and plan accordingly.