

Although router hiccups and obligatory resets are common with economical devices, the latest iteration of the Nighthawk obediently worked behind the scenes, managing the data flow for two weeks without a single incident. Largely, once you bypass any small set-up snags, the X8 works dutifully and without any further intervention. Distressingly, if owners ever decide to go back to two bands, the web-based Genie app gives them both networks the same name- which is poised to cause confusion. The Nighthawk X8 defaults to two 5GHz bands to allocate traffic, but owners can opt to create a single band that intelligently directs data. In another instance, the Set-up wizard didn’t detect a direct internet connection.
#NETGEAR R8500 PC#
In one situation, the PC Genie App couldn’t find the X8, when it was clearly connected to the router’s 2.4GHz band.
#NETGEAR R8500 ANDROID#
Alternatively, you can download and use a Netgear Genie app to make adjustments from your PC, Mac, iOS, or Android devices.īut setting up five test networks produced a few niggling problems.
#NETGEAR R8500 INSTALL#
Meanwhile, the Advanced tab grants access to elevated functionality, where you can change USB storage options, set us a wireless bridge, install firmware updates, as well as adjust LAN and WAN settings. As its name implies, Basic allows you to control the fundamental functions, allowing owners to customize the name of their networks, change default passwords, and manage parental controls as well as guest accounts. Pleasingly, the Netgear Genie advances two levels of control that correspond to a user’s level of expertise. Either way, you’ll need to complete the step, as you’ll be unable to have an internet connection until at least a few settings are established. Alternatively, we could have used the X8’s direct IP, 192.168.1.1. Unfortunately, on our test systems, we weren’t always automatically directed, prompting us to type in the router’s address,, in an open browser window. Once the X8 is connected to your modem, powered on, and a computer establishes a connection with one of its three WiFi bands, typically you’ll be directed toward the Netgear Genie web interface to finalize set-up.

While the minimum of components might indicate a straightforward, hook-up-and-go operation, there’s at least one hurdle that needs to be overcome. Once the hulking X8 is excavated from its protective cardboard housing, owners will find little more than an Ethernet cable, AC adaptor, a quick start guide, as well as the router. Hardware for this review was supplied by Netgear, in exchange for an honest, unfair evaluationĪs with many of Netgear’s other routers, set-up is mostly straightforward, save for a few small issues. For houses and small offices with a multitude of net-based devices, the X8 handles everyday traffic with pedantic precision, leaving plenty of capacity for technology advancement. Sure, you’ll probably never push the peripheral to its limits, but that’s exactly the point. From the vehicle’s raw capacity for speed to the sense of contentment cultivated by the bassy growl of a dozen cylinders all firing in perfect unison, gratification lurks in latent capability and expertly-tuned performance.įor those with an infatuation for cutting-edge technology, Netgear’s Nighthawk X8 R8500 could be considered the Ferrari of wireless routers, capable of handling data transmission speeds that outstrip the ability of most contemporary desktops, laptops, and adaptors. And even if the sportscar isn’t able to flaunt its absurd amount of horsepower on congested highways, there’s an undeniable satisfaction in ownership. Owning a petrol-swilling V12 might serve as an ultimate ambition for auto enthusiasts.
