Getting your broadband to other rooms used to mean trailing cables. Then came powerline adapters. However, we have just taken delivery of Devolo’s Gigagate starter kit. Wireless networking of your wired tech? Yes please!

I live in a rented house. This means that I can’t start poking holes in stuff in order to run CAT5/6 cable upstairs.

Typically, the ADSL (yes, and I live in London!) point is downstairs with the modem and router. Our ‘office’ is a spare room upstairs. Thankfully, powerline adapters have improved and we’ve been using TP-Link and Devolo 1200mbps adapters.

Today, Devolo’s Gigagate landed on our desk. Is it any better than the powerline adapters? Let’s find out.

Devolo Gigagate design

The Devolo Gigagate is basically a high-speed ‘point-to-point’ connection between the base station and the room where the satellite is located.

So, just like a powerline adapter, you had the base where the modem is and then sit the the satellite in a bedroom, office, or wherever you need your extra internets.

In the box of the starter kit you get a base station and one satellite device.  Each device measures 150 x 140 x 30mm – so, quite compact. They look almost identical. However, the satellite has a lot more going on to look at.

The sides are very shiny, smooth black plastic. Whereas the body section that holds the ports and indicator LEDs is more of a matte finish.

Near the rear of both devices are neat extendable feet. Something I didn’t notice until later. As they can be slided in or out, this gives you the option to stand them up or have them laid down on a surface.

The base station has one Gigabit Ethernet port which is used to connect it to your existing broadband router. From here it uses 4×4 MIMO technology to create a high-speed Wi-Fi link to the satellite, using 802.11ac Wi-Fi on the 5GHz frequency band.

That 5GHz connection is reserved for the base station and satellite, so no other devices can slow down the Gigagate system down by grabbing any of that bandwidth. So, no. You can’t hook up your phone or tablet to its 5GHz band.

Finally, the Gigagate’s satellite station is primarily designed for wired connections, and includes one Gigabit Ethernet and four 10/100 Ethernet ports for those connections. This is definitely a strong point in favour of the Gigagate.

Devolo Gigagate performance

Devolo has provided you with everything that you’ll need. As well as the base and satillete devices, you get a pair of plugs for power, as well as a pair of Ethernet cables. That is literally all you need to get these set up.

As it uses the 5GHz band, my main concern was penetration, so to speak. 2.4GHz might not be as speedy, but it has little issue with punching through walls and floors. It’s time to test.

Set up

Firstly, I would like to say that, unlike the powerline adapters I have had, the base station and satellite pair together automagically. I really had to double check that I was connected. I simply plugged the base in to my router downstairs and powered it on. Then I went upstairs and powered the satellite on. Thinking that there’d be another stage I plugged my desktop PC’s cable in to the satellite so I could see it registered if/when I had a connection. And there it was already.

I was all good to go in less than 5 minutes!

The only time I had to do anything else was when I cloned the Wi-Fi credentials. All that entailed was pushing the WPS button on the Netgear X8 D8500 and then the satellite copied what it needed to.

The Wi-Fi it does dish out is 802.11n on the 2.4GHz band. However, the speed on offer should still be enough for web browsing and streaming HD video and music from Spotify to tablets and phones.

Wired for web

The Gigagate is all about the wired connections though. Also, this is what I need it for. The previous powerline adapters have offered two or three Ethernet ports. However, the Gigagate offers 5. This makes it perfect for my shared office. Furthermore, it would no doubt bring a cheer in a den, teenager’s bedroom or even home cinema room, should you have that luxury.

The emphasis on wired connections means that the set-up process is simple enough even for networking novices. You just plug in an Ethernet cable at each end, and you’re ready to go.

Granted, I didn’t really see an increase in speed at my PC (powerline top and Gigagate below), but I can live with that.

I am also happy to report that I have not had any penetration issues regarding 5GHz getting through the floor and walls. Phwew!

Software

You can, of course, get more involved in the settings through Devolo’s Cockpit app. This provides more detailed configuration options and is available for Windows, Macs and Ubuntu.

It came as no surprise that the 2Gb/s emblazoned upon the packaging is the theoretical maximum. Moreover, in practice, the 5GHz connection between the base station and satellite will be closer to 1Gb/s

So, I didn’t feel overly cheated when the dashboard showed 975Mb/s. This is still decent and will cope with streaming 4K video, online gaming and all that kind of carry on.

Expand

Should you have a large home and need more connectivity, then you can just add another satillite when needed. This means you can kit out the upstairs office, as well as the basement home cinema room, and the gaming suite in the loft.

Devolo Gigagate review conclusion

The Devolo Gigagate is a great device if you need to get the internet to Ethernet wired tech. Having a total of 5 Ethernet ports is a definite boon for me.

As it uses the 5GHz Wi-Fi band to communicate between base and satillite, it does mean that you only get 2.4GHz from the satillite. Now, I don’t see this as a huge deal breaker, but you might.

Also, the cost of the unit is quite an investment when compared to powerline adapters. However, the Gigagate offers a reliable and stable connection, no matter the state of your home’s internal wiring.

This is where you have to decide whether or not you’re prepared to pay the premium for a compact solution that offers you 5 ports.

Price and availability

You can buy the Devolo Gigagate Starter kit right now. It has an RRP of £219.99 on the Devolo UK site. However, it is currently available from Amazon for £205.99.

The post Devolo Gigagate review – powerline adapter alternative appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Netgear has been in touch to let us know that it is releasing a new, advanced edition of its highly-rated and award-winning Nighthawk X6. The new Nighthawk X6S AC4000 WiFi Router (R8000P) boasts faster WiFi, a more powerful processor, and multi-user MIMO technology. 

The Nighthawk X6 is a great router. We’ve had many devices from the Nighthawk range for review and they’ve all performed excellently. You do know that it’s not only routers, don’t you?

The X6S has all the tech for improved performance and blazing-fast speeds when simultaneously streaming to multiple devices. It even supports voice commands through the Amazon Alexa.

Nighthawk X6S

This new router is packing tri-band WiFi and MU-MIMO. It has been designed with gaming, streaming, and mobile devices in mind. This makes it ideal for simultaneous streaming too multiple devices.

You can expect combined WiFi speed up to 4Gbps.

Under the hood is a next-generation 64-bit 1.8GHz dual-core processor with three offload processors.

The X6S is built to support gigabit WAN-to-LAN speeds for you to enjoy speedy wired and WiFi connections. This means less lag and less buffering as you game, stream and surf.

Furthermore, you will, of course, enjoy the usual Nighthawk router features. These include NETGEAR genie remote access, ReadyCLOUD and OpenVPN, you can access and control the X6S from anywhere.

Finally, you can also easily manage it through spoken commands if you have Alexa. To access this you’ll need a device such as Amazon Echo, Dot, or Fire TV voice remote.

Sandeep Harpalani, senior director of product marketing for NETGEAR Connected Home said:

The new Nighthawk X6S not only supports the features of its award-winning predecessor, but has new capabilities already standard in several other routers from the industry-leading Nighthawk family, such as MU-MIMO, port aggregation, and ReadyCLOUD® USB access. Of note, tri-band WiFi technology was first introduced with the original Nighthawk X6 in 2015 and NETGEAR was the first to utilise a Tri-Band WiFi System with Orbi providing a dedicated wireless back haul. To date, NETGEAR currently holds six patents on the use of tri-band in WiFi Routers and systems.”

Nighthawk X6S new and updated technical features

• Tri-Band WiFi to deliver the fastest performance to new WiFi devices, uncompromised by older, slower WiFi technologies in the connected devices
• AC4000 WiFi for up to 4Gbps (750+1625+1625 Mbps) of 802.11ac WiFi speed
• Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) for simultaneous streaming to multiple devices
• Powerful, 64-bit 1.8GHz Dual Core Processor plus 3 offload processors for data-intensive applications, better video streaming, lag-free gaming, surfing, and more
• Smart Connect for intelligently selecting the fastest WiFi band for every device all under one SSID
• Amazon Echo/Alexa compatibility for voice control of your home network through the NETGEAR skill for Alexa
• 5 Gigabit Ethernet Ports (1 WAN and 4 LAN) Port aggregation on two Gigabit LAN ports for fast wired connections for devices such as NETGEAR ReadyNAS Network Attached Storage
• The Nighthawk X6S will also continue to include the following specifications which have become a mainstay of the Nighthawk family of performance routers.
• 6 High-Performance Antennas for better WiFi coverage and faster speeds
• 2 USB Ports including one SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port for faster streaming, backup and easy access to your stored media
• NETGEAR genie app with remote access for easy installation, monitoring, control and repair of your network whether you’re at home or away
• NETGEAR ReadyCLOUD for personal, secure cloud access to USB storage anytime, anywhere
• Beamforming+ for improving range and performance for both 2.4 and 5GHz devices
• Top security features include Parental Controls by family member and device, separate Guest Network, and VPN Support for remote access to your home network and Internet using any of your devices

Price and availability

The new Nighthawk X6S AC4000 Tri-Band Gigabit WiFi Router with MU-MIMO (R8000P) will be available this month from major retailers in the UK at a MSRP of £239.99.

The post Netgear Nighthawk X6S advanced tri-band router UK price appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Network switches are never the sexiest or most exiting of things. Can the Netgear Nighthawk S8000 change this?

The Netgear Nighthawk router range is the company’s flagship consumer router series. These are designed primarily for high performance streaming and gaming.

These tend to be loaded with powerful radios, fast processors and top flight QoS (Quality of Service) tech to prioritise the hungriest devices. They also tend to look like something straight from Area 51.

Well, Netgear has taken this philosophy and implemented it on their new Nighthawk switch, the S8000.

I first spotted it at CES earlier in the year. Now, I’ve been allowed to spend some quality time with it.

Nighthawk S8000 design

Packaging

Before I even opened the box, I knew that this is no ordinary switch.

The packaging is pretty swish and the internal carton has a holographic shimmery print. Nice.

Included in the packaging is some documentation, a power adapter, and the main event. The Nighthawk S8000 switch.

Netgear Nighthawk S8000 switch

Netgear continues to up the ante. The S8000 is constructed entirely of metal.

To be precise, it’s a “cool-touch” premium zinc-alloy housing. This has been selected for both durability and looks.

Continuing with the looks, you can instantly tell it’s a Nighthawk design. Just look at those angles.

As much as I love my Linkys WRT SE4008, I will admit that it lives behind my tape deck. The S8000 definitely wants to be looked at – even though its dressed like a stealth fighter.

At the rear, the switch features eight Gigabit Ethernet ports, a LED on/off button, and a DC in power port.

It looks even better when its switched on and the room is dark. It’s the switch that a Cylon Centurion, or K.I.T.T. would choose

The light at the front basically says that it’s on.

You then have a row of lights at the back, one per port, to show activity.

Nighthawk S8000 performance

Like much of the Nighthawk range, the S8000 could be considered overkill for some households.

I am still hanging on to the D8500 (I think I will buy it) and this has six ethernet ports. That would be enough for most people. So, why would you need another eight Gigabit Ethernet ports in a switch?

[youtube id=”G7TAw3DUpOs”]

Well, firstly, most routers will only pack four ports. Again, it’s enough for most people. But, if you’re using the free one bundled in with your provider’s package, I would very much doubt that the router has port aggregation.

The S8000 does, and then some.

It also supports QoS functionality, rate limiting, and latencies down to a microsecond.

Loads

I tried my best at taxing the switch with streaming 4K video and hi-res audio whilst transferring 4K files from my PC down to my NAS through the switch.

At no point did the S8000 have any issues in delivering Gigabit performance to each port simultaneously.

Latency

Pinging devices through the switch generally resulted in sub-1ms response times.

S8000 Software

The Netgear Nighthawk S8000 is a smart switch. This means you would expect some control over settings and monitoring.

Just as well that it does exactly that.

To access the aforementioned settings you will need to head over to your network devices in Windows Explorer – if you’re running a Windows machine.

Click on the Nighthawk S8000 and enter the default password which is, errrr, password.

Yes, I call my NAS Wuffles.

Once that’s all done you’ll get the home page.

Here you’ll find a quick status report of the switch.

As you can see, this shows if those sexy blue lights are on or not, information about the profiles on the ports, and the switch’s IP configuration.

Configuration

This is a handy bit of loveliness.

Being able to set profiles for each port allows users to give priority to certain devices.

So, if you want your gaming console to get most juice you can. Just as you can limit your sibling’s constant downloading fest, for example.

Netgear recommends you use port No. 1 for your main gaming device and port No. 2 for your main streaming device. Both of these have presets already applied in the software, so you can use it as is.

The Nighthawk S8000 includes QoS functionality that can either use a port-based method or 802.1P/DSCP for those with networks that support it.

Basically, you are able to easily limit certain ports to certain amounts of bandwidth.  As I mentioned before, your online tournament should not slow down just because someone else in the home is watching Netflix.

Simply choose the port and the priority level or choose a port and the maximum bandwidth allocated and everything is sorted.

For those with devices that support link aggregation it gets even better.

My NAS takes two ports in aggregation. Well, the Nighthawk S8000 is capable of aggregating up to four ports for better performance – up to 4 Gigabits!

Netgear has also built in various switch discovery protocols such as uPnP or Bonjour to easily detect the switch.

It will even tell you if you have a dodgy Ethernet cable!

Nighthawk S8000 review conclusion

The Netgear Nighthawk S8000 looks great and feels like a quality device.

Furthermore it’s feature-rich and easy to setup.

More importantly, the S8000 maintains full Gigabit bandwidth even under heavy loads and keeps speedy, low latencies.

The Netgear Nighthawk S8000 looks and performs like a high-end consumer switch, and is priced accordingly.

Nighthawk S8000 price and availability

You can buy the S8000 now from Amazon. If you hurry, you can snatch one for £72 instead of its £99 RRP!

The post Netgear Nighthawk S8000 network switch review appeared first on GadgetyNews.

I was suitably impressed by the Arcam rHead headphone amp and now I have its streaming stablemate, the Arcam’s rPlay to review.

The rPlay is the latest addition to the brand’s rSeries. I have to admit I was excited about this. I liked the rHead so much I bought it, I already own the company’s iRDAC that I bought about 4 years ago. Needless to say then, but I was expecting good things from Arcam once again.

It shares the same aesthetics as the other r-devices.

It’s compact, black, and heavy. Yet it promises to have the power to transform even the most traditional system into a network streaming, this is 2017, audio set-up.

Arcam rPlay design

The rPlay has the now familiar footprint of 194 x 44 x 124mm. This makes it the same width and height as the rHead but the streamer looses around 15mm in depth.

The rPlay weighs in at 1.12Kg and shares the matte black and chrome styling of the rest of the r-Series.

It also shares its no-nonsense minimalist approach. The front features just a pair of status LEDs with a pair of chromed buttons up top. Those are your volume buttons.

Everything you need is around the back.

Here you have a pair of Fixed and Variable RCA outputs as well as a SPDIF digital out.

You will find a USB port but this is marked as ‘Upgrade’.

There is a Wi-Fi ariel as well as WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Support) button for quick pairing with your network. Next to that is a reset button.

If you have the availability of a wired connection, the rPlay also sports an ethernet port.

Rounding things off back here are the power switch and connection.

The unit sits on an anti-slip, anti-vibration rubber isolation pad.

All-in-all, another very sturdy well-built device from Arcam.

Arcam rPlay performance

Set-up

As I have a dedicated switch for my A/V rig hidden behind my TEAC cassette deck, the easiest option for me was simply grabbing a short ethernet cable and plugging the rPlay in to the switch. Sorted. This will undoubtably be the best, most stable option.

In the interest of this review, I also tested the Wi-Fi as the rPlay is compatible with 802.11 b/g/n bands.

This method is equally simple. I pressed the WPS button at the back of the Arcam streamer and then the WPS button on the front of my D8500 (yeah, I kept it). After some frantic flashing of LEDs, job done.

I opted for the Fixed RCA outputs to plug in the Chord C-Series interconnects which were already plugged in to my Musical Fidelity M6si. The rPlay is taking the place of my Musical Fidelity V90-Blu Bluetooth receiver during this review.

The difference between the Fixed and Variable outputs is that, when using either the Fixed or SPDIF connections your amplifier will control the output volume. If you plug in using the Variable RCA ports, the volume buttons on top of the rPlay will control output levels.

Network streaming

Thanks to the DTS PlayFi streaming platform built into the rPlay, you are abile to stream music wirelessly from smartphones, tablets or laptops to speakers throughout your home, and from a range of music sources.

Just download the dedicated DTS PlayFi app onto your smart device and you’ll be able to simultaneously stream services on up to eight rPlay devices connected to the same network. Instant multi-room goodness.

The DTS PlayFi is consistently stable, as well as intuitive to use.

As soon as I had connected it with the rPlay the player had to update some firmware. This only took around 10 minutes.

My first test was grabbing tracks from my NAS, currently loaded with a 8TB drive.

The app and player worked seamlessly. It also happily slurped up Plex tracks too without issue.

Flicking over to Tidal and all is good here too.

Granted, there is a tinsy-winsy little breath of lag between song selection and hearing it through my system. I very much doubt that this would cause anyone any concern though.

You also have the options of Amazon Music, Spotify, Qobuz, Napster and Deezer, as well as expanding to internet radio, and Apple Airplay.

Look. No hands!

Alexa is certainly putting herself about a bit. She even will help you with your rPlay.

The thing is, this was announced last year and I still can’t find Play-Fi in the Amazon.co.uk or .com Alexa Skills list.

Sound quality

The rPlay supports PCM files up to 24-bit/192kHz. The DTS PlayFi app has a ‘Critical Listening’ mode that allows native streaming up to 192kHz without downsampling.

The four-layer circuit board reduces interference between components. Add to that the use of multiple low-noise power supplies, this should result in the cleanest signal to the output stage.Musicality is as I have come to expect from Arcam.

CSS’s dancy mix of indie rock and electronica plays fluidly. Tempo is upbeat and the reproduction energenic.

The rhythm section is tight and punchy.

I did not notice any loss in timing through the app, NAS and rPlay.

Streaming via Tidal and Qobuz shows the impressive stability of this system.

I am only just discovering Qobuz with a free trial and this test is making me think about keeping a full subscription.

Flicking through to some Tori Amos and the textures and dynamics are deep and expressive. I did start to get a sense that the soundstage was narrower than I am used to through my normal playing route. You see, playing from my NAS I usually control via my laptop with it plugged in to the iRDAC with a Chord Company C-series USB.

Rock and metal retains its urgency and Mr Big’s debut ‘Addicted to that Rush’ is as frenetic and pacey as it should be.

Bluetooth missing

It is at about this time I noticed that there’s no Bluetooth. This isn’t really a deal breaker as you don’t need it with the DTS Play-Fi app, but it does seem to be a little omission.

Arcam rPlay review conclusion

It looks, or sounds, like Arcam has done it again.

The Cambridge company has managed to produce an audio device that performs well beyond its price tag.

The rPlay is compact, easy to set-up and use, and has impressive sonic qualities.

There may not be Bluetooth and the soundstage is presented a little more enclosed, but the rPlay is one of the most efficient ways of updating your Hi-Fi for networked streaming.

Arcam rPlay price and availability

You can buy the rPlay right now from Amazon for £400.

The post Arcam rPlay network audio streamer review appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Netgear’s R8500, aka Nighthawk X8, was impressive when we had it to review. In fact, parting with it wasn’t easy. But, was there room for improvement? We didn’t think so until we found out about the D8500.

The Netgear Nighthawk X8 D8500 brings an extra function to the already awesome router. That power is DSL connectivity.

I live in London and do not have the option of fibre broadband. I don’t live in the outskirts either, I am firmly in Zone 3 and have an E17 postcode. There was a time I had a highspeed connection when I lived on the main road. The thing is that I moved literally a 5 minute’s walk away and now only have ADSL.

Not only does this mean that my speeds took a nose-dive, but it also has an effect on the hardware. Like most people with this set-up, I started with the modem/router bundled in by my service provider. It does alright but, as you can imagine, I generally utilise a different Wi-Fi router. This means two boxes, as well as a switch feeding my AV and other bits.

Can the X8 D8500 change all of this?

Netgear Nighthawk X8

I have already reviewed the Nighthawk X8 router but I will still cover the basics here.

If you want a more in-depth look, just bounce over to the R8500 review.

Netgear Nighthawk X8 D8500 design

The Nighthawk X8 isn’t small.

It actually measures 12.44- x 10.39- x 2.44-inches and weighs 3.7 pounds (1.7kg). This might be something you need to take in to consideration.

These dimensions allows its black body with blue highlights to be packed with tech.

Up front you’ll find push-button controls for Wi-Fi, the LEDs, and WPS.

Moving along down the side you get a USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 port hidden behind a little door.

However, it’s around the back that all the important stuff is.

Here you have six Gigabit LAN ports (most routers only have four) in addition to the Gigabit WAN (or Internet) port.

Check out our Netgear Nighthawk X10 router review – it’s an awesome bit of kit!

Two of those LAN ports can work together in a aggregation mode to create a 2Gbps connection to a wired client. These are currently employed by my NAS drive.

Joining those ports there’s a power on/off switch, and a reset pinhole. Additionally there is most important difference between this and the R8500 – the ADSL/VDSL port.

No more need for the free bundled modem!

We cannot ignore the antennas – especially as they are fitted with blue LEDs. The D8500 has four external ariels and another four internal ones.

Netgear Nighthawk X8 D8500 performance

With the X8 you get ReadySHARE as well as DLNA. There is also a bunch of security features. You can even set up your own FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server with a free customised URL.

Antennas

Those four internal and four external antennas allows the router to amplify the antennas reducing signal loss and crosstalk with modern PCB’s.

Each radio is given a 5 GHz channel at 2.1 Gbps compared to the last gen 1.3 Gbps. The 2.4 Ghz channel is increased from 600 Mbps to 1Gbps.

For even better performance, these channels go through a feature called smart connect. This essentially chooses the best channel for your devices automagically.

MU-MIMO

Furthermore, there’s the Nighthawk x8’s MU-MIMO tech support.

This stands for Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output. When multiple devices are connected to the router, each device needs to take it’s turn and then wait before receiving more data. This leads to slower network and Internet speeds.

MU-MIMO technology delivers high-speed data streams to up to three devices simultaneously, so there’s less waiting, and so boosting overall network speeds for all Wi-Fi devices.

Speeds

We already discovered that the X8 was pretty speedy. With the addition of the VDSL/ADSL modem makes this quite a special device. The modem plays nice with VDSL, VDSL2, ADSL, ADSL2, and ADSL2+.

That means that the Nighthawk X8 not only delivers the fastest total WiFi, tri-band, speeds of up to 5.3Gbps, but saves space thanks to its two-in-one design—DSL modem plus AC5300 router.

In use

Set up is exactly as easy as it was with the R8500.

Netgear Genie is friendly enough. The main difference, of course, is that you have to set up your DSL connection. For this you will need your log in and password that was given to you by your provider. It is also handy if you take a note of your current DSL settings before swapping your current modem for the D8500.

All-in-all, I had the Nighthawk X8 in situ and running within 10 minutes (some of that time was due to me running up and down stairs).

I didn’t gain any extra speed when compared with the X8 R8500 and seperate modem. What I did gain was more space due to having one less box and an extra free power point. There is also the added bonus of fewer cables.

The range is great and so is stability. In the fortnight or so I have had the D8500 running I have not experienced any drop out or undue buffering.

Port aggregation with my NAS makes Plex and FLAC streaming buttery smooth.

Netgear Nighthawk X8 D8500 review conclusion

I very much doubt that there is a DSL modem router out there that is able to out-perform the Nighthawk X8 D8500.

Its six Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, including the pair of aggregated ports means that this is the only box most households will need. 4K streaming, multiple wireless devices, speedy back-ups and NAS connectivity are all covered.

In my home we run a pair of PCs, two tablets, two laptops, two smartphones and that’s just for starters. Add to that IP cameras, and Echo Dot, a networked disc player, a large telly, and the list goes on.

Talking about the Echo Dot, the X8 can also be controlled by Alexa!

The D8500 has been faultless, not to mention speedy. I hate to use “strong and stable” at this point but, that’s exactly what the X8 modem router is.

Netgear Nighthawk X8 D8500 price and availability

You can get your own X8 D8500 from Amazon right now for £360. This is £20 less than the X8 we reviewed previously.

The post Netgear Nighthawk X8 D8500 modem router review appeared first on GadgetyNews.

At the end of last year the Netgear Nighthawk X10 was released. It boasts PLEX smarts as well as being the industry’s first 802.11ad router. I have been putting it through its paces at Gadgety HQ.

Let’s kick off with giving 802.11ad a proper mention. There’s not much kit out there that can use it, but it’s always nice to be a step ahead of the game.

There’s also the standard 2.4GHz B/G/N and 5GHz AC wireless. Not only that though, it also has access to the 60GHz band which, theoretically allows it to deliver up to 7Gb/s of bandwidth across all three bands, hence the AD7200 claim.

Nighthawk X10 design

The Nighthawk X10 router continues with the Netgear angular, stealth-inspired networking kit.

On its nose is a row of status LEDs, including an indicator for the 60 GHz frequency.

You want more lights?

How about a row of blue LEDs going up either side of the antennas? Yeah, you got them. Personally, I love them. How can you not love blue LEDs? I suppose an on/off switch might be handy if you have to sleep in the same room as your router. You can control these via the software, should you need to though.

The white LEDs are quite bright. The blue ones I don’t think would trouble me sleeping.

At the back of the Netgear X10 router are seven Gigabit ports. There’s a single yellow WAN port, and six LAN ports.

Ports 1 and 2 can be run in Aggregate Mode to combine throughput for double speed – just the job for my QNAP NAS.

The Nighthawk X10 isn’t aimed at the ‘average’ household though. This is why it is packing 10-gigabit support – a first for domestic routers. That’s basically 10-times faster than anything you’ll find integrated on your gaming motherboard.

The Netgear X10’s 10Gbit port is a SFP+ port (small form factor pluggable transceiver – if that helps). Basically, you’ll need special cable like this and a module or compatible hardware at the other side. It does, however, mean you’ll have access to plenty much bandwidth!

So, if you have a 10Gbit capable NAS then you’ll have super-silky-smooth streaming.

There’s also a pair of USB 3.0 ports on the left side as you look at it. These can take portable drives which can then be magically made in to Plex servers by the X10.

Nighthawk X10 performance

The Nighthawk X10 has it all on paper. It supports Wave 2 MU-MIMO for up to four devices on the B/G/N/AC bands, and just one stream for 802.11ad. Since this is a Wave 2 device, it also supports the 160MHz channel as well.

It’s a tri-band router and can dish out up to 800Mb/s on its 2.4GHz band, up to 1,733Mb/s on its 5GHz band, and up to 4,600Mb/s on its 60GHz band. Netgear is rounding up a bit, but those three combined equal the 7,133Mb/s so it’s advertised as an AD7200 router.

Nighthawk X10 set up

The Nighthawk X10’s software looks very much like previous-gen devices, so if you’ve ever seen Netgear’s admin interface it before, it will look familiar.

Personally, I used the mobile app to set-up as my router lives downstairs and my PC is upstairs. Using the app saves me from having to sprint between floors should I need to do something with the router. It also means that my powerline adapters can be taken out of the equation if there are connectivity issues.

The Netgear Up app wizard is extremely easy to use.

It is literally a step-by-step guide to getting your router up and going. The whole thing takes less than 10 minutes from unboxing to getting online.

The Netgear Genie app is also handy to have as you can contol your router from your mobile device.

You also get access to your network map. My NAS (Wuffles) can be seen taking up the two aggregated ports on the X10.

This shows every device connected to your network.

As well as being able to keep tabs on the various devices, you can also spot if someone happens to be piggy-backing your network without your permission – time to change those passwords!

The desktop software is the same Netgear management tool as always. It is clear but it might be time for them to give it a little refresh.

It’s not that it doesn’t work, it’s just that it looks a little dated when compared to their mobile apps.

A beta feature of the X10 is just called Netgear Downloader. This lets you download torrents and save them to attached storage.

Of all the features of the X10, the one that stands out is the last in the sidebar list: PLEX Media Server.

It’s the first router to offer this functionality without the aid of another device. You simply have to enable it and connect a USB Drive with some content on it.

After that, all you have to do is fire it up.

PLEX looks extremely good, and navigating through your media is slick and simple.

The interface looks essentially the same on any device too, whether it’s a phone, tablet, or in a browser.

The ReadySHARE section lets you set up a NAS-alike by attaching an external USB drive to one of the two USB 3.0 ports, then accessing it locally or remotely.

The basic wireless setting window is unchanged from previous versions. The main difference is the inclusion of the mighty 802.11ad settings.

Naturally, you can have a look at all the devices attached here as well. The icons that show their connection method are clear too.

This is on a scrollable list, rather than flicking through the pages of the mobile app.

Speeds

Port aggregation is always a plus point for me as my QNAP NAS is fitted with a pair of connections for this very purpose. Unfortunately, I don’t have the kit to take advantage of the X10’s 10G connection. The same goes for the 60G band.

This might seem like a bad thing right now, but just because I haven’t got the bleeding-edge kit right now, this router is just about as future-proofed as you’re going to get right now.

As far as 5GHz performance goes the Netgear Nighthawk X10 is easily the fastest router we’ve tested, by a decent margin too.

I’m only on ADSL so don’t laugh at my speeds.

I didn’t think that I’d see much difference but on wired connection there was still a bump in performance, even through my powerline plugs.

Even over Wi-Fi you can see the speeds have increased. The tests in January are with my usual router, whereas the latest ones are with the X10. Again, no laughing. I can actually get better speeds with 4G most of the time but at least the X10 is really squeezing everything it can from my ADSL line.

NAS

Having an aggregated connection with two of the LAN ports means that my NAS can work more efficiently.

Speeds are good, allowing for swift uploading and downloading of media – usually FLAC music files. As you can probably work out for yourselves, the Resource Monitor is looking at both LAN ports on the QNAP NAS.

PLEX

So, we all expected a speedy router and that’s what you get – it won’t make a shoddy service better, but it will eek out what it can.

But, apart from that, it has to be the PLEX skills that set the X10 apart from the rest. In fact, the Nighthawk X10 is that it is the first router with a built-in PLEX Media Server.

So, if you don’t have a NAS to feed it media or power the transcoding process, that’s not a problem. As the X10 has a potent Annapurna 1.7GHz quad-core SoC, this can take care of the heavy lifting and is capable of transcoding 4k video all on its own.

Just attach some some sort of external USB storage to host the media, and you’re golden.

I must just mention that the PLEX service is not free. Netgear does include a 3-month PLEX Pass with the router but you will have to cough-up the cash at some point. I think it must be PLEX but, after spending so much on this router, I think a 12 month pass would’ve sweetened the deal.

What is 802.11ad anyhow?

Let’s start by clearing one thing up. This is not the successor to 802.11ac. What you have here is a different type of wireless technology that is ridiculously fast. Like most sprinters, it’s best over short distances, though.

802.11ad, or WiGig as its also known, actually offers excellent range and low-latency in open spaces and with line-of-site connections.

Just keep it clear of obstacles. You know, walls, furniture, people. That kind of thing.

Now, packing this tech makes perfect sense when bundled with the PLEX server smarts. You see, we all know that there’s less congestion on the 5GHz band compared to 2.4GHz, right? Well, there’s pretty much no clutter on the 60GHz band at the moment.

This makes it an ideal pathway for high-definition content. Thus the X10 is being marketed as the best router for wireless streaming of 4K content as well as VR gaming – as long as you’ve got the kit.

The antennas also help. The X10 has active antennas, where the amplifiers are on the antenna themselves. This router features four non-removable units, and they have blue activity LEDs on them.  Add in that nippy CPU and it’s quite a package.

Netgear Nighthawk X10 review conclusion

Well, it is certainly a beast. The spec sheet alone is enough to get me slightly weak at the knees. So does the price, to be fair.

As I said earlier, this is not a router for everyone. If you’re kitted out with storage, as well as hi-res media hungry consumers, then I doubt you could do better.

It looks as aggressive as it performs. The huge heat-sink hints at the power it packs under the hood.

The 1.7GHz quad core processor and 7.2Gps Wi-Fi speeds are definitely tempting. Throw in its PLEX server and 4K streaming skills, as well as its ability to handle 20 devices at a time, it will be more than enough for most.

We loved the X8 but want to elope with the X10.

Netgear Nighthawk X10 price and availability

You can grab one now from Amazon.co.uk for £360.

The post Netgear Nighthawk X10 4K / gaming router review appeared first on GadgetyNews.

I have had the TP-Link VR2800 hooked up at GadgetyNews HQ. It really makes a change that someone has thought about us that connect to the internet via ADSL or VDSL.

The TP-Link VR2800 is part of the company’s Archer range.

As already alluded to, this is not only a Wi-Fi router, but a DSL router. This means that one box, albeit a sleek one, will take the feed from your none-fiber internet provider and then sling it out Wi-Fi as well as four wired connections.

My usual system uses the Huawei modem/router supplied by TalkTalk and then, as I found the Wi-Fi range fairly poor on that unit, a separate Wi-Fi router. Most recently those duties have been covered by the Archer C9.

So, does the VR2800 do the job of two boxes or is it back to separate modem and Wi-Fi router?

Read on to find out.

TP-Link VR2800 design

The VR2800 is quite a compact and rather unassuming unit.

It’s not as flashy as the Nighthawks or EXOs of this world, neither is it as stylish as TP-Link’s aforementioned C9.

Saying all that, it isn’t ugly either. I’d say that it errs on the side of functional.

On the top of the VR2800 is a clear column of white status indicators, as well as a power light nearer the front edge.

Along the left side you’ll find two USB 3.0 ports alongside toggle switches for each of the wireless bands and WPS.

As is the norm, the bulk of the connectivity options are tucked neatly around back.

Here’s where you’ll find a dedicated power switch, a connector for the mains adapter, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, Gigabit WAN and a port for the built-in modem.

The four removable dual-band aerials can be adjusted backwards or from side-to-side.

TP-Link VR2800 performance

Modem benefits

Having a built-in modem is a genuine value-add, especially as this one supports all the standard DSL services you’d expect. This means that it will play nice with VDSL2, ADSL2+, ADSL2 and ADSL.

That means you’re good to go if you’re on, say, BT Infinity or an equivalent fibre-optic service, and you needn’t worry about compatibility with Cable – plug in your modem via the WAN port and hey presto.

What is really cool is that, should your usual provider have an outage, you can just sling in a 3G/4G dongle in to one of the USB ports. Boom, up-and-running again.

Speeds

Versatility is without a doubt the VR2600’s strong suit, and TP-Link continues that theme with support for some of the latest networking standards. Making good use of the 2.4Ghz and 5GHz bands, WiFi performance is rated as up to 2167Mbps on the 5GHz band alone. You get 600Mbps on the 2.4 band.

That speed bump is thanks to the enhancement of NitroQAM. This boosts Wi-Fi speeds by 25%. Then there’s 4-Stream tech that runs 4 data streams on the 5GHz band to increase overall speed by 33%.

Set-up

TP-Link’s admin panel is both clear and intuitive. Before getting there, you can set-up the modem by using the simple wizard.

Remember to get your ISP (internet service provider) login credentials before you get going.

The software recognised that I was using TalkTalk and everything else was easy.

The setup procedure really shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes at most.

Once it’s all sorted you are able to explore the features.

You can create guest networks on both available bands, sort out file or printer sharing via the USB 3.0 ports, and add parental controls that can limit Internet access to a time schedule on a per-device basis.

For advanced users you can get to everything from port forwarding to VPN passthrough.

A dual-core 1GHz processor powers things along. That might not sound much but you have to remember that VR2800 is also packing a dedicated processor for each band as well as that 1GHz CPU.

VR2800 in use

The TP-Link really does knock the socks off the unit provided by my ISP.

It might not be the prettiest box out there but the VR2800 certainly performs. Wi-Fi range is good with excellent coverage throughout my home – a small 2 bedroom house.

The modem speeds are comparable to what I get from the Huawei but that’s more down to TalkTalk’s ADSL connection.

The Wi-Fi signal was not only strong, but consistent.

I was really impressed at the speeds and reliability when streaming large audio files, as well as video, over Wi-Fi.

TP-Link VR2800 modem router review conclusion

It might wear the equivalent of a business suit but the VR2800 has it where it counts.

Not only is this a sure-fire upgrade to most router modems supplied by your internet provider, but it’s most likely a better Wi-Fi router than most own too.

Packing MU-MIMO, NitroQAM and other clever tech means that everyone will get the benefit of the VR2800’s speed.

Add in the USB 3.0 ports that can be used for printers or even a 4G dongle, then this starts to look even more attractive.

The TP-Link VR2800 should be on any DSL connected user’s upgrade list.

TP-Link VR2800 price and availability

The VR2800 will be available soon (I hope to get a more precise date asap) and will have a RRP of £199

Features at a glance

 Speed

• Ultimate Wireless Speed – Combined wireless speeds of up to 600 Mbps (over 2.4GHz) and 2167 Mbps (over 5GHz)

• NitroQAM Technology – Uses NitroQAM (1024 QAM) modulation scheme for higher data throughput, boosting wireless speeds by up to 25%

• MU-MIMO Technology – Simultaneously exchange data with several devices, achieving speeds which are 4x faster than standard AC routers

• 802.11 ac – Provides a data transfer rate 3 times faster than 802.11n for each stream

• Dual-core CPU – 1GHz dual-core CPU and 2 co-processors

Wi-Fi Range

• Ultimate Range Wi-Fi – 4 dual band detachable antennas ensure widespread Wi-Fi coverage and a stable connection

• Wi-Fi with Beamforming – Beamforming technology locates the connected devices and further improves the Archer VR2800’s range and the signal strength to each mobile device, delivering a more reliable and efficient wireless connection

Reliability

• Simultaneous Dual Band – Separate Wi-Fi bands enable more devices to connect to your network without a drop in performance

• QoS – Device/Application-based QoS makes it easier for you to prioritize the internet traffic

Ease of Use

• Intuitive Web UI– Ensures quick and simple installation without hassle

• Fast Connection – Connect wireless devices securely with the press of WPS button

• Easy On/Off – Turn On/Off power, wireless radio and LEDs separately using the Power On/Off, Wi-Fi On/Off and LED On/Off buttons

• Remote Management with TP-Link ID – Manage your home network from your smartphone or tablet via a single TP-Link ID, no matter where you find yourself

• Hassle-free Management with Tether App – Network management is made easy with the TP-Link Tether App, available on any Android or iOS device

• Online Upgrade – Keeps you informed of the latest firmware and allows online updating

Security

• Guest Network – Keep your main network secure by creating a separate network for friends and visitors

• Access Control – Establish a whitelist or blacklist to allow or block certain devices from accessing the internet

• Parental Controls – Manage when and how connected devices can access the internet

• VPN Server – OpenVPN, PPTP VPN and IPSec VPN are supported, making it easy to set up a secure connection between your private network and the internet

• Encryptions for Secure Network – WPA-PSK/WPA2- PSK encryptions provide active protection against security threats

Easy Sharing

• Dual USB Ports for Fast Sharing – With two ultra-fast USB 3.0 ports, you can access and share a printer as well as your files and media locally. Through the modem router's FTP server, you can also access your files and media from network devices remotely

• 10x Faster Transfer Speed – The USB 3.0 port provides up to 10x faster USB hard drive access than previous generation USB 2.0 connections

• Built-in Print Server – Allows wireless printing from multiple computers (works in conjunction with a USB printer)

• Built-in Media Server – Allows you to play music, watch videos and view photos from any device on your network

The post TP-Link Archer VR2800 DSL modem router review appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Netgear’s Nighthawk router range is already well established, especially amongst gamers and streamers. The company has now announced a versatile, high performance, easily configurable, Layer 2 switch for expert gaming and HD media streaming – The Nighthawk S8000.

The Nighthawk S8000 8-port Gaming and Media Switch (GS808E) is a great looking and powerful switch. This will certainly be an ideal addition to your network to hook up your Playstation, Xbox, Wii, PC and anything else.

Nighthawk S8000 features

The Nighthawk S8000 8-port Gigabit Ethernet Switch extends the speed and performance of the Netgear Nighthawk family of WiFi routers, already the fastest on the market.

It provides your wired devices with ultra-smooth gaming and streaming. This means that you can host a multi-user gaming party, stream HD content from the internet or your own local storage — without competing for bandwidth on your wireless network.

Each Gigabit Ethernet port on the Nighthawk S8000 Switch can be configured differently. This hands you complete versatility. These settings can be defined and saved on the switch, and accessed from the web-based GUI.

Pre-configured settings automatically configure ports for gaming, media streaming, or as a standard LAN port for seamless surfing, VoIP or video calls.

In addition, link aggregation (LAG), or “port trunking”, means you can use multiple ports to create an aggregated connection of up to 4Gbps concurrently to any other link aggregation-capable device. This is great news for NAS users like me!

Key features and benefits of the Nighthawk S8000 switch

The Nighthawk S8000 Gigabit Ethernet Switch seamlessly integrates with any Nighthawk router and includes the full set of Netgear Web Managed (Plus) Switch software features. Some of its key attributes include:

• Sleek, durable, “cool-touch” premium zinc alloy housing design with soft-touch no-slip base
• Easy, one-click optimised configuration presets for gaming, media streaming, or standard networking, plus two user-defined configurations
• Port-based and 802.1p/DSCP-based QoS (Quality of Service) for 4 levels of network traffic prioritisation
• Auto “denial-of-service” (DoS) prevention
• IGMP snooping support for multicast optimisation
• Loop detection and broadcast storm controls
• Rate limiting and priority queuing for better bandwidth allocation
• Port trunking/link aggregation (LAG) enables increased throughput beyond 1Gbps [up to 4Gbps] or to provide redundancy across the link(s)

Netgear Nighthawk S8000 pricing and availability

The NETGEAR Nighthawk S8000 8-port Gaming and Media Switch (GS808E) will be available in March 2017.

We’re are awaiting news of UK pricing.

The post Netgear launches Nighthawk S8000 switch at CES 2017 appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Netgear has just announced the launch of its new Nighthawk router, the R7000P, which aims to take your mobile streaming faster and farther.

The R7000P is said to be built with gaming, streaming and mobile devices in mind. To this end the new gigabit WiFi router supports MU-MIMO tech to enable improved performance when simultaneously streaming to multiple devices.

Next-gen Nighthawk

As well as AC2300 the R7000P builds on the last Nighthawk with the latest WiFi technology. This increases your WiFi coverage while reducing dead spots.

The Nighthawk AC2300 Smart WiFi Router has Beamforming+, high-powered amplifiers and antennas for improved performance over the previous generation too.

Remote access

You can control your router remotely using features such as Netgear genie remote access, ReadyCLOUD, OpenVPN, and Kwilt app.

Thanks to the new NetgearUp app you’ll be online in a matter of minutes. The app enables fast and intuitive installation through any Android or iOS mobile device.

Connections

The all important connections includes two USB Ports, one (1) USB 3.0 and one (1) USB 2.0. There is also five 10/100/1000 Mbps (1 WAN and 4 LAN) ports for fast wired connections for devices such as Network Attached Storage (NAS). Although, I can’t see evidence of aggregation between the LAN ports though.

Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 R7000P price and availability

UK prices are still yet to be confirmed but, in the States, it has an RRP of $199. They will land here at the start of 2017.

More news as I get it. Check out the Netgear website for further details.

The post R7000P Nighthawk packs AC2300 WiFi appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Netgear has just announced the next level in their Nighthawk range, the X10.

Following on from the Nighthawk X8 that we reviewed in June there’s a new Nighthawk in town. The Nighthawk X10 router sounds like it has everything you could want in a router.

Netgear says that the Nighthawk X10 the world’s fastest router, but it’s also the first geared toward media streaming.

Under the hood lives a 1.7GHz quad-core processor and Quad-Stream Wave 2 WiFi architecture, supporting 802.11ad WiFi at 60Hz. That all should translate in to greatly enhanced performance when transferring large amounts of data.

802.11ad also provides approximately one-tenth the latency as compared to 802.11ac.

Through that Quad-Stream Wave 2 tech, Netgear says the router is capable of reaching download speeds up to 7.9 Gbps.

Simultaneous streaming to multiple devices will be achieved through MU-MIMO smarts, and four external active antennas. This should all add up to impressive signal strength.

Nighthawk X10 Plex server

Perhaps the neatest addition to the Nighthawk X10 is that it’s capable of doubling as a Plex server without the need for a computer. You also get three months of Plex Pass for free in with the bundle.

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The Nighthawk’s 10 Gbps Ethernet port supports a fiber connection, and the router itself is compatible with network attached storage (NAS) solutions. This allows users to quickly back up to and stream media from their own on-site storage.

Connections

The Nighthawk ships with six Gigabit ethernet LAN ports and two USB 3.0 ports. A pair of those ports can be used in aggregate – very useful with compatible NAS such as the QNAP TS-251 that I use.

Hook up additional storage using the USB 3.0 ports and you’ll be able to remotely manage it using Netgear’s ReadyCLOUD app.

If you’re more of a cloud person, Netgear has you covered there too, offering six months of unlimited Amazon Drive storage as a perk for buying the Nighthawk X10.

Nighthawk X10 price and availability

The X10 certainly reads like a top-tier router and I am expecting a top-tier price tag. As the X8 landed at £380 I am assuming

More news about the release date and official price as soon as I get it.

The post Netgear Nighthawk X10 – quad band router with Plex appeared first on GadgetyNews.