NETGEAR EX8000 Nighthawk X6S Tri-Band WiFi Range Extender Reviewed

[thiggins]

NETGEAR's EX8000 Nighthawk X6S Tri-Band WiFi Range Extender is a big, but pricey, step forward in Wi-Fi extender design.

Read on SmallNetBuilder

 

[Internet Man]

Nice, thanks!

The review appears to be missing the "Discuss this in the Forums" link to bring folks back here for more meaningful contributions than I'm providing now.

I agree that the WAF is a huge oversight.

 

[Razor512]

They do need to lower the price. For the current price of the EX8000, you can buy a netgear R7800 and use it in AP mode, and not only have USB 3 support, but also eSATA and and read/write speeds nearing 100MB/s.

 

[pete y testing]

but really does anyone use usb these days apart from printers

i have tested and used the ex8000 and as tim says it brings the orbi to the masses , best used if you have a tri band router and can dedicate the high 5 gig band to the back haul for the ex8000

the WAF is not all that big an issue although it would have been better if it was white

 

[Razor512]

I use it, it is useful to just have an extra few TB of storage on the router for various reasons. for example, an extra backup copy of data. Since it is on all the time anyway, it is useful for basic media streaming when the other NAS is preoccupied with multiple PCs backing up to it. On the R7800, the samba performance is good enough for a wide range of uses.

 

[pete y testing]

but it all taxes the cpu when it should be doing the routing

 

[thiggins]

The review appears to be missing the "Discuss this in the Forums" link to bring folks back here for more meaningful contributions than I'm providing now.

Fixed. Thanks.

 

[thiggins]

They do need to lower the price. For the current price of the EX8000, you can buy a netgear R7800 and use it in AP mode, and not only have USB 3 support, but also eSATA and and read/write speeds nearing 100MB/s.

Apples and oranges. An Ethernet-connected AP and wireless extender are two different things. If people have Ethernet, don't you think they'd use an AP?

 

[Razor512]

I guess they would go with a wired AP, though for some reason, the companies making the networking equipment have not been pushing too much for 4 stream AC2600 APs.

 

[pete y testing]

the companies making the networking equipment have not been pushing too much for 4 stream AC2600 APs.

because at this stage there is very little need for a 4 x 4 AP as almost all clients are 2 x 2 or will work fine on 2 x 2 , thats why most of the mesh units are also 2 x 2 for their front haul

 

[JoelN]

The seamless roaming between APs ("One Name"), like the Orbi system also does, is an intriguing feature but I'm curious if this only works in extender mode or if it will also work in AP mode with ethernet backhaul.

 

[Trebuin]

but really does anyone use usb these days apart from printers

i have tested and used the ex8000 and as tim says it brings the orbi to the masses , best used if you have a tri band router and can dedicate the high 5 gig band to the back haul for the ex8000

the WAF is not all that big an issue although it would have been better if it was white

I'm pretty much forced to use USB because running a full computer costs bit $$$. I'm stuck in Cali for about 7 more years & PGE informed me earlier this year they're going to $0.78 a KWh with 10% annual increase. Needless to say, my $500/mo electric bill is going close to $1000 next year, & that's not counting the 10% increase for next year. I'm using an ASUS RT-AC3200 for the usb 3.0 router & this EX8000 down the line. It works pretty well nowadays. It'll be nice to see faster speeds in the future.

 

[thiggins]

The seamless roaming between APs ("One Name"), like the Orbi system also does, is an intriguing feature but I'm curious if this only works in extender mode or if it will also work in AP mode with ethernet backhaul.

Single SSID can be used in either case. "Seamless roaming" is mainly up to the client device.

 

[Roy Tucker]

I have an Apple AirPort Extreme and looking to improve Wi-Fi range. Would it be best to get this extender and use the Apple Airport Router, OR replace router with an Orbi system? Thanks

 

[thiggins]

I have an Apple AirPort Extreme and looking to improve Wi-Fi range.

Which model # of AirPort Extreme?

 

[Roy Tucker]

Which model # of AirPort Extreme?

AirPort Extreme 802.11ac, I believe it is the most current generation.

Is that ok with the extender, or replace with Orbi system?

 

[thiggins]

AirPort Extreme 802.11ac, I believe it is the most current generation.

Is that ok with the extender, or replace with Orbi system?

If you like or rely on the routing features of the AirPort, try the EX8000 and save some $.

The advantage of Orbi is that you get a dedicated 5 GHz radio for backhaul. The disadvantage is you get only the 5 GHz low band (Channels 36-48) for client connect.

With the EX8000 and a router with no second 5 GHz radio, you're sharing the AirPort's 5 GHz radio between client connect and EX8000. Could be a wash depending on how many 5 GHz devices you have and where they connect.

 

[Roy Tucker]

If you like or rely on the routing features of the AirPort, try the EX8000 and save some $.

The advantage of Orbi is that you get a dedicated 5 GHz radio for backhaul. The disadvantage is you get only the 5 GHz low band (Channels 36-48) for client connect.

With the EX8000 and a router with no second 5 GHz radio, you're sharing the AirPort's 5 GHz radio between client connect and EX8000. Could be a wash depending on how many 5 GHz devices you have and where they connect.

How about though, if I am going to connect the EX8000 via Ethernet, specifically my Airport Router is on 2nd floor, already have Ethernet to the family room on 1st floor. So, I was going to use the EX8000 extender (not as an access point, cause want to use the same SSID), and connect it to Ethernet. That way, the backhaul is over wire, and no issue with sharing the 5 GHZ radio. Thoughts?

 

[thiggins]

You don't need the third radio. You can get a dual-band 2x2 AC access point for around $100 (Ubiquiti UAP-AC-Lite)

 

[Roy Tucker]

You don't need the third radio. You can get a dual-band 2x2 AC access point for around $100 (Ubiquiti UAP-AC-Lite)

Even better, so I connect that UAP-AC-Lite to the ethernet in the family room. Can I config so it has the same SSID as the router?