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Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 Review

Nikshep Myle Avatar
Updated Feb 7, 2024 12:48 PM

True Score

84
82
9

Experts

90
3,601

Consumers

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The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is a speedy and reliable triband router well-suited for close-range use in data-hungry homes. Still, it’s expensive, has subscription-based parental controls, and a limited throughput range (5GHz/6GHz).  

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Table of Contents

Product Snapshot

Overview

The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is a top-tier WiFi 6e router launched in 2022. Like the best routers, it supports 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bandwidths and delivers combined speeds of up to 7.8Gbps. It can sustain eight simultaneous data streams with its six antenna and MU-MIMO support and has four Gigabit Ethernet ports, two WAN ports, and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port. It has a latency of 5ms and VPN and WPA3 support, but it’s a standalone router without mesh networking capabilities. The Nighthawk app helps with router setup and offers other smart features like voice assistants, subscription-based parental controls, and cyber threat protection.

Best For

  • Apple

  • Best Overall

  • Centurylink

  • Cox

  • Fiber Optic

  • Google Fiber

  • Long Range

  • Netgear

  • Optimum

  • Secure

  • Small Business

  • Spectrum

  • Verizon Fios

  • Vpn

  • Xfinity

Consensus

our Verdict

The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 boasts a fast close-range throughput of 140Mbps over 2.4GHz, 250Mbps over 5GHz, and 340Mbps over 6GHz with low latency, making it suitable for busy households with multiple devices. Its download speeds of 221Mbps (2.4GHz) and 851.59Mbps (5GHz) are perfect for 4K, AR, and VR streaming, video conferencing, and colossal file backups (ranking near the top of our verified tested routers). 

Although it has an impressive 170-foot range, to properly utilize all the bands, especially the 6GHz band, you’ll have to remain within 5 to 10 feet of the router. Throughput drops significantly if you move beyond 15 to 25 feet away. The setup is simple with the Nighthawk available (iOS and Android), providing step-by-step instructions and illustrations. You can also set up and manage smart parental controls and cyber security solutions, but these are subscription-based.

ReasonS to Buy

  • Superb Wi-Fi speeds
    • The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is excellent for relatively data-hungry homes that need speed and reliability for 4K or 8K streaming, low latency gaming, and AR/VR use. It has an impressive close-range throughput of 140Mbps over 2.4GHz, 250Mbps over 5GHz, and 340Mbps over 6GHz.

    • With eight simultaneous data streams, low latency, and download speeds of 221Mbps (2.4GHz) and 851.59Mbps (5GHz), this router ranks near the top of our verified tested routers. 

  • Wide range
    • It has an impressive range of 51.8 meters and can adequately cover a 2500-square-foot home, ranking in the top 10% of our certified tested routers. 

  • Simple setup
    • The setup is simple using the Nighthawk app (available on iOS and Android). There are clear, step-by-step instructions included along with illustrations. 

Reason to Avoid

  • Limited range (6GHz)
    • For maximum 6GHz speeds, you’ll have to stay within a 5 to 10-feet range of the router. Speeds drop noticeably as you move beyond this range.

    • The same applies to the 5GHz band, but its throughput range isn’t as poor as the 6GHz band. 

  • No USB A port
    • Although there’s a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port, the router lacks USB-A ports. 

  • Subscription-based security solutions
    • You’ll have to pay an annual subscription for smart parental controls and cyber security protection.  

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 Specs

# of LAN Ports# of LAN Ports6
# of Phone Ports# of Phone Ports1
# of WAN Ports# of WAN Ports1
App CompatibleApp CompatibleYes
Available StorageAvailable Storage256MB
Band TechnologyBand TechnologyTri
Data Encryption TypeData Encryption TypeWPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WPA3
Energy Star CertifiedEnergy Star CertifiedNo
Frequency BandsFrequency Bands2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz, 6.0 GHz
Integrated ModemIntegrated ModemNo
LAN PortsLAN Ports4 Gb Ethernet
MU-MIMO SupportMU-MIMO SupportYes
Mesh SystemMesh SystemNo
Number of AntennasNumber of Antennas6
Parental ControlsParental ControlsYes
Processor CoresProcessor CoresQuad
Processor SpeedProcessor Speed1.7GHz
Quality of Service PrioritizationQuality of Service PrioritizationNo
WiFi RangeWiFi Range2500 sq.ft
WiFi SpeedWiFi Speed7.8 Gb
Wired SpeedWired Speed1000 Mb
Wireless StandardWireless StandardAC, AX, N

All Specs

Test Results

2.4 GHz Download speed (Mbits/s)221.65
2.4 GHz Upload speed (Mbits/s)0
5 GHz Download speed (Mbits/s)851.5917
5 GHz Upload speed (Mbits/s)175
Router Range (ft)170
Latency (ms)5
6 Ghz Download speed (Mbits/s)756.8075
6 Ghz Upload speed (Mbits/s)247.2

All Tests

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    Product Comparison

    Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 Review

    True Score

    84
    83
    80
    73

    Ranking

    #

    10

    /

    37

    #

    11

    /

    37

    #

    22

    /

    37

    #

    40

    /

    37

    Market Context

    The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is a top-tier WiFi 6e router launched in 2022. Like the best routers, it supports 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bandwidths and…

    The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is a top-tier WiFi 6e router launched in 2022. Like the best routers, it supports 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bandwidths and delivers combined speeds of up to 7.8Gbps. It can sustain eight simultaneous data streams with its six antenna and MU-MIMO support and has four Gigabit Ethernet ports, two WAN ports, and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port. It has a latency of 5ms and VPN and WPA3 support, but it’s a standalone router without mesh networking capabilities. The Nighthawk app helps with router setup and offers other smart features like voice assistants, subscription-based parental controls, and cyber threat protection.

    The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 tri-band router can sustain 12 simultaneous WiFi streams and has a bandwidth of 4.8Gbps each over its 5GHz and 6GHz bands….

    The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 tri-band router can sustain 12 simultaneous WiFi streams and has a bandwidth of 4.8Gbps each over its 5GHz and 6GHz bands. It outclasses the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300, which can support eight WiFi streams and has a bandwidth of 4.8Gbps over its 5GHz band and 2.4Gbps over its 6GHz band, but it’s more expensive. To learn more, check out this Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review

    The Netgear Nighthawk XR700 has six Gigabit Ethernet and two USB-A 3.0 ports for more excellent wired connectivity, while the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 has four…

    The Netgear Nighthawk XR700 has six Gigabit Ethernet and two USB-A 3.0 ports for more excellent wired connectivity, while the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 has four Gigabit Ethernet ports and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port. But the more affordable RAXE300 has faster download speeds of 221Mbps over 2.4GHz and 851.59Mbps over 5GHz compared to the XR700’s 71Mbps over 2.4GHz and 393.1Mbps over 5GHz. For another WiFi 6e router, read this Eero Pro 6e review.

     

    The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is well-suited for large spaces thanks to its colossal range of 170 feet. The Linksys Atlas Pro 6 MX 5503, however,…

    The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is well-suited for large spaces thanks to its colossal range of 170 feet. The Linksys Atlas Pro 6 MX 5503, however, lags behind slightly with a 48.77-meter range.  With a max bandwidth of 7.8Gbps data across its three bands (2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz), the RAXE 300 is apt for data-hungry households, while the Atlas Pro 6 is limited to 5.4Gbps across two bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz). Read our Linksys Atlas Pro 6 MX 5503 review here for more information.

    # of LAN Ports

    6

    4

    6

    3

    # of Phone Ports

    1

    n/a

    n/a

    n/a

    # of WAN Ports

    1

    1

    1

    1

    App Compatible

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Yes

    Available Storage

    256MB

    512MB

    512MB

    256MB

    Band Technology

    Tri

    Tri

    Tri

    Dual

    Data Encryption Type

    WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WPA3

    WPA3

    WPA2-PSK

    WPA2 Mixed Personal, WPA2-Personal, WPA3 Mixed Personal, WPA3-Personal

    Energy Star Certified

    No

    No

    No

    No

    Dig Deeper

    Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 Review →

    Netgear Nighthawk XR700 Review →

    Linksys Atlas Pro 6 MX 5503 Review →

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    Score Card

    E

    Expert Score

    82

    *.75

    We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

    C

    Customer Score

    90

    *.25

    We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

    True Score

    84

    Expert Scores

    • Techgear Lab
      85.5

      Category Trust Rating

      69
      The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 (AXE7800) is a tri-band router that supports dual-band frequencies with above-average… Read More

      By:

      Matt Spencer
    • Tom’s Hardware
      73.25

      Category Trust Rating

      70
      The Nighthawk has good performance at near distances and ease of use, but distance throughput… Read More

      By:

      Cliff Joseph
    • Trusted Reviews
      73.1

      Category Trust Rating

      80
      The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 isn’t the fastest router, nor does it have the best overall… Read More

      By:

      David Ludlow
    • Techradar
      71.4

      Category Trust Rating

      80
      It’s not cheap, but the Nighthawk router ‘s tri-band Wi-Fi 6E provides impressive speed, along… Read More

      By:

      Cliff Joseph
    • PCWorld
      79.65

      Category Trust Rating

      NR
      Netgear says the RAXE300 will cover up to 2,500 sq. ft., or a mid-to-large home…. Read More

      By:

      Wes Davis
    • Expert Reviews UK
      67.7

      Category Trust Rating

      80
      An impressive router, but it’s not as fast as the flagship RAXE500, and too expensive… Read More

      By:

      Darien Graham-Smith