NETGEAR R6800 Nighthawk Dual-Band AC1900 (1.9 Gbps) Smart Wifi Router

Note: This review is for the Netgear R6800-100UKS AC1900Updated October 2023: I thought it worth an update a few years later of using this product. It has performed flawlessly to date. I must say that some of the negative reviews are obviously by people that have no idea what they are doing - I mean for example one person moaning why he can't use the routers features when he has set it up in Access Point mode! Why would you spend money on a router with all these features is all you need is a wireless access point?I have had no issues with the 2.4 GHz wireless band.I use this as a Media streamer too and it can handle large 4Gb+ HD video files with ease. Where my Smart TV can't handle 265 encoded media, my Roku with the Streaming App can.I do need to increase my media storage (currently using an external hard drive attached to the router connected via USB 3.0), and was looking for a NAS with media server, but the prices for the disk enclosure alone are not worth it when I can get a 4Tb drive for £100 and use that.Original Review Follows:I bought this Netgear Router to replace the awful, buggy, crippled, flawed BT 'Smart Hub 6. I already have a Netgear Router as the Primary router and did use the Smart Hub as an access point - but it is so locked down it kept restarting and resetting itself - which you have no control over - so that is now in the bin and good riddance.So to the new Netgear 6800 Router. We have Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) with 510 Mbps download speeds so to the house, then into the OTN (Optical Network Termination) box. This Router then plugs directly into the OTN via the WAN port, using a CAT 5 / 5e / 6 cable. So there is no modem inside the 6800 router - as it designed for cable / fibre connections.Good points:It just works!Looks greatAdjustable antennaeDimmable LEDsStacks of features you can opt to use - or not.Bad Points:None - yetThe Netgear Web Interface to control everything is the Genie App available for mobile devices or can simply be accessed from your PC - everything is there for you to tweak.Performance is fantastic. I use the 6800 as a wireless access point for the rear of the house - as all the kit in the lounge like the Smart TV, Home Theatre, NAS is all hard wired into the other Primary Netgear Router, so wireless is there but not really needed..Setting it up as an Access Point is simple - you can choose to use the Netgear option to do this for you - or like me, manually set it up. All my wireless devices at the back of the house can now access the Internet at full speeds, and I use the 4 Gigabit ports on the router to connect up the PC and the other Home Theatre and Smart TV. The Xbox, iPhones, iPads etc., all use the wifi.The 6800 Router also can detect any firmware updates via the Netgear servers and can self-update itself without you having to do this yourself.I could of gone for the next model up with the different chipset and slightly higher processor speeds, but that would be overkill for me given the router's role. So I am very pleased with it and urge anyone with a BT Smart Hub to do themselves a favour and bin it.I'm very pleased with all the Netgear products so far and this 6800 seems to be no exception. Highly recommended.

Brillant bit of kit BUTBuy a cat 8 cable from modem to this device ,make sure the router is updated and change the router password and password for wifi and ive got this on the wall as high as i can go and its quickness is just amazing on wifi and wired as iam on virginmedia 300mb with a sh3 all i did was put it in modem mode and plug in the cat 8 cable into port 4 turn router off and sh3 off ,turn on the netgear wait till all the lights are white then turn on sh3 ( can take 5 minutes to stop flashing ) then follow the instructions from the screen 👍

I decided to get this router after becoming fed up with Virgin Media's Superhub 3 giving sub par performance and I have been pleasantly suprised by what it has to offer.However, I was a bit apprehensive about picking up this router as in 2018 this router is a good couple of years old, but its performance speaks for itself. At close range the router was easily connecting my Surface Pro with 350mbps speeds over the 5Ghz band and at far range the router was still able to deliver 100mbps.Netgear also still actively supports this router, I have received 3 or 4 software updates getting it so I am confident that in terms of security, the R6800 passes.The router also has a number of features like QoS which while I personally don't use, could be invaluable for people with slower connections looking to be able game with sub 2000 ping if another family member decides to open YouTube.Netgear also has its own built in dynamic DNS service built in to the router therefore allowing you to access your home network without having to remember your current public IP address, I use this feature a lot as it allows me to easily give friends an address to connect to game servers with while also allowing me to easily use Remote Desktop while on a different network.I would recommend this to anyone who is having WiFi or internet problems due to their ISPs terrible default router or to anyone looking to get better WiFi range and stability.

I grew accustomed to the standard performance of the Virgin Media Super Hub, but once they released version 3 and I was forced to use it after a house move never again would I use it. I started looking for alternatives, and this beauty popped up. Easy to install, just popped the Virgin hub into modem mode and off it went. Better coverage, better speeds (I'm now getting much closer to the advertised speeds from Virgin), and not once yet gone down in the few months I've owned it. Handy usb slot also for media streaming.

I use Talk Talk for my broadband. They are probably the worst customer service and technical support broadband providers I have ever used - and I've been through a few. The reason i mention them is because the reason for wanting a new router was to extend the wifi reach and just be better. However, the difficult netgear set (i'm not an expert but not a novice and i struggled) - meant that i spent loads of time on the phone to either Talk Talk IT or Netgear IT -with each saying they couldn't help until the other did x, y or z.I gave up in the end. A wasted day trying to set it up. I don't blame Netgear alone - it was just as much my broadband supplier as it was the difficult set up instructions and things i had to do. Also, the router page - looks pretty awful considering how much you are paying for the device.I sent back and switched to TP Link modem router - works fine.

Feature packed, love the nas feature via a USB hard drive, however the main reason I purchased this router was because of WiFi range, this has not improved in the slightest and seems exactly the same as the virgin media hub that has no aerial at all. So disappointing in that respect.