NETGEAR R6100 Pro Reviews

While the Netgear R6100 is the first 802.11ac wireless router that we have seen costing under $100 shipped, but the router lacks Gigabit Ethernet ports to actually take advantage of the speedy wireless. We would strongly suggest that users considering low-cost AC routers first take a look at something else.

My first reaction to this was who doesn't use a router's wired connections? But when you think about it, the likelihood of that is increasing all the time as the desktop market withers away and tablets and smartphones become the dominant internet devices. With most internet connections (at least those in the U.S.) having bandwidth far below 100 Mbps, a 100 Mbps WAN port is perfectly appropriate. And if someone wants faster LAN connections, an inexpensive Gigabit switch is an easy solution. If I can get the time, I might be coming back to this router for a few follow-up tests to see if I can see what I can get with multiple wireless AC clients. It will also be instructive to see the actual throughput that a single-stream 433 Mbps 11ac connection can provide vs. a 150 Mbps 11n. In the meantime, if you'd like to try out Qualcomm Atheros' draft 802.11ac hardware to see how it works with your "latest (11ac-enabled) smartphone" and do it for only $100, the NETGEAR R6100 is the only way to do it.

The R6100 is Netgear's first effort to bring 802.11ac to the masses, and for the most part this works thanks to the low pricing. The router offers stable Wi-Fi performance and is much more compact than its predecessor. However, the lack of Gigabit Ethernet means it's not suitable for those with a superfast broadband connection or wanting to have a robust wired network at home. In many cases, such as media streaming or data sharing from a wired NAS server, this also means you will not see the benefit of 802.11ac at all. The device is not at all a bad router, it's just that what it has to offer is an odd mix. If your network consists only of Wi-Fi devices, this router will work out well; otherwise, look for an alternative that supports Gigabit Ethernet.