The app provides full control of the router from either within your network or remotely.
The AX12 is controlled through the Netgear Nighthawk app, available for Android and iOS devices.
The data on drives connected to the router can be shared with Windows or Mac devices over the network thanks to the router’s built-in software. In addition, the AX12 also includes four-gigabit ethernet connections for connecting to older computers, as well as two USB 3.0 ports for connecting USB hard drives. That’s good, as we found that the Wi-Fi was fast enough to nearly saturate a 1Gbps connection: during testing, it consistently sent and received data at over 700 Megabits per second. It also includes a 2.5Gbps wired ethernet connection, which is 2.5x faster than the typical 1Gbps gigabit ethernet connection-a must-have for a home media server streaming 4K video to multiple devices. It can send and receive up to 12 separate streams of data using its eight antennas: four streams on the 2.4GHz band and eight on the 5GHz bands. The AX12 supports two Wi-Fi bands: one at 2.4Ghz, one in the 5GHz range. Looking for a super-fast router that can handle several people playing online games, streaming to Twitch or watching Netflix at the same time, while still leaving enough bandwidth for web browsing? That would be the Netgear Nighthawk AX12, a Wi-Fi router that supports the fastest standards and features that Wi-Fi 6 has to offer. Unless you’re a hardcore online gamer or need to shuttle large video files between your home and office for work, you’ll be happy with the EA7500’s capabilities. Despite this, it’s fast enough for most tasks, and most people won't find themselves in a situation to come even close to reaching the max speed of Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), which is 3.5Gbps. It’s worth noting that the EA7500 doesn’t support the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard (AKA 802.11ax). So, while you’re out shopping, for example, you can switch Wi-Fi access on or off for each device connected to your network-a useful tool for parents trying to keep their kids from watching too much YouTube when they should be doing their homework. You can even use it to administer the EA7500 when you’re out of the house. Thanks to the app, setting up the router and administering who can (and cannot) use it are pain-free experiences. We loved how the EA7500 companion Linksys app, which is available for iOS and Android made the router so easy to use. This makes it possible to share the contents of the connected drive to any computer connected to your network. Finally, its integrated USB 3 port allows you to connect a USB hard drive or thumb drive to it. In addition to being able to connect wirelessly to the network, this router features four Gigabit LAN ports-which are must-haves for anyone that owns a home media server or older devices that lack Wi-Fi capabilities. We found that it could handle streaming a 4K YouTube video to one device while two others downloaded large files at the same time. If you have a home with a lot of Internet users, or need to provide web access to a number of devices simultaneously during your workday, it won’t let you down. During testing, the EA7500 proved capable of serving up speeds in excess of 600 Megabits per second to laptops and tablets in close proximity to the router. The Linksys EA7500 provides a lot of value in a reasonably priced package. These are the best Wi-Fi routers we tested ranked, in order: Alternatively, if you just want to improve a single area of your home, consider investing in a Wi-Fi extender. Note: Those with large homes or who want to cover multiple buildings should check out our guide to the best mesh Wi-Fi routers. It’s a powerful wireless router that managed the scorching-fast speeds during testing. The Netgear Nighthawk AX12 ( available at Amazon) provides this. If your household simultaneously uses a lot of bandwidth-hogging devices such as smart TVs, 4k streaming devices, the latest generation of gaming consoles or you use a laptop to access remote desktops for work, you’ll want the fastest Wi-Fi possible to make it all run smoothly.
It offers great performance, comes with an easy-to-use app and it handles connections to several devices without struggling, easily managing a simultaneous 4K YouTube streaming video and a large file download during testing. After researching dozens of wireless routers and testing nine finalists over four weeks, we found that the Linksys EA7500 ( available at Amazon for $161.32) is the best Wi-Fi router for most people. Unfortunately, the multitude of different wireless standards, wireless bands, and extra options can be overwhelming-but we’ve got you.
A great Wi-Fi router provides the [fastest performance at the farthest possible range.