Netgear Nighthawk RS300 review: high-speed Wi-Fi 7 at a competitive price

Netgear
Nighthawk
RS300:
One-minute
review

Netgear’s
range
of
Wi-Fi
routers
and
mesh
systems
are
always
well-designed
and
offer
high-end
performance
for
business
and
home
users
who
need
a
fast,
reliable
Wi-Fi
connection. 

They
do
tend
to
be
pretty
expensive,
though,
as
we
saw
with
the
recently
launched


Nighthawk
RS700,
which
weighed
in
at
a
hefty
£800/$700/AU$1499.
That’s
a
lot
of
money
for
a
single,
standalone
router
–
especially
for
home
users
who
probably
don’t
need
the
blazing
19Gbps
Wi-Fi
speed
offered
by
the
RS700. 

The
new
Nighthawk
RS300
is
therefore
designed
to
provide
a
high-speed
Wi-Fi
7
upgrade
with
a
more
affordable
price
tag.
As
you
might
expect,
the
RS300
is
slower,
offering
a
top-speed
of
9.3Gbps,
but
that’s
still
more
than
fast
enough
to
handle
gaming,
streaming

4K
video,
and
other
demanding
online
tasks,
and
it
costs
just
under
half
the
price
of
the
RS700.

Netgear
Nighthawk
RS300:
Price
and
availability

• 
  How
  much
  
  does
  it
  cost?
  $329.99/£299.99/AU$1497
•  When
  is
  it
  available?
  Now 
•  Where
  can
  you
  get
  it?
  Available
  in
  the
  US,
  UK,
  and
  Australia 

Routers
and
mesh
systems
that
support
Wi-Fi
7
are
still
quite
expensive,
and
Netgear
in
particular
rarely
troubles
itself
with
the
more
affordable
end
of
the
market.
That’s
why
we
were
pleased
to
see
that
the
Nighthawk
RS300
costs
a
relatively
modest
$330
in
the
US,
£300
in
the
UK,
and
AU$1497
in
Australia,
which
actually
makes
it
the
most
affordable
Wi-Fi
7
router
that
we’ve
seen
so
far. 

There
are,
of
course,
faster
Wi-Fi
7
routers,
such
as
Netgear’s
own
RS700
or
the
gaming-oriented


Rapture
GT-BE98
from
Asus,
but
the
9.3Gbps
performance
of
the
RS300
is
still
far
faster
than
most
home
broadband
services.
In
the
US,
Netgear
states
that
the
RS300
can
connect
to
100
devices
simultaneously,
and
cover
an
area
of
up
to
2,500
sq.ft.
However,
differences
in
national
regulations
mean
that
this
area
is
quoted
as
2,000
sq.
ft
in
the
UK
and
some
other
regions. 

The
sting
in
the
tail,
as
always
with
Netgear,
is
its
persistent
attempts
to
sell
additional
subscriptions,
such
as
its

Armor
security
services
and
Smart
Parental
Controls
–
especially
when
there
are
rival
routers
that
provide
solid
parental
controls
at
no
extra
cost.

• 
   Value:
  4
  /
  5 

Netgear
Nighthawk
RS300:
Specs

Netgear
Nighthawk
RS300:
Design

•  Tower
  design
  provides
  360-degree
  Wi-Fi
•  4x
  Ethernet
  ports
  for
  wired
  connections
•  USB
  for
  network
  storage

Unsurprisingly,
the
design
of
the
RS300
is
similar
to
that
of
the
high-end
RS700,
with
both
models
adopting
a
tall,
obelisk
shape
and
finished
in
matte-black.
This
is
in
contrast
to
the
more
low-profile,
winged
‘shuttle-craft’
design
that
Netgear
used
for
several
years
on
earlier
Nighthawk
models.
Netgear
states
that
this
taller
design
helps
the
router’s
four
internal
antennae
broadcast
an
“omni-directional”
Wi-Fi
signal
that
broadcasts
through
a
full
360-degrees,
and
reaches
right
across
your
home
or
office. 

However,
the
lower
price
of
the
RS300
means
that
its
plastic
casing
doesn’t
feel
quite
as
sturdy
as
its
high-end
counterpart,
and
I’d
probably
opt
to
keep
it
on
a
lower
shelf
or
on
a
table
where
it’s
not
likely
to
get
knocked
over. 

But,
despite
the
lower
price,
the
RS300
still
provides
a
2.5
Gigabit
Ethernet
port
that
can
handle
high-speed
fibre
Internet
connections
(WAN).
There
are
two
more
2.5
Gigabit
ports
to
provide
high-speed
wired
(LAN)
connections
for
devices,
such
as
a
laptop
or
games
console,
that
need
the
best
performance
for
gaming
or
streaming
4K
video. 

For
more
routine
tasks,
such
as
web
browsing
and
email,
the
router
also
provides
two
conventional
Gigabit
Ethernet
ports
as
well.
And,
unlike
some
less
expensive
routers,
the
RS300
also
includes
a
USB
port
that
will
allow
you
to
connect
a
USB
storage
device
and
share
files
with
other
people
on
your
network.
I
also
like
the
LED
status
lights
on
the
front
panel
for
all
of
these
ports.
These
let
you
see
that
everything
is
working
properly
at
a
glance
without
having
to
check
the
Netgear
app.

•  Design:
  4
  /
  5

Netgear
Nighthawk
RS300:
Features

•  App
  is
  easy
  to
  use
•  Simple
  network
  set-up
•  Limited
  parental
  controls

The
RS300
supports
tri-band
Wi-Fi
7
with
a
top
speed
of
9.3Gbps.
That’s
actually
a
pretty
modest
speed
for
Wi-Fi
7,
but
it
should
be
more
than
adequate
for
most
home
users
and
even
quite
a
few
small
businesses
too. 

It
doesn’t
take
long
to
get
up
and
running;
the
Nighthawk
app
allows
you
to
simply
scan
a
QR
code
to
connect
to
the
RS300.
You
do
need
to
create
a
name
and
password
in
order
to
use
the
app
itself,
but
you
can
then
accept
the
default
settings
for
the
new
network
and
connect
straight
away,
or
change
those
settings
for
extra
security.
That
keeps
things
simple
for
home
users
who
may
not
have
much
experience
with
networking
and
routers,
but
the
Nighthawk
app
isn’t
exactly
overflowing
with
additional
features. 

Image
1
of
2

It
creates
a
single
network
that
merges
the
three
frequency
bands
–
2.4GHz,
5.0GHz
and
6.0GHz
–
and
automatically
connects
your
devices
to
the
fastest
band
that
is
available
in
that
particular
room
or
location.
Some
advanced
users
might
prefer
more
detailed
controls
within
the
app,
such
as
the
ability
to
create
separate
networks
using
each
frequency
band
(which
is
available
with
the
high-end
RS700).

There
are
also
very
few
parental
controls
included
in
the
app.
You
do
have
the
ability
to
create
profiles
for
your
children,
and
use
these
to
pause
Internet
access
at
bed-time
or
dinner-time.
However,
additional
features,
such
as
content
filters
that
can
block
unsuitable
websites
and
online
content,
require
a
subscription
to
Netgear’s
Smart
Parental
Controls
service.

The
Nighthawk
app
does
offer
a
30-day
free
trial
for
this
service,
and
also
for
Netgear’s
Armory
security
service,
but
you
then
have
to
pay
$7.99/month
or
$69.99/year
for
the
Smart
Parental
Controls,
and
$99.99/year
for
Armor.
There
are
routers
from
other
manufacturers
that
provide
better
parental
controls
free
of
charge,
so
that’s
an
important
factor
for
parents
of
young
children
to
bear
in
mind.

•  Features:
  3.5
  /
  5 

Netgear
Nighthawk
RS300:
Performance

• Tri-band
  Wi-Fi
  7
• 2.5Gb
  Ethernet
  for
  broadband
  connection
  (WAN)
• 2.5Gb
  Ethernet
  for
  wired
  connections
  (LAN) 

Netgear’s
attempts
to
“upsell”
you
with
its
subscription
services
are
always
irksome,
but
we
can’t
fault
the
performance
of
the
RS300.
Our
office
internet
connection
provides
a
top
speed
of
150Mbps,
but
our
aging
office
router
can
only
manage
around
120Mbps
for
the


Ookla
Speedtest
when
connecting
to
devices
that
are
close
by
in
the
same
room,
while
game
downloads
from

Steam
struggle
along
at
around
100Mbps.
We
also
have
an
office
at
the
back
of
our
building
where
the
Wi-Fi
signal
from
our
normal
router
can
barely
reach,
forcing
us
to
rely
on
a
set
of
wired
Powerline
adaptors
to
provide
a
decent
Internet
connection.

The
RS300
solved
all
our
Wi-Fi
problems
straight
away,
immediately
hitting
150Mbps
for
devices
in
the
same
room
for
both
Steam
downloads
and
the
Ookla
Speedtest.
It
had
no
trouble
zapping
its
Wi-Fi
signal
along
our
L-shaped
corridor
to
reach
that
back
office,
either.
And,
as
I
walked
along
the
corridor
with
my
laptop,
I
was
pleased
to
find
that
the
RS300
maintained
that
150Mbps
speed
every
step
of
the
way
for
both
Ookla
and
Steam. 

Larger
homes
or
offices
that
cover
4,000
sq.ft
or
more
might
need
one
of
the


best
mesh
wi-fi
systems
to
reach
properly,
but
most
home
users
and
small
businesses
will
find
that
the
Nighthawk
RS300
provides
a
high-speed
Wi-Fi
7
upgrade
with
one
of
the
most
competitive
prices
we’ve
seen
so
far. 

•  Performance:
  4
  /
  5 

Should
you
buy
the
Netgear
Nighthawk
RS300?

Buy
it
if…

Don’t
buy
it
if…

Also
consider

• 
  First
  reviewed
  in
  August
  2024