Nighthawk WiFi 7 Tri-Band Router RS280S

This is a nightmare company to deal with. I just bought a new Netgear Nighthawk RS280S, after my last NETGEAR reached its demise (that one lasted 4 years). In trying to connect it, using the password, to my Samsung TV, it won’t allow me to complete the password. It does connect to my iPhone & iPad, but not the TV. It reaches the 10th character and then crashes. It does connect via WPS, but that connection disengages if the TV is off for longer than a few hours (overnight, for example). I’ve spent at least 5 hours with their support teams, trying a variety of things: system upgrades, reboots, etc. The crazy thing is I can use the password if I connect the TV with my phone hotspot. I was assured I’d receive a return phone call today, as the technician wanted to review the case with higher ups. I provided a 3 hour window, ignoring the rest of my life, and that has come and gone. I’ve just been assured that a senior technician will call within the hour. If I don’t get that call back I am going scorched earth. I will notify a few equity analysts about the treatment, and the unreliability of the product. The router costs them about $75 bucks, a negative write up from an analyst will cost a lot more than that.

Just finished a three day saga. Finally reached a senior enough manager who was able to navigate the issue. He repeated the rebooting step, changed the router password and that one allowed connections with TV. Now my only concern is will it still be connected when I’ve turned the TV off for any extended time. I’ll live with this one, but never getting another NETGEAR product.

If you want to stick with Netgear: * RAXE300: WiFi 6E, tri-band (2.4/5/6ghz), about $150 on Amazon. [https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Tri-Band-Wireless-8-Streams/dp/B0B1LZMH78/](https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Tri-Band-Wireless-8-Streams/dp/B0B1LZMH78/) * RS280S: WiFi 7, tri-band (2.4/5/6ghz), about $180 on Amazon. [https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Tri-Band-Router-RS280S/dp/B0DGPLBRDQ/](https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Tri-Band-Router-RS280S/dp/B0DGPLBRDQ/) The WiFi 7 router is newer so it will be supported longer. It's only $30 more, and it has faster ethernet (LAN) ports. So if I were picking between those, I'd get the RS280S. For WiFi 7, if you want a slight upgrade from the RS280S then the RS500 has more streams on the 5ghz band but doesn't have as many 2.5GB LAN ports. But you could always hook up a 2.5GB switch to get more ports. RS500 is $399 new from Amazon, less expensive if you buy a used one. [https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Tri-Band-Router-RS500/dp/B0DG71H4GD/](https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Tri-Band-Router-RS500/dp/B0DG71H4GD/) Amazon sells used/like new models too but if you get a used model I recommend buying it from Amazon as the seller. That way if there are problems you can more easily return it for a refund (usually there's a 30 day return policy). **If I were in your position I would pick the RS280S for $180. It's a good midrange pick and upgrades you to WiFi 7 without breaking the bank.** If money/budget is not as much of a concern then the RS500 is a good choice too. Good luck

ASUS, got better UI on the app as well. I used to have Netgear

I upgraded from the Netgear Nighthawk mesh Wi-Fi 6 system to a single point Wi-Fi 7 Netgear Nighthawk router. Coverage is significantly better even though there’s only one point. It is tri band, which allows for more connections. (60 WiFi 6 and 100 WiFi 7) And the speed is so much faster. I speed tested the Wi-Fi mesh system on my iPhone 17 Pro Max. I was averaging about 400 Mbps. I have a 1 Gbps plan. With the Wi-Fi 7 I’m getting around 900 Mbps. On Wi-Fi. Not a hardline connection. My latency dropped from an average of 25 to 27. Down to 10 to 12. I am also using a Netgear Nighthawk modem, which is rated for 1 Gbps.

As far as penetration for the different types of Wi-Fi. It’s based on the megahertz. The lower the number the better the penetration. Think of it like frequency of music or sound. The lower the frequency the more penetration you get. Think of a car with a very loud stereo. Tons of bass. In your home, you hear the bass, but you don’t hear the higher frequencies. That is exactly how the Wi-Fi bands work. 2.4 penetrates walls extremely well but it’s a slower speed. 5.8 penetrate allright, but it is a much faster speed. The new 6Ghz band is a higher frequency than the 5.8. That is why it does not penetrate as well as the other two. But it is by far the fastest connection. And remember your device has to support the different connection speed as well.

Almost went with this but the WIFI 7 Netgear Nighthawk was less than half the price so I went with that. 1 2.5gig port for desktop, one for laptop. It's awesome