NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band Wireless Gigabit Cable Router, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, Implicit and Explicit Beamforming/Upstream and Downstream QoS.
Nighthawk AC1900 Smart Wi-Fi Router
802.11 ac dual band gigabit
Got game? Well, this is the router for you. Built with gaming, streaming and mobile devices in mind, this gigabit Wi-Fi router has a 1 GHz dual core processor and delivers enhanced speed so you enjoy less lag and less buffering. No matter where you Wi-Fi, Nighthawk has you covered with managing your network remotely with NETGEAR genie. And with Beamforming+ and built in high powered amplifiers and external antennas, get ready for the improved experience.
- AC1900 Wi-Fi - 600+1300 Mbps speeds.
- 1 GHz dual core processor.
- Enhanced features for lag-free gaming.
- Prioritised bandwidth for streaming videos or music.
- NETGEAR genie with remote access.
- Implicit and explict Beamforming improves range and performance for both 2.4 and 5 GHz devices.
- Upstream and downstream QoS for enhanced gaming and video streaming experience.
- Customised free URL to set up personal FTP server.
- On/off LED lights option.
Top comments
Sparks11 to mentriax
14 Nov 163#8
here is a review from a verified purchase on Amazon about replacing a Virgin super hub 2 -
I wish I bit the bullet and got this router earlier! It has given me a strong wifif signal throughout my home, and speeds are significantly improved. I had previously been using repeaters, with limited success (apple products struggled to switch between the multiple access points.)
I have a virgin superhub 2 in a 5 bed house on 3 levels (including loft). With the superhub, the wifi signal would not reach one bedroom at all, and 2 other rooms were very patchy (wifi would be very slow or disconnect from mobile device.)
Setup was reasonably straightforward;
- I followed virgin's online instructions to switch the superhub into modem mode, then turned it off.
- Connected up the nighthawk router, left it turned off
- Turned on the superhub, then the router a couple of minutes later
- Used the netgear router webpage on my PC to complete the setup and rename the SSIDs
- All up and running in approx. 15 min
I tested speeds before and after for comparison purposes, hopefully this is useful if you're considering purchasing. These results are from the ookla speedtest app on a samsung S5 and iphone 6, connecting to the 5G network. Worth noting that on my ipad 2 (which does not have wireless AC), the speeds are not as greatly improved, although it still benefits from better coverage through the house.
- LIVING ROOM (where router is located): Before ~80MB/s, After 102MB/s
- BED 1 Iphone 6 (very bad coverage before): Before ~0.5-3MB/s and connection would drop, after 106MB/s!
- LOFT, before 35-40MB/s, after 86MB/s
All comments (71)
Fr00b
14 Nov 16#1
Anyone got this working with Vodafone Broadband?
Yaradabbadoo to Fr00b
14 Nov 162#2
Unless Vodafone does not give you a modem ( this is not a modem) just plug this into your router/modem and it will work just fine, I have one plugged into my Virgin router/modem via a long Ethernet cable upstairs I can get wi-fi all over house.
mikey0097 to Fr00b
14 Nov 16#42
Does anything work with Vodafone broadband?
Sparks11
14 Nov 16#3
Yes sorry I should have mentioned, this is not a modem.
You will need to put your ISP router into Modem only mode, connect it to this with an ethernet cable and then connect to this router over Wireless.
Plus, I will also be using this with Virgin :smiley:
PointDex
14 Nov 16#4
Any idea how much this is normally ?
malachi to PointDex
14 Nov 16#25
I paid £121.43 back in September 2015.
It works great on my Virgin Media 200meg
quidstretchy to PointDex
14 Nov 16#26
yup
mentriax
14 Nov 16#5
How much better is this than virgins superhub 2ac? I know about modem mode and stuff just looking for better connectivity etc. Cheers
Yaradabbadoo to mentriax
14 Nov 162#7
Typically any ISP provided router wont be very customisable and feature poor, this has much features and setting and can also be flashed with a different OS to be even more feature rich.
In terms of range this is much better as it has 3 aerials if you use it with Virgin you can have it as your main router and the Superhub as just a modem and utilise the netgears capabilities or you can just use it as a super powerful extender, or as I do, set it up as a completely different router upstairs feeding off the Superhubs Ethernet port. Still have the same IP addr but its own feed to the internet on a separate network, you can then use some interesting features on this which the Superhub doesn't have ie Dynamic dns updates to no-ip.com. But still have the Superhub as the main router feeding Wi-fi downstairs and ethernet to TV, Qbox etc. You can also tellnet to it and add your own features not included in the NetGEar OS stuff like adding WOL support.
Depends if you need all the other stuff, might be easier and cheaper just to buy a Netgear extender for 15 UKP if you want extra wi-fi coverage and not all the extra features:-)
If you stream amongst load of units using wi-fi or streaming on ethernet (TV, X-box) this will perform better than the virgin as well but again its depending if you want to spend 100 quid for it:-)
here is a review from a verified purchase on Amazon about replacing a Virgin super hub 2 -
I wish I bit the bullet and got this router earlier! It has given me a strong wifif signal throughout my home, and speeds are significantly improved. I had previously been using repeaters, with limited success (apple products struggled to switch between the multiple access points.)
I have a virgin superhub 2 in a 5 bed house on 3 levels (including loft). With the superhub, the wifi signal would not reach one bedroom at all, and 2 other rooms were very patchy (wifi would be very slow or disconnect from mobile device.)
Setup was reasonably straightforward;
- I followed virgin's online instructions to switch the superhub into modem mode, then turned it off.
- Connected up the nighthawk router, left it turned off
- Turned on the superhub, then the router a couple of minutes later
- Used the netgear router webpage on my PC to complete the setup and rename the SSIDs
- All up and running in approx. 15 min
I tested speeds before and after for comparison purposes, hopefully this is useful if you're considering purchasing. These results are from the ookla speedtest app on a samsung S5 and iphone 6, connecting to the 5G network. Worth noting that on my ipad 2 (which does not have wireless AC), the speeds are not as greatly improved, although it still benefits from better coverage through the house.
- LIVING ROOM (where router is located): Before ~80MB/s, After 102MB/s
- BED 1 Iphone 6 (very bad coverage before): Before ~0.5-3MB/s and connection would drop, after 106MB/s!
- LOFT, before 35-40MB/s, after 86MB/s
DuncanMiller
14 Nov 161#6
Saw this earlier
Been looking for a home hub replacement
Had originally shortlisted asus ac87u or asus ac3200 and have been looking for a good price or reason to by either
Then this pops up which I know is maybe a generation older but could it be worth a £60 a £80 saving
Any thoughts or experiences to share here? Not in a rush and also just want to get the right router for the right money (not just cheapest)
Yaradabbadoo to DuncanMiller
14 Nov 16#11
I like it! its fast and has a great range, I guess the newer ones have 4 aerials and faster processors so depends if you need that for the extra money.
I read that the Asus routers are pretty good and have more settings and features out of the box than this one not sure about the newer NEtgear ones, but some of the Asus routers seem easier to set more unusual features without flashing telnet scripts to them, which is not hard just more fiddly than having the setting on the product as standard.
But this is a great price if you can live with not having the latest and greatest!
This will give much better speeds that your ISP router, have the flexibility to use the advanced settings and have much better WI-FI range.
888eyeball
14 Nov 161#9
Any chance of using this on sky fiber pro and can it support vpn client? l have an old BTOR modem that plan to use this with, if that works. Currently have a sky q hub which is crap.
Yaradabbadoo to 888eyeball
14 Nov 161#10
If you have a suitable modem you can use on it on SKY fibre but looking on the internet it looks like quite a science project as SKY dont want you using anything other than there on router/modem.
I had Sky Fibre max for a while but went back to Virgin as BT internet service sucks big balls, Virgin is much more stable I need that for my work. And Virgin allow you to pass through their Router/modem which make life much easier if you want to play with other routers features.
Lahn
14 Nov 162#12
It might not be the latest, but I think it's still considered one of the greatest anyway :smiley:
888eyeball
14 Nov 16#13
Thanks Yaradabbadoo, anyone comment on the Clint vpn?
Yaradabbadoo to 888eyeball
14 Nov 161#16
If you wanted to do it on the router you would need to flash Tomato or DD-WRT onto it. I have not done that but there are shed loads of docs and videos doing it with this model. So I guess - Yes you can!
Sparks11 to 888eyeball
14 Nov 16#17
Yes you can, but you will need to flash it.
I will be having a go at doing it :smiley:
hardnrg to 888eyeball
14 Nov 161#46
The stock firmware provides extremely easy to use VPN... just enable it and then download the client files to load into OpenVPN
I run DD-WRT on mine for more control. There are more VPN options, but the set up is a lot more manual (but inherently more flexible). DD-WRT is supposed to be slightly lower performance in terms of ultimate throughput (because some of the hardware acceleration is not available when using DD-WRT), but it only really matters if you have a really fast connection, like probably > 200Mbps.
It's a solid router in terms of holding transit connection, providing thousands of connections, and the WiFi never drops and I get near GbE speeds on the ac.
I've had mine since February 2015 and thoroughly recommend it to anyone. I have 80/20 fibre from PlusNet with a BT fibre modem.
Opening post
Nighthawk AC1900 Smart Wi-Fi Router
802.11 ac dual band gigabit
Got game? Well, this is the router for you. Built with gaming, streaming and mobile devices in mind, this gigabit Wi-Fi router has a 1 GHz dual core processor and delivers enhanced speed so you enjoy less lag and less buffering. No matter where you Wi-Fi, Nighthawk has you covered with managing your network remotely with NETGEAR genie. And with Beamforming+ and built in high powered amplifiers and external antennas, get ready for the improved experience.
- AC1900 Wi-Fi - 600+1300 Mbps speeds.
- 1 GHz dual core processor.
- Enhanced features for lag-free gaming.
- Prioritised bandwidth for streaming videos or music.
- NETGEAR genie with remote access.
- Implicit and explict Beamforming improves range and performance for both 2.4 and 5 GHz devices.
- Upstream and downstream QoS for enhanced gaming and video streaming experience.
- Customised free URL to set up personal FTP server.
- On/off LED lights option.
Top comments
I wish I bit the bullet and got this router earlier! It has given me a strong wifif signal throughout my home, and speeds are significantly improved. I had previously been using repeaters, with limited success (apple products struggled to switch between the multiple access points.)
I have a virgin superhub 2 in a 5 bed house on 3 levels (including loft). With the superhub, the wifi signal would not reach one bedroom at all, and 2 other rooms were very patchy (wifi would be very slow or disconnect from mobile device.)
Setup was reasonably straightforward;
- I followed virgin's online instructions to switch the superhub into modem mode, then turned it off.
- Connected up the nighthawk router, left it turned off
- Turned on the superhub, then the router a couple of minutes later
- Used the netgear router webpage on my PC to complete the setup and rename the SSIDs
- All up and running in approx. 15 min
I tested speeds before and after for comparison purposes, hopefully this is useful if you're considering purchasing. These results are from the ookla speedtest app on a samsung S5 and iphone 6, connecting to the 5G network. Worth noting that on my ipad 2 (which does not have wireless AC), the speeds are not as greatly improved, although it still benefits from better coverage through the house.
- LIVING ROOM (where router is located): Before ~80MB/s, After 102MB/s
- BED 1 Iphone 6 (very bad coverage before): Before ~0.5-3MB/s and connection would drop, after 106MB/s!
- LOFT, before 35-40MB/s, after 86MB/s
All comments (71)
You will need to put your ISP router into Modem only mode, connect it to this with an ethernet cable and then connect to this router over Wireless.
Plus, I will also be using this with Virgin :smiley:
It works great on my Virgin Media 200meg
In terms of range this is much better as it has 3 aerials if you use it with Virgin you can have it as your main router and the Superhub as just a modem and utilise the netgears capabilities or you can just use it as a super powerful extender, or as I do, set it up as a completely different router upstairs feeding off the Superhubs Ethernet port. Still have the same IP addr but its own feed to the internet on a separate network, you can then use some interesting features on this which the Superhub doesn't have ie Dynamic dns updates to no-ip.com. But still have the Superhub as the main router feeding Wi-fi downstairs and ethernet to TV, Qbox etc. You can also tellnet to it and add your own features not included in the NetGEar OS stuff like adding WOL support.
Depends if you need all the other stuff, might be easier and cheaper just to buy a Netgear extender for 15 UKP if you want extra wi-fi coverage and not all the extra features:-)
If you stream amongst load of units using wi-fi or streaming on ethernet (TV, X-box) this will perform better than the virgin as well but again its depending if you want to spend 100 quid for it:-)
If you have a old PC hanging around you could do this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ledv33t6SNE
I wish I bit the bullet and got this router earlier! It has given me a strong wifif signal throughout my home, and speeds are significantly improved. I had previously been using repeaters, with limited success (apple products struggled to switch between the multiple access points.)
I have a virgin superhub 2 in a 5 bed house on 3 levels (including loft). With the superhub, the wifi signal would not reach one bedroom at all, and 2 other rooms were very patchy (wifi would be very slow or disconnect from mobile device.)
Setup was reasonably straightforward;
- I followed virgin's online instructions to switch the superhub into modem mode, then turned it off.
- Connected up the nighthawk router, left it turned off
- Turned on the superhub, then the router a couple of minutes later
- Used the netgear router webpage on my PC to complete the setup and rename the SSIDs
- All up and running in approx. 15 min
I tested speeds before and after for comparison purposes, hopefully this is useful if you're considering purchasing. These results are from the ookla speedtest app on a samsung S5 and iphone 6, connecting to the 5G network. Worth noting that on my ipad 2 (which does not have wireless AC), the speeds are not as greatly improved, although it still benefits from better coverage through the house.
- LIVING ROOM (where router is located): Before ~80MB/s, After 102MB/s
- BED 1 Iphone 6 (very bad coverage before): Before ~0.5-3MB/s and connection would drop, after 106MB/s!
- LOFT, before 35-40MB/s, after 86MB/s
Been looking for a home hub replacement
Had originally shortlisted asus ac87u or asus ac3200 and have been looking for a good price or reason to by either
Then this pops up which I know is maybe a generation older but could it be worth a £60 a £80 saving
Any thoughts or experiences to share here? Not in a rush and also just want to get the right router for the right money (not just cheapest)
I read that the Asus routers are pretty good and have more settings and features out of the box than this one not sure about the newer NEtgear ones, but some of the Asus routers seem easier to set more unusual features without flashing telnet scripts to them, which is not hard just more fiddly than having the setting on the product as standard.
But this is a great price if you can live with not having the latest and greatest!
This will give much better speeds that your ISP router, have the flexibility to use the advanced settings and have much better WI-FI range.
I had Sky Fibre max for a while but went back to Virgin as BT internet service sucks big balls, Virgin is much more stable I need that for my work. And Virgin allow you to pass through their Router/modem which make life much easier if you want to play with other routers features.
I will be having a go at doing it :smiley:
I run DD-WRT on mine for more control. There are more VPN options, but the set up is a lot more manual (but inherently more flexible). DD-WRT is supposed to be slightly lower performance in terms of ultimate throughput (because some of the hardware acceleration is not available when using DD-WRT), but it only really matters if you have a really fast connection, like probably > 200Mbps.
It's a solid router in terms of holding transit connection, providing thousands of connections, and the WiFi never drops and I get near GbE speeds on the ac.
I've had mine since February 2015 and thoroughly recommend it to anyone. I have 80/20 fibre from PlusNet with a BT fibre modem.