34 OCTOBER2020|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE392
THENIGHTHAWKBRANDis usually
reserved for Netgear’s higher-end standalone
routers, but the Nighthawk Mesh WiFi 6
System is alittle different. Sure,ithas the
Nighthawk branding, but this model is
lower-end and much cheaper than the rival
Orbi system (Shopper386).
On the one hand, you get aWi-Fi 6Mesh
system starting at just £235 foratwo-pack
(a more expensive three-pack costs £290);
on the other hand, this system is adual-band
wireless mesh network, rather than the
tri-band of the Orbi (see ‘Dual-band vs
tri-band’ oppositefor more information).
JUSTTHE ONE
Rather than the large satellites of the Orbi
WiFi 6, the Netgear Nighthawk Mesh WiFi 6
System consists of smaller cubes, decked
out in black plastic with apatterned top.
Theylookpretty funky,asfar as wireless
NETGEAR Nighthawk MeshWiFi 6 System
★★★★★
£235 (two pack)•From http://www.broadbandbuyer.com
VERDICT
AbasicbutcheapWi-Fi6meshsystemwithdecentperformance,
thissystemisevenbetterwhenyouinvolveEthernet
MESHWI-FISYSTEM
devicesgo.Depending on the system you
buy,you get one router and at least one
satellite.Additional satellites (part code
MS60) are also available if you want to
expand your system.
Turn each device around, and there are
signs that this is abudget system. The router,
forexample,has just two Gigabit Ethernet
ports: one foryour internet connection and
one forwired devices. You’ll therefore need
to buy aseparateswitch if you want to use
more than one wired device.
Each satellitealsohas only asingle
Ethernet port on it, which can be used for
either wired devices or foranEthernet
backhaul. AccordingtoNetgear’s instructions,
you can only use one satellitewithan
Ethernet backhaul, connecting it directly to
the router; however,ifyou use network
switches along the way, youcan use Ethernet
forall of the devices.
PLAINAND SIMPLE
We’re not complaining about how easy the
Netgear Nighthawk Mesh WiFi 6System is to
set up.Aswith other Nighthawk products,
you use the same smartphone app for
configuring this system. There’s adefault
secure wireless network that you connect to,
and then awizard takes you through plugging
in the router and connecting the satellites.
Each satellite, as on theOrbi systems, has
astatus light: if it’s blue,you’re getting agood
signal;amber means that you should move
the satellitecloser to the router if you can to
get abetter signal; and magenta means that
there’s no connection. It’s ahandy visual aid
that helps you plan where to put your
satellites. The wizard also helps you configure
anew secure wireless network name,and
then automatically checks forafirmware
updateand you’re good to go.
At this point, you can leave the system
alone.Itwill automatically push
clients to connect to the strongest
access point, letting you roam around
your house while maintaining a
strong connection.
Dive intothe settings and there’s
not alot more that theapp offers.
There’s aspeed test that tells you
how fast your internet connection is,
but the mesh system doesn’t use the
information foranything. There’s a
guest network that you can toggle on
and off,and youcan view alistof
connected devices and block internet
access to them.
If you connect to the mesh system
using aweb browser,you get a
slightly more detailed interface.Here,
you can choose which channel your
wireless networks use,turnonQoS
⬆You can turn on Quality of Service(QoS) through aweb browser to prevent your internet connection being throttled (the system will automatically control
