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After the RS700S that came out last year and the RS300 released earlier this year, Netgear today unveiled three more Nighthawk units to complete its Wi-Fi 7 standalone router lineup, including the RS200, RS500, and RS600.
As the model name suggests, RS500 and RS600 fill in the performance tiers between the existing entry-level RS300 and top-tier RS700S. The RS200, on the other hand, is unique. It's Netgear's first dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router, similar to the case of the Asus RT-BE88U and TP-Link Archer BE230.
These Netgear Nighthawk Wi-Fi 7 routers are similar in shape and size and share the same firmware. But they do have enough hardware specs to differentiate between themselves.
Netgear Wi-Fi 7 Nighthawk routers: Covering the entire performance spectrum
The three new routers share the same physical design as the RS300, which is slightly smaller than the RS700S. They are all cylindrical boxes with a vertical array of status LEDs on the front and corresponding network ports on the back.
Looking closer, you'll note that the RS200 has a black top (like the case of the RS300), the RS500's top is silver, and the RS600 comes with a gold top that's a bit raised.
Other than that, they differ in network ports and Wi-Fi specs. The table below shows the hardware specs of the entire Nighthawk Wi-Fi 7 family.
Netgear Nighthawk Wi-Fi 7: Netgear’s complete hardware lineup
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Model | RS200 | RS300 | RS500 | RS600 | RS700S |
| Wi-Fi Bandwidth (stream per band) | Dual-band BE6500 | Tri-band BE9300 | Tri-band BE12000 | Tri-band BE18000 | Tri-band BE19000 |
| Modulation Scheme (QAM) | 4096-QAM (all bands) | ||||
| 2.4GHz Band (channel width) | 2×2 BE: Up to 688 Mbps (20/40MHz) | 4x4 BE: up to 1376Mbps (20/40MHz) | |||
| 5GHz Band (channel width) | 4×4 BE: up to 5762Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz) | 2×2 BE: up to 2881 Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz) | 4×4 BE: up to 5762Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz) | ||
| 6GHz Band (channel width) | None | 2×2 BE: Up to 5760Mbps (20/40/80/160/320MHz) | 4x4 BE: up to 1376Mbps (20/40MHz) | ||
| Stream per Band | 2x4 | 2x2x2 | 2x4x2 | 2x4x4 | 4x4x4 |
| Network Standards | IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11be, IPv4, IPv6 | ||||
| Network Features | Web User Interface Nighthawk Mobile App Limited free features and settings | ||||
| Vendor Login Account Required | Yes (Only for the Nighthawk Mobile app) | ||||
| Premium Add-on (trial period) | Netgear Armor ($100/year) Parental Control (70/year) (30-day) | Netgear Armor ($100/year) Parental Control (70/year) (1-year) | |||
| Mesh-Ready | No | ||||
| Operating Mode | Router Access Point | ||||
| WAN Port | 1x 2.5Gbps | 1x 10Gbps | |||
| Multi-Gig Port (LAN) | 1x 2.5Gbps | 2x 2.5Gbps | 1x 2.5Gbps | 1x 10Gbps | |
| Gigabit Port (LAN) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) | N/A | Unavailable at launch (might be added via firmware) | |||
| Multi-Link Operation (MLO) | Yes | ||||
| Link Aggregation | Yes (WAN and LAN) | ||||
| Dual-WAN | No | ||||
| USB Port | 1 x USB 3.0 | ||||
| Dimensions | 9.8 x 5.9 x 4 in (24.9 x 15 x 10.2 cm) | 11.09 x 5.59 x 4.88 in (28.17 x 14.2 x 12.4 cm) | |||
| Weight | 2.09lb (.95kg) | 3.61 lb (1.635kg) | |||
| Processing Power | Quad-Core 2.0GHz CPU, 512MB Flash, 2GB RAM | Quad-core 2.6GHz CPU, 512MB Flash, 2GB RAM | |||
| Power Intake | 110-240V | 120V | |||
| Firmware (at review) | not yet tested | V1.0.0.38 | not tested | V1.0.7.82 | |
| Power Consumption (per 24 hours) | TBD | ≈ 250 (as tested) | TBD | ≈ 375 Wh (as tested) | |
| US Release Date | September 24, 2024 | June 11, 2024 | September 24, 2024 | July 7, 2023 | |
| US Price (at launch) | $229 | $329 | $399 | $499 | $699 |
A quick take on Nighthawk Wi-Fi 7 hardware
As noted in the table, the RS700S is the top tier. However, it's not entirely the best. Among other things, it's the bulkiest, and considering that 2.4GHz has always been slow, its real-world performance is likely the same as that of the new RS600.
The RS300 is slated to be the entry-level with the lowest Wi-Fi specs on all bands. However, it is the only one that has the most multi-gig ports, with three 2.5Gbps ports, whereas the rest of the family only has two.
Despite the name, the RS200 is not the lowest tier. It's, in fact, like the RS600 without the 6GHz band and 10Gbps ports.
Dual-band Wi-Fi 7 hardware is relevant due to the fact the 6GHz frequency is regulated differently around the world and is not applicable in many areas. Addtionally, there are more 2.4GHz and 5GHz clients than those supporting 6GHz.
Varying degrees of familiar experience
Other than that, all of the new routers share the same firmware and, hence, features and settings as the rest of the Nighthawk routers, including the RS300 and RS700S.
Specifically, they all have a standard web user interface that provides a standard, albeit shrinking, set of free network settings and features.
After that, there's an optional Nighthawk mobile app for setup and ongoing management, which is required if you want to buy add-on subscriptions that provide more valuable features, including online protection or parental controls.
Neither the app nor the web user interface allows for complete access to the routers. For example, you'll need the web UI if you want to use port forwarding and Dynamic DNS, but the mobile app is the only way to manage your network remotely.
In short, the new routers will provide users with a familiar real-world experience that varies in performance grades, ranging between that of the RS300 and the RS700S. And that's why they cost differently.
Availability
Netgear says the new Nighthawk Wi-Fi 7 RS600, RS500, and RS200 are available for purchase today and cost $499, $399, and $229, respectively.
Like existing Netgear Wi-Fi 7 hardware, none of the Nighthawk routers, including those announced today, have Wi-Fi 7's AFC feature at launch. Netgear told me that this feature would be added via firmware updates, though it's unclear when that will happen.
I have the 700s and it’s buggy the 5ghz cuts off both 6/5ghz band if you use it at the full speed. I was able to get it working with the help of their support team who were helpful by lowering the max speed and in the end i had to update to windows 11 to get 6ghz working which works great now and i don’t need the full speed at 5ghz. However if these lower end models don’t have 6ghz and a slow 2ghz I can see that as an issue. They said they are working on a fix, but they are very slow to release new firmware. Overall I am a little unhappy with netgear i never had issues and i have been using them for about 20 years, but this router didn’t even work out if the box until i got some beta firmware to allowed local server connections. I think I am moving to ubiquiti once they get a u7 enterprise with 10gbe ports if it ever gets made.
That seemed more of an issue with Wi-Fi 7 itself than the router, Jonathan.
I dont have any wifi7 clients yet I only have 6e and they are all on seperated SSIDs. Cusotmer suport mentioned something about interference causing the bands to turn off and that they are looking into the issue and are aware of it.
Possibly, but my take is that they haven’t figured out how to best impliment Wi-Fi 7 optimally while keeping their way of controlling the hardware, or keeping the users from having total control over it. Every vendor has this issue with the latest Wi-Fi standard, it’s just a matter of how it’s being dealt with.