RAX40

As I spent some time doing research, I have learned that Netgear has quietly released version 2 of the RAX40 router last year. This new version uses a tri-core Broadcom CPU to replace the original dual-core Intel CPU, which is a significant upgrade, while keeping the price the same. I was happy to find that the router I bought happened to be this new version. After testing it for a couple of weeks, my conclusion is that this is a pretty good deal. As a comparison, I also bought a TP-Link AX50, a rival product in term of the tech spec (like original RAX40, it uses Intel CPU) and the price. I found that RAX40v2 is a better fit for my particular use case, so I returned that one and kept this. Here are my observations: 1. RAX40 is a much larger device than AX50, so the heat dissipation is better. For a device that runs 24/7, this is important for longevity. I uses a small USB desk fan in the equipment cabinet to cool down my modem and router. RAX40 barely got any warm while AX50 still felt some warmth on the touch. 2. RAX40 has two antenna while AX50 has four, but I find that the former has wider signal coverage. In particular, it works much better with my Netgear EX8000 wifi extender. I need an extender to give my backyard office good wifi signal in order to work from home. With RAX40, I can reliably get 110MB/s on 5G there, whereas the signal strength fluctuates wildly with AX50, sometimes the connection could even be dropped. Granted, AX50 has better speed at close range than RAX40. However, it is more important for me to have wider coverage. The poor performance of AX50 working with my wifi extender is a deal breaker for me.

Firmware out the box was trash; it straight up did not work. Kept giving me connection not found issues, and when I was connected it gave me security issues to the point I couldn't visit any website. I spent about 3 hours of troubleshooting before I found a thread on netgear's forum with many other people having the same issue. So after finally updating the firmware on the router; it finally worked flawlessly. That is basically the only con I can put my finger on so far. So fair warning to anyone; update the firmware if your router is not working. Everything else is wonderful though, good speeds, can't complain.

I have been using Netgear wifi routers for years and have always been happy with them. They have been easy to set up, easy to use and work well within the parameters of their use. I purchased this because I moved into a bigger home and could not use Ethernet cables for my workstation. I decided to upgrade to wifi 6 and bought a wifi 6 card for my workstation to connect via within instead. We have a couple of smart TVs, Echo devices and fire sticks. I figured it would be a good time to upgrade. The first one I purchased worked fine and set up easily via the iphone app. I was able to get my usb storage connected again, though it wanted I now have to map the drive with the admin password were before I had it accessible to everyone. Unfortunately, we are renovating our house and the breaker for the router was tripped. When the power was restored, the power light just blinked now. A quick google showed that perhaps my router had corrupt firmware as it may have been updating when the power hit. I but it back in the box and shipped it back as I was not in the mood to troubleshoot and Netgear does not make it easy to find the files necessary to manually update the firmware. Why would it automatically be enabled? Got the new installed and everything again worked fine and I made sure the firmware update was set to manual now. However, I was not able to map a drive to my usb device. It kept saying the password is not correct though I know it is. Also the web admin tool would not update some of the readyshare settings. Opened a ticket with netgear and they replied with update our firmware standard response. I guess they did not read the ticket as I mentioned the firmware version which was the latest. Frustrated, I turned to Google and found I was not the only one who had this and again netgear responses were decidedly unhelpful to these issues. It turns out all I needed to do was use MS Edge instead of chrome and the settings were applied. Also, i had to just change the wifi password and the drive map worked. The only thing annoying is that I have to still map the drive with the admin account and password even though it is set to all no password. According to the docs, I shouldn't have use the admin account. It worked on my old... maybe a firmware update will fix this... Operation is good the dual bands work like they should and have great through put. I have not seem a big lag on any of the devices scattered around the place. The 5G does have range limitations. I had to switch an Echo device to the lower band at one end of the house. The 2.4G signal is strong will the 5G was weak and spotty. This is a limitation of 5G which while faster has worse range. I will probably need repeaters for 5G to cover the house (about 2000 square feet). Update... 4/6/2021 Wifi radios have stopped working 1 month after warranty ended. I won’t ever by a net gear product again.

The most economical Netgear AX router is a great value with a large number of features to make all your WiFi powered devices work with the speed you expect. Setup was super easy with the Nighthawk app, coverage is likely overkill for my 600 sq. ft. single apartment. It is the number of data hungry devices I have and use which prompted me to buy this after my last Netgear router stopped working after several years and the AX4 has performed flawlessly. 11 MONTH UPDATE: The AX4 continuously provides solid signal throughout my apartment and to my Ring cameras outside of the apartment. One of them is downstairs and would often lose signal with my previous router so I'm quite pleased with this router. It downloads and streams video on my desktops that are plugged into it quickly and playback is lag free with no timed out messages. It downloads and casts to my tv in the same way and the same goes for my handheld devices. Video calls are clear and problem free. I can't say anything bad about this workhorse and it delivers outstanding performance on a daily basis. I would buy this router again and again. Nice job, Netgear!

May 10th 2020 So Ok, the router was shipped in a box with a couple of plastic air bags for packing. No power or Ethernet cables. No manual. No QR code sticker. Nothing but a naked router that had bounced around in a plain shipping box for several days. I was sad but I decided to try and hook it up with the compatible Netgear power cord and an extra Ethernet cable. Slow booting reviews are the truth, 5 minutes plus!?!?! BUT the darn thing works just fine with Spectrum 400/20 service (No physical damages externally or internally - amazing) Let the seller, Amazon warehouse, know the shipping details and about the items not in the box? Used acceptable was a risk. I almost sent it back for a return but I have had well packaged items with all the right equipment arrive dead. So, I'm a happy camper with an entry level ax router for under 100 dollars.. Covers small 2 bedroom condo (1,000 square feet) well, no slow spots. No ax devices currently. Ordered some new Ethernet cables to make things look sharper, bump performance possibly? I'm ready with wifi 6 and ax standards in 2020. UPDATE 12-30-2020 From what I can tell, it's about 50/50 whether OR not you get a working router or bricked paper weight. Feels like consumers do the quality assurance checks on most all the latest tech devices? That's another story for another time. Some minor issues with access control and occasional dropping 1-2 times monthly. Nothing major thank goodness - but annoying anyway. Seriously great speeds and coverage in a small 1000 foot 2 bedroom one floor unit BUT in a difficult environment - congested condo area with lots of overlapping wifi signals 24/7. Only running wifi signal strength at approx 50% 2.4Ghz @ 286 / 5 Ghz @ 1200. Not much improvement when maxed out 600 and 2400 respectively - AND - probably hellish for my nearby neighbors. I have been cautious with firmware updates - which is usually the BIG issue with all routers. Found this security update ( RAX40v1_V1.0.3.88_1.0.1 ) on Netgear and I may try it out later tonight. Will update either way tomorrow 12-31-2020.

Update: Got it figured out and my internet is now lightening fast. Setup was super frustrating but now that it is working I am happy. NetGear has the worst customer service on the planet. This router is junk and all customer tech support does is give you fixes that don't accomplish anything but burn time on Amazon's return policy. I spent hours online, in their customer"service" forums, and on the phone getting jerked around. As I investigated further many other "customers" were experiencing the same things. Anyway, DON"T BUY IT unless you are a technical marvel.

What happened Netgear? You guys used to be awesome. You used to make your stuff out of metal, it used to be fast, and it used to work. The first month or two of owning this router, once a week its claimed my internet is down spectrum says there's no outage in the area. Reboot my netgear modem and it comes up green. reboot this router and it says there's no internet. Wash rinse repeat 47 times and it magically finds the F*#@ing internet again! wow! Imagine that! It DOES work! In addition to that though, this thing takes FOREVER to reboot. How does a dual core 512mb ram device thats completely solid state take over 5 min to boot? Its a router not an HP server! Oh and of course theres the legendarily bad India based customer service which is only free for 90 whole days! Cause nothing ever goes wrong after 90 days right?! Seriously Im going to start buying the cheapest garbage routers I can after this just so I can rationalize why its complete trash. Last issue I've had which I'll admit is sort of a niche market these days is the USB on the back doesnt work as a print server. Just usb nas drive sharing. I know a lot of printers are wireless and hey mine is too but the thing loses wireless connection every time it goes to sleep for some reason and you have to manually reboot the printer each time. So I wanted to connect it hardwired to my router and use the router as a print server as I've done in the past (you know before wireless printers were a thing)... nope sorry. Your almost $200 router that has the latest and greatest wireless doesnt do those archaic things like print serving anymore...

This is a great router. Delivery arrived several days ahead of schedule, which was really helpful. My old Airport Extreme is no longer supported by Apple and I bought a new Mac Air with blazing speed, so I needed an up-to-date router. I have to remark on the ease of the Nighthawk installation. This is the easiest setup for a computer component that I have experienced. I simply down loaded a nice NETGEAR app on my phone, using my old WiFi router and followed clear and simple instructions that guided me through getting the Nighthawk up and recognized by my new Mac Air. Then it was just a matter of switching my two Mac computers, an IPad, a Kindle and a Roku to the new WIFI. The app is nice for checking each of the five devices; for example, I couldn't get Netflix tonight. I looked at the app, saw the Roku wasn't connected and then reconnected it. Speeds are faster than my old setup. This was a great choice for an upgraded router.

Quería un router estable para la casa y tengo que resetearlo manualmente 2 veces al día por que se queda sin wifi y no regresa automáticamente, una porquería no se puede confiar

No me agrada que en repetidas ocasiones se cae las redes de 2.4 y 5Mhz aun cuando se cambio de canal y realizo troubleshooting y se auto actulizó el firmware.