🛒
Important note
In late December 2021, I realized that Netgear had been quietly and retrospectively removing major features from its existing Nighthawk and Orbi devices via firmware updates, effectively reducing the hardware's capability.
I published this review before that time. Consequently, while the hands-on experience remains largely relevant, the rating or recommendation might no longer fully apply.
The Netgear Nighthawk AX12 12-Stream AX11000 Tri-Band WiFi 6 Router (model RAX200), unveiled back in March, is easily one of the most, if not the most expensive, Wi-Fi router on the market. It'll set you back at least $100 more than does the RAX120, which already costs an arm and a leg.
And here's the problem: The RAX200 is not $100 better than the RAX120.
Indeed, this top-of-the-line home networking device has an extra 5GHz band but less raw power and a slower wired connection. Also, you'll only see its real benefits if most (or all) of your clients—and you need to have many of them—support Wi-Fi 6. So, the RAX200 is ahead of its time by a year or two.
That said, Netgear RAX200 is a dilemma. On the one hand, I love its excellent performance and cool look. On the other, I can't find enough reasons to justify its cost.
Netgear Nighthawk RAX200: The RAX120 with a few twists
If you think the RAX200 is the RAX120 plus an additional 5GHz band, you're wrong. Their relationship is a bit more complicated than that. But yes, they have a lot of things in common.
Netgear RAX200: Detail photos
RAX200 vs. RAX120: The similarities
Both routers sport similar aesthetically pleasing, futuristic designs, looking like hardware conjured by George Lucas. They are both massive with collapsible antennas. (The RAX200 is a tart smaller and lighter.) Both feature a Multi-Gig network port, which can work as a WAN or a LAN port, plus four Gigabit LAN ports, one Gigabit WAN port, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.
Most importantly, the two have the same setup process, mobile app, feature set, and a similar web user interface. And they, too, suffer from a few common shortcomings, namely the lack of built-in mesh, gaming, and online protection features. Oh, both have an internal ventilation fan and are not wall-mountable.
I'm not going to repeat myself and describe all these similarities in detail. You can read about them in my take on the RAX120. This review is more about how the RAX200 is different from the RAX120. And there's a lot to talk about, more than the fact one is a dual-band router the other is a Tri-band.
Hardware specifications: RAX200 vs. RAX120
| Model | RAX120 | RAX200 |
| Full Name | Netgear Nighthawk AX12 12-stream AX6000 WiFi 6 Router | Netgear Nighthawk AX12 12-stream AX11000 WiFi 6 Router |
| Dimensions | 12.2 x 7.48 x 1.77 in (310 x 190 x 45 mm) | 11.63 x 8.92 x 2.14 in (295 x 227 x 54 mm) |
| Weight | 3 lbs (1.4 kg) | 2.43 lbs (1.1 kg) |
| Wi-Fi Technology | Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) AX6000 | Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) AX11000 |
| 5GHz Wi-Fi Specs | 5GHz AX: Up to 4.8Gbps (8x8 at 20/40/80/80+80MHz) | 2x 5GHz AX: Up to 4.8Gbps (4x4 at 20/40/80/160MHz) |
| 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Specs | 2.4GHz AX: Up to 1.2Gbps (4x4 at 20/40MHz) | Same |
| Backward Compatibility | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi | Same |
| Mobile App | Netgear Nighthawk App (formerly Up app) | Same |
| Bridge Mode | Yes | Same |
| AP Mode | Yes | Same |
| USB Port | 2x USB 3.0 | Same |
| Gigabit Network Port | 4x LAN, 1x WAN | Same |
| Link Aggregation | Yes (LAN ports 1 and 2) | Yes (LAN ports 3 and 4) |
| Multi-Gig Port | 1x 5Gbps LAN/WAN | 1x 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN |
| CPU | 64-bit quad-Core 2.2GHz CPU, 512MB Flash, 1GB RAM | 64-bit quad-core 1.8GHz CPU, 512MB Flash, 1GB RAM |
Netgear RAX200 vs. RAX120: The differences
If you pay attention, you'll notice that Netgear calls both routers A12 as an effort to show off their total of 12 Wi-Fi streams among the bands for marketing purposes. The RAX120 is a dual-band router, and the RAX200 is a tri-band one; how come they have the same amount of streams? That brings us to the first difference between the two, their Wi-Fi specs.
160MHz vs. 160Mhz (80+80)
The RAX200 is more of an actual Wi-Fi 6 router supporting the true 160MHz channel width. The RAX120 is somewhat a compatible Wi-Fi 6 router—its 160MHz channel combines two 80MHz channels (80+80).
As a result, each Wi-Fi 6 stream of the RAX200 has double the bandwidth of the RAX120's. Or, apples to apples, on the 5GHz band, the RAX120 is a quad-stream (4x4) router and not an 8x8 one, as Netgear claims.
The bottom line is the RAX200 is to deliver fast Wi-Fi 6 speed when working in 160MHz channel width, but then it doesn't support legacy clients well, if at all. (Most Wi-Fi 5 and older, clients can't connect using the 160MHz channel width.)
On the other hand, the RAX120 works better with legacy clients, even when you set it to work in the 160Mhz (80+80) mode, but then it would deliver slower speeds to Wi-Fi 6 clients. In other words, the RAX120 doesn't have a pure 160MHz-only mode.
At least, that's the theory. In reality, for now, neither has a Wi-Fi 6-only mode, and you can't even pick the channel width for any of the bands. That's right. Despite having two 5GHz bands, the RAX200 can't make either work exclusively for Wi-Fi 6 clients.
That said, if you're planning to use one 5GHz band for mixed clients and the other 5GHz band for Wi-Fi 6 clients exclusively, you're out luck! There's no way to make that happen. But you might not need to worry about that anyway—more on this below.
2.5G vs. 5G network ports
Though more expensive, the RAX200's Multi-Gig network port is much slower than that of the RAX120.
Specifically, this port on the RAX200 caps at 2.5Gbps. While that's super-fast, the 5Gbps port of the RAX120 doubles the speed. So, if you want to maximize your wired connection—for NAS performance when hosting an external storage device, for example—the RAX120 is better.
Slower CPU
And there's more bad news. The RAX120 runs on a 2.2Ghz quad-core CPU, while the RAX200 uses a 1.8Ghz quad-core CPU. For a router that's $100 more expensive, it's rather disappointing to see it has less power, at least in terms of CPU clock speeds.
So in all, the RAX200 seems to have almost nothing better than the RAX120 and a few things worse. But in real-world usage, it turns out to be a better router, for the most part, thanks to its excellent performance.
Netgear RAX200: Fast speeds, reliable signals, excellent range
I tested the RAX200 for over a week, the same way I did other Wi-Fi 6 routers, and it blew me away when used with Wi-Fi 6 clients. Keep in mind that I tested the router using 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 clients. Since the RAX200 is a 4x4 router, you'll get even speedier Wi-Fi speeds out of it when faster clients are available.
Stellar 5GHz Wi-Fi speeds
I noted that during my testing, Wi-Fi 6 clients connected to the RAX200 quickly and almost always at the top 2.4Gbps speed at a close range—some 10 feet (3 m) away. At this distance, the router delivered an average sustained speed of more than 1400 megabits per second, the fastest I've seen.
When I moved the client to 40 feet (12 m) away, it now connected at 2.1Gbps and had a sustained speed of almost 1100 Mbps, also the fastest.
The RAX200 was impressive when working with Wi-Fi 5 clients, averaging 980 Mbps and 800 Mbps for close and long distances, respectively. But overall, it's about the same as other Wi-Fi 6 routers.
Here's the interesting part: When I used both legacy and Wi-Fi 6 clients together, the router could still deliver top Wi-Fi 6 speeds, like when I was using only Wi-Fi 6 clients. The legacy clients worked well, too.
So the fact that you can't set any of the router's bands to work exclusively for Wi-Fi 6 clients doesn't matter much. You don't need to do that from the performance's perspective.
So so 2.4GHz Wi-Fi performance
Like many routers I've worked with recently, the RAX200 had nothing to brag about on the 2.4GHz band. The throughput speeds, in this case, fluctuated a lot and averaged about 190 Mbps at a close range and approximately 100 Mbps at 40 feet away. I got the same result with both Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 clients.
Excellent range and reliability
The RAX200 had about the same range as that of the RAX120 or the Asus GT-AX11000 in my testing. It's hard to determine a router's Wi-Fi coverage precisely since this depends on where you are and the layout of your home. However, you can expect the router to cover some 2000 sf² (186 m²) of residential space with reliable Wi-Fi at every corner.
I used the RAX200 continuously for about a week and had no problem with it at all. There was no disconnection or any other issue. It seemed its firmware was a lot more stable and reliable than that of the Asus GT-AX11100. It's likely because Netgear doesn't pack as many features in the RAX200 as Asus in its GT-AX1100.
Overall, I was happy with RAX200's Wi-Fi performance. However, I also found the extra 5GHz band to be a bit redundant. Since you can't customize its Wi-Fi much, and the router has no built-in mesh feature, having two 5GHz bands is only useful when you have many 5GHz clients. Most of us don't have enough for the benefits to kick in.
Fast NAS performance
I tested the RAX200's network-attached storage feature by connecting a Samsung T5 to one of its USB 3.0 ports.
Via the router's 2.5Gbps port, I was able to get sustained copy speeds of about 150 megabytes per second for reading and more than 120 MB/s for writing. These were quite impressive, but the write speed was slower than the Asus GT-AX11000's, which has the same port.
Compared with the RAX120, which has a 5Gbps port, as expected, the RAX200's NAS performance was significantly slower.
When I used a regular 1Gbps LAN port for this test, the RAX200 was now on par with the RAX120 averaging about 120 MB/s for reading and writing.
Overall, RAX200's NAS performance was excellent. If you're thinking of getting into the world of network storage and don't want to buy a dedicated NAS server yet, this router is among the best second-best choices.
Netgear Nighthawk RAX200's Rating
Pros
Reliable and fast performance
Eye-catching design
Helpful mobile app, robust web UI
Multi-Gig support (2.5Gbps)
Cons
Comparatively super-expensive with nothing extra
Shallow Wi-Fi customization, spartan feature set
Comparatively low CPU clock speed
No 5Gbps or 10Gbps LAN port, not wall-mountable
Conclusion
If money is not an issue for you, I'd say go ahead, splurge, and get this Netgear RAX200 Netgear Nighthawk AX12 12-Stream AX11000 Tri-Band WiFi 6 Router. You'll love it, especially if you have done Wi-Fi 6 upgrades on most or all of your computers. It's an excellent router despite the fact it doesn't deliver all you'd expect.
(By the way, if you're wondering between it and the RAX120, which you should get, make sure you understand the difference between Dual-band and tri-band routers.)
For everyone else, the RAX200 is ridiculously overpriced. If you can't wait and need a high-end Wi-Fi 6 right router now, consider the similarly-specced Asus GT-AX11000 with more features and costs some $200 less.
I have been reading through comments and I see someone said their rax120 performs better than rax200. But your review is the opposite. Also, I noticed the 5g-1 on rax200 has weaker signal than 5g-2, which is weird, because the 5g-2 has higher frequancy. Any thoughts?
That was my experience at the time, Yiyang — those were tested a while ago, and they ran different firmware versions from yours. On the same band, one portion of the spectrum has little to do with speed difference when compared with another. More in this post.
Hi
I after moving to a house that is too small for mesh but only has one non-central wired input I picked up a RAX200. Speeds range from 1400 to just 200 on the opposite side of the house.
I am wondering if there any tweaks to the OOTB settings you would suggest? Mine has the1st 5GHZ band on 2400 mode and the second on 4800 mode (based on your review I am questioning if there is value in switching one of the 5ghz bands off entirely?)
Compared to the Asus XD6 it is replacing the close speeds are a lot better but the further ones pretty similar. My house is only 1200 sqft so the handoff for mesh does not really work and having had the RAX200 before at my last house I was expecting it to maintain a higher speed further out, maybe the stud walls have metal in them or something?
Thanks
For a place that needs a single broadcaster (router/access point), Neil, I’d set the Wi-Fi speed settings to the highest (that’s about all you can do with Netgear anyway) and hope that the router will handle band-steering well.
There’s no value in turning a 5GHz band off — the two use two separate portions of the spectrum. As mentioned at the post’s top, Netgear has retrospectively changed a lot in the firmware, so it’s hard for me to tell. But my take is it is what it is for you with that router.
Thanks Dong, any view as whether the 1st or 2nd 5GHZ band would be the best one to use?
Thanks again
They are rage same and vary from one place to another. Check out the post I linked earlier for more.
Hello Dong
I live in Australia so we are quite behind with internet speeds as such.
Ive found a gigabit NBN plan (up to 1,000mbps).
So i wanted a Netgear Nighthawk RAX200.
Yet im very confused wether to buy that or the newer RAXE500.
The later newer item
Is double the price here of the RAX200.
I don’t need more than the RAX200 but I want to future proof my house with the new version possibly.
All i use net for is one plug will go to my paytv and then just to use internet off our phones and kids laptops really..thats it.
But i want the best router i can buy hence the nighthawk option.
I’d not recommend this one or the RAXE500, Jamie. Netgear has made them worse since the releases. Here’s an example. They will work but might not be the same as when I first reviewed them.
That said, I’d recommend the Asus GT-AXE11000 (Wi-Fi 6E) or the GT-AX6000 (Wi-Fi 6). There’s no such thing as future-proof. Wi-Fi 7 is around the corner.
In any case, this best list of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E routers will help.
Hi Dong
Unfortunately in Australia we dont get new gear till like a year after rest of the world has it!
We are quite behind with tech.
As i was saying im going to get 1gb internet soon
This is what i have access to atm in my country:
Netgear RAXE500 (just released)
Netgear RAX200 (half price of above)
Netgear RAX70 (same price of RAX200)
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 (not AXE11000)
Asus RT-AX88U
Asus RT-AX82U
Thats my options unfortunately.
I started with the Asus RT-AX82U but the more i read the more i figured the Nighthawks were (1) the easiest to set up and (2) the fastest and (3) the best in terms of coverage (for my double brick 2 story house).
What would you pick ?
If you want to get full 1Gbps Internet, the GT-AX11000 is the only option with a Multi-Gig WAN port. Other than the terrible design, it’s great. If you’re happy with sub-Gigabit, the RT-AX82U would do, it’s very cool-looking, too.
Hi
But i thought the RAX200 hassss a 2.5gb wan port ?
And why would i need this you think?
I was talking among Asus routers. I already wrote off Netgear in my previous reply.
Ok sorry i understand now
Plus i guess ASUS give me free virus protection from the router to all my devices so avoids needing to pay for it for the actual PC also.
Just the rapture is $100 more than the RAX200 So i need to weigh up the cost ?
It’s worth it, Jamie. But you can also go with one of the other two.
Ok lastly
Just using the asus app will i be able to easily get it working and up and running as i read the netgear has an easier setup?
Ask yourself if you like kangaroo 🦘 meat. The answer will also apply to your question, one way or another. 🙂 In any case, it’s your call. More in this post — make sure you read the intro.
Hi Dong
Took your advise and ordered me an Asus GT-Ax11000 Rog Rapture, found it for $460us so i think for the money its a good deal.
Do you have any pages explaining how to setup such a router…what i mean by that is how to set-up profiles…maybe one for me one for the kids and one for guests?
So i can give all a different frequency and data allowance possibly? Does the router allow me to do that?
There’s the user manual for that, Jamie. But this post might help. Follow the related links, too. Also, use the site’s search.
Ok thanks alot
Am i right in saying i can set up as many SSID PROFILES as i want? And give that to people that are trying to connect to my network if there over my house rather than one say i use in the
House? And therefore have different settings for each
You can make a Guest network for that. If you need more help, I’d recommend this post. As a rule, also follow the related posts.
Thanks so very much for the info and helping me understand so much more.
Looking forward to getting this router and setting it up
Sure, Jamie. You’ll have fun with it! 🙂
I picked up the rax200 over a week, or so ago but wasn’t impressed with the speeds (maybe it was defected and/or the devices); average speed in the same room was 500-600 Mbps, sometimes less…I exchanged it for the rax120 today because it was priced down, and surprisingly its much faster at close and long range; average speed in the same room over 800 and roughly 25 feet away, 500-600. Thanks!
Glad it worked out, J.
I just don’t understand logic of Netgear. They create Wi-Fi router with better performance but cut WAN to 2.5Gb 🙁 I just dont understand it.
So what can u recommend with WAN at least 5Gb and tri band Wifi 6? 🙂 If it is possible to ask 😉
That’s on the Wi-Fi chip makers, Netgear has little to do with that. Here’s the list of Multi-Gig routers.
Hi Dong
rax200 or rax120
which is better SPEED for short range on wifi 5 devices thanks
Go with the former, Nick. It has real 160MHz
I just purchased a RAX120 from amazon which I haven’t opened yet. The RAX200 went on sale today and it is only $5 more expensive than the RAX120. Any reason for me to send the RAX120 back and purchase the RAX200 instead?
If you want more wireless bandwidth, Thom, then get the RAX200 — more in this post about dual-band vs. tri-band. The RAX120 has a faster (5Gbps) Multi-Gig port, though. Other than that, they are very similar.
So, this can’t be connected in a mesh set up at all like ASUS allows most of their routers connected in mesh? I’m not happy with my ASUS XT8 set up and I’m looking to switch to another brand. I was hoping Netgear would allow me to hook up two RAX200 AX11000 in mesh like ASUS allows.
Do you have any recommendations?
No, Azim. Get one of the Orbi set on this list.
Money isn’t an issue as I’m using my business account.
I have a medium sized 3 bedroom house.
About 30 connected devices.
What is the best router I should get I was looking at the NETGEAR Nighthawk Wifi 6 Router (RAX200) – AX11000.
Is this the very best option?
Lots of home CCTV, IOT and a FSecure Sense router thrown in the mix for my lab computers.
Not really a gamer but I will get a PS5 in the near future for my nieces and nephews to play when they visit.
(I love your site and your reviews. Thanks for doing what you do without trashing it with loads of ads. Respect !)
Congrats on having unlimited resources, G! That’s awesome. :). It’s not possible for me to tell though since it’s not the number of rooms but the square footage and the layout, etc. Check out this post.
Ha ha I wish they were unlimited. I’m a poor struggling contractor spending my company’s money
🙂
I think gonna get it. My house isn’t that big <2500 for sure.
Let me rephrase the question slightly. What is the best router in your opinion? If you could have anyone in your house?
Got it. Considering you mentioned gaming, I’d go with the Asus GT-AX11000.
Thanks Dong. You are a legend
Lol, about as true as to how your resources are unlimited, G. Thanks, though. 🙂
Times are hard Dong. I’m close to having to put regular unleaded into BMW M4. Jokes aside, I really appreciate the advice. What’s your Bitcoin wallet address, Let me buy you a coffee and a pastry this morning.
Thanks, G! You can find out how to support my work on my about page. Make it rain! 🙂
Supported 👍🏻
The about me page is really good, it made smile. The American war that links to the Vietnam war on Wikipedia . That is actually a bit in a episode of young Sheldon. I wonder if they borrowed it from you.
Your journey from the paddy fields to San Fran has me really intrigued. How do you go from no shoes to the CNET router guy from the depths of VC country to America.
Very cool! Respect man.
❣️🙏
Dear Dong. Love your articles. The info is awesome. I have a large home. I want a WiFi 6 router. Fast and easy to use. I currently have Orbi RBR 50 for last two years. It’s been excellent. I just thinking about upgrading. After reading your articles. I’m confused which one to buy. I would appreciate your best choice for me. House is 3500 Sq ft. 3 people in the house. We all work from home. Zoom meetings, streaming 4K. Have 30 devices connected. You Tube TV. We have Sonos. That’s about it. We don’t game. Want fast and reliable router. That’s easy to setup and trouble free. Thank you.
I don’t see why you need to upgrade, Steve. Keep the current setup for now. But if you really want to spend money, get the RBK852.
Hi Dong
Just discovered your site and it’s refreshing to find such clear, unbiased reviews.
I have a question regarding multi-gig WAN/LAN:
With the RAX200, or RAX120, is it possible to take full advantage of a 1.1Gbps internet connection into 2 x 1Gbps ports with WAN aggregation active, then pushing this out from the multi-gig 2.5/1 Gbps port to a suitably specced switch, then on to a PC with a 2.5 Gbps capable NIC and a 1.733 Gbps capable access point?
Or have I completely misunderstood how WAN aggregation works!
Thanks in anticipation.
Cheers
Jonny
That depends on the modem you use, Johnathan. If it supports WAN Link Aggregation, then yes, you can get that full speed on the 2.5 Gbps connected computer. Chances are you won’t get that on any wireless device, though. More on that here.
Thanks for the reply Dong.
The modem is from Virginmedia in the UK and I believe is a version of the Arris Touchstone TG3492LG. There is no definitive answer to whether or not WAN link aggregation is supported. As a consumer targeted device, likely built to cost, I would imagine not.
I think I’ll wait until the multi-gigabit consumer level hardware ecosystem matures a bit!
Thanks for your help.
Jonny
Few questions;
I was reading online about the RAX120, and states it’ll go aprox 3,500 square feet, while the tri-band RAX200 will range about 2,500 square feet, is this true?
Second question is; Are you able to disable the 2.4G SSID on both the RAX 120 and RAX200 and just leave the 5G SSID enabled?
Third question; I have a 4,500 sq ft house, if that is true about the RAX120 and RAX200 range, would you recommend the dual band over tri-band for me? I normally have around 6-8 client devices with 2 being AX WiFi 6 devices on my network.
I do also have 1 GIG internet.
Please advise,
thanks
I’m not going to address stuff you read elsewhere, Nik. All of the coverage numbers I post here are estimates, by the way. Your mileage will vary.
1. Yes, but why would you want to do that? They are entirely separate, even when you use them with the same name and password.
2. I’ve never been to your place so I have no idea. Read this post and you probably can figure that out yourself.
And this post, too.
Hi Dong. Just wanted to say thank you for putting so much great content together. I really love your site. I tested out the netgear ax 12 dual band router and was very impressed by it’s range and speed so I decided to also get the ax200 to see which will work better for me and return what I don’t like. I think that ax12 qualcom chipset gives really stable and incredible reach I’ve never seen before. Plan on having more wifi 6 devices by either end of this year or next so just want to be ready. I already am on a gigabit connection so at least that part is there 🙂
You’re welcome, Sev! Glad you’re here! And thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
Is it possible to elaborate how and why Qualcomm chipset is more preferred than Broadcom in this case?
My purchasing price for RAX200 and RAX120 isabout the same, and I thought extra band would help me allocate concurrent internet uses currently at home so I was going for RAX200, but if there is something else to consider I’d like to have your input… Thanks.
No, H, since I don’t think one chip is really preferred to another.
Given the choice between the RAX120 and RAX200 which one would you get? I just bought the RAX120 from Best Buy for $499 and now thinking about returning it for the RAX200 because to me it looks like you get can get better speed and it has the TRI-Band compared to the RAX120 which has dual.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Awesome Article and Thanks!!
I’d get the RAX200, John, though it’s probably not necessarily going to give you a much better experience. More on that here.
Regarding the fact that you can’t set the channel width in the 5 Ghz bands: I wonder if setting a band to “4800 mbps” enabled 160 Mhz. The default setting is 2400 Mhz. Maybe that’s 80 Mhz. If that’s the case, you could set one band to 2400 and the other to 4800 Mhz. Thoughts?
Yes, Sascha. That’s the idea. However, it’s not a sure thing that the router will work in that mode. It would just pick whichever mode it deems the best for the situation.
I picked up the RAX200, and am so far really disappointed. Very weak wireless on both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Spent hours on tech support with three different agents, with no help at all. Awful! I am seeing about 50Mbps on 2.4 band and 300Mbps on 5 GHz, out of a gigabit service. Any ideas how to get this thing to perform??
2.4GHz is generally bad, Frank. It happens to all new routers. Update the firmware, that might help, but you shouldn’t use the Internet to test your router’s speed. More on that here.
Is the eax80 in combination with the rax200 a real mesh extender?with handover when moving from downstairs to upstairs floor? Or actually merely a wireless repeater? Can eax80 work as wired extender as well?
No, T. Using extenders will not make it a mesh. The RAX200 has no built-in mesh capability, it’s meant to work as a standalone router.
So what about the ASUS AX6100? Mesh isn’t really that important but future proof is I recently upgraded my speeds to gig so I wanna take advantage of multi gig I have the cbk 40 Orbi unhooked I have the cm1200 I heard good reviews about the rax 120 it’s faster then 200. But idk Asus has a good products are good I’m about feed up with netgear since they haven’t had my issue regarding the intel puma 7 defected chipset in the Orbi and tech support puts you thru hell. But yeah need something powerful future proof and great for gaming and multi devices I have over 25 devices connected
The AX6100 is buggy, which is why I haven’t reviewed it. Wait for the ZenWiFi AX.
So what consider the rax 200 or rax120 I really want to something with mesh as well or something I can integrate Orbi into I have the cbk40 and the rbk50 .. the rbk852 is too expensive but yeah I’m open for recommendations
If you think of mesh then you need to forget about the RAX routers, Mike. Those are only good when you only need a single router. Yes, you can add more APs and extenders later with the but that won’t give you a real mesh. The best way to start with a single router and expand your network later is an AiMesh-ready Asus router.
Hello Dong i am looking to purchase either the Asus GT-AX11000 or the Nighthawk Rax200, Am looking to use for gaming and just all around fast speeds, I already have the Netgear CM1200 and I have Xfinity 1G internet, Any recommendations pros over cons for both routers?
They are both great routers, Andre. The Asus has more a lot more features but also requires more tweaking since it’s a tad buggy. The Netgear is way easier to use — just use the default settings and you’re game — but it has fewer options and is more expensive. The Netgear looks much cooler than the Asus by the way. As for the details in how they are different, you’ll have to read the reviews. 🙂
If the price of the rax200 and rax120 were the same, which would you choose for your own use and why?
I have both, Ron. You’ll need to read the reviews and figure that answer out yourself! 🙂 Seriously, this depends on the person’s needs.
One very important / major difference you neglected to mention, the RAX120 is built up on a superior and more preferred Qualcomm chipset while the RAX200 uses a Broadcom based one. The RAX200 is essentially an RAX80 with an extra 5GHz channel and a massively inflated price tag.
Thanks for the input, Tyler. I thought that was a bit too technical to include chipset info. After all, it’s the actual performance that counts.
Which 10gb RJ-45 network card to get. I ordered the RAX120 and use it as NAS for backup also.
Thanks!
This depends on your NAS server. The RAX120’s 5Gbps uses a regular RJ45 port (and supports CAT5e cable) so find a NAS server that supports a card of the same port standard. Alternatively, you can also use the router’s link aggregation feature which is more widely supported in NAS servers.
Hi Dong,
What are your concerns or the issues that a user would experience with the slower CPU speed on the Rax200 vs the faster CPU speed of the Rax120?
Other than the fact it’s a bit slower, there’s no concern, really, since the RAX200 performs really well.
What is the best router to support close to 80 phone devices at once. I have the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 AX11000 Tri-Band and it’s pretty decent, but even it will drop connections on several. Is there a better router to have so many devices streaming at once and not drop? My internet is more than enough as I have over 1gb, that is not the issue FWIW. Also range is not an issue as all the phones are within 6ft of the router placement. If you know of a better router to suit my needs please let me know. Or if there are any settings I should explore? Thanks so much.
I think you need to configure the GT-AX11000’s QoS (it’s part of Game Acceleration) to prioritize Voice over IP and Streaming. That should help!
I don’t know if it is true but I think the RAX200 can be a WiFi mesh system with the new Nighthawk 8-Stream WiFi 6 Mesh Extender (Model: EAX80) that is coming out but I am not sure.
In your personal experience what is the best WiFi 6 router or mesh if you had to choose one because I am trying to buy one, but I don’t know which is the best one that give high speed for gaming (wired and wireless) and everything else. I don’t care about price since I look at it as a future investment. I just need to future proof and also high speed with my gigablast. Thank you
No that’s not true. The EAX80 will NOT turn the RAX200 (or any RAX or non-RAX routers, for that matter) into a true mesh. It’s just an extender, compared to Wi-Fi 5 extenders it will be better but it’s an extender nonetheless. For more check out this post.
Hello, thanks for the great review. So would you say this Rax200 is the fastest and best router if we don’t consider the price?. I currently have Arris Surfboard Pro Max wifi 6 mesh. Which the price is close to the Rax200. Thank you
That depends on what you have (all Wi-Fi 6 clients or not) and what you want (the router has fewer features, it’s not a mesh). But overall, cost aside, the RAX200 is definitely one of the best routers.
Hi Dong. Should I get the AX90 or RAX200 about £60 in it at present on deals but not sure if it’s worth it.
It’s your call, Andy. 🙂 Read the reviews to see which fits your needs better.