While Wi-Fi 7 is just emerging, Netgear offers the Nighthawk RS700S, a high-end wireless router compatible with the new standard. All that remains is to wait for the devices that can really benefit from it.
Wi-Fi 7, the most advanced standard for Wi-Fi wireless networking today, is really starting to make waves. More and more smartphone models that we receive for testing – mainly high-end devices at the moment – offer Wi-Fi 7 such as the Pixel 8, Samsung S24 Ultra, Honor Magic6 Pro and Magic V2, Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro or even the Xiaomi 13 Pro and 14. On the computer side, it is a rarer commodity. For the moment only Razer Blade laptops (gaming models) benefit from it but Intel is starting to deploy compatible cards (BE200). Also a sign that the 802.11be standard (its official “technical” name) is taking off, Free has just integrated it into its new Freebox Ultra.
What are the benefits of Wi-Fi 7?
We all see it every day: Wi-Fi networks are multiplying. In dense residential areas, such as city buildings, it is not uncommon to be able to detect around fifty active Wi-Fi networks. Everyone, at home, taking advantage of the wireless network provided by their Internet box or router. The result of this multiplication is a real tangle of wireless network channels and a drop in connection performance which can result in a reduction in speeds or difficulty in connecting a device.
To get rid of this congestion, Wi-Fi 7 (like previously Wi-Fi 6E) will use in addition to the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands most used today, a third frequency band, that of 6GHz. Above all, Wi-Fi 7 brings speed. The theoretical speeds announced are based on 46 Gbit/s, five times higher than those of Wi-Fi 6E and even up to ten times higher than those of Wi-Fi 6. It is even possible to use two frequency bands together (5 GHz and 6 GHz) for even more power. Those with an ultra-high-speed fiber connection will immediately feel the difference.
And since Wi-Fi 7 is only just beginning to appear, it is obviously compatible with older devices. It will still be possible to connect mobiles or PCs with Wi-Fi 5, 6 or 6E. Finally, Wi-Fi 7 provides slightly more extensive coverage (between 10 and 15%) compared to Wi-Fi 6. Enough to cover a home a little better, even if the usual obstacles (thick walls, household appliances, etc.) etc.) remain sources of disturbance that the standard cannot circumvent.
If you have just equipped yourself with a state-of-the-art smartphone equipped with Wi-Fi 7 and your Internet box is an ultra high-speed fiber model (with a 2.5, 5 or 10 Gbit/s Ethernet port), you must therefore still add equipment to benefit from Wi-Fi 7 at home. This is the specialty of a router like the Netgear Nighthawk RS700S that we are testing here. If the American was one of the first to integrate this standard into its routers, today it is not the only one to offer it. TP-Link, Xiaomi, Huawei and Asus also have them in their catalog. We were able to test the Nighthawk RS700S tri-band router for several weeks, here is our verdict.
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Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: a sober design but a bulky case
High-performance Wi-Fi routers are generally aimed at gamers. They mostly look like spaceships with very slender shapes and antennas in every direction. Nice surprise with this Netgear Nighthawk RS700S, sobriety is essential. The router takes the appearance of a small tower (28 cm high by 13 cm wide) in a hexagonal shape, all dressed in black. Two metal grilles nestle at the top.
On the front, Netgear has placed a very high surface covered with diodes. They indicate the connection status of the router using icons (their brightness can be deactivated) as well as a WPS pairing button and an LED power button for those who are annoyed by incessant flashing.
At the back, we find very rich connectivity. Two 10 Gbit Ethernet ports (WAN for connection to the box and LAN for connection to a PC for example), 4 1 Gbit Ethernet ports (only) and a USB-A 3.0 port to connect, why not, a hard drive external.
Overall, the finishes are impeccable for a device of this type and we can show it off without any problem. In any case, we have no choice because this box is really bulky and heavy (almost 1.7 kg all the same). Difficult to hide it. Note that it is also possible to use the router by placing it horizontally (lying down) but this is hardly recommended for good distribution of the Wi-Fi network.
Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: a quick start
Getting started with the Nighthawk RS700S does not require any special knowledge. Simply connect the Ethernet cable (a 2 meter CAT7 model is provided) to the box and the WAN port of the router, turn on the device and download the Android or iOS app to start configuring it. All that remains is to scan the QR Code on the device to connect the mobile and get started. The interface is very well designed. In a few moments you can configure the network name (SSID) and the associated password. All that remains is to connect the other Wi-Fi devices in the house to it.
Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: a simple mobile app but a dry web interface
The app interface allows you to see which devices are currently connected or have previously connected to the router. In the same way, you can assess the signal strength, check which channel is used and test the connection in each room of the house or activate the Guest network.
Two icons, well placed at the top of the list of functions on the home page, are of particular interest: Security and Parental Control. The first allows you to benefit from enhanced security on all devices that need to connect to the router (smartphones, tablets and computers). However, this function, powered by BitDefender, is not free. Indeed, Netgear offers its use peacefully for twelve months but you will then have to go to the checkout to renew the subscription (€69 monthly all the same). At the price of the router, it’s a bit petty.
The other option, parental control, allows in its basic formula to simply pause access to the Wi-Fi connection of a child’s device. If you want more (to define usage time limits, filter accessible content, etc.), you can start a trial, free for thirty days, but then billed at 49 euros per month (instead of 70 €). Again, this is a big blow to the wallet.
If the mobile app interface is simple and very practical, the same cannot be said of the web management interface offered for managing the router from a computer. It exudes the austerity of interfaces designed by engineers for engineers. And it’s a shame because the range of adjustment options offered is very complete. However, we appreciate the presence of two Basic and Advanced sections which should allow users of all levels to configure the router as they wish.
Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: impressive speeds
And what does this Wi-Fi 7 mean? To test it, we unfortunately only had an SFR fiber box at our disposal with a package limited to 500 Mbit/s up and down. A flow rate that is far from what the bandwidth of this new standard allows. However, in comparison with an Honor Wi-Fi 6 router, we were able to appreciate some differences. Equipped with a Xiaomi 13 Pro smartphone loaned by the Chinese manufacturer for the occasion (thanks to them), we were able to compare the differences. Connected to the Nighthawk, the download speed of the Xiaomi almost reaches the maximum offered by the box, i.e. 482 Mbit/s compared to 457 Mbit/s with the Honor router. We assume that the inability to reach 500 Mbit/s has more to do with SFR than with the router. In upload speed, the Nighthawk also reaches almost the maximum allowed, i.e. 474 Mbit/s compared to only 313 Mbit/s with the Honor router.
For more concrete measures, we used an Asus laptop PC acting as a server connected via Ethernet to the router and connected the smartphone to Wi-Fi. The 1 Gbit/s Ethernet port was immediately saturated.
Finally, we noticed nice differences in the management of Wi-Fi 7 between different smartphones using one device as a server and another as a client, both connected to the same Wi-Fi 7 network on the 6 GHz band established by the router. Thus, the Pixel 8 Pro struggles to exceed 500 Mbit/s in download and 800 Mbit/s in upload. The Xiaomi 13 Pro and 14 Ultra that we had at our disposal exceeded 1.4 Gbit/s in both directions.
We also see that on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the connection to the router sometimes managed to climb up to 5.7 Gbit/s!
Surprise with the Honor Magic6 Pro which simply did not detect the Wi-Fi 7 network even though the smartphone is normally compatible. Finally, our valiant Samsung S23 Ultra and its Wi-Fi 6E easily reached the speed of 1.2 Gbit/s in both directions. We therefore see that the implementation of Wi-Fi 7 among different manufacturers is not an exact science.
On the coverage side, we noticed only little loss, going from a strength of -38 dBm at 1 m from the router to -84 dBm in the most remote room of the house (around 10 meters but with several obstacles). The Honor router with its Wi-Fi 6 and external antennas doesn’t do much better.
Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: should you crack this Wi-Fi 7 router?
The Nighthawk RS2700S poses a dilemma. It allows you to benefit from a speed on the wireless network that is incomparable compared to what a classic Internet box offers (the Freebox Ultra which itself has Wi-Fi 7 remains an isolated case). In some cases, performance even goes beyond what an Ethernet connection can deliver. The network coverage is also expanded, which makes it possible to do without Wi-Fi repeaters. Please note, it is not at the level of a mesh system (Mesh). But do we really need to spend almost 900 euros (at the official price) for this?
Because despite its undeniable performance, this Nighthawk, at the moment, is struggling to forget the Wi-Fi 6E which is already very comfortable in the majority of uses. Wi-Fi 7, available today in just over a hundred devices, mainly smartphones, will inevitably become more widespread. The Nighthawk RS700S will then be a very good companion for connecting all the wireless devices in the house. For the moment, unless you are already equipped with compatible devices and resolutely looking for speed and performance, its high price prevents it from being absolutely essential. If you have a little patience, its price may well drop when the competition becomes fiercer.