The Netgear Nighthawk RS600 stands out as one of the pioneering WiFi 7 routers available for home use. Although it is technically positioned as a mid-tier option within Netgear’s range, it excels in providing reliable, high-speed internet throughout your household.
With the launch of the iPhone 16, which supports WiFi 7, the importance of this latest standard is particularly relevant for Apple users. In this review, we will examine the RS600’s performance with WiFi 7 using the iPhone 16 Plus for testing…
Design and Build Quality
The router demonstrates an exceptional level of quality in its design and construction, justifying its price point. While many top-performing routers have prominent external antennas to maximize speed and range, the RS600 opts for a more aesthetically pleasing approach, featuring a sleek hexagonal design that adds elegance to its functionality. This makes it an attractive addition to any living space, as most users must place their routers in visible areas like shelves.
Measuring approximately 30 centimeters tall and 15 centimeters wide, the RS600 has a compact footprint, comparable to a large hardback book. This compactness allowed me to discreetly store it away in a corner media cabinet, contrasting with other bulkier WiFi 7 routers, such as the Asus BE98, which takes up significantly more space due to its larger base and protruding antennas. The RS600 integrates seamlessly into my networking shelf and operates quietly, making its presence nearly unnoticeable.
All input and output (I/O) ports are neatly positioned on the back of the router. Each port is aligned vertically, while the front displays corresponding LED indicators for at-a-glance status checks. A white light indicates full speed usage, whereas an orange light signals reduced speeds. This feature allows users to quickly verify correct Ethernet cable connections. However, for those who find the LED indications distracting, I was unable to locate a setting to deactivate them.
Setup and App Design
Setting up the RS600 through the Netgear Nighthawk app on an iPhone is an incredibly straightforward process—almost a plug-and-play experience. Following a simple wizard on the app gets you going quickly. I experienced one hiccup during setup, which provided an opportunity to test the app’s error handling. The app wisely recommended restarting the broadband modem, and after a second attempt, setup proceeded smoothly.
As I transitioned from an existing WiFi network, I renamed the default SSID and password to those of my previous router, allowing all my devices to connect automatically without needing to re-enter passwords. This can easily be done through the app UI, and there’s also an option to access an advanced configuration panel via a web browser on a Mac for more intricate settings.
The app is functional but fairly basic. It offers useful features such as notifications for new devices joining the network. Users can set up specific profiles for devices if desired, including guest networks, but I chose not to implement those features.
One downside is the slightly aggressive promotion of the Netgear Armor security subscription, which I found to be of minimal value given its cost. While the subscription is completely optional, users are reminded of its absence each time they launch the app via a red warning message. However, once everything is functioning smoothly, the necessity to frequently use the app post-setup is quite low.
Wireless Connections with WiFi 7
WiFi 7 represents the latest evolution of wireless standards, offering enhanced theoretical bandwidth and increased speeds for connected devices. One standout feature is multi-link operation (MLO), which assesses the optimal wireless channel to minimize interference in real-time. WiFi 7 supports channel widths of up to 320 MHz, doubling the maximum of 160 MHz available with WiFi 6E.
However, it’s important to note that theoretical capabilities can greatly differ from actual performance. Walls, floors, and distance can significantly impact the speeds experienced in real-world settings. Furthermore, there can be discrepancies between manufacturer claims and the actual capabilities defined by the standards.
Currently, Apple’s only WiFi 7 capable devices are the iPhone 16 series. Although the RS600 can broadcast on channels up to 320 MHz, the iPhone 16 does not fully utilize these capabilities since it only supports up to 160 MHz. This information has not been widely publicized, but we can expect future Apple products to leverage the full potential of routers like the RS600.
Nonetheless, testing yielded impressive results. The iPhone 16 Plus consistently outperformed the MacBook Pro in terms of data transfer speeds and outpaced older iPhone models.
Testing was conducted at various ranges: short (within the same room, just a few feet away), medium (around 20 feet away, in an adjacent room through a wall), and long range (upstairs in a bedroom, with the connection going through the floor). These tests utilized iPerf.
The iPhone 14 Pro operating on 5 GHz WiFi 6 recorded short-range speeds around 720 Mbps, similar results at medium range, and a decrease to approximately 550 Mbps during long-range testing.
Meanwhile, the M3 MacBook Pro using 6 GHz WiFi 6E was faster overall, achieving short-range speeds near 980 Mbps, medium range averages of 850 Mbps, and long-range results around 600 Mbps. The performance drop at longer distances likely relates to the lower penetration capabilities of 6 GHz compared to 5 GHz, which explains why the long-range results drew closer to the iPhone 14 Pro.
So, how does the iPhone 16 Plus perform on WiFi 7? Despite having smaller radios than the MacBook Pro, it surpassed the MacBook Pro at every range tested.
At short range, it broke the 1 Gbps barrier, averaging approximately 1580 Mbps—50% faster than the MacBook Pro and double the performance of the iPhone 14 Pro. My tests showed a peak of 1728 Mbps.
Medium range yielded equally impressive averages of around 1390 Mbps, representing a 60% speed increase over the laptop using WiFi 6E.
As the distance increased, however, performance fell off significantly. In long-range testing, the iPhone 16 Plus averaged about 520 Mbps, slightly below the iPhone 14 Pro’s results, indicating natural variations due to environmental factors. Performance for both phones fluctuated greatly at longer distances, suggesting that long-term averages will likely converge. The laptop managed better long-range speeds, likely due to more robust internal components allowing for a steady connection over greater distances—though we can anticipate future WiFi 7 MacBooks to improve performance further.
When tested in remote areas of the house, both phones maintained around 150-200 Mbps—an impressive range for the RS600. Previously using a mesh system, one on each floor, the long reach capability of the RS600 means my wireless requirements are well met by a single router located downstairs.
This trend underlines the characteristic improvement of WiFi technology over the past decade: remarkable speeds in close proximity that diminish with distance.
Wired Connections
The RS600 has a limited number of high-speed Ethernet ports, featuring two 10 Gbps ports—one of which is dedicated as the Internet port. Regardless of your subscription speed, this port must be allocated for internet use, which is a common obstacle since more than 1 Gbps broadband speeds are currently uncommon. However, this setup does provide significant future-proofing.
The remaining 10 Gbps port must serve any high-speed data storage or home server, such as a Mac mini with a 10 Gbps option. Should you require additional connections, you’ll need to implement a switch for further distribution.
In addition, there are three more Ethernet ports for connecting devices, although they are capped at 1 Gbps each. While most devices don’t require bandwidth exceeding 1 Gbps, this limitation somewhat undermines a WiFi 7 router’s capabilities if wired devices cannot match this speed. Upgrading these ports to at least 2.5 Gbps would provide more leeway for future high-speed devices. Competitors like the TP-Link BE9300 offer four such 2.5 Gbps LAN ports, which is advantageous.
Conclusion
The Netgear Nighthawk RS600 is an impressive router that has become my preferred choice, but I hesitate to recommend it wholeheartedly at this point. If your current WiFi setup is functioning well, transitioning to WiFi 7 may feel premature, as many devices are not yet capable of utilizing the increased speeds.
Furthermore, Apple has yet to release computers that fully utilize the 320 MHz WiFi 7 specifications. However, individual situations vary. If your wireless network is struggling with speed or coverage and you have gigabit (or faster) broadband at home, along with a NAS or a new Mac mini that supports 10 Gbps Ethernet, investing in a WiFi 7 router like the RS600 makes perfect sense.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
