Netgear D7800: The ideal modem for gaming
Not all routers are the same: for the more general purposes, the many modem routers available under $100 can also be good, but if we look for quality at all costs and we are immersed in a highly demanding environment (the gaming industry is one of these), we can not choose any router/modem, but we have to choose a top of range.
In the latter category, the Netgear D7800 Nighthawk X4S, a real ” spaceship “, is ready to take you to the uncompromising gaming platform: LAN party and multiplayer are welcome here. Below is our comprehensive product review, helpful in understanding whether it is worth spending the necessary amount to bring it home.
Table of Contents
Netgear D7800 : Review
Design and packaging
The Netgear D7800 pack immediately gives you the impression of being ahead of a quality product.
By opening the box, we will find all the accessories needed to make the best use of the router, in details: modem / router, 4 removable antennas, power cable, RJ45 Ethernet cable, two ADSL filters, RJ11 telephone cable, of paper use.
The router is definitely beautiful to see, with futuristic lines, slots everywhere and an ” oblique ” design that will surely show you wherever it is placed.
In the front we find all the indicative LEDs that can show us the power on, the correct alignment to the ADSL network or the correct connection to the Internet (if you take advantage of the Internet port as a WAN port), the activation of WiFi networks 2.4 and 5 GHz (flashing when transferring data), correct connection of Ethernet ports (also in this case flashing when data is being transferred) and indicator for WPS. The LEDs are very bright, but can be disabled using the button on the back of the device.
In this regard, we see together the back of the Netgear D7800.
From left to right, we find: button to turn off the LEDs, reset button, 4 pore LAN, a WAN (Internet) port, a telephone line (ADSL or VDSL) port, and end the input for the power supply followed by the button of the router’s physical switch-off.
Two USB 3.0 ports on the left side of the product are included with this router, useful for connecting keyboards, hard drives, and printers. While on the other side of the device, the right one, we find a port.
Features
- Dual-core processor
- Dynamic QoS optimized for gaming and streaming HD content
- ReadySHARE USB to access printer, USB disks and files on keystrokes easily, even wirelessly
- ADSL / VDSL connection
- Fiber optic support with WAN cable
- Compatible with iTunes
- VPN
- FTP server
- DynDNS. Multimedia server (photo, video, and music sharing on LAN)
- Parental Control. Guest Network
There is really nothing missing and as we can observe by analyzing the software, the modem router is able to respond fully to any user needs, from parental control with schedules for programs, services and WiFi to the host network to which anyone can connect come visit us at home.
Software
A good device is not such without the cutting-edge software. Netgear Genie is the ecosystem you will hardly have to do without having tried it for a few minutes.
The software can automatically configure the Internet connection at first start (for ADSL / VDSL), just follow the tutorial and indicate the name of the telephony operator with whom we have signed a contract for the Internet.
In the software dashboard, we can keep everything under control from the first screen thanks to the great icons for the various features of the router modem.
One of the strongest points in the software is definitely ReadySHARE: by connecting a USB drive to the router (hard drive, keychain, NAS, etc.) we will be able to access its content with any network device.
Multimedia content can be managed from the dashboard, both in BASE mode (for less experienced), both in ADVANCED mode (for the most experienced users), where we also find FTP and HTTP services.
If we have a USB printer, we can make it available online with ReadySHARE Print. If we want a continuous and secure backup of our network devices, we can use ReadySHARE Vault.
We can control all devices connected to the router via the Connected Devices menu.
If we want to distribute the bandwidth equally, Netgear Genie is the ideal solution: one of the best QoS in circulation, easy to configure and manage.
Genie is everywhere: we can configure our router even remotely by accessing the dedicated app for Android and iOS.
Performance
We have decided to test the performance of the modem router in a classic multimedia scenario: a USB stick with 2 movies (one FullHD and the other 4K) to share on the network and a Windows 10 connected PC via WiFi to the router. The key connected to the Netgear D7800 is immediately available as a media server in Windows.
Playing a FullHD movie over the network is perfect (both in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) with the test video played without the slightest problem or slowdown, WiFi MU-MIMO and dual-core processor.
The 4K video is also discreet, but in this case very much depends on the network used: playback is good only on a 5 GHz network (AC processor), while on the 2.4 GHz, video is shot (but it does not depend on the router, it needs a lot of bandwidth for 4K video).
In general, a very good result, just remember that for 4K videos, you really need a lot of bandwidth (we’ll have to use all the 2600 Mbps offered by the router to handle this video format at best). No problem with videos in FullHD.
The wireless performance side is good :
- The 2.4 GHz network coverage is based on the N protocol (120-180 meters under optimal conditions).
- The 5 GHz network coverage is about 20-40 meters under optimum conditions.
- On a 2.4 GHz network, up to 5-6 devices can be used simultaneously without slowing down.
- On a 5 GHz network, up to 12 devices can be used simultaneously without slowing down.
Conclusions
It’s hard to choose the right thing at the moment: The Netgear D7800 modem router is all that is expected from a top of the range in home networking. Gaming is a gateway, offering all the features needed to hold a large workload (many real-time connections) even with active transfers over multiple devices and numerous wireless devices.
Multimedia lovers will love the included DLNA service, which allows you to use the router as a useful media server to index a hard drive or NAS; sharing our videos, our photos and our music will be fun with this router, with movies available immediately to all PCs in the network (even a WiFi TV or Ethernet-connected).
Where to Buy Netgear D7800
- Fast wifi performance: Get up to 2500 square feet wireless coverage with AC2600...
- Recommended for up to 45 devices: Reliably stream videos, play games, surf the...
- Wired Ethernet ports: plug in computers, game consoles, streaming players, and...
- Loaded with advanced technology: Designed with a 1.7GHz dual core processor, 4...
- USB connections: Share a storage drive and printer with any connected device,...
Design
Hardware
Software
Performance
The Netgear D7800 modem router is offered at prices ranging between $230 and $300, well above the top of the category. If you can spend less than $250 the value for money is tempting.
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