Is the Nighthawk RAX50 right for you?

So, here’s the thing. The Nighthawk RAX50 is a good, affordable upgrade. It’s best used for internet plans of 940Mbps or slower and mid-sized homes that don’t have a lot of devices fighting for bandwidth.

But when we stand back and gaze out into the (seemingly) vast sea of routers we’ve traversed to date, we can rightfully say there’s a better bang for your buck. The TP-Link Archer AX6000 is a good example of that, which packs more features under the hood for around $40 more.

Fastest internet plans for the RAX50

The RAX50 uses Gigabit Ethernet for internet, so it’s not compatible with internet plans of 1,000Mbps and faster. To see if you have the best internet speeds for the RAX50, run our speed test first:

Nighthawk RAX50 standout features

The RAX50 has a limited feature set for the price. It has some basic level of security (like all routers do), but you need a subscription for malware protection and the VPN client.

Compare the Nighthawk RAX50 to the competition

All four routers listed above have similar speeds, so we’ll ignore that for now—we talk more about speeds in the Performance section. These routers are differentiated by their features, and honestly, we think the TP-Link Archer AX6000 is the best deal in the batch.

Of the four, the Archer AX6000 has the highest device capacity. It also offers eight wired ports, two USB ports, free security, free parental controls, and multi-gig support. Sure, it’s around $7 more than the Nighthawk RAX50, but you get more bang for your buck. Plus, with the RAX50, you need subscriptions for security and parental controls.

See our full coverage of the best Wi-Fi routers.

Our Nighthawk RAX50 scoring breakdown

* out of 5 points

The RAX50 did well matching the speeds of other AX5400 models we’ve tested to date, such as the TP-Link Archer AX5400 Pro and NETGEAR’s own Nighthawk XR1000 gaming router. All three started off strong at close range and tested around 600Mbps when we stood outside on the porch (40 feet). They also pushed speeds above 240Mbps when we walked across the street and tested at 120 feet. Nice.

Our Wi-Fi 5 results were similar to what we tested with the Archer AX5400 Pro and Nighthawk XR1000 routers using a smartphone with an 866Mbps cap. Again, we generally see similar numbers on non-budget routers, starting around 650Mbps average at close range to around 120Mbps average at 120 feet outside.

For the price, the RAX50 isn’t packed with a lot of extras. The only callouts here are the built-in OpenVPN server and ReadyShare. With the latter, you can plug in a USB drive and share files locally or over the internet. You can stream media locally, too, using the router’s built-in DLNA media server.

What we wish the Nighthawk RAX50 did better

• More free parental controls
• Free security

The RAX50 supports NETGEAR’s standalone Smart Parental Controls platform. It wasn’t available to us at the time of the review—the tile wouldn’t display in the Nighthawk app—but as we’ve seen on other NETGEAR routers, the free features are minimal at best.

Free security is another item on our wishlist. Routers from ASUS and TP-Link provide free security, whereas you need a NETGEAR Armor subscription for basic malware prevention and more.

The maximum 4,800Mbps bandwidth on the 5 GHz band stems from using 160 MHz-wide channels, which means higher speeds if you have devices that support superwide channels and radar isn’t a major show-stopping issue. You get more channels but half the bandwidth if you select the “Up to 2400 Mbps” mode.

The router’s overall design lacks multi-gig support, making it best used with internet plans of 940Mbps and slower. Link aggregation isn’t supported either, but the USB port comes in handy for streaming media and sharing files across your local network.

We used the router’s web interface to set up our network, a nearly painless 12-step process that took several minutes to complete. It’s a little lengthy due to the security questions, speed test, and firmware update, and at the end, the setup prompted us to create or sign in to a NETGEAR Account—which was a little annoying and forced us to open a new tab to log into the router’s interface (after a moment of head-scratching).

Unfortunately, you can’t ignore NETGEAR’s cloud account requirement if you plan to use the Nighthawk app. Even if you never intend to manage your network outside your home, you must have a NETGEAR Account and your admin credentials to use the Nighthawk app. Go figure.

NETGEAR pushes its Nighthawk app front and center, but the web interface is where you’ll find all the settings. NETGEAR uses the same two-tab (Basic and Advanced) layout across all its non-gaming standalone routers and mesh systems. It’s not eye-meltingly attractive, but it gets the job done, and that’s what matters.

The Nighthawk app is simplistic at best. It presents a similar tile design on the home screen but offers the most basic controls, like rebooting the router, sharing the Wi-Fi login credentials, and so on. User profiles are locked to the parental controls, which allow you to assign devices to a specific user so you can manage them in a single group.

Are there any additional costs?

The RAX50 is compatible with the NETGEAR Smart Parental Controls subscription service that costs $7.99 per month or $69.99 annually. The NETGEAR Armor subscription is also optional, costing $99.99 per year. The NETGEAR ProSupport for Home service starts at $19.99 for a two-year extended warranty or $49.99 for the extended warranty and pro support services.

Our Nighthawk RAX50 review: The verdict

The Nighthawk RAX50 is a decent pick if you’re upgrading from Wi-Fi 5. It matches other AX5400-class routers we’ve tested to date, hitting an 857Mbps average at close range and over 240Mbps when we stand outside at 120 feet. Most non-budget routers linger in this speed range anyway, so speed shouldn’t be your deciding factor.

Our problem here is there’s not much else making the RAX50 stand out in a crowded router market. It includes a built-in OpenVPN server, a media server, and file sharing, but that’s it. Very (very) basic parental controls are at your disposal—which you can still use for device management if you don’t have kids.

That all said, TP-Link’s cheaper Archer AX5400 Pro packs a multi-gig internet port for internet plans 1,000Mbps and faster, as does the meatier Archer AX6000 for $40 more. Overall, NETGEAR’s RAX50 feels more like a platform to sell services versus a great value you’ll appreciate for years to come.

Get the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50

FAQ about the Nighthawk RAX50

Methodology

We test router speed by setting up each router in an office and connecting it to a local test server. Then, we transmit test data between our wireless devices and the server, taking numerous measurements to account for fluctuations in Wi-Fi speeds.

The first tests occur close to the router, without obstructions—so the Wi-Fi is as strong and fast as it’s gonna get. We repeat the process straight out at 10, 20, and 30 feet, with only a glass door obstructing our view of the router. The same glass door and an exterior door blocks our path when we test outside at 40 and 50 feet.

We also run tests in a hallway to the left of the TV room and office—where there’s a glass door, three walls, and an air handler unit blocking our view of the router. The dining room, another testing point, sits to the right of the kitchen, TV room, and office—two walls and a glass door block the path in this test.

To test video streaming, we connect a fast storage device to the router and stream a 4K video to six wireless devices simultaneously—two phones, three tablets, and a laptop—connected to the same wireless band.

Client devices used in testing

Nighthawk RAX50 benchmarks (5 GHz only)

Disclaimer