Netgear R6300 802.11ac Dual Band Gigabit Router review

To test media streaming, we connected to the router on the 5GHz band and streamed HD videos from an attached USB drive. We saw smooth video playback at distances up to 20m, but we saw occasional video buffering between 20m and 25m. Considering the wireless signal has to penetrate two walls to reach our test equipment, this is an impressive result.

Fortunately, despite its powerful features, the R6300 is easy to use. The main configuration screen is split into two tabs: Basic and Advanced. You can configure internet access, wireless security settings and attached devices using the Basic tab alone, but if you want to configure features such as dynamic DNS, port forwarding and WDS you need to switch to the Advanced tab. Having these functions separated cuts down on clutter and makes the router easier to use.

The free app is a good idea for those who use mobile devices and like to tinker

You can also configure the router using the Genie app for iOS or Android. We downloaded the app to our iPad 3 and were impressed with its simple layout and features. It won’t replace your router’s built-in web interface, but the Genie app does let you configure basic wireless settings such as the router’s SSID, the wireless security password and the channel on which it operates. It also lets you view and play media from devices attached to the R6300 and on your network, configure guest access and view your network map. You can also configure parental controls and view network traffic. It may not be as powerful as the router’s web interface, but it does let you configure common settings from your sofa without having to log in to the router.

We’re really impressed by the Netgear R6300. 802.11ac is proving to be incredibly fast, and, while the lack of compatible adaptors limits its usefulness at the moment, the R6300 is extremely fast even with 802.11n devices in 5GHz mode and has excellent range. The router is also easy to set up and use, so is a worthy Ultimate award winner.