Netgear has won a CES 2021 Innovation Award for its new Nighthawk device, billed as the world’s first all-purpose Wi-Fi 6E router.
The Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band Wi-Fi router adds the 6GHz spectrum to the existing 5GHz and 2.4GHz, which David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products at Netgear, says frees up space on congested bands to provide speeds up to 10.8Gbps.
“Our mission at Netgear is to provide products with cutting edge technologies to enable people to work, learn, stream and game more effectively in a connected world.
“The Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band Wi-Fi Router will capitalise on the available bandwidth afforded by the new 6Ghz channel, delivering an increase in speed and capacity that has never been experienced up until this moment,” he said.
The RAXE500 promises twelve streams of tri-band wi-fi: four streams of 6GHz, four streams of 5GHz, and four streams of 2.4GHz. It includes one 2.5G and five gigabit ethernet ports; pre-optimised antennas; and a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core processor for 4K/8K UHD streaming and gaming.
According to Phil Solis, research director at IDC, the addition of the 6GHz band will increase wi-fi network capacity, allowing networks to support more devices.
“The proliferation of wi-fi over the last few decades first stressed the 2.4GHz band and then eventually the 5GHz band with Wi-Fi 4, 5, and 6.
“As regulatory bodies around the world open up the 6 GHz band, Wi-Fi 6E networks will provide enabled devices with the breathing room to use large channels even in dense and congested areas with higher average data rates and lower latency,” he said.
The RAXE500 will be available in the first quarter of this year, selling for $599.99 USD (approximately $840 AUD).
