NETGEAR joins the Wi-Fi 6E wave with its freakishly fast NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 router

Netgear Raxe500 Life
Netgear Raxe500 Life (Image credit: NETGEAR)

What you need to know

  • NETGEAR announced the Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router at CES 2021.
  • The router supports Wi-Fi 6E and gets speeds up to 10.8 Gbps.
  • The Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router launches in Q1 2021 for $600.

NETGEAR announced the Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router today as part of CES 2021. The router supports the 6Ghz band and Wi-Fi 6E, which helps it deliver wireless speeds with less interference. The router can reach wireless speeds of up to 10.8 Gbps and has an Ethernet port 2.5G for those that prefer a wired connection. The router should launch in Q1 2021 with a suggested retail price of $600.

The Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router joins the wave of Wi-Fi 6E routers that we've seen at CES 2021. The technology utilizes the 6 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum, which allows it to utilize more wireless frequencies. Wi-Fi 6E has less congestion and three times more bandwidth than the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

With support for four streams from the 2.4 GHz, 5GHz, and 6 GHz bands each, the Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router has a total of 12 streams for Wi-Fi.

For those that prefer a wired connection, the Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-band WiFi router has a Multi-Gig Ethernet port with 2.5 times the wired speed of normal Gigabit ports. It also has five Gigabit Ethernet ports.

NETGEAR highlights that you don't have to adjust the antennas of the router, stating that they come "pre-optimized." The router also receives automatic firmware updates, so it should be easy to set up and manage.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.