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| At a glance | |
| Product | NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router - 802.11ac Dual Band Gigabit [Website] |
| Summary | Broadcom-based simultaneous dual-band AC1750 class Draft 2.0 802.11ac router |
| Pros | • Has WDS, Client Bridge and AP modes • Can reach almost 500 Mbps total 11ac throughput |
| Cons | • No site survey in client bridge mode • Can't adjust transmit power |
Typical Price: $195 Compare Prices Check Amazon |
Introduction
The First Look was based on original V1.0.0.68_1.0.16 firmware, which lacked support for guest networks. NETGEAR has since posted three updates with the lastest V1.0.2.14_1.0.23 firmware including both the missing guest networks and, according to NETGEAR, providing some improvements in draft 11ac mode performance. So this review includes a retest of 5 GHz 80 MHz mode tests as well as 2.4 and 5 GHz testing with our standard Intel 6300 three-stream N client.
NETGEAR has posted the R6300's User Manual, so I was able to grab my usual front and rear panel annotated views shown below.
R6300 front panel callouts
As noted in the First Look, the two USB ports are 2.0 and there is no indication on either the front or rear panels of wired or wireless network activity.
R6300 rear panel callouts
Inside
An anonymous donor was kind enough to open up the R6300 and pass along some photos. The photo below shows six antennas—three for each radio.
R6300 inside front
Removing the board and flipping it over shows all key components with heatsinks or spreaders. The mini-PCIe module at the left of the photo looks awfully familiar. It's safe to say that it's the same one used in Buffalo's WZR-D1800H router and WLI-H4-D1300 bridge.
R6300 inside rear
Some digging around has confirmed that the components used in the R6300, aside from the 5 GHz radio, are the same as used on the WNDR4500. The component summary below pulls all the details into one handy place. The components are the same used in the Buffalo draft 11ac products except for the switch, which is a BCM53125 in the Buffalos.
| NETGEAR R6300 | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Broadcom BCM4706 |
| Switch | Broadcom BCM53115 |
| RAM | 128 MB |
| Flash | 128 MB |
| 2.4 GHz Radio | - BCM4331 - SiGE SE2594L Dual Band 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Front End (x3) |
| 5 GHz radio | - Broadcom BCM4360 - Skyworks SE5003L 5 GHz, 23dBm Power Amp w/ Power Detector (x3) |
Table 1: Component summary
User reviews
Average user rating from: 1 user(s)
NOTE! Please post product reviews from actual experience only.
Questions, review comments and opinions about products not based on actual use will not be published.
R6300 Transfer Rates
I opted for the R6300 in large part due to antenna-less design (higher WAF). I've also had good luck with NETGEAR equipment in the past. I upgraded from a WNDR3700 v1 and also purchased an A6200 usb adapter for the wife's laptop. Router replacement was without incident; I was up and running in a matter of minutes. I used the same SSID and password so all wireless devices reconnected easily.
Wireless improvement was strong even without the A6200 adapter. With the adapter it was a 10-fold gain. Amazing speed.
Here's my wireless results:
File transfer 350MB single file to wireless-N 2.4 Ghz laptop, approx 25 ft away through 3 walls
WNDR3700 - 186 sec (approx 14 Mbs)
R6300 without A6200 adapter - 124 sec (approx 21 Mbs)
R6300 with A6200 (5Ghz AC) - 17 sec (approx 156 Mbs)
Well worth the investment. Stylish design although the bottom ports are a bit awkward. It may not have quite the strength of the ASUS model but wireless improvement cannot be questioned. Wired and other feature tests ongoing.
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NETGEAR R6300 Wireless RetestFirst Look: NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router-802.11ac Dual Band Gigabit
NETGEAR Unveils More Draft 802.11ac Products
NETGEAR Antes Up With Its Draft 802.11ac Router
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