NETGEAR Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 Review

Finally catching up with a new NETGEAR product and the RAX120 is on the table for today’s review. With top-tier performance under the hood and one of the most unique aesthetic designs to grace a router, we’re pleased to run it through its paces in the video review below…

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX120 Router: Specifications

Datasheet: HERE

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX120 Router: Video Review

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX120 Router: Roundup

The NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX120 is a feature-rich and performance-orientated router, there’s no doubt about it. With a powerful quad-core CPU, Wi-Fi 6 features like MU-MIMO and OFDMA on both channels, beamforming and 12 Wi-Fi streams, four for the 2.4GHz channel and eight for the 5GHz channel enabling up to the quoted four 2×2 devices to be connected concurrently.

A 160MHz HT connection isn’t off the table, though the router will need to be manually configured to do so with the correct use of the DFS channel technology pushing users to vacant lanes to keep speeds high. However, Smart connect will typically connect all WiFi 6 devices, even those capable of 160MHz, at 80MHz. 80MHz is also the channel width needed to connect four 2×2 devices simultaneously.
I was impressed when I concluded that the Nighthawk RAX120 could easily provide throughput and range for a high demand household, especially with content consumption, with the likes of Netflix and others booming in recent years. I tested with 3 iPhone 11’s, my VR PC with Wi-Fi 6, and my PC connected via Ethernet and all played back media with no issues at all!

QoS was a feature that initially confused me as the only options for it was outgoing traffic instead of incoming traffic. But concluded that it’s just as important to manage the flow of traffic leaving the router as it is coming in, and it’s a neat feature. Especially if you’re a streamer or content creator.

NETGEAR Armour is another feature that needs to be mentioned. I get that it’s a premium option, but competitors are offering a package included with the router, for the life of the router.
Then again, once the 30-day trial is finished there’s no obligation to renew.
That being said, paying for the product also gets you “unlimited” device protection so it’s not just a router package, this makes it a much more compelling option for anyone looking for an all-in-one device and router protection package for their whole household. At £59.99/$69.99 per year it’s not a cheap package, but again, does provide router and device protection which includes smartphones, laptops, and PC and Mac computers.

Finally, the mobile app available on Apple and Android devices is a great addition for making basic changes, this can also be done remotely which is a great addition. Here you can also add and remove the aforementioned NETGEAR Armour services.

In summary: The NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX120 is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 512MB of RAM, and 1GB of flash memory. It’s a 12-stream dual-band router with four streams on the 2.4GHz band and eight streams on the 5GHz band that can reach maximum (theoretical) speeds of up to 1.2Gbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 4.8Gbps on the 5GHz band.

At the time of this review, the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX120 is available at between £329 and £389. Making this a substantial outlay. But what you get is a strong feature-rich and high-performance product in return and I’m pleased to award the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX120 Play3r’s Gold Award.

Big thanks to NETGEAR for sending in the Nighthawk RAX120 over for review.