NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 Reviewer's Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. NETGEAR Manuals
  4. Wireless Router
  5. Nighthawk X6
  6. Reviewer's manual

NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 Reviewer's Manual

Ac3200 tri-band wifi router
Hide thumbs Also See for Nighthawk X6:
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

See also: User Manual , Installation Manual

Nighthawk X6

AC3200 TRI-BAND WiFi Router

Reviewer Guide

June 2014
1

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading

Related Manuals for NETGEAR Nighthawk X6

Summary of Contents for NETGEAR Nighthawk X6

  • Page 1: Nighthawk X6

    Nighthawk X6 AC3200 TRI-BAND WiFi Router Reviewer Guide June 2014...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    ReadySHARE Printer ..........................12 Guest Network ............................ 12 DLNA ..............................12 NETGEAR Live Parental Controls ......................12 6. NETGEAR genie application ........................13 7. Bridge Mode ............................16 How to Set Up Bridge Mode on the NIGHTHAWK Router ..............17 ...
  • Page 3 Technical Evaluation Recommendations .................... 20 5 GHz Performance Test Using Bridge Mode ..................21 2.4 GHz Performance Test Using Bridge Mode ................... 24 Stress Test ............................25 Smart Connect test using load balancing .................... 29...

  • Page 4: Resources

    Jocelyn Shaw Weber Shandwick 415.262.5904 JShaw2@webershandwick.com Also included in the package is the Nighthawk X6 User manual, please refer to it for more detailed product features and functionality. For additional information, including the product fact sheet, visit http://www.netgear.com/NIGHTHAWK 2. Introduction The Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router with six high performance antennas and three network bands, one 2.4GHz and two 5GHz delivers a combined WiFi connection speeds up to 3200 Mbps WiFi.

  • Page 5: Smart Connect

    Smart Connect Your router comes with one 2.4 GHz WiFi band and two 5 GHz WiFi bands. The router automatically uses Smart Connect to intelligently choose the best 5 GHz band for your dual-band device to give you the best WiFi performance. For Smart Connect to work, both 5 GHz bands must use the same wireless network name (SSID) and network key (password).

  • Page 6: Technical Specifications

    ReadySHARE® Vault for automatic PC backup to a USB hard drive connected to the router  NETGEAR DNS service- free custom url. Customized free URL to set up personal FTP server  Find & play your media on DLNA TVs, game consoles and more ...

  • Page 7: Getting Started

    The second step is connecting the NIGHTHAWK X6 to the Ethernet cable that provides Internet access and then to AC power. Make sure the NIGHTHAWK X6 is turned on – the power button is found on the back of the router, at the bottom.
  • Page 8 The third step is connecting your PC, smartphone or tablet to the NIGHTHAWK X6. As noted above, setting up the NIGHTHAWK X6 is quick and easy. The set up process can be managed from any wired or wireless device on the network that runs a web browser, including PCs, Macs, smartphones, and tablets.

  • Page 9: Wireless Speed And Range

    ReadySHARE USB The NIGHTHAWK X6 is ready for instant file sharing – just plug a USB hard drive or flash drive into either of the router’s two USB ports. Files on the shared drive can then be accessed anywhere on the network,...

  • Page 10: Readyshare Vault

    as well as outside the home through a web browser or via File Transfer Protocol (FTP.). By default only Network Connection and HTTP are enabled. ReadySHARE Vault Your router comes with free backup software for all the Windows computers in your home. Connect a USB hard disk drive (HDD) to the USB port on your router for centralized, continuous, and automatic backup.

  • Page 11: Beamforming

    Beamforming+ technology boosts speed, reliability and range of WiFi connections. The router automatically uses NETGEAR Beamforming+ technology to enhance WiFi performance with 802.11ac WiFi devices. Because it’s automatic, you don’t have to turn on Beamforming+ or configure it. When you connect to the WiFi network, Beamforming+ focuses on your location for even better WiFi performance and speed.

  • Page 12: Readyshare Printer

    You can play this music to Airplay devices.> USB Storage > Media Server. ReadySHARE Printer The NIGHTHAWK X6 makes it possible to share almost any USB printer with PCs and Macs on the home network, through either a wired or wireless connection. With the NIGHTHAWK X6, there’s no need to buy a new printer with built-in WiFi to provide wireless printing to every PC and Mac on the network.

  • Page 13: Netgear Genie Application

    NETGEAR genie mobile apps are also available for iPhones, Android phones, and iPads. To download NETGEAR genie, go to www.netgear.com/genie...
  • Page 14 The NETGEAR genie utility goes beyond the genie interface that comes with the NIGHTHAWK X6 by providing an in-depth look at network performance and allowing advanced configuration for the router’s many features. The NETGEAR genie home screen is the starting point:...
  • Page 15 The Network Map presents a visual image of all devices connected to the home network: The WiFi Channels feature shows which wireless channels are being used by the NIGHTHAWK X6 and nearby access points:...

  • Page 16: Bridge Mode

    The Internet feature shows real-time Internet speed for both download and upload: 7. Bridge Mode To test the 802.11 ac performance of the Nighthawk X6, set the Nighthawk R7000 WiFi router in bridge mode and connect it to the Nighthawk X6 R8000. Bridge mode lets you connect multiple devices wirelessly at the faster 802.11ac speed.

  • Page 17: How To Set Up Bridge Mode On The Nighthawk Router

    For a Gigabit WiFi connection for your home entertainment center, install the first NIGHTHAWK router, then set up the second NIGHTHAWK in Bridge mode near the home entertainment center and connect via Ethernet your Smart TV, DVR, game console or Blu-ray® player. The NIGHTHAWK Bridge connects at 802.11ac WiFi speeds to the NIGHTHAWK WiFi Router, providing you a gigabit wifi connection to your home entertainment center.
  • Page 18 3. Click Use other operating mode and select Enable Bridge mode.
  • Page 19 4. Click Setup bridge mode wireless settings and configure the following items on the pop- up window. a. Click the drop-down menu to choose the wireless network frequency (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) of the router you are connecting to. Please choose 5GHz to setup in 802.11ac mode.

  • Page 20: Appendix

    2. WAN to LAN Speed The methodology for running WAN to LAN Speed test is explained below. For the NIGHTHAWK X6, TCP and UDP performance in both downlink and uplink directions are in the 400-550 Mbps range. 3. Simultaneous Session test When both Wi-Fi networks (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) are connected to clients and passing network traffic at...

  • Page 21: Ghz Performance Test Using Bridge Mode

    Storage (NAS) device. There is no need for configuration or software installation. Simply type \\readyshare at Start -> Run when a PC is connected to the NIGHTHAWK X6, either wired or wirelessly. The methodology NETGEAR uses to test USB access performance is highlighted below.
  • Page 22 To connect the R7000 or R6300 to the Nighthawk X6 using bridge mode: 1. Log in to the Nighthawk X6. a. Launch an Internet browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the network. b. Type http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.
  • Page 23 10. Specify the 5 GHz-One Radio settings of Nighthawk X6 which this router will connect. a. In the Chose a Wireless Networks drop-down list, select Wireless Networks (5Ghz n/ac). b. In the Name (SSID) field, enter the Nighthawk X6’s wireless network name (SSID) for the 5 GHz-One Radio or 5 GHz-Two Radio.

  • Page 24: Ghz Performance Test Using Bridge Mode

    2.4 GHz Performance Test Using Bridge Mode To test the Nighthawk X6-R8000’s 2.4 GHz-256 QAM, connect a Nighthawk-R7000 to the Nighthawk X6- R8000 using bridge mode. Note: The 256 QAM for the 2.4 GHz band is turned on by default on the Nighthawk-R7000.

  • Page 25: Stress Test

    Maximum Performance/ Stress Test To setup a stress test to test the performance of all three WiFi bands on the Nighthawk X6-R8000, connect an R7000 to the Nighthawk X6’s 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHZ-radio 1 band, and 5 GHz-radio 2 band.
  • Page 26  Three NETGEAR Nighthawk-R7000 routers in bridge mode: To connect three R7000 routers to the Nighthawk X6 using bridge mode: 1. Log in to the Nighthawk X6. a. Launch an Internet browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the network.
  • Page 27 The screen adjusts. 10. Click the setup bridge mode wireless settings button. 11. Specify the 2.4 GHz settings of the Nighthawk X6 to which this router will connect. a. In the Chose a Wireless Networks drop-down list, select Wireless Networks 2.4Ghz b/g/n).
  • Page 28 19. Specify the 5 GHz-One Radio settings of Nighthawk X6 which this router will connect. a. In the Chose a Wireless Networks drop-down list, select Wireless Networks (5Ghz n/ac). b. In the Name (SSID) field, enter the Nighthawk X6’s wireless network name (SSID) for the 5 GHz-One Radio or 5 GHz-Two Radio.

  • Page 29: Smart Connect Test Using Load Balancing

    Smart Connect test using load balancing To set up the smart connect test, enable Smart Connect on the Nighthawk X6-R8000 and connect a few of suggested devices to both of the 5 GHz bands. Run the same test with another AC1750 or AC1900 WiFi router and compare the performance results Use the following equipment to set up this test: ...

  • Page 30: Required Equipment

    10. Specify the 5 GHz setting of Nighthawk X6 which this router will connect. a. In the Chose a Wireless Networks drop-down list, select Wireless Networks (5Ghz n/ac). b. In the Name (SSID) field, enter the Nighthawk X6’s wireless network name (SSID) for the 5 GHz-One Radio or 5 GHz-Two Radio.
  • Page 31 Standard Ethernet cable from the router to the computer that is running the IxChariot endpoint. 9. Throughput Consistency Test the throughput variance to see how consistently the client can receive optimum speeds. NETGEAR advises verifying the throughput in the following scenarios: ...
  • Page 32 Follow these steps: 1. Open IxChariot, and select the “High_Performance_Throughput.scr” script. 2. Set the run time to 1 minute. IxChariot Downlink Test Set up 4 pairs of the same script for 2.4GHz, and 8 pairs for each of the two 5GHz 802.11ac traffic. ...
  • Page 33 Set Up and Run Iperf Copy IPerf.exe onto each computer - one connected to the PC via wired Ethernet to the router and to the wireless client computer. Iperf Downlink Test 1. On the computer with the wireless adapter, run Iperf as the server. Type: IPerf.exe –s –w 2M –i 1 (Run as server mode and 2MB file size).
  • Page 34 2. Upload sped test: Set up with IxChariot with endpoint 1 as LAN IP address, endpoint 2 as WAN IP address. Select “Filesendl.scr” script (a file send script) and edit the file size from 100,000 Bytes to 1,000,000 Bytes. Setup and run the test for 1 minute and collect the data. 3.

Table of Contents