A cheap way to get into Wi-Fi 7
An exceptionally cost-effective way of getting into Wi-Fi 7, the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router has a good range of 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and it’s capable of fast speeds close up. Range suffered at distance in my tests, due to heavy wireless interference. If you live in an area without many rival networks or in a smaller flat, then this router could be the ideal upgrade.
-
Good value -
Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 -
Fast at range
-
Needs web interface for some settings -
Speed drops at range
Key Features
-
Review Price: £199.99 -
Tri-band
2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz networking. -
2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
Four ports for wired devices.
Introduction
While a mesh system is right for most people, those who live in a more compact apartment or somewhere without much network interference may well find that a standard wireless router might well do the trick.
If that’s you, having a router doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on overall speed, as the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router shows.
Design and features
- Four 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports
- Compact body
- Optional parental controls and security
Although a standalone router, the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router has more in common, design-wise, with the Orbi series. Similar to the Netgear Orbi 970 Series, this router is a tall column, with its antennas hidden inside.
The front is for the status lights, but the back holds all of the Ethernet ports, and it’s good to see a fine array here. In addition to the 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet internet port, the router also has four 2.5 Gigabit LAN ports.
That’s great if you’ve got wired devices that you want to use, and you may not need to buy another Ethernet switch as a result.
Internally, this Wi-Fi 7 router has three bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz and the faster 6GHz. When a Wi-Fi 7 device connects, it can use all three bands at once for the fastest connection speed.
Each band provides two Wi-Fi streams, and the router has a maximum throughput of up to 9.3Gbps. That’s a fair amount of bandwidth, and Netgear says that this router is ideal for up to 100 devices.
Configuration of the router can be handled by a web browser on a regular computer if you must, but the easiest option is to use the Nighthawk app. This has a quick wizard that takes you through connecting to the router and configuring the internet connection and a secure wireless network.
Once set up, the Nighthawk app is very similar to the Orbi app, which is used for the company’s mesh systems. Once in the app, the main screen shows the network status and lets me see what is connected to the router.
As with the Orbi systems that I’ve reviewed, the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router offers two paid-for subscriptions. The first is Parental Controls, which lets me create profiles and assign devices. Each profile can have web filtering turned on and internet access scheduled. If you’ve got kids in the house, it’s well worth having.
Next is Netgear Armor, which is security powered by BitDefender. It offers security for any device connected to the network, but also lets you download clients for any computers and smartphones you have, so you stay protected when you leave your home.
As I’ve said in Orbi reviews, it would be nice if these systems were linked and there was one subscription to manage.
The app also lets me toggle the guest network and change the main Wi-Fi settings, but there are no more settings. If you want to use port forwarding or manually select wireless channels, you have to use the web interface. I don’t mind a web interface, but it would be nice if everything were in one place.
Performance
- Fast close-up
- Performance drops at speed
To test how fast the router was, I used an OpenSpeedTest server running on a computer connected to the router via a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connection. For a client, I used an iPhone 16 Pro.
Performance close-up was good, with average throughputs of 994.55Mbit/s. That’s much faster than a regular Wi-Fi 6 router, although the best Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems do better.
I live in quite a congested area for wireless networks, and this shows in the performance at range. Moving to my first floor, performance dropped to 195Mbit/s.
Moving to the second floor, performance dropped to just 115.15Mbit/s. Clearly, the router was unable to use all of its wireless channels together to get the Wi-Fi 7 speeds I’ve seen from mesh networks, where I can place satellites around my home to boost the signal.
If you live somewhere with a lot of wireless networks around you, then a mesh system makes more sense, particularly if you have multiple floors. If you live in a smaller flat or don’t have many wireless networks around you, this router will be quick.
Should you buy it?
You want a cheap way to get Wi-Fi 7
For smaller apartments or for those without many wireless networks around them, this is a good way to get into Wi-Fi 7.
You need better performance at range
Those with larger properties and those with many neighbouring networks will find a mesh system more suitable.
Final Thoughts
Although its speeds dropped at range in my tests, the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router is fast close-up, and it’s also a lot cheaper than Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems.
If you live in a smaller flat or don’t have many neighbours around you, this is a cost effective way of getting fast networking and the benefits of Wi-Fi 7. For larger homes and areas with a lot of wireless congestion, one of our best routers probably makes more sense.
How we test
We test every wireless router we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Used as our main wireless router for the review period
- We throughput test all wireless devices using the same equipment in the same locations so that we have accurate comparisons
FAQs
Yes, this router has 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz networking.
This router has four 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports for the LAN, and one 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet WAN port.
Test Data
| Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router | |
|---|---|
| 5GHz (close) | 994.55 Mbps |
| 5GHz (first floor) | 195.6 Mbps |
| 5GHz (second floor) | 115.15 Mbps |
Full Specs
| Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £199.99 |
| Manufacturer | Netgear |
| Size (Dimensions) | 150 x 150 x 249 MM |
| Weight | 950 G |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 08/01/2026 |
| Model Number | Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router |
| Wifi Spec | Wi-Fi 7 (2.4GHz, 2×2, 0.7Gbit/s; 5GHz, 2×2, 2.9Gbit/s; 6GHz, 2×2, 5.8Gbit/s) |
| Number of Ethernet ports | 4 |
A cheap way to get into Wi-Fi 7
An exceptionally cost-effective way of getting into Wi-Fi 7, the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router has a good range of 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and it’s capable of fast speeds close up. Range suffered at distance in my tests, due to heavy wireless interference. If you live in an area without many rival networks or in a smaller flat, then this router could be the ideal upgrade.
-
Good value -
Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 -
Fast at range
-
Needs web interface for some settings -
Speed drops at range
Key Features
-
Review Price: £199.99 -
Tri-band
2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz networking. -
2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
Four ports for wired devices.
Introduction
While a mesh system is right for most people, those who live in a more compact apartment or somewhere without much network interference may well find that a standard wireless router might well do the trick.
If that’s you, having a router doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on overall speed, as the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router shows.
Design and features
- Four 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports
- Compact body
- Optional parental controls and security
Although a standalone router, the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router has more in common, design-wise, with the Orbi series. Similar to the Netgear Orbi 970 Series, this router is a tall column, with its antennas hidden inside.
The front is for the status lights, but the back holds all of the Ethernet ports, and it’s good to see a fine array here. In addition to the 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet internet port, the router also has four 2.5 Gigabit LAN ports.
That’s great if you’ve got wired devices that you want to use, and you may not need to buy another Ethernet switch as a result.
Internally, this Wi-Fi 7 router has three bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz and the faster 6GHz. When a Wi-Fi 7 device connects, it can use all three bands at once for the fastest connection speed.
Each band provides two Wi-Fi streams, and the router has a maximum throughput of up to 9.3Gbps. That’s a fair amount of bandwidth, and Netgear says that this router is ideal for up to 100 devices.
Configuration of the router can be handled by a web browser on a regular computer if you must, but the easiest option is to use the Nighthawk app. This has a quick wizard that takes you through connecting to the router and configuring the internet connection and a secure wireless network.
Once set up, the Nighthawk app is very similar to the Orbi app, which is used for the company’s mesh systems. Once in the app, the main screen shows the network status and lets me see what is connected to the router.
As with the Orbi systems that I’ve reviewed, the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router offers two paid-for subscriptions. The first is Parental Controls, which lets me create profiles and assign devices. Each profile can have web filtering turned on and internet access scheduled. If you’ve got kids in the house, it’s well worth having.
Next is Netgear Armor, which is security powered by BitDefender. It offers security for any device connected to the network, but also lets you download clients for any computers and smartphones you have, so you stay protected when you leave your home.
As I’ve said in Orbi reviews, it would be nice if these systems were linked and there was one subscription to manage.
The app also lets me toggle the guest network and change the main Wi-Fi settings, but there are no more settings. If you want to use port forwarding or manually select wireless channels, you have to use the web interface. I don’t mind a web interface, but it would be nice if everything were in one place.
Performance
- Fast close-up
- Performance drops at speed
To test how fast the router was, I used an OpenSpeedTest server running on a computer connected to the router via a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connection. For a client, I used an iPhone 16 Pro.
Performance close-up was good, with average throughputs of 994.55Mbit/s. That’s much faster than a regular Wi-Fi 6 router, although the best Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems do better.
I live in quite a congested area for wireless networks, and this shows in the performance at range. Moving to my first floor, performance dropped to 195Mbit/s.
Moving to the second floor, performance dropped to just 115.15Mbit/s. Clearly, the router was unable to use all of its wireless channels together to get the Wi-Fi 7 speeds I’ve seen from mesh networks, where I can place satellites around my home to boost the signal.
If you live somewhere with a lot of wireless networks around you, then a mesh system makes more sense, particularly if you have multiple floors. If you live in a smaller flat or don’t have many wireless networks around you, this router will be quick.
Should you buy it?
You want a cheap way to get Wi-Fi 7
For smaller apartments or for those without many wireless networks around them, this is a good way to get into Wi-Fi 7.
You need better performance at range
Those with larger properties and those with many neighbouring networks will find a mesh system more suitable.
Final Thoughts
Although its speeds dropped at range in my tests, the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router is fast close-up, and it’s also a lot cheaper than Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems.
If you live in a smaller flat or don’t have many neighbours around you, this is a cost effective way of getting fast networking and the benefits of Wi-Fi 7. For larger homes and areas with a lot of wireless congestion, one of our best routers probably makes more sense.
How we test
We test every wireless router we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Used as our main wireless router for the review period
- We throughput test all wireless devices using the same equipment in the same locations so that we have accurate comparisons
FAQs
Yes, this router has 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz networking.
This router has four 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports for the LAN, and one 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet WAN port.
Test Data
| Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router | |
|---|---|
| 5GHz (close) | 994.55 Mbps |
| 5GHz (first floor) | 195.6 Mbps |
| 5GHz (second floor) | 115.15 Mbps |
Full Specs
| Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £199.99 |
| Manufacturer | Netgear |
| Size (Dimensions) | 150 x 150 x 249 MM |
| Weight | 950 G |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 08/01/2026 |
| Model Number | Netgear Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router |
| Wifi Spec | Wi-Fi 7 (2.4GHz, 2×2, 0.7Gbit/s; 5GHz, 2×2, 2.9Gbit/s; 6GHz, 2×2, 5.8Gbit/s) |
| Number of Ethernet ports | 4 |
