Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000

When asked which wireless router we would prefer – the Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000, we knew we were up for a few days of testing all 3 so that we could offer the best comparative study and deliver the best informed decision we could. The Netgear R7000 is the oldest version of all 3, with the R6400 being the newest.

For those unfamiliar with Netgear’s routers, you could be excused for thinking that the R7000 is the latest on the market, but that is not so. Released in 2013, Netgear R7000 still proves to be a worthy router and often beats other routers in its class.

Knowing what the biggest differences in the Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000 routers are will help you determine which the best one is for you, while also knowing their similarities will help you understand the same.

What do Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000 Have in Common?

1) The biggest similarity between the three routers is that they are simultaneous dual band. This means that a user can access both 2.4GHz and 5 GHZ bands at the same time.

How does it work? Each SSID (a unique Service Set Identifier identifies the wireless network) will show up on your device. If your device can only support 2.4 GHZ, then only one will show up. If your device can support both bands, then you have the choice to select which band you want to connect to.

2) Each of the Nighthawk routers (R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000) has dual core processors. The 1GHz CPU will help your router to process the different data from the multiple connected devices so that your connection does not suffer. Having fast speed internet has made having a dual core processor indispensible.

3) The Guest Network feature helps keep your home network private.

4) Beamforming technology helps in increasing your signal strength stability over larger ranges.

How does this work? It focuses the beam width to the direction of your connected devices.

5) The Adjustable external antennas can be detached and adjusted to customize it for the design of your home.

6) The Airtime Fairness feature which helps prevent older devices from slowing down your wireless network.

7) The ReadySHARE Suite for better sharing and backup facilities.

8) 1Gbps on 4 x LAN ports and 1 x WAN port for modem connections.

Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000 Results

How do Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000 differ?

There are a few differences between Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000 routers, which although they may seem like minor ones, they may make a world of difference for you in performance and usage. Newer may not always be better, as is with the case of Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000. As many of us have printers at home, if they are not connected wirelessly, then it may be useful to have a USB port for your printer. However, the R7000 and the R6400 have two ports – 1x 2.0 and 1x 3.0 USB port, while the R6700 fails utterly on this front, having only one 3.0 port.

If you have a secondary device that you would like to connect to your router, you may find yourself out of luck.

The second difference shows up only on the data rates of 802.11n. If your devices work on 802.11ac, then you have nothing to worry about. The only minor difference is that the rates are higher on the R7000.

1. Netgear R6400 AC1750 Dual Band WiFi Gigabit Router

Netgear R6400 Performance

The R6400 has speeds that can reach up to 1750 Mbps on its dual band system and the powerful antennas combined with Beamforming technology ensures that you receive a strong signal throughout your home. But seeing is believing, and we knew the reputation of the R6400’s predecessor, so we knew we really wanted to test just how much better it was.

While earlier we would face dropouts in certain parts of our home, especially the further we went from the router, with the R6400 we found that we had no dead spots. In fact, after it was set up and running, we had immediate coverage over the whole house. To really give you an idea, we tested this in a 6000 sq. foot house with 2 floors. Not only did we receive excellent coverage ranging at 130Mbps, but we found that we could even receive a signal outside our home.

Now, transferring data is another factor altogether. While it did perform decently when transferring heavy files, we noticed that it was a lot slower than other routers in its class when transferring a single heavy file. For those who deal with heavy data transfers, this may be a problem.

Netgear R6400 Best Use

It has been built for heavy gaming and HD streaming. The high speeds and the dual band combined with beamforming technology make this a great router to have. If you have a large family and know that there will be multiple devices connected simultaneously, it may be just the router for you. We had 15 devices connected with no dropped connections. For parents who want to control how much access their kids have to the internet can use Guest Networks to limit their child’s internet time.

Netgear R6400 vs R7000. Does It Make Sense To Buy Netgear R7000 over R6400?

Without a doubt, Yes. Even though the R6400 is a year and a half newer than the R7000, the R7000 has far more features than the newer R6400. In fact, much of the marketing around the R7000 has suggested that it has better QoS than the R6400, which would be great for hard core gamers. Even though you can use either models, the R7000 is more widely available at stores, and the service and support has proved to be reliable.

Surprisingly, The R7000 offers better speeds on the 802.11n technology with 450 Mbps available on the R6400, and 600 Mbps available with the R7000. Many people have found that the R7000 provides better performance and connectivity thanks to the Beam forming feature. Many people have also speculated that since the R7000 enjoys such popularity and is Netgear’s flagship router, it must be more reliable. Chances are you will see an R7000 in your store down the road than a R6400. Perhaps it’s just availability, but if people you know keep buying one of the two, you know the majority of users trust one model – and that is the one you should go for.

2. Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 Smart Dual Band WiFi Router R6700

Netgear R6700 Performance

Geared to deliver speeds up to 1750 Mbps, the R6700 is built for extreme performance. While the 1GHz Dual Core Processor and high speeds do the trick, the high powered amplifiers and adjustable external antennas help to provide better coverage and range in your home. But these are all specs that are marketed by the company. What’s the truth behind R6700?

Part of the nighthawk series, the R6700 shares the same external design as its bigger brother, the R7000. Although it is built to deliver speed, unlike many models in its range, the R6700 doesn’t heat up to alarming levels and instead stays relatively cool thanks to the ventilation vents in the back and sides of the model.

We tested the latest firmware and the storage performance is really something to write home about. While many users do attach a HDD to the 3.0 port, it should be noted that the performance can be limited as the CPU can be under a lot of stress.

When it came to performance, The R6700 delivered a better signal, even at a distance of 30 feet. We checked the signal at distances of 5, 10, 15 and 30 feet and in comparison with other models in its class, it provided the highest 5GHz speeds, it even reached our garage through all the interference. We loved the control and monitoring management we had over our home network. For a mid range router, the R6700 is not a bad bet, even though it has only 1 USB port, which can be a huge negative if you have printers that need to be connected.

Netgear R6700 Best Use

It has been specifically designed for online gamers and people who love to stream HD videos – so game away! This has also proven to be a popular choice for those who want reliable connectivity without paying exorbitant amounts.

Netgear R6400 vs R6700. Does It Make Sense To Buy Netgear R67000 over R6400?

Most definitely. While Netgear R6400 is newer, it lacks a lot of features that are present in Netgear R6700. When it came to Storage and NAS performance, Netgear R6700 beat the R6400 hands down.

While many have stated that the newer R6400 is highly reliable and many may opt for that model, simply because it is also newer, we feel that the R6700 has many merits that make it impossible to be overlooked. Also, many have reported that when the firmware on the R6400 was upgraded, the router conked off – and that is something you really don’t want, because you’ll have to start doing the rounds of resetting, restarting and maybe even resorting to calling customer service.

While making sure that you get the best option in Netgear R6400 vs R6700 comparison, you may even save yourself time and money down the line.

3. Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi Router R7000

Netgear R7000 Performance:

Being Netgear’s flagship router, the R7000 offers the best speeds which theoretically reach 1900Mbps. While that actuality may be far from that, it is clear to see that the potential for being future proof is present. This model has been well thought of, and many of its features make it the favourite of the three routers mentioned today.

Netgear has made a lot of claims regarding the R7000 – that it is great with multitasking capabilities and we wanted to know what the real truth was. So we tested it... and then some more.

The design itself has been lauded by many, but what concerned us what the functionalities of the router itself. The installation process was fairly simple, even though it did take up a fair bit of space as it is not as tiny as you would think, especially when compared with other models. Again, we wanted to be consistent and tested it in the 600 sq. foot house – and the results? Far better than we expected. Even at a range of 300 feet, the R7000 delivered.

In fact, where other routers failed, it still managed to provide great coverage and range and the signal strength was strong. When it came to wireless transfers, the R7000 delivered speeds hitting 350 Mbps and above, fluctuating around that range. This was using the 802.11ac network.

We found that we could stream extremely well on the 5GHz band, but the speeds were quite fast on the 802.11n network as well. As the antennas were detachable, we knew we could replace them with stronger directional antennas, but for now we simply tested the product as it arrived in the box, without any aftermarket additions.

The fantastic wireless coverage, combined with its table and reliable connectivity makes this a true contender against many other routers and definitely tops our list for today.

Netgear R7000 Best Use:

It has been created to withstand many multiple devices connected as well as have hard core gamers using the router. We were gaming for the win instead of just barely managing to stay alive; we won all our battles in League of Legends. Best of all? We had no lags or dropped connections. This router is definitely a gamers’ dream or is great for those who want to watch a ton of HD videos back to back. Even browsing on your Smartphone – which many of us do, is up to 100% faster!

Final Verdict: Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000

When we tested the Netgear R6400 vs R6700 vs R7000, we found that even though the R7000 had been released prior to the launch of R6400 and R6700, it has still proven to be the leader of the three. In terms of coverage and stable connectivity, it beats the other hands down due to the beamforming technology as well as having more USB ports and better internet speeds on the 2.4GHz.

Now, if you can actually reach those theoretical speeds are a different matter altogether, but it’s comforting to know that the internet world tends to trust and favour the R7000 more than the other two models. Even though there may be only slight differences between the three routers, it’s clear to see that even a slight edge could help us in the near future.