Netgear Launches Wireless AC Router for Under $100

By Kevin Parrish
published

Looking to upgrade the home network to Wireless AC but are on a tight budget? Netgear has the router for you (opens in new tab), the R6100 for a mere $99.99 USD. It's the latest in the company's family of Wireless AC routers including the R6300 ($199.99), the R6250 ($169.99), the R6200 ($149.99), the A6200 Adapter ($69.99) and a few others. This latest router is available for purchase now.

According to the specs, the R6100 provides speeds up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz channel (802.11n) and up to 867 Mbps on the 5 GHz channel (802.11ac). It's similar to the R6200, only it doesn't feature Gigabit ports (10/100 only) and only supports 6 or more client devices. It also doesn't provide ReadySHARE Printer and Beamforming+ as seen with the more expensive R6200 model.

"At only $99.99, the Netgear R6100 WiFi Router offers the best value and enhanced features for improving your home theater experience and prepares your home network for new or upgraded devices that integrate 802.11ac WiFi support, such as the MacBook Air and smartphones like the new Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One," the company said.

This router is packed full of features for the price. It supports the company's Netgear Genie app for PC, Mac, Android and iOS which allows the user to control, monitor, repair and manage the home network. It also supports Netgear MyMedia which provides the ability to find photos, video or music files anywhere on the network and play them on any DLNA media player. There's even a built-in USB port which supports ReadySHARE USB for wirelessly accessing and sharing a connected external hard drive.

As for other features, the new router packs AirPrint support for printing from an iPad or iPhone, guest network access, EZ Mobile Connect for connecting guest mobile devices, Media Sever-DLNA, Live Parental Controls, and automatic Wi-Fi security. Installation is supposedly a snap, allowing users to install the router using a smartphone and tablet, eliminating the need for a CD.

"To future-proof your network and keep it humming along at peak performance, you’re going to need to upgrade to AC wireless," said Sandeep Harpalani, Netgears’s director of product marketing for core networking products. "The newest smartphones and Macs already have 802.11ac inside. It enables you to be more productive at home and to experience the world of entertainment available through the Internet in a seamless fashion."

For more information about the new router and Netgear's other wireless AC products, head here. (opens in new tab)

Kevin Parrish
8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • TheBigTroll
    so now this router can provide faster internet via wifi rather than on ethernet. seems legit
    Reply
  • ventond
    11100057 said:
    and only supports 6 or more client devices
    So if I have 5 devices I can't use this router?
    Reply
  • CaedenV
    So let me get this straight.
    You have 11.ac for the wireless which can get real world performance at near gigabit speeds, but you can only talk to faster wired devices like desktop computers and servers at 1/10th the speed?
    That's as ridiculous as having an 11.n router and only using it for a 15Mbps DSL internet connection when 11.g is already overkill for that kind of application.

    I picked up a nice $200 ASUS router a few months back that was a net wash. It came bundled with 2 games that I did not want and sold. It replaced my old 11.g router, which I also sold. It also replaced my gigabit switch I had been using, which I also sold. After all was said and done I made $25 by upgrading to 11.ac

    ... now if only I had any 11.ac devices in my home...
    Reply
  • __-_-_-__
    so many things wrong with this. where's the usb3.0 support, 600mbps on N, external antennas connectors, gigabit ports.
    not having gigabite port is so stupid. it will limit internet @100.... even a 5 year old router does a better job.
    Reply
  • ananke
    :) This 100 MB router is worth $18.99 in the current market, to be precise. I really don't understand corporate pricing sometimes. Nobody cares about the WiFi ac at the moment anyway.
    Reply
  • Camikazi
    11101497 said:
    so many things wrong with this. where's the usb3.0 support, 600mbps on N, external antennas connectors, gigabit ports.
    not having gigabite port is so stupid. it will limit internet @100.... even a 5 year old router does a better job.

    You are not gonna get anywhere near every feature with a $100 router. It would be dumb of them to add all that onto their entry level 11.ac router, if you want all those features you will need to get their pricier model.
    Reply
  • Someone Somewhere
    Seriously, 100Mb/s?

    This means that you can only max out the router by moving stuff from one WiFi device to another.

    And there was me thinking 100Mb/s N300 was stupid...
    Reply
  • coreyinoz
    They obviously didn't make this router to sell, they made it to make the others look better!
    Reply