Although Wi-Fi 7 routers are just around the corner, that isn't stopping some of the top vendors in the business from releasing Wi-Fi 6E routers for enthusiasts. Such is the case with the Netgear Nighthawk MK93S, a powerful new tri-band Wi-Fi 6E mesh router.
The Nighthawk MK93S is the follow-up to the MK83 Wi-Fi 6 mesh router. While the MK83 supports a total throughput of up to 3.6 Gbps and coverage for 6,750 square feet (one router plus two satellites), the MK93S offers a 50 percent improvement in throughput to 5.7 Gbps and slightly boosts coverage to 7,500 square feet.
With the upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E, customers now have the choice to create separate wireless networks dedicated to 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz or 6-GHz traffic. This is especially helpful with isolating IoT devices (like smart thermostats, light switches, security cameras, etc.) that use the 2.4GHz band. Putting those low-priority and often high-latency devices on a dedicated band frees up bandwidth for media devices, smartphones and PCs that need the higher performance of 5GHz and 6GHz bands.
Netgear also paid attention to wired connectivity, upgrading from the MK83's GbE WAN port on the router to 2.5 GbE on the MK93S. The router also has three GbE LAN ports for your wired peripherals. In addition, each satellite has two GbE LAN ports, giving you a total of seven to divvy up. You can also boost your wired speeds by linking two GbE LAN ports together for a combined 2 Gbps.
The mesh router system is powered by a 1.7-GHz quad-core processor (up from 1.5GHz on the MK83), and all settings are accessible via the Netgear Nighthawk app. You can use the app to set up your Nighthawk and then manage it at home or away. In addition, a one-year subscription to Netgear Armor (which is powered by Bitdefender) is free for one year.
The Nighthawk MK93S doesn't come cheap; it's priced at $549.99 directly from Netgear, and it will soon be available from various retailers like Best Buy, Netgear and Amazon.
