Is the Nighthawk RAX80 right for you?

The Nighthawk RAX80 is an affordable pick if your internet plan is 1,200Mbps or slower. It’s the smaller, cheaper sibling of the RAX200 model, packing one less band, one less internet connection option, and fewer streams. It’s a tad bit slower than the RAX200, too, but that’s okay because the RAX80 offers a better megabit-per-dollar value. And it’s a far more attractive setup than the RAX50 model we previously tested.

Fastest internet plans for the RAX80

You can link the WAN port with the LAN 1 port to create a single superfast connection to a compatible modem, gateway, or fiber ONT. However, it doesn’t support multi-gig internet—the fastest plan the RAX80 currently supports is 1,200Mbps.

To see if you have the best internet speeds for the RAX80, run our speed test first:

You don’t absolutely need a 1,200Mbps plan to use this router—any plan under 1,200Mbps will do. Here’s a list of options if you were already thinking about an upgrade anyway:

Nighthawk RAX80 standout features

The RAX80 has a few callouts, like the OpenVPN server and media streaming. It has some basic parental controls through Circle, but features like bedtimes and malware protection require two separate subscriptions.

Compare the Nighthawk RAX80 to the competition

All four models had roughly the same speed ranges in our tests. They started off at around 850Mbps (give or take, depending on the model) at close range and benchmarked roughly 242Mbps at our 120-foot spot across the street. The only exception of the four was the Archer AX6000, which hit a higher 280Mbps average at our 120-foot marker.

Of the four, the RAX50 is the only model that doesn’t support multi-gig internet. Technically, the RAX80 doesn’t either, but it comes close with real-world wired internet speeds of around 1,880Mbps. The Archer AX6000 and AX5400 Pro models have a dedicated 2.5Gbps port for multi-gig internet.

See our full coverage of the best Wi-Fi routers.

Our Nighthawk RAX80 scoring breakdown

* out of 5 points

The RAX80 performed as expected in our Wi-Fi 6 tests, matching the speeds of similarly-classed routers like TP-Link’s Archer AX6000 and Archer AX5400 Pro models. Stating that one is faster than the other at close range seems irrelevant since we’re talking about a few megabits per second. The Archer AX6000 had a 30Mbps lead over the others by the time we tested from across the street at 120 feet.

The Wi-Fi 5 device testing was a bit more curious. The TP-Link Archer AX5400 Pro started out the strongest at close range but had the lowest average of the four at 120 feet. Overall, Wi-Fi 5 devices with an 866Mbps cap usually range from a 650Mbps average at two feet to 150Mbps at 120 feet, but our old Google Pixel 3 managed a 159Mbps average at 120 feet when we tested it with the RAX80. Not bad.

NETGEAR discontinued ReadyCLOUD on April 4, 2023, so you can scratch that off the RAX80’s feature list. The parental controls are handled through Circle, a standalone service owned by Aura. That leaves little other features under the RAX80 hood.

With the USB port, you can share files and create a local media server. The OpenVPN server allows you to use the router as your personal VPN service when you’re off the network—simply install the OpenVPN client on your device and pair it with the router. Bitdefender’s premium VPN client is part of the Armor subscription.

What we wish the Nighthawk RAX80 did better

• Free security
• More free parental controls

The AX80 needs more free security features. ASUS and TP-Link include free malware protection—why can’t NETGEAR offer the same basic security features?

The parental controls are managed through a non-NETGEAR service, which is weird already. The free version, Circle Basic, lets you:

• Create a profile
• Add an age-specific filter (Pre-K, Kid, Teen, or Adult)
• Add devices to the profile
• Pause the internet (by profile or device).

Bedtimes, daily time limits, and Off Times require a Circle Premium subscription.

The RAX80 has a better design than the RAX50 we previously tested. Sure, we love the gray and black stingray design (more so than the all-sparkly-black RAX200 and RAXE500, in fact), but what it has to offer on a hardware level is a bit more savory than the RAX50’s configuration.

Namely, the RAX80 supports 2Gbps connections through two link aggregation configurations. That’s far less desirable than having a 2.5Gbps port, as pairing two Gigabit Ethernet ports gives you roughly 1,880Mbps in real-world speed, which is slower than a 2,000Mbps internet plan. The RAX80 is best suited for 1,200Mbps plans and modems supporting link aggregation.

Other good callouts here include support for 160 MHz channels, increased device capacity on the 2.4 GHz band, and a fifth Gigabit Ethernet port—which is a little unusual given most configurations have four or eight. We like unusual—it keeps things interesting.

The web-based setup process is no different than the one we experienced with the RAX50 model prior to this review. It’s a relatively painless 12 steps that get you up and running in no time flat. It can feel a little longer than the competition as you wait for the speed test and firmware updates. The security questions add to your setup time too.

In the end, you’d expect to end up facing the router’s home screen, but no. Instead, NETGEAR prompts you to create a cloud account and register the product. You must open a new tab to access the router’s web interface (sigh).

Unlike TP-Link, NETGEAR uses the same two-tab web interface layout across its non-gaming standalone router family. It’s not the prettiest design on the planet—we’re still wondering why we can’t get a dark mode—but it gets the job done.

The big difference over the previous RAX50 we tested is the addition of parental controls, which in the web interface only allows you to enable and disable the feature. You need the Circle app (App Store, Google Play) to create profiles and set internet limits.

The Nighthawk mobile app borrows the tile design and offers a minimal set of controls. You can do simple things like share the Wi-Fi network credentials, allow and block devices, and view any support tickets. Things like changing the Wi-Fi channel and bandwidth mode require the web interface (which you can easily access from a mobile browser).

Are there any additional costs?

A Circle subscription unlocks extra parental control features for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. The Armor subscription costs $99.99 per year and includes multi-device antivirus protection, Bitdefender VPN, DDoS prevention, and more. You can extend the router’s warranty, too, for up to $119.99.

Our Nighthawk RAX80 review: The verdict

The RAX80 is a slimmed-down, more affordable version of the RAX200. It has one less band, four fewer streams, slightly slower Wi-Fi speeds based on our tests, and no dedicated multi-gig port. It also doesn’t have the same reach as the RAX200 (or RAXE500), but the price is so much easier to digest.

In fact, at the time of this review, the RAX80 was a far better deal than the RAX50 model we previously reviewed, costing $3 more. The RAX50 doesn’t support wired speeds over a gigabit, plus it doesn’t sport the cool stingray design like the RAX80. You simply get more bang for your buck out of the RAX80.

But there’s a catch. All NETGEAR routers lock notable security features behind the Armor subscription. Full parental controls also require a subscription—Circle in this case—although you do get some helpful profile-based device management for free.

The bottom line is that the RAX80 is our new favorite NETGEAR router. We’ll never be a big fan of subscriptions, especially when you can get similar features for free on other routers. But the RAX80 is the most reasonable out of all the non-gaming Nighthawk routers we’ve tested to date.

Get the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX80

FAQ about the Nighthawk RAX80

What’s included in the NETGEAR ProSupport for Home subscription?

ProSupport for Home offers two tiers. Here are the features you’ll get.

What’s included with Circle?

Circle is a standalone parental control service provided by Aura. The RAX80 includes support for this platform, but it’s not managed by NETGEAR. It has basic profile-based features you can use for free, but things like bedtimes and time limits require a subscription.

What does AX6000 mean?

The AX6000 class represents the Wi-Fi type in use and the maximum amount of bandwidth the router can deliver across all bands. With the AX80, the router is based on Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and has a maximum bandwidth of 6,000Mbps. The number doesn’t represent speed, but rather is indicative of the number of devices it can transmit to in any given second. Here’s the breakdown:

RAX80 vs. RAX200: What’s the difference?

Besides the smaller size and color scheme, there are a handful of differences between the RAX80 and RAX200 models. Take a look:

The bottom line is the RAX80 is best used with internet plans of 1,200Mbps or less, while the RAX200 is ideal for internet plans of 2,000Mbps or less. The RAX200 had slightly higher speeds during our tests (~40Mbps), and was the only one of the two that could still push a handful of megabits at 160 feet. The RAX200 price was overinflated at the time of this review, making the RAX80 a better megabit-per-dollar deal.

Methodology

We test router speed by setting up each router in an office and connecting it to a local test server. Then, we transmit test data between our wireless devices and the server, taking numerous measurements to account for fluctuations in Wi-Fi speeds.

The first tests occur close to the router, without obstructions—so the Wi-Fi is as strong and fast as it’s gonna get. We repeat the process straight out at 10, 20, and 30 feet, with only a glass door obstructing our view of the router. The same glass door and an exterior door blocks our path when we test outside at 40 and 50 feet.

We also run tests in a hallway to the left of the TV room and office—where there’s a glass door, three walls, and an air handler unit blocking our view of the router. The dining room, another testing point, sits to the right of the kitchen, TV room, and office—two walls and a glass door block the path in this test.

To test video streaming, we connect a fast storage device to the router and stream a 4K video to six wireless devices simultaneously—two phones, three tablets, and a laptop—connected to the same wireless band.

Client devices used in testing

Nighthawk RAX80 benchmarks (5 GHz only)

Disclaimer