Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

EDIT: I'm changing my review, this router was really really good for about 10 months, then it started to act up. Now it requires a reboot about every two days to work properly. Lots of negative reviews here are seeing the same thing. Netgear almost had a perfect router here, too bad it didn't last. Why can't any company build a good router than doesn't die in 1 year????? Earlier this year my $200 ASUS router started dying. From all the problems I had with that router I was ready for something different. Before it I had one of the highly regarded D-Link 4100 gaming routers and love it until it died after about 2 years (seems the norm for consumer level routers). Well, I tried out the latest D-Link gaming router and HATED it! It was a seriously dumbed down router, definitely NOT for the power user types, like it's predecessor. Plus many of my wireless devices didn't work well with it. D-Link tried to say it was a defective router, but I wasn't convinced nor did I want to put up with RMA process. I sent it back for a refund. Now, I have the newest router from Netgear, the R7000 "Nighthawk" router. WOW! This little (little? that's a joke...) router is FAST compared to many of the routers I've dealt with. It's newer CPU really does pay off whether working in it's admin pages, or by using it's connectivity. Spoiler: I'm a professional IT guy, and mess with routers on all levels almost every day. From a few home routers, to much larger and more complex enterprise routers. I don't have the level of knowledge of a Cisco Certified technician, but I do know my stuff. I've toyed with the idea of using a much more business level router at home, but like to have fun at home and try equipment I don't usually mess with at work. So I buy the higher end of home routers for my house. Upon connecting this router it fired up it's "wizard" and walked me through getting connected to my cable modem, then that was it. It was 100% good to go. But, being the person I am, I didn't leave it alone. Dove right into the settings, played around a bit with the basic settings. They were impressive and simple. Then jumped into the advanced settings, and found what I'm much more used to in a router that a REAL power user type would buy. Settings for all types of different connections and wireless setups. As much as you'd find on any top end router (except for the newer D-Link P.O.S. routers!) The layout makes a LOT of sense and is easy to navigate. One feature that impressed me was the semi-automatic firmware update. There was a text bubble in the top bar of the admin pages letting me know one was available. Found it in the admin pages and clicked one button, then the router automatically downloaded the firmware and updated it without me doing anything else. Why haven't more routers been able to do this in the years past? You'd think it would be a simple trick. Hats off to Netgear for finally getting this feature in their routers. I use Netgear switches quite a bit in my work, because I like their stability and longevity. But had not tried their consumer level routers until now. Their business level routers are beasts as far as features, and was afraid I'd see the same here and didn't want that complexity at home. Not so much as I'd feared if not actually quite a bit more simple and easy to use. But they do include everything that's needed and make it very simple to operate. Not too fancy and not too much. Fast and easy, well laid out in the admin pages and properly labeled so you don't have to spend time trying to figure out what in the World they were trying to provide. Most settings provide automatic setup and updates, or manual whichever you prefer. Very nice touches on these settings. The router physically is BIG, you could fit two normal routers or more in the same space. I've found though that this big case allows the router to run MUCH cooler than the other high end routers I've tried in the past. I believe that will lead to a much longer life expectancy. If you're in the market for a high end router for gaming or a full house of connectivity, this is your router. Hands down! EDIT: I'm changing my review, this router was really really good for about 10 months, then it started to act up. Now it requires a reboot about every two days. Lots of negative reviews here are seeing the same thing. Netgear almost had a perfect router here, too bad it didn't last.