Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 Review: Solid WiFi 6 for Under $150

If you need a reliable WiFi 6 router and don't want to spend $300+, the Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 deserves your attention. It's not the flashiest option, but it delivers where it counts: consistent speeds, decent coverage, and enough features for most households.

Design

The RAX50 has Netgear's signature angular "stealth" design with four adjustable antennas. It's large — about 12 inches across — so plan your shelf space accordingly. Some love the aggressive look; others will want to hide it.

Performance

In our testing with a 1 Gbps internet plan:

• Same room (5GHz): 580 Mbps
• One room away: 420 Mbps
• Two rooms away: 280 Mbps
• 2.4GHz max: 120 Mbps

With 160MHz channel width enabled, same-room speeds can push past 700 Mbps, though this may cause interference in dense environments.

Features

The RAX50 includes all the essentials: OFDMA for better multi-device performance, WPA3 security, a USB 3.0 port for shared storage, and guest network support. Parental controls are available through Netgear Armor, which is free for 30 days then requires a subscription.

Who Is It For?

This router is ideal for apartments and small-to-medium homes (up to 2,000 sq ft) with a standard number of devices (15-25). It won't cover a large home on its own, but for its coverage area, the performance is excellent for the price.

Verdict

The RAX50 is a solid, no-nonsense WiFi 6 router. It won't wow you with bleeding-edge features, but it reliably delivers fast WiFi at a fair price. If your home is small enough for a single router, this is one of the best values available.