NETGEAR Nighthawk X10并不是一款新的无线路由器(wireless router)，尽管它是市场上首批支持 802.11ad 无线标准的路由器之一。然而，它对我们来说是一个新的无线路由器(wireless router)，在Digital Citizen，因为这是我们第一次有机会审查这家公司的无线路由器(wireless router)。Nighthawk X10是一款大型无线路由器(wireless router)，具有令人印象深刻的硬件、规格和尺寸。如果您想了解它的实际性能，以及它是否适合您，请阅读我们的详细评论：
NETGEAR Nighthawk X10：它对谁有好处？
NETGEAR Nighthawk X10是以下类型用户的绝佳选择：
- 需要能够处理许多网络客户端的强大无线路由器的用户(wireless router)
- 对 802.11ad 无线标准所提供的内容感兴趣并愿意对其进行投资的人
- 需要将快速存储解决方案连接到其无线路由器的用户(wireless router)
优点和缺点
NETGEAR Nighthawk X10有很多优点：
- 可以处理许多网络客户端的海量、强大的硬件
- 非常快的 USB 3.0 端口
- 无线性能与其他高端路由器一致
- 由于ReadySHARE 功能， (ReadySHARE feature)USB设备的共享是真正的即插即用
- 它有一个 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port，用于连接快速网络附加存储(Network Attached Storage)( NAS )
- 可以通过智能手机或平板电脑远程控制路由器的基本功能(smartphone or tablet)
- 您可以将路由器设置为自动更新其固件，无需您手动干预
- 它可以安装在墙上
- 它向市场推出了 802.11ad 无线标准
- 强大的多语言支持
还有一些负面因素需要考虑：
- 价格不适合所有人
- 太多的灯和 LED
- 网件(Netgear)的移动应用生态(app ecosystem)混乱，需要简化和改进
- 2.4 GHz 频段(GHz band)的上传速度有一些奇怪的波动/下降
- Bitdefender防病毒(Bitdefender antivirus)集成也应该可用于此高级模型
判决
高端无线路由器市场包括多种支持新无线标准的型号。Netgear Nighthawk X10是少数支持 802.11ad 无线标准的无线路由器之一，该标准在短距离内具有令人难以置信的快速无线传输。如果您对此标准感兴趣并愿意投资，那么这款路由器是您可以做出的最佳选择之一。Nighthawk X10的另一个卖点(selling point)是它支持快速存储解决方案，可以连接到路由器并用于媒体流和文件共享(file sharing)。它的两个USB 3.0端口都非常快，路由器还提供了一个 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port用于连接快速NAS解决方案。如果您想构建您的个人云存储服务(cloud storage service)，Netgear Nighthawk X10是值得考虑的最有趣的无线路由器之一。
拆箱NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 无线(NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 wireless)路由器
Nighthawk 夜鹰 X10 AD7200(Nighthawk X10 AD7200)智能WiFi路由器(WiFi router)装在一个又大又重的盒子里。在顶盖上，您会看到路由器的图片及其一些最重要特性的列表。在盒子的侧面，我们得到了一个包含路由器所有硬件规格(hardware specs)的列表和完整的功能列表。
在包装盒内，您将找到以下物品：路由器本身、电源适配器(power adapter)、设置指南(setup guide)、以太网电缆(Ethernet cable)、保修信息(warranty information)以及包含多种语言的快速设置指南的(Quick Setup Guide)资源光盘。(Resource disc)
Nighthawk 夜鹰 X10 提供的拆箱体验令人愉快，尽管路由器装在一个巨大的盒子里。在包装中，您可以获得设置和使用无线路由器所需的一切。(The unboxing experience offered by Nighthawk X10 is a pleasant one, even though the router comes in a massive box. In the packaging, you get everything you need to set up and use the wireless router.)
硬件规格和设计
Netgear Nighthawk X10是一款大型无线路由器(wireless router)，带有四个不可拆卸的外部天线。它的外观笨重且具有侵略性，给人的印象是您正在处理功能强大的设备。这种印象是真实的，因为我们正在处理具有强大硬件的无线路由器(wireless router)：来自Annapurna Labs的四核AL-514 处理器(AL-514 processor)，运行频率为 1.7 GHz，1 GB 的DDR3 RAM和 512 MB的固件存储空间(storage space)。Annapurna Labs是一家以色列初创公司，隶属于亚马逊网络(Amazon Web)服务(Services)，在美国和以色列设有开发中心(US and Israel) .
Nighthawk 夜鹰 X10(Nighthawk X10)内部的硬件需要冷却，顶部有大型通风网格，包括位于处理器顶部的风扇。幸运的是，在我们测试这款路由器的两周内，风扇从未开启，也没有产生任何噪音。
该路由器顶部有许多LED(LEDs) ，用于指示所有以太网端口的(Ethernet)运行状态(functioning status)和广播功能。在左侧，有两个USB 3.0端口隐藏在视图中，但很容易访问。
在Nighthawk X10的背面，有许多端口：六个工作在 1 Gbps的(Gbps)以太网(Ethernet)端口，其中两个支持端口聚合(Port Aggregation)，一个WAN 端口(WAN port)，一个用于连接快速网络附加存储(Network Attached Storage)解决方案的10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port电源(Power)按钮、电源插孔(power jack)和一个用于打开和关闭LED(LEDs)的按钮。
在Nighthawk X10的底部，有用于将其安装在墙壁上的孔和额外的通风网格。此外，您还可以找到一些包含有用信息的贴纸，例如您购买的路由器的序列号、其默认MAC 地址和(MAC address)WiFi的默认设置，当您选择不配置无线路由器(wireless router)时很有用。
Netgear R9000 Nighthawk X10是一款三频无线路由器(wireless router)：
- 一个 2.4 GHz 频段(GHz band)，支持 802.11n 无线标准，理论最大带宽(maximum bandwidth)为 800 Mbps。
- 一个 5 GHz 频段(GHz band)，支持 802.11ac Wave 2 无线标准(wireless standard)，理论最大带宽(maximum bandwidth)为 1733 Mbps。
- 一个 60 GHz 频段(GHz band)，支持新的 802.11ad 无线标准，理论最大带宽(maximum bandwidth)为 4600 Mbps。
这导致总的理论最大带宽(maximum bandwidth)为 7133 Mbps（因此Netgear的部分(Netgear)近似值为 7200 Mbps(Mbps approximation)）。虽然这些理论数字听起来令人印象深刻，但现实却大不相同。问题是60 GHz 频段上的 4600 (GHz band)Mbps仅适用于使用 802.11ad 无线标准的网络客户端。(network client)此标准仅适用于长达 30 英尺或 9 米的短距离无线传输，没有任何墙壁或其他障碍物将网络客户端隔开(network client)从路由器。802.11ad 的一个大问题是它还没有看到任何主要的牵引力，这意味着除了少数像这样的无线路由器之外，没有任何设备可以使用它。例如，没有主流笔记本电脑或智能电视(Smart TVs)支持它。我们没有使用此标准的网络客户端(network client)，因此我们无法测试此路由器上可用的第三个频段，并为您提供真实测量。
Nighthawk X10的尺寸令人印象深刻：这款路由器的长x 宽(x width)x 高(x height)为 8.81 x 6.61 x 2.91 英寸或 224 x 168 x 74 毫米。它的重量也为 4.11 磅或 1.8 公斤，是迄今为止我们测试过的最重的无线路由器。(wireless router)
如果您想详细了解这款无线路由器(wireless router)的官方规格，请访问此页面：NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 规格(NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 Specifications)。
设置和使用NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 无线(NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 wireless)路由器
设置NETGEAR Nighthawk X10与其他无线路由器类似。快速设置向导(setup wizard)被命名为NETGEAR 精灵(NETGEAR genie)，它甚至为您提供了自行确定最佳设置的选项，而无需您输入。但是，您必须提供一些详细信息：您的互联网连接的详细信息、(internet connection)管理员用户(admin user)的密码（我们希望Netgear也允许用户更改默认用户名(default user name)，而不是坚持使用管理员），以及两个安全问题的答案，您可以在忘记密码时使用这些问题来恢复您的帐户。
然后，您会看到初始设置的摘要，包括WiFi的默认名称和密码。然后，快速设置向导(setup wizard)会询问您是否要使用适用于 Windows 的ReadySHARE Vault(Windows)应用程序(ReadySHARE Vault app)，并检查固件更新。我们喜欢这种积极主动的方法，我们鼓励用户更新他们的固件，以便从安全修复、新功能和性能改进中受益。
Netgear的另一项重要预防措施是，它建议用户将路由器设置为自动更新到未来的固件。我们建议您这样做，以掌握最新的路由器安全修复程序。
完成初始设置后，您终于可以访问管理用户界面了。正如您在下面看到的，它分为两个选项卡：Basic - 仅包含大多数用户需要的重要设置，以及Advanced，它提供可用于您的路由器的所有设置。
管理用户界面看起来过时了。但是，如果您坚持使用设置的基本(Basic)选项卡，它易于使用且响应迅速。所有内容的文档都位于用户界面(user interface)底部的栏上。单击(Click)它，您将被带到Netgear的网站，在那里您可以找到您需要的帮助。一个积极的方面是用户界面(user interface)有 20 多种语言可供选择，并且在它们之间切换很容易。
高级(Advanced)选项卡包含可用于您的路由器的所有设置。但是，它的组织方式并没有经过深思熟虑，并且需要一些时间来适应所有设置的位置。例如，为什么USB 设置(USB Settings)不在ReadyShare或Setup类别中，而是在Advanced Setup下，尚不清楚。此外，您会在Setup(Setup)和Advanced Setup下获得两组不同的无线设置，这会导致混淆。
Netgear Nighthawk X10可以通过适用于iOS 和 Android(iOS and Android)的移动应用程序进行远程控制。不幸的是，Netgear对移动应用程序有一种令人困惑的方法：它会根据您的位置推荐两种不同的移动应用程序。在这款路由器的产品页面上(product page)，Netgear推荐使用Nighthawk App。我们试过了，我们发现它既易于使用又基本。除了初始设置和编辑 WiFi 设置外，您无法使用它做太多事情。这个应用太基础了，配不上昂贵的高端无线路由器(high-end wireless router)。用户期望更多的功能和更多的实用性。
如果您进一步查看，例如有关在此路由器上使用家长控制(Parental Controls)的文档页面，您会发现Netgear推荐他们的NETGEAR Genie应用程序。这个应用程序提供了更多有用的功能，包括访问家长控制(Parental Controls)的唯一方式，但它也更慢、更错误，导致另一种用户体验(user experience)不值得如此昂贵的产品。
Netgear远程控制方法的一个优点是它使用双重身份验证来保护用户帐户和网络设备。当您启用无线路由器(wireless router)的远程管理时，您应该激活两步验证，以确保不受欢迎的人无法轻易侵入您的帐户和家庭网络(home network)。其他路由器制造商应该复制这个有用的安全功能(security feature)。
我们期望在这种高端无线路由器(wireless router)上看到的功能之一是NETGEAR Armor，由Bitdefender提供支持，它为您的家庭和所有设备提供高级网络威胁保护。(cyber threat protection)不幸的是，事实并非如此。此功能仅适用于两种更便宜的 NETGEAR 路由器：Nighthawk AC2300 和 Nighthawk AC1900(Nighthawk AC2300 and Nighthawk AC1900)。
设置完Netgear Nighthawk X10智能WiFi 路由器(WiFi router)后，我们将几台设备连接到网络：两台台式电脑、几台笔记本电脑、一台平板电脑、几台智能手机、一台Xbox One控制台、两个智能插头、一个智能灯泡(smart bulb)，和无线打印机。它们都可以轻松连接，我们在通过网络传输媒体或共享文件和文件夹时没有任何问题。媒体流(Media streaming)也很快，包括在具有Quad HD 分辨率(Quad HD resolution)显示器的台式 PC 上。
通过网络传输数据时，我们还研究了网络传输的可变性。当我们在与路由器相同的房间中使用笔记本电脑时，或者在仅由一堵墙隔开的房间中使用笔记本电脑时，情况看起来不错，但有一些变化，这往往是不可避免的。
当我们将笔记本电脑放在与路由器相隔两堵墙的房间中时，可变性有所增加，而不会成为问题。
在我们两周的使用中， Netgear Nighthawk X10提供的总体性能令人满意。但是，如果您想查看详细的测量结果以及与其他无线路由器的性能比较(performance comparison)，请转到本评论的第二页。
Netgear Nighthawk X10 review: Is it worth investing in the 802.11ad standard?
NΕTGEAR Nіghthаwk X10 is not a new wireless rоuter, еven though it is one of the first on the market to bring support for the 802.11ad wireless standard. However, it is a new wireless rоuter for us, at Digital Citizen, as it is the first time we get the chance to review a wireless router from this company. Nighthawk X10 is a massive wireless router, with impressive hardware, specs, and size. If you want to know about its real-world performance, and whether it is a good fit for you, read our detailed review:
NETGEAR Nighthawk X10: Who is it good for?
NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 is a great choice for the following types of users:
- Users that want a powerful wireless router that can handle many network clients
- People that are interested in what the 802.11ad wireless standard has to offer and are willing to invest in it
- Users who need to connect fast storage solutions to their wireless router
Pros and cons
There are many positives about the NETGEAR Nighthawk X10:
- Massive, powerful hardware that can handle many network clients
- Very fast USB 3.0 ports
- Wireless performance in line with other high-end routers
- The sharing of USB devices is truly plug-and-play, due to the ReadySHARE feature
- It has a 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port for connecting fast Network Attached Storage (NAS)
- The basics of the router can be remotely controlled from your smartphone or tablet
- You can set the router to update its firmware automatically, without your manual intervention
- It can be mounted on walls
- It introduces the 802.11ad wireless standard to the market
- Great multilingual support
There are also negatives to consider:
- The price is not for everyone
- Too many lights and LEDs
- Netgear's mobile app ecosystem is confusing and needs to be simplified and improved
- The upload speed on the 2.4 GHz band has some weird fluctuations/drops
- The Bitdefender antivirus integration should be available for this premium model too
Verdict
The market of premium high-end wireless routers includes several models that bring support for new wireless standards. Netgear Nighthawk X10 is one of the few wireless routers that has support for the 802.11ad wireless standard, which features incredibly fast wireless transfers over short ranges. If you are interested in this standard and are willing to invest it, this router is one of the best choices you can make. Another selling point for Nighthawk X10 is its support for fast storage solutions that can be connected to the router and used for media streaming and file sharing. Both its USB 3.0 ports are very fast, and the router also offers a 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port for connecting fast NAS solutions. If you want to build your personal cloud storage service, Netgear Nighthawk X10 is one of the most interesting wireless routers to consider.
Unboxing the NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 wireless router
The Nighthawk X10 AD7200 smart WiFi router comes in a large, and heavy box. On the top cover, you see a picture of the router and a list of some of its most important characteristics. On the sides of the box, we get a list with all the hardware specs of the router and a complete list of features.
Inside the box, you are going to find the following items: the router itself, the power adapter, the setup guide, an Ethernet cable, the warranty information, and a Resource disc that includes the Quick Setup Guide in several languages.
The unboxing experience offered by Nighthawk X10 is a pleasant one, even though the router comes in a massive box. In the packaging, you get everything you need to set up and use the wireless router.
Hardware specifications and design
The Netgear Nighthawk X10 is a massive wireless router with four non-detachable external antennas. Its looks are bulky and aggressive, giving you the impression that you are dealing with a powerful device. This impression is true, as we are dealing with a wireless router that has powerful hardware: a quad-core AL-514 processor from Annapurna Labs, running 1.7 GHz, 1 GB of DDR3 RAM, and 512 MB of storage space for the firmware. Annapurna Labs is an Israeli startup, that is part of Amazon Web Services, with development centers in the US and Israel.
The hardware inside the Nighthawk X10 needs to be cooled, and it has large ventilation grids on the top side, including a fan that sits on top of the processor. Luckily, in the two weeks that we tested this router, the fan never turned on, and it did not generate any noise.
This router has many many LEDs on the top side, that signal the functioning status of all the Ethernet ports and broadcasting features. On the left side, there are two USB 3.0 ports hidden from view, but which are easily accessible.
On the back of the Nighthawk X10, there are many ports: six Ethernet ports that work at 1 Gbps, two of which support Port Aggregation, one WAN port, one 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port for connecting fast Network Attached Storage solutions, the Power button, the power jack, and a button for turning the LEDs on and off.
On the bottom of the Nighthawk X10, there are holes for mounting it on walls and additional ventilation grids. Also, you can find some stickers with useful information like the serial number of the router that you have purchased, its default MAC address, and the default settings for the WiFi, useful when you choose not to configure your wireless router.
Netgear R9000 Nighthawk X10 is a tri-band wireless router:
- One 2.4 GHz band with support for the 802.11n wireless standard, with a theoretical maximum bandwidth of 800 Mbps.
- One 5 GHz band with support for the 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless standard, with a theoretical maximum bandwidth of 1733 Mbps.
- One 60 GHz band with support for the new 802.11ad wireless standard, with a theoretical maximum bandwidth of 4600 Mbps.
This leads to a total theoretical maximum bandwidth of 7133 Mbps (and thus the 7200 Mbps approximation on Netgear's part). While these theoretical numbers sound impressive, the reality is quite different. The problem is that the 4600 Mbps on the 60 GHz band are available only for network clients that use the 802.11ad wireless standard. This standard is only for short-range wireless transmissions of up to 30 feet or 9 meters, without any walls or other obstacles separating the network client from the router. A big problem with 802.11ad is that it has not yet seen any major traction, which means that there are no devices that can use it, except for a few wireless routers like this one. For example, there are no mainstream laptops or Smart TVs that offer support for it. We do not have network clients that work with this standard, so we could not test the third band available on this router, and provide you with real-life measurements.
The dimensions of the Nighthawk X10 are impressive: this router has 8.81 x 6.61 x 2.91 inches or 224 x 168 x 74 mm in length x width x height. It also weighs 4.11 lb or 1.8 kg, making the heaviest wireless router that we have tested so far.
If you would like to learn more about the official specifications of this wireless router, go to this page: NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 Specifications.
Setting up and using the NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 wireless router
Setting up the NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 is similar to other wireless routers. The quick setup wizard is named NETGEAR genie and it even gives you the option to determine the best settings by itself, without your input. However, there are a few details that you have to provide: the details of your internet connection, the password for the admin user (we wish that Netgear allowed users to change the default user name too, instead of sticking to admin), and the answers to two security questions that you can use to recover your account when you forget your password.
Then, you are shown a summary of your initial settings, including the default names and passwords for the WiFi. Then, the quick setup wizard asks whether you want to use the ReadySHARE Vault app for Windows, and checks for firmware updates. We like this proactive approach, and we encourage users to update their firmware, in order to benefit from security fixes, new features, and performance improvements.
Another great precaution on Netgear's part is that it recommends that users set the router to automatically update to future firmware. We recommend doing so, to stay on top with the latest security fixes for your router.
After you are done with the initial setup, you can finally access the administration user interface. As you can see below, it is split into two tabs: Basic - with only the important settings most users need, and Advanced, which offers all the settings available for your router.
The administration user interface looks dated. However, it is easy to use and responsive, if you stick to the Basic tab with settings. The documentation for everything sits on a bar on the bottom of the user interface. Click on it, and you are taken to Netgear's website, where you can find the help you need. One positive is that the user interface is available in more than 20 languages, and switching between them is easy.
The Advanced tab has all the settings available for your router. However, the way it is organized, it is not that well thought out, and it needs some time to get used to the location of all the settings. For example, why are USB Settings not in the ReadyShare or Setup categories, but under Advanced Setup, is not clear. Also, you get two different sets of wireless settings, both under Setup and Advanced Setup, which leads to confusion.
Netgear Nighthawk X10 can be remotely controlled from a mobile app for iOS and Android. Unfortunately, Netgear has a confusing approach to mobile apps: it recommends two different mobile apps, depending on where you look. On the this router's product page, Netgear recommends using the Nighthawk App. We tried it, and we found it both easy-to-use and basic. You cannot do much with it, except for the initial setup, and the editing your WiFi settings. This app is too basic to be worthy of an expensive high-end wireless router. Users expect more features and more usefulness.
If you look further, like on documentation pages about using Parental Controls on this router, you find that Netgear recommends their NETGEAR Genie app. This app offers more useful features, including the only way to access Parental Controls, but it is also slower, and buggier, leading to another user experience that is not worthy of such an expensive product.
One positive about Netgear's approach to remote control is the fact that it uses two-factor authentication to protect user accounts and network devices. When you enable the remote administration of your wireless router, you should activate two-step verification to make sure that unwanted parties cannot easily hack into your account and your home network. Other router manufacturers should copy this useful security feature.
One of the features that we were expecting to see on such a high-end wireless router, was NETGEAR Armor, powered by Bitdefender, which provides advanced cyber threat protection for your home and all your devices. Unfortunately, that is not the case. This feature is available only for two cheaper NETGEAR routers: Nighthawk AC2300 and Nighthawk AC1900.
After we were done setting up the Netgear Nighthawk X10 smart WiFi router, we connected several devices to the network: two desktop PCs, a couple of laptops, one tablet, several smartphones, an Xbox One console, two smart plugs, one smart bulb, and a wireless printer. They all connected with ease, and we had no problems in streaming media over the network, or in sharing files and folders. Media streaming was also fast, including on a desktop PC with a monitor that has a Quad HD resolution.
When transferring data through the network, we also looked at the variability of network transfers. When we used a laptop in the same room with the router, or in rooms that are separated only by one wall, things looked good, with some variability, which tends to be unavoidable.
The variability increased a bit when we placed the laptop in a room separated from the router by two walls, without becoming problematic.
The general performance offered by Netgear Nighthawk X10 was satisfying in our two weeks of use. However, if you want to see detailed measurements, and a performance comparison with other wireless routers, go to the second page of this review.
