NETGEAR launches Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) router

If you don't have a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) router, you are not living your life properly. Look, even if you don't have any Wi-Fi 6 devices yet, you can score such a router for as low as $79.99. Seriously, folks, its time to upgrade your aging wireless networking gear already.

For those of you hardcore gamers looking to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6, NETGEAR has a new router that is sure to tickle your fancy. The "Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000," as it is called, runs DumaOS 3.0 -- a gaming-optimized firmware and interface. Not only will you benefit from the power of 802.11ax, but DumaOS will allow you to tune things to best meet your online gaming needs.

"With the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology, XR1000 is designed specifically to improve performance and reduce network latency when it comes to the gaming environment but will also enhance the overall home networking experience for every connected device. To further boost the gaming experience and give gamers the best gaming connection possible, the DumaOS 3.0 software includes new top features, such as: customizable Geo-Fencing, Ping Heatmap, Application QoS with Bandwidth Allocation, Connection Benchmark, and Traffic Controller," says NETGEAR.

The popular company also says, "Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is designed to address the new challenges of modern households with their abundance of connected devices that are vying for network bandwidth. With faster, more reliable connections and a 4X increase in capacity, the dual-band Wi-Fi 6 AX5400 allows for more devices to connect and stream simultaneously, without impacting speed or reliability. The Five (5) 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports (1 WAN and 4 LAN) and powerful 1.5GHz Triple-Core processor support more devices for better VR gaming, 4K streaming and more while boosting both wireless, wired, and USB performance."

NETGEAR explains the features and benefits of the DumaOS 3.0 software below.

• Bandwidth Allocation (QoS) Prioritizes gaming devices and allocates bandwidth per device or application.
• Geo Fencing Customizes and filters which game servers you play on for an elevated gaming experience. No longer simply a spherical aperture with wasted area, this newly updated feature provides the capability to draw customized shapes with up to 47 angles.
• Ping Heatmap Pings your favorite game servers to display your connection quality to each server on a World Map.
• Connection Benchmark Tests your connection’s speed, ping, & performance under peak congestion.
• Traffic Controller Blocks traffic by device or application on a schedule.

While the Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 looks to be yet another solid NETGEAR product, it is lacking some bonus features found on other high-end routers. For instance, there are no multi-gig Ethernet ports and there is no USB-C. With that said, neither of those aforementioned shortcomings are deal-breakers. Not to mention, it is a drop-dead gorgeous router too.

If you want to buy this elite gaming router, you can order it from Amazon here now. It is priced at $349 and is scheduled to start shipping on October 5.