INTRODUCTION

   Nowadays everything from smartphones, tablets and computers (both desktop and laptops) to TV screens, media players, security/alarm systems, lighting and home appliances (even small ones like coffee makers) can be connected wirelessly to your local network and although i was never (and probably never will be) a huge fan of WiFi because of its reduced performance and security over wired connectivity i have to admit that the vision of the smart home (or connected home as some called it) some of us once had is finally not that far away. As expected however when there are so many wireless capable devices inside a household (or even at the office) you will need a router capable of supplying all of them with good quality signal. Unfortunately for people looking to get their hands on a powerful modem/router there are really just a handful of models capable of doing so including the Nighthawk X4S D7800 AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router by Netgear which we've been using in our lab for almost 2 weeks now.

 NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) is a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers. For consumers, the company makes high performance, dependable and easy to use home networking, storage and digital media products to connect people with the Internet and their content and devices. For businesses, NETGEAR provides networking, storage and security solutions without the cost and complexity of big IT. The company also supplies top service providers with retail-proven, mobile broadband solutions for their customers on the go. NETGEAR products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and Powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in approximately 44,000 retail locations around the globe, and through approximately 37,000 value-added resellers. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in over 25 countries. NETGEAR is an ENERGY STAR® partner.

   Just like with most AC compatible routers out in the market currently the Netgear Nighthawk X4S D7800 offers concurrent transmission of two bands 2.4GHz and 5GHz which result at the advertised speed of 2600Mbps ( to be more exact you're getting 800Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1733Mbps on the 5GHz one). Under the hood of the Nighthawk X4S D7800 we find 512MB RAM, 128MB flash ROM and a quad-core network processor by Qualcomm Atheros (IPQ8064 model) which combines a powerful, dual-core Krait CPU (1.4GHz) for control plane and applications, with a dual-core 730MHz Network Subsystem (NSS) to accelerate packet processing. The X4S D7800 also supports several technologies including MU-MIMO (multiuser, multiple input, multiple output standard), 256-QAM over 802.11n/ac, Beamforming+ (focuses signal wherever connected devices are located), dynamic QoS, DLNA and VPN and is fully compatible with ADSL/ADSL2/ADSL2+/VDSL/VDSL2 lines. In terms of connectivity the Nighthawk X4S D7800 offers two USB 3.0 ports, eSATA port, four Gigabit Ethernet Ports with auto-sensing technology, WAN auto-sensing Gigabit port and one DSL/VDSL port. On paper Netgear has what we think is one of the best VDSL/ADSL modem/routers in the market today and all that's left is for us to see if that's really the case.