CONCLUSION

   The Nighthawk X4S D7800 may not have broken all our performance records but in terms of WiFi performance it’s certainly the fastest ADSL/VDSL modem/router to pass from our lab to date. It didn’t do as well in our ADSL connection tests but these tests are never 100% accurate (they could come really close to 100% if only we could test every single modem/router each time we do one such review something which is really not possible) and so we never put too much weight on them. WiFi and wired performance along with available features is what we check whenever we test a modem/router and as clearly seen in our charts and web interface screenshots the Nighthawk X4S D7800 has nothing to fear from even from the more advanced AC3200 compatible routers. Unfortunately once again the graphic heavy GUI of the web interface requires sometime to load but thanks to the specifications of the D7800 it’s not as frequent as with let’s say the D6300. Also It did come to my attention that some users report low USB 3.0 performance with the D7800 but after doing some quick Crystal Disk Mark tests we recorded sequential read and write speeds of over 60MB/s and although I admit this number could be higher it’s not really what I’d call bad for a modem/router (we may add USB performance charts in our results in the near future).

   With a current attached price tag set at no less than USD371.85 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 213Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the Nighthawk X4S D7800 by Netgear is certainly not the lowest-cost modem/router in the market today. Honestly however although pricing in the USA is quite high and somewhat unexpected inside the EU the D7800 is priced very nicely especially if you take into account its wireless performance and available features. Long story short although not perfect the Nighthawk X4S D7800 is the best ADSL/VDSL modem/router in our charts and since it comes with an abundance of features and is also priced right (inside the EU that is) it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Design
- Wireless Performance (Fastest Modem/Router In Our Charts)
- AC2600 (Concurrent 802.11n & 802.11ac Bands)
- User Friendly Web Interface
- Features
- Technologies Used (Beamforming / MU-MIMO / TurboQAM)
- Windows, MAC, Android & iOS App
- 4 Auto-Sensing Gigabit Ethernet Ports / WAN Port
- 2 USB 3.0 Ports & eSATA Port
- LED On/Off Switch
- Price (EU)

CONS

- Price (USA)