Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 Gaming Router Review
9.5/10 (Expert Score)- Minimize ping and maximize performance with four 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports for lag free, wired connectivity and 1.7 GHz dual core processor network efficiency.Beamforming : Implicit & Explicit Beamforming. LEDs : On/off LED lights option.

Original price was: $249.99.$130.97Current price is: $130.97.
Description
NETGEAR Pro Gaming XR500 is a high-performance wireless gaming router that delivers lag-free online gaming and smooth streaming. The XR500 features up to 1.8 Gbps total bandwidth, dual-band concurrent wireless network performance, and Game Boost to optimize your gameplay experience.
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Design
The Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 design is angular and aggressive. If you hand it to a 4-year-old his first reaction might be to hold it over his head and pretend to fly it like a Star Wars spacecraft. As an adult, you may find yourself doing the same thing if no one is looking. The black enclosure measures 2 inches high by 12 inches wide and 10 inches deep. It’s not a small router. The usual series of blinking LED status lights can be found in the front while the two USB 3.0 ports are neatly tucked away in a slot on the side. In the back are four 1GB LAN ports and a WAN port.
Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 Features
The XR500 has been brilliantly designed for gamers. The state-of-the-art Net Duma software is not just pretty to look at. It can be used to optimize your Internet connection, reduce lag spikes from other devices on your network, and minimize those ever-important ping times. The software is both flexible and customizable which allows you to control your layout and choose what information is displayed on the screen.
The Geo Filtering capabilities allow you to focus on local connections instead of getting snagged by a laggy server in Brazil. Of course, you can prioritize your gaming devices with QOS and even use a built-in VPN client to protect your identity and prevent DDoS attacks
The Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 is a dual-band router with 800Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1,733Mbps on the 5GHz band. It’s powered by a dual-core 1.7GHz processor. and 512MB of RAM. The antennas are adjustable and removable. Of course, it supports MU-MIMO and beamforming. These features allow for stronger more focused connections that allow your devices to behave as if they each have a dedicated connection. Another important enhancement is the increase in channel size from 80MHz to 160MHz which doubles throughput on the 5GHZ band. The only thing missing from this wireless router is the 3rd band.
Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 Installation
Setting up the router is easy. Once it’s connected to your network simply hop on to a web browser and log into www.routerlogin.net. The web interface is intuitive and easy to use. It contains an easy-to-find settings tab for your basic Internet, WiFi, LAN, and Guest Network settings. You can also access more advanced settings like port forwarding, port triggering, VPN, remote management, and setting up static routes in case you find that sort of thing as entertaining as a typical 1st person shooter. You can also set it up using the Nighthawk app on your phone.
Performance
Despite all the bells and whistles the Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 WiFi and file transfer speeds did not seriously outperform less expensive high-performance routers such as the Netgear R8000P and Asus RT-AC86U. In some cases, it was slightly outperformed by those routers. Now is the time to consider your reasons for buying a wireless router like this.
Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 – Video
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Conclusion
The Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 is designed exclusively for gamers. The router itself is a great performer but it’s not out to break any WiFi speed records. Whether it’s worth it to you to pay an extra $100 to enhance your gaming experience with the Duma OS software is a decision you’ll have to make on your own while you’re out driving your Lamborghini.
Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 Alternatives
Last update on 2025-02-11 at 03:08 Affiliate links and Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Netgear Pro Gaming XR500 Gaming Router Review Prices
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