Netgear RAX20 (AX1800) Review

The Netgear RAX20 is a good router with an approachable price tag, but it can't compete with the top WiFi routers we tested. To see how it stacks up against the competition and what you can expect from its modest price, read about its performance in the individual test metrics below.

Performance Comparison

2.4 GHz Throughput

With many devices relying on the 2.4 GHz bandwidth, we tested every model's 2.4 GHz Throughput and used averages to create a benchmark. The Netgear RAX20 (AX1800) was consistently average throughout the throughput testing.

In our 9-foot range test (both unobstructed and obstructed), the Netgear RAX20 was very average. It provided data rates of 100 megabits (MBits) and 90 MBits per second — both rates within 2 MBits per second of the test group average.

At 35 feet, whether unobstructed or obstructed, this router was slightly slower than the average of the entire test group. Our team recorded data rates of 82 MBits and 70 MBits, with unobstructed performance being exactly average and obstructed performance underperforming by only 3 MBits per second.

In our 70-foot obstructed distance challenge, the very budget-friendly RAX20 offered average performance, with 21 MBits data transferring speeds.

While nothing stands out about this model's 2.4 GHz throughput performance, it is still reasonable to think that the Netgear RAX20 WiFi router would suffice for 90 percent of people in need of a router for most typical household scenarios.

5 GHz Throughput

The Netgear RAX20 gave our team a minor surprise in our 5 GHz throughput tests. Its performance did taper with distance and obstructions (objects blocking the signal), but we didn't expect it to exhibit the above-average performance that it did.

In our 9-foot unobstructed and 9-foot obstructed tests, this model came in strong by handling data at a rate of 364 MBits and 363 MBits per second, respectively. It also exhibited above-average performance at 35 feet, handling data at a rate of 328 MBits per second when unobstructed and 310 MBits per second when obstructed.

At 70 feet, the performance continued to taper, doing an average job in our obstructed test, measuring 71 MBits per second speeds.

Range

The Netgear RAX20 did an average job in our 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz range tests. This unit landed right in the middle of the test lineup when it came to our range tests.

In the 2.4 GHz range, we were able to stream our 1080p test video up to 110 feet before encountering any buffering issues. In the 5 GHz test, we repeated the procedure, streaming the test video and moving in 10-foot increments. This model will stream a 1080p video on the 5 GHz channel up to 110 feet before buffering. The performances were neither impressive nor underwhelming.

Ease of Use

Across all of our testing, Netgear products failed to impress our team in our ease of use tests, and the Netgear RAX20 (AX1800) model in the Netgear lineup is no exception.

Netgear is not going to win any special accolades for its app setup. Getting started with a Netgear router is nowhere near as easy or intuitive as with other WiFi Router brands we tested that offer a superior setup experience.

What was most frustrating, and another reason the Nighthawk earned a low score in this sub-metric was that the app occasionally crashes and is also easy to tab out of accidentally. When either occurs, you'll have to restart the setup process completely. Unfortunately, issues don't end there — the app likes to disconnect and reconnect during setup. If you already have a router in your house, you will have to disconnect your phone, so it doesn't try to reconnect (this would boot you out of the new router setup). Lastly, getting things working may require manually connecting to the new router during setup, as it doesn't always auto-connect, forcing you to restart the setup process.

Mobile friendliness is the singular sub-metric, where Netgear products are consistently above average but barely so. The mobile interface is fairly easy to navigate, but the options are somewhat advanced, and it wouldn't be our top recommendation for people who need to set up the router and have a limited technical skill set.

When we evaluated the *Netgear RAX20 for PC interface friendliness, we found the experience was below average. While it may be easy enough to navigate the interface, there are rather advanced options, which we wouldn't recommend to the less tech-savvy person who is simply trying to make minor adjustments to their router.

The Parental Controls for this model are non-existent unless you subscribe to a paid subscription service from Netgear. That subscription will set you back about 60 bucks annually, whereas other router manufacturers include this in their product offerings as part of the base cost of their products. Additionally, the app itself has a less amazing rating and user reviews, many of which claim an alleged lack of robust features and app crashes.

Quality of service, or QoS, on the RAX20 is also underwhelming compared to the much more robust nature of other WiFi routers we tested. QoS setup can only be accessed by webpage login, which is an annoyance when you want to manage it from a mobile device. Unfortunately, when you access it from a webpage login, it only offers very simple QoS with no real customizability.

Should You Buy the Netgear RAX20 (AX1800)?

The Netgear RAX20 is a good WiFi router for those on a tight budget, with a significant caveat. If you require parental controls, you can expect to pay for Netgear's subscription-based parental control service for $7.99 per month or a flat cost of $69.99 per year. That cost significantly offsets the budget-friendly nature of the RAX20 and needs to be considered before purchasing.

What Other WiFi Routers Should You Consider?

We found the TP-Link Archer AX21 performed very similarly to the RAX20, and while it does cost a bit more, it includes excellent parental controls and is easy to set up. So if parental controls and budget are your two primary concerns, the Archer AX21 should get serious consideration over the RAX20.