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High-performance router

The Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 is a gigabit WiFi router built with data streaming and mobile devices in mind. Available from Duxbury Networking, it features a 1 GHz dual core processor and has the ability to support physical link rates of 1300 mbps on its 5 GHz radio (using the 802.1ac networking standard) and rates of 600 mbps on its 2,4 GHz radio (using the 802.11n networking standard).

The higher-than-usual 2,4 GHz link rate is made possible by the device’s use of 256-QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) compared to mainstream routers which tend to rely on 64-QAM which provides a maximum link rate of 450 mbps with 2,4 GHz 802.11n networks.

Unlike a number of routers which support only upstream QoS (Quality of Service), the Nighthawk offers downstream QoS giving it the ability to recognise and prioritise network traffic.

The Nighthawk supports OpenVPN, which gives users secure access to home networks – and the PCs running on them – from any location providing Internet access.

The router has two USB ports and is able to support both a USB printer and a USB storage device. It comes with both DLNA media and iTunes music servers, so any DLNA-compatible or Apple AirPlay device can stream media from a hard drive attached to it.

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