Any home router can be used to play online games since the only requirement is to have connection to the Internet (and a game subscription of course). However, only a few dedicated gaming routers exist in the market that offer users the best gaming experience including low ping, low lag and high performance.
The Nighthawk Pro Gaming routers XR300, XR500 and XR700 from Netgear are designed by gamers for gamers and offer some dedicated features that are unique for online gaming and are not found on normal WiFi routers.
All routers are running on the DumaOS software (from NetDuma) instead of the normal stock Netgear software that is powering the other Nighthawk devices. This is the main factor and main difference between getting a dedicated Gaming router and a normal run-of-the-mill router.
The DumaOS has some unique characteristics and capabilities for online gaming that you won’t find anywhere else.
In this article we will compare the three gaming routers (XR300, XR500 and XR700) to help you decide if the more expensive XR700 is worth its money compared to the slightly older and mature XR500 (XR500 was launched at the beginning of 2018 while XR700 at mid-year in 2018 as well) or the newer entry-level XR300.
UPDATE (May 2019)
In March 2019, Netgear launched an entry level gaming router, the XR300, to target low-budget customers. Although this article was initially written to compare XR500 and XR700, we are now including also the newer XR300 model as well. Please have a look about this model in the comparison table below and in the brief review section at the end of the article.
Something to have in mind is that all models are excellent choices for serious gamers and rank among the top in customer satisfaction and reviews as you can see here (XR500 Reviews
It’s no surprise that a lot of people are upgrading their normal routers to get one of the above models.
Let’s first see a side-by-side comparison table for the three models we will be discussing in this post.
Comparison Table
Last update on 2023-03-22 at 15:40 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Netgear Nighthawk XR500 Brief Review – Main Features and Specs
- 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
- Amp up your Wi-Fi with AC2600 dual band router that delivers blazing fast speeds up to 2.6 Gbps
- Put your gaming traffic in a designated express lane with advanced quality of service, bypassing network congestion and reducing lag spikes, jumps and jitters
Last update on 2023-03-22 at 15:40 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
When it comes to Software features on the XR500, they are almost the same as XR700 since both products run the same software (DumaOS). The main differences between the two models come in hardware.
This router uses state-of-the-art technology to optimize your internet connection especially for playing demanding games online. Stabilizing your ping and reducing lag spikes allow for fast-paced gaming.
Advanced Quality of Service (QoS) offered by DumaOS makes sure to give priority to gaming devices (consoles, gaming PC etc) over other home gadgets when playing games. This means that if your spouse or child uses the Internet to watch youtube or a streaming service while you are playing an online game, this will not affect your experience because your gaming device will have priority on the allocated bandwidth.
Another killer feature of the DumaOS is Geo Filtering. One of the main factors for having high ping and high lag in online gaming is the physical distance you have from the gaming server you are connected to.
By blocking servers that are far away from your location or even by blocking other players that are far away from you, this means that your overall ping and latency will improve dramatically.
Have a look at the video below describing Geo Filtering available on XR300, XR500 and XR700
Regarding I/O wired ports on the router, these include four Gigabit ethernet ports and two 3.0 USB ports for accessing storage and media.
The wireless connection uses AC dual-band technology. The 1.7GHz Dual Core Processor is capable of handling demanding traffic from multiple devices with simultaneous streaming (MU-MIMO).
Netgear Nighthawk XR700 Brief Review – Main Features and Specs
- Minimize ping and maximize performance with six 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports for lag free, wired connectivity and 1.7 GHz quad core processor network efficiency
- Amp up your WiFi with cutting edge AD7200 Quad stream router that delivers speeds up to 7.2 Gbps. 60 GHz WiFi- Features the fastest WiFi technology for near-instant downloads and backup
- Put your gaming traffic in a designated express lane with advanced Quality of Service, bypassing network congestion and reducing lag spikes, jumps and jitters
Last update on 2023-03-22 at 15:40 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
As we’ve mentioned above, both routers are almost identical regarding Software features and specs.
The main difference in Software between the two is that XR700 includes also a Plex Media Server. This means that you can stream your local media files (videos etc) to local networked devices (smartTV, laptop etc).
If you have lots of movies stored on a local USB drive connected to XR700 , you can share and stream these movies to your smartTV for example using the Plex Media Server of the XR700.
The main differences between XR700 and XR500 come in hardware. With an almost double processing power (both on CPU and RAM level), the XR700 is much more powerful than the XR500.
Moreover, the XR700 antennas are amplified active components which means that each antenna includes an amplifier in the antenna body itself. This results in wider coverage of wifi signal.
Regarding connectivity speeds, you can have above-Gigabit levels only from the XR700. If you utilize its 10G LAN port or by aggregating two Gigabit LAN ports, you can achieve more than 1Gig speeds on the Local Network (this is true both on the wired and wireless network connections using the newest 802.11AD WiFi standard). This characteristic will be very useful for high-performance gaming LAN parties.
With the option of choosing between AD and AC WiFi, you have more control over gaming performance. The 1.7GHz Quad Core Processor keeps speeds dependable and consistent. The processor can improve efficiency of any connected device, allowing for improved virtual reality gaming and 4K streaming.
Netgear Nighthawk XR300 Brief Review
- Minimize ping and maximize performance with four 1-Gigabit Ethernet ports for lag-free, wired connectivity
- Amp up your WiFi with AC1750 dual-band router that delivers blazing fast speeds up to 1.75 Gbps
- Put your gaming traffic in a designated express lane with advanced Quality of Service, bypassing network congestion and reducing lag spikes, jumps and jitters
Last update on 2023-03-22 at 15:40 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
As we have mentioned at the beginning of this article, in March 2019 Netgear launched this entry-level gaming model to reduce the price tag of dedicated gaming routers. With a reduced price-tag comes also reduction in hardware specs.
Although the hardware performance of this model is significantly lower compared to the other two models above, the DumaOS software running on XR300 is the same as the other two models.
This is the main factor that makes these devices great for gaming. The DumaOS is what controls the communication with gaming servers, Quality of Service, device prioritization etc.
One notable disadvantage though of this model is that MU-MIMO is not supported. This means that simultaneous wifi communication of several devices with the router is not supported.
The XR300 resembles a lot the Netgear R6700. They have the same CPU (Broadcom BCM4708C0 1 GHz, 2 cores) and also the same radio characteristics (Dual-Band AC1750). The only difference is that XR300 has 512MB RAM instead of 256MB of the R6700.
This means that Netgear chose to use an older model as a basis for building the XR300.
If you don’t have demanding WiFi needs in your home and you only need a router mostly for great gaming performance, then XR300 will be a cheap and good choice.
Main Similarities Between the XR300, XR500 and XR700
Although the software and hardware have been beefed up for the XR700, the services that the routers feature still provide very similar functions and options. Included are:
Quality of Service (QoS)
As we’ve mentioned above, the QoS offered by DumaOS is specifically tailored for gaming. The ability to allocate bandwidth per device and also prioritize certain gaming devices over others allows for lag-free gaming.
Network Monitor
This feature continuously observes your computer network for slow components. It can automatically detect applications and programs that could be causing lag.
Geo Filter
This technology can help reduce one of the main causes of lag: distance. By setting a distance limit from your home you will only connect to players or servers close to you. This can significantly reduce the lag for you and other game players. The difference on your game can be very obvious, with improved response time and fairer gameplay.
Gaming Dashboard
This allows you to customize how you view and interact with the settings on your router. You can see real-time bandwidth usage by device, ping and more.
Gaming VPN
The Gaming VPN option uses your VPN service provider to keep your internet connections secure and private.
VPN DDoS protection can help keep your gaming connection stable and consistent. Using a VPN to connect to a different server location can help reduce ping in games like League of Legends and Minecraft, or any other massively multiplayer online game.
MMOG, or more commonly known as MMO, is an online game with a large number of players. There can be anywhere from hundreds to thousands of people on the same server.
Main Differences Between the XR300, XR500 and XR700
Overall, the XR700 has increased power, speed and connectivity options. Here are how the above models are compared:
- The XR700 has six wired Ethernet ports, compared to the XR300 and XR500 which only have four.
- The XR700 theoretical wireless speed is up to 7.2 gigabit per second compared to XR500 theoretical WiFi speed of 2.6 gigabits transfer rate and 1.75 Gbps of the XR300. This is because the XR700 is an 802.11AD wireless device which supports bandwidth in the 60Ghz range (but only compatible wifi clients can utilize this technology).
- The XR700 has tri-band frequencies, whereas the XR300 and XR500 are dual-band router.
- The XR700 has a 1.7GHz Quad Core Processor, but the XR500 has 1.7GHz Dual Core Processor. The entry-level XR300 is running on 1Ghz processor.
- The XR700 can connect to your devices though AD and AC WiFi, but the XR300 and XR500 only have AC WiFi.
- The XR700 is almost twice the price compared to the rest.
- The XR300 does not support MU-MIMO which enhances simultaneous wireless access from clients to router.
Final Verdict – What is our Recommendation
For Hard Core Gamers with big budget
Let’s first discuss the lifespan of a router device. When purchasing a router (or any other electronic gadget), keep in mind that the technology will eventually become outdated. Networking hardware is used nonstop on a daily basis – after several years, routers can slowly lose their reliability and their specs will eventually become outdated.
WiFi connections are being stretched out over more and more devices. At one point you may have just had a computer or two connected. Now you have the addition of smartphones, gaming consoles, tablets, streaming devices, smart appliances, among others. With more and more items connecting to your network, it is no wonder technology can become outdated so fast.
When investing in a router, do you want to get one that has the most recent wired and WiFi technology (802.11AD), or one that is already some years old and on its way out (802.11AC)?
If money is not an issue for you, then the XR700 is definitely more future-proof than XR300 and XR500 both on the Wired network and on the WiFi network as well so we recommend the XR700.
For Hard Core Gamers with budget limitations
On the other hand, the XR500 is almost half the price. Especially if your gaming gear (console, gaming PC etc) are hardwired to the router (with a cable) and you don’t use the WiFi for online gaming, the XR500 will be more than enough for you. Especially on the software aspect, both devices utilize the specialized DumaOS which will bring the same gaming benefits to both routers.
With a huge difference in price, see if you can justify spending that much more on the XR700. We believe that if you want to save money, the XR500 is still a great choice.
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