Netgear’s new Nighthawk router is built for pro gamers

Netgear is rolling out two new products designed for hard-core gamers. Launched today at CES 2018, the Nighthawk Pro Gaming WiFi Router (XR500) and Nighthawk Pro Gaming SX10 10G/Multi-Gig LAN Switch (GS810EMX) have been designed for heavy-duty, uninterrupted gameplay, offering best-in-class features neatly packaged in formidable black casing.

The Pro Gaming Router streams simultaneously to multiple devices on the same network, so you can game online at the same time as your friends without eating up one another's performance. Its geofilter guarantees a local connection and lets you create preferred server lists, while the Dual-Core 1.7GHz processor supports multiple devices for better 4K streaming. It's pretty nippy, too, with up to 800+1,733 Mbps wireless speeds and dual-band WiFi doubling available bandwidth. Plus there's the usual network tools that let you check for performance-hogging devices and view real-time usage across multiple parameters.

The Pro Gaming Switch, meanwhile, succeeds the Nighthawk S8000. It promises "close-to-zero" latency, ports that automatically adapt to deliver the speed you need (up to 10Gbps), the option to aggregate ports for even faster speeds and stream prioritization with QoS to fine-tune your game play. Plus its aluminum enclosure dissipates heat, so without the need for a vent or fan it's totally silent, and you can fiddle with the customizable RGB LED controls to personalize every light on the device -- if you're not busy taking advantage of the tech inside it, of course. The router and switch are available in the US for $300 each.

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