Review: Netgear Nighthawk RS700S

Published: October 28, 2025

Introduction

Netgear's Nighthawk line has long been a staple in the high-performance consumer router market. With the arrival of the WiFi 7 standard, the RS700S marks their ambitious entry. Sporting a unique vertical design and promising staggering throughput, we were keen to see if the performance matches the futuristic aesthetic.

Key Features

The RS700S is built around the Broadcom BCM6726/3 chipset, offering full support for 320MHz channel widths on the 6GHz band. It boasts a 10Gbps WAN port and a 10Gbps LAN port, a welcome inclusion for users with multi-gig internet connections. Netgear claims a theoretical max throughput of 19Gbps, a number we approached with healthy skepticism.

Performance Benchmarks

In our iperf3 tests, the RS700S delivered impressive results. At close range (10 feet, line of sight) on the 6GHz band with a compatible client, we saw sustained throughput of over 4.5 Gbps. This is a monumental leap from previous WiFi 6E routers. Performance at a distance of 50 feet through two walls dropped to a still-respectable 1.2 Gbps. The vertical design seems to aid in thermal management, as we saw no evidence of thermal throttling during a 24-hour stress test.

Conclusion

The Netgear Nighthawk RS700S is a powerhouse. It's an expensive proposition, but for users demanding the absolute best performance and who have the multi-gig infrastructure to support it, it delivers. It sets a high bar for consumer WiFi 7 routers.