The NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50, also known as the NETGEAR Nighthawk AX5400, is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It supports the 160MHz band on the 5GHz channel. It features four 1 Gbps LAN ports and a USB 3.0 port for local file sharing. You can set it up and change settings using the Nighthawk mobile app.
Our Verdict
The NETGEAR AX5400 is a good router if you live in an apartment, condo, or single-story home. It delivers speeds suitable for downloading large files quickly or having multiple users streaming 4k content across a single floor. It also supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), so it can use less congested DFS-only channels to give you better speeds in noisy wireless environments. It's an average-sized router and has screw head slots on the bottom so you can mount it to a wall or the ceiling. It has a USB 3.0 port for local file sharing.
- Great top speeds.
- Supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) for better performance in congested wireless environments.
- Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.
The NETGEAR Nighthawk AX5400 is a decent router if you live in a multi-level home. It provides good coverage throughout your home with speeds fast enough for most high-bandwidth uses like fast downloads and multiple people streaming 4k video. That said, it's a standalone router, so its speeds drop the further you are from it. This means there might be dead zones if your home is very large or has obstacles like concrete or masonry walls. While it has four 1 Gbps LAN ports, it has no multi-gigabit ports. It has a USB 3.0 port for local file sharing.
- Great top speeds.
- Supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) for better performance in congested wireless environments.
- Only decent range and no mesh capabilities.
- Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.
The NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK AX5400 delivers great speeds suitable for an internet connection of up to 1 Gbps. It supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), so it can utilize less congested DFS-only channels to provide you with better speeds in noisy wireless environments. That said, it's only Wi-Fi 6, so it doesn't have a faster 6GHz band for your Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices to take advantage of.
- Great top speeds.
- Supports Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) for better performance in congested wireless environments.
- Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.
The NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK AX5400 has a decent range. It's a standalone router without mesh capabilities, so its speed drops linearly over distance. That said, it still has a fast enough 4k video streaming at longer distances. If the range is a priority for you, consider getting a mesh setup.
- Only decent range and no mesh capabilities.
- Wi-Fi 6 doesn't take full advantage of new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 devices.
Changelog
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Updated Jun 16, 2025:
We've added a link to the recently reviewed Netduma R3 in the Dimensions section.
- Updated May 01, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.8.1. This includes a new test result for our Test Configuration box.
- Updated Jul 22, 2024: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The router that we bought and tested doesn't have any variants. Here's a photo of our unit's label.
Popular Router Comparisons
The NETGEAR Nighthawk AX5400 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It supports the wider 160MHz channel bandwidth on the 5GHz band and has a USB 3.0 port for local file sharing. However, unlike other routers in its price range, it doesn't support mesh networking.
It performs similarly in speed to other routers in its price range, like the TP-Link Archer AX4400 and the ASUS RT-AX3000, but its range is worse.
For more recommendations, check out the best Wi-Fi 6 routers, the best Wi-Fi routers, or the best routers for streaming.
The NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300 is a better router than the NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX50. It's Wi-Fi 7 capable, is faster, has more networking ports, and is physically smaller. While the RAX50 has better 5GHz range, the RS300 has better 6GHz range.
Test Results
If you're looking for a router with RGB lighting, check out the Netduma R3.
This router has a pair of screw head slots on the bottom, so you can easily mount it to your wall or ceiling.
This is a standalone router without mesh capabilities, so the mesh satellite position line on this graph isn't applicable.
This is a standalone router without mesh capabilities, so the mesh satellite position line on this graph isn't applicable.
