NetgearWi-Fi 7 router
Netgear Nighthawk RS500
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- Wi-Fi 7Wi-Fi standardTri-band · BE12000
- 5,765MbpsFastest band12,217 Mbps across all bands
- 2.5GbpsInternet portMax WAN speed
- 5portsWired Ethernet2× 2.5 Gigabit · 3× Gigabit
Key capabilities
- WireGuard VPN — not listed
- Parental controls — not listed
- Guest network
- WPA3 security
means the manufacturer doesn't list it, which isn't the same as the product lacking it.
OpenWrt
No support found. Checked against OpenWrt's own Table of Hardware, which carries no qualifying row for this model. That is a weaker statement than "this router cannot run OpenWrt" and a much stronger one than silence.
No ToH row for any current Netgear entry. The Netgear models OpenWrt does cover, such as the R7800, are older and none of them are in this lineup.
Checked 2026-08-06. How every router here was checked.
Specifications
Wireless
- Standard
- Wi-Fi 7
- Bands
- Tri-band
- Speed class
- BE12000
- Fastest band
- 5,765 Mbps
- All bands combined
- 12,217 Mbps
Connectivity
- Uplink
- Ethernet
- Internet port
- 2.5 Gbps
- Wired ports
- 2× 2.5 Gigabit · 3× Gigabit
- Port map
- USB ports
- 1
Hardware & physical
- Form
- Single unit
- Weight
- 967 g
- Dimensions
- 249 × 150 × 101.6 mm (3,795 cm³)
- Power
- DC power adapter
- Model number
- RS500
Manufacturer details
- Processor
- Quad-core 2.0 GHz
- Antennas
- 6
- Power
- 12V/3.5A power adapter
- USB
- 1x USB 3.0
- Rated coverage
- 3,000 sqft
Radios
| Band | Max link | Streams | Channel width |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4 GHz | 688 Mbps | 2×2 | 40 MHz |
| 5 GHz | 5,764 Mbps | 4×4 | 160 MHz |
| 6 GHz | 5,765 Mbps | 2×2 | 320 MHz |
All features · 11
Firmware
- Automatic firmware updates
Wi-Fi features
- OFDMA
What is OFDMA?
Table stakes50 of 79 listed here
Splits a channel into smaller slices so several devices are served in the same instant instead of taking turns.
Look at instead: streams per radio and channel width — those set the ceiling OFDMA divides up
Full entry → - MU-MIMO
What is MU-MIMO?
Table stakes46 of 79 listed here
Lets the router hold separate conversations with several devices at once using different antenna streams.
Look at instead: the stream count on each radio — a 4×4 radio has twice the streams of a 2×2 to hand out
Full entry → - 320 MHz channels
What is 320 MHz channels?
Worth comparing23 of 79 listed here
Wi-Fi 7's double-again channel width, available only on 6 GHz, where there is finally enough spectrum to fit it.
Look at instead: whether you own 6 GHz devices, and whether they will be in the same room as the router
Full entry →
Networking
- Link aggregation
Security
- WPA3
- Built-in threat protection
Management
- Guest network
- Mobile app management
- Traffic monitoring
Hardware
- USB storage sharing