Question 1

Is this made of metal or plastic? I ask because it would go in a place without good ventilation and assume there is no internal fan.

Accepted Answer

Here is a trick for you to consider: You can add a low noise "5V" fan, using the USB-2 port. Or, a "12V" fan which runs at lower speed on a 5V connection (though this would require a bit of rewiring, and many fans don't begin to turn until Voltage is above 6 or 7VDC).You get great cooling, and you still have the USB-3 available for a NAS Connection, or a simple storage device.

Question 2

Does it support Verizon Fios？ Can it replace the router of Verizon?

Accepted Answer

The Verizon ONT can be set to ethernet (instead of coax, call Verizon to request the change) and you can connect this router as the main router for your internet connection. However the Verizon router acts as a coax AP and without it you will lose the channel guide on your TVs. To keep the Verizon router in the network, you will need to disable the WiFi radios and the DHCP server (let the R8500 handle that) and it's Ip address can't conflict with the R8500.

Question 3

How does this x8-ac5300 compare to X6-ac3200 or similar ASUS products?  I see mixed reviews on the X6-ac3200 and the ASUS products.  I'm interested in rock solid reliability and performance, with no drops, no reboots necessary, and good constant speed.  Is this x8-ac5300 more solid than these other guys in these respects or is it too new and still having bug issues, etc.  Thanks for input!

Accepted Answer

I have had to reboot mine twice since I got it. I have not had to reboot at all since the last firmware update though. The wireless is fast, though I have not done any in-depth testing. My laptop with a Intel 7265 connects at 800mbps and speed tests to the internet just as fast as my wired clients do. I went with this router to replace a 1st gen dual-band router so it was a big upgrade. I am not sure I would upgrade from any other recent high end product. One of the things you must know about this is it has dual 5ghz bands, this is nice for wireless saturation issues. So I actually have 3 SSID's not counting guest SSID's, 1 2.4ghz and 2 5ghz SSID's.

Question 4

How many devices can connect to it such as tablets, phones, laptops and computers? Using some routers after 10 devices are connected to it if another tried to connect it would disconnect everyone.  I currently am using a Apple Airport Extreme router which allows up to 50 devices connected to it.  I am looking for something the same.  Will this do it?

Accepted Answer

Take a look at my setup and judge for yourself. I did purchase 2 of these on release date.  I use one as my main router, which the setup is below, and the second as a wireless bridge/AP which connects to the main, so i do not have to wire the second floor. About 60 devices connected. Granted not everything is active at the same time, however when family visits, there is heavy usage, which I do not count in my list. It is very important to have static/reserved IPs, or you will have a lot of conflicts on reset.

Wired
1 Dell Switch
1 Craftsman Gargage opener
1 AdTrap
1 Playstation 3
1 Slingbox
1 ADT iHub
1 Netgear ReadyNAS314 Aggregated

2.4ghz wireless
3 LGTVs
1 Ring doorbell
1 Ecobee therostat
8 Nest smokedetectors
1 Dell XT2
2 Old Apple TVs
4 Chromecasts
1 Dell Printer
2 3Ds XL
4 Nest Cameras
1 Cannon Printer

5ghz wireless
2 Dell XPS laptop
1 ALienware 18
2 iPad pros
2 iPhone 6s
1 iPod
1 Playstation 4
1 Wii U
2 New Apple TVs
1 Bose wireless Bridge

1 Second R8500 as wireless bridge/AP
1 Dell switch
1 Dell Printer
1 Polycom HD Deskphone
2 Dell Workstations
1 Playstation 3
1 Dymo Printer
1 HTPC
1 Netgear ReadyNAS314 Aggregated

Question 5

Is the WAN port RJ-11 or RJ-45?

Accepted Answer

All ports on this router are RJ45 so any sort of Cat 5 or Cat 6 cable will work.  I just put new Cat6A cables in mine and it's working perfectly.

Question 6

I want to know how many ports can I trigger with this, and also what is the limit of doing so?

How reliable is the firmware on this and can it run dd-wrt

Accepted Answer

*Partial Answer*
Peter, I cannot comment on how many ports can be triggered, as I have always left ports as an automated function and focused solely on IP addresses to connect devices.
The Firmware, however, is extremely reliable! I have not had to reboot the router even once since using it, and its range is incredible, even for non 802.11AC devices! As for DD-Wrt, there is a Kong firmware available for it, but DD-Wrt has not adopted this router formally.

Question 7

Is this  dual voltage?

Accepted Answer

No. The power supply it comes with only accepts input in the 100-120 volt range.

Question 8

Can this router be mounted on a wall?  My home network consist of wired and wireless with all wired connections being in my utility closet so I need a router that can be slipped into place to replace my DLink old technology router.

Accepted Answer

This unit does have mounting slots on the bottom.

Question 9

I am looking to upgrade router to more solid, stable, reliable, strong signal, good constant speed, no need to reboot, future proof for say ~8years, router. I only have 8-10 devices and 25mbps Comcast connection. I want to upgrade connection to 75mbps and upgrade modem to Arris SB6183, and upgrade router to maximize new situation for long term.  Is this X8-ac5300 router my best choice?  Is it lot better than X6-ac3200 and other ac5300 and ac3200 routers on market (i.e. ASUS)?  Is hardware and firmware really up to speed so I don't have to replace it for long time? I am concerned with some bad reviews regarding need to reboot often and firmware bugs? I appreciate your thoughts.

Accepted Answer

I DO not have this yet I have a R7000 currently and have installed many of the R7000's for customers it was the most stable I found of its kind with formal testing period, I had a netgear before it, and a completely different brand before that which I won't mention as these are netgear router questions and answers. As far as it goes this will most likely be my next router when I need 1 as for now my R7000 does what I need.

A few pieces of advice for those with large spaces and it does not quite cover it you can grab one of their AC Access Points (AP) and they link up directly when installed and it will solve those issues quickly. As for your Cable Mode get a SB6190 if you're upgrading that not a 6183 this is not a warning about the 6183 the 6190 is just the newest model and will therefore stay supported for longer.

Brand	NETGEAR
Model	R8500-100NAS

Standards	IEEE 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz 1024 QAM support IEEE 802.11 a/n/ac 5 GHz 1024 QAM support
WiFi Generation	Wi-Fi 5
Security	Customized free URL to set up personal FTP server VPN support-secure remote access Guest network access-separate & secure WiFi Protected Access (WPA / WPA2-PSK) Double firewall protection (SPI and NAT) Denial-of-service (DoS) attack prevention
WAN Ports	1 x 10/100/1000M
LAN Ports	6 x 10/100/1000M
Wireless Data Rates	AC5300 / Up to 5.3Gbps
Frequency Band	2.4 GHz / 5 GHz / 5 GHz
Interface	1 x USB 3.0 & 1 x USB 2.0
Processor	Powerful dual core 1.4 GHz processor
System Requirements	Microsoft Windows 7, 8, Vista, XP, 2000, Mac OS, UNIX, or Linux Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, Firefox 2.0, Safari 1.4, Google Chrome 11.0 browsers or higher
Dimensions	2.40" x 12.44" x 10.39"
Weight	3.70 lbs.

NETGEAR AC5300 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router (R8500)

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Item#: N82E16833122814