What is it?
An advanced Internet router from Netgear.
With the increasing influence of streaming entertainment on our lives its never been more important to utilise your bandwidth efficiently.
Ask any gamer to name their number one system gripe and chances are they will complain about their bandwidth.
Netgear have introduced the Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 which aims to reduce bandwidth bottlenecks and enhance online experiences.
Good Points?
The most impressive aspect and undoubtedly its biggest selling point is the DumaOS software which controls your home network and turns any compatible router into an infrastructure management system.
The key benefits of this software are the inclusion of geo-filtering which allows you to set the maximum distance between you and a relevant server. This reduces lag and the connection time of the service you are using.
The software also allows you to prioritise devices and services running on your network to eliminate congestion by issuing more resources to them.
A built-in network monitor displays real-time statistics on the gadgets that are connected and what impact they are having. This enables you to block unwanted devices and software providing greater security and maintains a stable connection.
Bad points?
A lack of broadband modem capabilities means that ADSL customers such as BT will need to keep their existing router in place which is an unwanted layer between you and the Internet.
Best for ...
Anyone who desires the maximum quality level when either playing games or watching streaming services online.
Avoid if ...
Your Internet usage consists of web browsing and the occasional file download.
Score: 8/10.
Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500, £239.99 (scan.co.uk)
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here