NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTGR), the leading provider of networking devices that power today’s smart home, is introducing Nighthawk® X6S AC3000 Tri-band WiFi Range Extender with FastLane3 and Smart Roaming (EX8000). Working with any WiFi router or ISP modem router, the Nighthawk X6S Range Extender with FastLane3 Technology will transform any existing WiFi into an expanded WiFi system, eliminating dead zones and boosting WiFi speeds in the farthest corners of the house. NETGEAR’s patented FastLane3 Technology is made up of three critical components: (1) Tri-band WiFi, (2) a dedicated WiFi link from the extender to your router, and (3) optimized antenna designs in the extender.

The Nighthawk X6S Tri-band WiFi Range Extender opens up a new world of ‘WiFi systems’ to those who have become fans of the advanced features of NETGEAR’s Nighthawk performance routers, as well as those who may be locked into renting a modem router provided by their ISP. The unfortunate reality is that even those who own a powerful stand-alone router may experience “dead zones” or spotty connectivity issues due to the layout of a property, the type of materials used in construction, or limitations around placement of the router. With FastLane3 Technology, the Nighthawk X6S WiFi Extender will boost existing WiFi and resolve inconsistent, slow, or weak wireless connections, even at a distance from the router or when faced with physical obstructions.

This new breakthrough Nighthawk extender broadens your network coverage up to an additional 2,500 square feet while reducing interference so smartphones, tablets and computers all stay connected to stream, game or browse the internet. The benefit of FastLane3 Technology in the Nighthawk X6S Extender is to greatly enhance WiFi coverage and increase speeds at the far corners of your property while maintaining seamless roaming around your home for the mobile devices connected over WiFi. The days of switching SSID networks from the router to the extender while moving throughout your home are gone, as is the frustration of having WiFi performance cut in half while using an extender.

“Our Orbi Tri-band WiFi system with FastLane3 Technology has been an overwhelming success. We’ve been flooded with positive feedback regarding its performance, range, and ease of use. Yet, we continue to get questions from consumers who are looking to achieve an Orbi-like experience, but must use a modem-router provided by their ISP,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products at NETGEAR.

Henry added, “Now with the Nighthawk X6S Extender with FastLane3 Technology, they don’t have to compromise. Fans of our popular Nighthawk routers can continue to enjoy the advanced features they love such as Plex, ReadySHARE™, and 802.11ad while also achieving ‘mesh-like’ capabilities due to FastLane3 Technology, simply by adding this new extender to their existing network.”

Key Technical Features of Nighthawk X6S NETGEAR FastLane3 Technology introduces Tri-band WiFi— creating a dedicated wireless link to the router— with Smart Roaming to provide seamless WiFi coverage from the front door to the back yard and from the top floor to the basement, using one WiFi network (SSID) everywhere. Furthermore, with MU-MIMO and Smart Connect intelligence, every device is assigned the best optimized WiFi connection available.

Innovative Tri-band WiFi with FastLane3: Tri-band WiFi enables the Nighthawk X6S to create a FastLane3 dedicated connection to any existing WiFi router or modem router. Unlike single or dual-band WiFi range extenders, this dedicated link is not used for any other purpose and thus maximizes the available internet speeds improving the overall network throughput to WiFi devices that are suffering from a weak connection.

One WiFi Name with Any Router or Modem Router: A traditional range extender repeats the WiFi signal of your router to other parts of your house, but requires your devices to switch WiFi network names (SSID), one for the router and another for the extender, causing connectivity to suffer. In contrast, the new Nighthawk X6S WiFi Extender supports the same WiFi network name and password as your router, so your devices connect automatically to the strongest signal as you move around your home.

Smart Roaming: The next-generation Smart Roaming capability of Nighthawk X6S WiFi Range Extender intelligently connects your mobile devices to the most robust WiFi signal so you’ll experience superior streaming in every corner of your home. Seamlessly moving from the router to the extender, you will enjoy the benefits of streaming music in the back yard, video chat in the kitchen, or playing online games in the basement, all without a hiccup in performance. You will also now be able to enjoy streaming of even 4k video without a stutter or buffering.

Other Technical Features of Nighthawk X6S

• Extreme AC3000 WiFi speeds — for providing up to 3Gbps* (1733+866+400)
• Smart Connect — for intelligently selecting the optimal WiFi band (5GHz or 2.4GHz) for every device
• Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) — for simultaneous streaming of data to multiple devices
• Quad-core Processor — for boosting wireless and wired performance for better 4K streaming and lag-free gaming
• Six (6) High-Performance Antennas — for providing optimal performance
• Four (4) Gigabit Ethernet Ports — for connecting wired devices like game consoles, smart TVs, or multimedia streaming set-top boxes to your WiFi network
• ReadySHARE® USB Port — for connecting your USB printer to the USB 2.0 port
• WiFi Analytics App for Android™ devices — for optimizing your network status, signal strength, and channel interference

The Nighthawk X6S WiFi Extender can also be set to access-point mode connecting directly via wired Ethernet to an existing router or ISP equipment to upgrade it to Tri-band WiFi and AC3000 speeds. Access point mode can also be used to create a Tri-band WiFi hotspot in a location within your home that is pre-wired with an Ethernet jack.

Pricing and Availability The NETGEAR Nighthawk X6S AC3000 Tri-band WiFi Range Extender with FastLane3 and Smart Roaming (EX8000) is available now worldwide from major retailers, for an MSRP of $229.99.