We recently bought the 12 top Wi-Fi extenders, including the Netgear EX6120 AC1200. And we put each of them through several tests to assess their speed, features, range, and other factors.
As professional home networkers, we know how to test, measure, and benchmark Wi-Fi extenders to help you determine which one is ideal for your home.
So, let’s get this review started!
Netgear EX6120 AC1200 Overview
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read our Netgear EX6120 Wi-Fi booster review.
This post explains who the EX6120 will benefit most and its key features and benefits. It’s suitable for many types of internet users.
Who is the Netgear EX6120 designed for?
It’s ideal for homeowners with 300 Mbps or slower Internet connections.
It can handle a respectable amount of usage like an online video game, a 4k movie stream, a video conference, or more.
But it’s in the bottom half of extenders when it comes to speed. But on Wi-Fi, it has a coverage area of 60 feet, which is pretty good. It provides an even better (70 feet) range on Ethernet. This is plenty of range and will cover the majority of houses, no matter the size and shape.
However, the EX6120 isn’t without fault. During installation, we encountered some minor trouble.
It’s also only dual-band and not tri-band. Tri-band would be better since it allows you to connect more wireless devices due to the higher bandwidth.
Alas, we believe the Netgear EX6120 is a good extender and well worth the money.
Read on to discover why the EX6120 might be an excellent choice for your home’s Wi-Fi network.
Specs
| Brand | Netgear |
| Model | EX6120 |
| Max Tested Speed | Wi-Fi: 148.05 Mbps Ethernet: 311.97 Mbps |
| Approximate Range | Wi-Fi: 60 feet Ethernet: 70 feet |
| Wireless Standard | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bands | Dual-band |
| LAN Port | One (1) Gigabit Ethernet port |
| Dimensions | 7.09 x 5.71 x 3.98 inches |
| Weight | 0.88 pounds |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Performance 4.5
In our speed tests, the Netgear EX6120 AC1200 had decent results considering its price. We were able to connect to our router using Wi-Fi on the 5 GHz band and obtain:
- 148.05 Mbps at 5 feet
- 143.26 Mbps at 15 feet
- 114.24 Mbps at 25 feet
That’s not a mistake—yes, the speed stayed pretty steady from 5 to 25 feet.
The EX6120 extender, when connected to our router with Ethernet, resulted in faster speeds; it more than doubled the Wi-Fi speed at 5 feet:
- 311.97 Mbps at 5 feet
- 187.21 Mbps at 15 feet
- 158.57 Mbps at 25 feet
The Wi-Fi and Ethernet performance of the Netgear EX6120 is adequate if you have an Internet plan that offers speeds of 300 Mbps or less. Compared to the other extenders we tested, its speed ranks among the bottom half.
The EX6120 is fast enough to stream a few 4k movies simultaneously for most homes.
Before continuing, we’d like to point out that we tested this extender with an ASUS RT-AX88U router, which is both fast and powerful. Your speeds and range will be affected if you use a slower or less capable router.
The extender may also be used to hard wire local devices. You can connect your gaming console, printer, or desktop PC to the Gigabit Ethernet port on the device for even quicker performance.
The Netgear EX6120 is a dual-band Wi-Fi booster, which has less bandwidth than tri-band extenders. Compared to tri-band, the EX6120 has fewer bands (just one 2.4 GHz and one 5 GHz band, tri-band units have one extra 5 GHz band).
Despite the slow speed compared to the other extender we tested and its dual-band limitation, the Netgear EX6120 performs well with entry-level Internet plans. It works best with Internet packages with max speeds up to 300 Mbps.
Range 4.7
The Netgear EX6120 had a great range during our tests –
- 60 feet on Wi-Fi
- 70 feet on Ethernet (connected to our router with Ethernet)
The additional Wi-Fi coverage from the EX6120 is fantastic, and it will provide more than enough coverage for your home. It may even reach your backyard or detached garage, depending on where it’s placed.
To guarantee the best coverage and speeds, install the extender midway between your Wi-Fi dead spot and router.
Do you require Wi-Fi in your basement, attic, or a hard-to-reach bedroom? The EX6120 can meet your needs.
The EX6120’s range was superior on both Wi-Fi and Ethernet than most of the other extenders we tested.
Design 4.4
The Netgear EX6120 AC1200 is a wall-mounted unit that connects directly to the wall outlet. This is useful because it doesn’t take up space on your desk or shelf. However, if you’re connecting it to a power strip, it might block other outlets.
It’s 7.09 inches tall, 3.98 inches deep, and 5.71 inches wide, making it about the size of a small paperback book.
The EX6120 has a Gigabit Ethernet port that may be used to connect devices such as a gaming console, computer, or network printer to your router. You can also use the Ethernet connection to link directly to your Wi-Fi router (and get faster speeds).
Setup 3.9
During setup, the Netgear EX6120 AC1200 gave us a slight headache and some frustrations. It would not connect, but after trying many times, it finally worked. The setup was quick and painless after that.
All we had to do was download the app, and it was ready to go. It only took a few minutes overall (once the connection worked).
On the downside, the EX6120 has separate networks. So if you move around your home with your wireless devices frequently, you’ll have to switch back and forth between the secondary and primary networks (which can be annoying).
Value 4.8
The Netgear EX6120 AC1200 has an excellent value for the money. It is one of the lowest cost of the 12 extenders we tested. However, it provides superb range and decent Wi-Fi and Ethernet performance.
Sure, it doesn’t have the best speeds, but if you have a slower Internet plan, that won’t matter at all.
Despite some minor drawbacks, such as our setup issue and a lack of a tri-band feature, the EX6120 is likely to feel like a worthwhile purchase.
But it’s not suitable for all Internet plans; we only recommend it for 300 Mbps or lower Internet plans.
Reviews
The Netgear EX6120 AC1200 Wi-Fi extender has received many excellent reviews from online consumers. On Amazon, it boasts an excellent average rating with more than 15,000 positive ratings. It also holds ratings above 4/5 stars on other e-commerce platforms.
The extender has received excellent reviews from various professional networkers and homeowners, with many complimenting the range and speed.
Some consumers, though, had issues with it.
The complaints we did see (we had to look hard) about the EX6120 were regarding intermittent connection issues. But we didn’t experience anything like this with the unit we tested, though.
Nonetheless, the EX6120 was regarded as an excellent Wi-Fi signal amplifier by most customers.
Alternatives
Here are some alternatives to the Netgear EX6120 AC1200 Wi-Fi booster.
