We recently got our hands on 12 of the most popular Wi-Fi extenders, including the Netgear X6S EX8000 AC3000. We put them under various tests and thoroughly examined all of their features and functions.
The X6S generally performed well, with a few minor flaws. It’s of excellent quality and will meet most home Wi-Fi requirements.
We’re home networking experts, and we understand what tests to perform on Wi-Fi extenders and their crucial standards. And we want to share all of the test results and considerations with you.
So, let’s get started with the review.
Netgear X6S EX8000 AC3000 Overview
Hello, and thank you for reading our Netgear X6S EX8000 AC3000 Wi-Fi extender review.
This review explains who this extender will benefit the most and its key features and significant advantages. It’s full of valuable features and has something for everyone, even those that aren’t tech-savvy.
So who is the Netgear X6S best suited for? The Netgear X6S is generally ideal for homes with medium to high-speed Internet plans (500 to 1,000 Mbps or more) and homes with many (25 or more) wireless devices.
This tri-band wireless extender can handle many wireless sensors in “smart homes” due to its extra bandwidth. And it provides enough throughput for everything from Zoom meetings to 4k streaming to online gaming and heavy internet usage daily.
It isn’t the fastest extender we’ve tested (but it is in the top 50%), and it has an adequate range to cover most homes. But it makes a single network.
On the other hand, the X6S extender has some drawbacks. During setup, it gave us a few headaches. It wouldn’t connect to the router but worked after a couple of tries.
However, after the initial setup problems, it performed fine. It isn’t the fastest extender, nor does it provide the best range. But it has lots of bandwidth, plenty of Ethernet connections, and it provides speeds and range that are good enough for most people.
Is the X6S a good extender? Yes, we would recommend it to most people.
Keep reading to learn why the Netgear X6S EX8000 AC300 might be just what you need to eliminate the Wi-Fi dead spots in your home.
Specs
| Brand | Netgear |
| Model | X6S EX8000 AC3000 |
| Max Tested Speed | Wi-Fi: 318.21 MbpsEthernet: 628.21 Mbps |
| Approximate Range | Wi-Fi: 50 feetEthernet: 60 feet |
| Wireless Standard | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bands | Tri-band |
| LAN Port | 4 (four) Gigabit Ethernet Ports |
| Dimensions | 8.08 x 10.01 x 5.2 inches |
| Weight | 3 pounds |
| Warranty | 1 year |
Performance 4.4
The Netgear X6S EX8000 AC3000 performed fine in our speed tests. While connected to our router with Wi-Fi, it reached speeds of:
- 318.21 Mbps at 5 feet
- 184.51 Mbps at 15 feet
- 158.51 Mbps at 25 feet
Compared to other extenders we tested, the drop in speed from 5-feet to 15-feet was more significant than average. For example, the TP-Link RE450 (which had comparable speeds) dropped from 320.83 Mbps to 245.31 Mbps.
Connecting the extender to our router with Ethernet, of course, yielded higher download speeds, and the X6S didn’t lose as much speed at further distances:
- 628.21 Mbps at 5 feet
- 318.47 Mbps at 15 feet
- 197.86 Mbps at 25 feet
The Netgear X6S’s Wi-Fi and Ethernet speeds are good – in the top half of the pack.
Most homes will have no problems with multiple users and many devices on the X6S’s network. It’s fast enough to stream numerous 4k films, play multiple online video games, and host a few webinars simultaneously.
We should note that we tested this extender (and all the other models) with the ASUS RT-AX88U, a powerful, fast router. Keep in mind that your speeds will differ depending on your current router’s speed, specs, age, etc.
You could connect your gaming console, printer, laptop dock, or desktop computer to one of the extender’s four 1 Gigabit Ethernet connections for even greater performance.
The Netgear X6S is a tri-band extender, a significant benefit over dual-band models. This means it has three bands (one 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz bands), meaning it has greater bandwidth and the ability to connect more devices. Perfect for smart homes.
Despite the slower than anticipated Wi-Fi speed beyond five feet, the Netgear X6S is still quite quick. It will work well for most home Internet packages, even those with speeds of 1 Gbps or more.
Range 3.3
The Netgear X6S had a less than ideal range in our testing–
- 50 feet on Wi-Fi
- 60 feet on Ethernet
Even though this is tied for the worst range of the 12 extenders we tested, 50-60 feet of additional Wi-Fi coverage still isn’t bad. It should be more than enough to cover an average home with Wi-Fi.
Place the extender halfway between your router and the hard-to-reach place for maximum coverage and elimination of all Wi-Fi dead zones.
Design 4.6
The Netgear X6S EX8000 AC3000 sports a curved, black tower design. It is appealing to the eye, but it is physically large and weighs 3 pounds. But, it fits fine on most shelves and desks.
It’s about the size of a paperback book, at 10.01-inches tall, 8.08-inches deep, and 5.2 inches wide at the base.
Its four Gigabit Ethernet ports can be found on its back. You can use these ports to link nearby connected devices like printers, gaming consoles, desktop PCs, laptop docks, and so on for improved downloading speeds.
Setup 3.5
Just like other Netgear extenders we tested (the EAX80 and EAX20), the setup for the Netgear X6S wasn’t the easiest. We couldn’t get it to connect. So we tried again. And again. Then finally, it worked.
Alas, all went smoothly after we were able to link it. So, if you’re having trouble setting up yours, just keep trying. You’ll get there.
One of the X6S is that it makes a single network– meaning you’ll have one network in your home. So, you will never have to switch back and forth between the two Wi-Fi networks like you would with some other extenders.
Value 4.0
The Netgear X6S EX8000 AC3000 is a bit on the pricey side for the range, speed, and features it offers. But, we still think it is worth its cost.
It has features that competing extenders don’t match. And comparing the price to performance and features, it comes out on top against competing models.
Even with some minor downsides, the Netgear X6S is worth the money. Decent connection speeds, extra bandwidth, multiple Ethernet ports, and an adequate range. It’s suitable for any Internet plan, but especially for those with speeds of 500 to 1,000 Mbps or more.
Netgear X6S EX8000 AC3000 Reviews
The vast majority of online reviews of the Netgear X6S EX8000 AC3000 Wi-Fi extender are positive. It has an excellent average rating on Amazon and more than 700 reviews. It also has ratings of 4/5 stars and higher on other platforms.
The X6S has fantastic ratings and is regarded as a top pick, with high ratings from both professionals and customers. The majority of reviews note minor shortcomings and incredible performance and capabilities.
The X6S isn’t without fault, though. Many reviewers had a few gripes.
The most common complaints are setup difficulties (as we discovered in our evaluation) and dropping connections.
Some other customers complained about their unit failing after a few months. Likely from a defect or possible misuse. With that said, ours is still working fine. If yours does happen to fail (which is very rare), you would be covered under Netgear’s 1-year warranty.
Nevertheless, the majority of customers were pleased with its range, bandwidth speed, and features.
Alternatives
Here are some alternative recommendations to the Netgear X6S EX8000 AC3000 Wi-Fi booster.
