If you absolutely need a new router today, there are plenty of great options on the market. If your current device is good enough and functioning, however, I would advise to hold off on an upgrade. Why? There is a big change coming to wireless internet -- 802.11ax, also knows as "Wi-Fi 6." Not only will these new routers potentially offer more speed and bandwidth, but some will eventually offer WPA3 too -- the latest and greatest security standard.

Today, NETGEAR announces two upcoming Wi-Fi 6 routers -- the Nighthawk AX8 and AX12. Not only is each model chock full of great specs, but they have quite the wild design too. They almost look like they have shark fins protruding from both the right and left side. Are they overkill for most homes? Absolutely. Still, if you like new and shiny things, and you are willing to spend top dollar to be an early adopter, you will want to take a look.

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"A Wi-Fi 6 router can provide significant efficiency improvement to your existing network and also helps existing WiFi devices have faster speed. Enjoy a better connected home experience as you stream 4K, Ultra-HD movies, download large files, and seamlessly use multiple smart devices with maximum WiFi coverage. AX WiFi supports all current Wi-Fi devices and is backwards compatible with Wi-Fi 5 and earlier generation WiFi devices," says NETGEAR.

The company further says, "With more Wi0Fi streams, increased bandwidth, and faster encoding via MU-MIMO and 1024 QAM, AX WiFi delivers far greater speeds more effectively. AX WiFi also delivers greater range than the previous generation WiFi standards. Watch Netflix by your pool or Skype from your garden office -- now it's easier than ever to maintain fast, reliable connections over larger expanses."

NETGEAR shares the following details about both new 802.11ax Nighthawk routers below. You can click on the links to learn even more.

Nighthawk 8-Stream AX6000 WiFi Router (RAX80): This router is the industry's first home router with Multi-Gig internet support, achieved by aggregating two gigabit Ethernet ports and is engineered to deliver up to four times more data capacity than previous standards, AX WiFi features advanced technologies like OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 160MHz channel support and 1024 QAM to vastly improve network efficiency

8-Stream AX WiFi with speeds up to 6Gbps

Uplink and downlink OFDMA

4x4 MU-MIMO

Powerful 1.8GHz quad-core processor

Gigabit Wi-Fi connectivity for compatible mobile devices & laptop

Two (2) USB 3.0 ports

2.4GHz AX: 4x4 (Tx/Rx) 1024 QAM 40MHz, up to 1.2Gbps

5GHz AX: 4x4 (Tx/Rx) 1024 QAM 160MHz, up to 4.8Gbps

Six (6) 10/100/1000Mbps—(1 WAN & 5 LAN) Gigabit Ethernet ports

Nighthawk AX12 12-Stream AX6000: Blazing-fast combined WiFi speeds up to 6Gbps and an AX optimized 64bit 2.2GHz quad-core processor powers smart home applications, ultra-smooth 4K UHD streaming, online gaming, and more. AX WiFi features Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) that dramatically increases network capacity as compared to today’s WiFi and reduces latency for a better WiFi experience making it ideal for a household with many WiFi devices.

12-Stream AX WiFi with speeds up to 6Gbps

OFDMA - Increased network capacity for more devices

8x8 MU-MIMO

Ultra-powerful 2.2GHz quad-core processor

Multi-Gig Ethernet Port 5G/2.5G/1G

Supports WPA3, the latest and cutting-edge WiFi security protocol

2.4GHz AX: 4x4 (Tx/Rx) 1024 QAM 20/40MHz, up to 1.2Gbps

5GHz AX: 8x8 (Tx/Rx) 1024 QAM 20/40/80/80+80MHz, up to 4.8Gbps

Backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi

Five (5) 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports

1 WAN & 4 LAN

Dual Gigabit Ethernet Port Aggregation

5G/2.5G/1G Multi-Gig Ethernet LAN port

The Netgear AX12 is obviously the greater of the pair, with better hardware specs and promised WPA3. Unfortunately, it won't be available until sometime in early 2019 for an unknown price. The AX8, however, will be released in December for $399.99. In fact, you can even pre-order it [amazon_textlink asin='B01MQDZXA4' text='here' template='ProductLink' store='betanews02-20' marketplace='US' link_id='113e6e09-e2fc-11e8-bebd-8dc0f97ef932'] now.