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Plume WiFi vs NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2300 (R7000P)

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When comparing Plume WiFi vs NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2300 (R7000P), the Slant community recommends NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2300 (R7000P) for most people. In the question“What are the best wireless routers?” NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2300 (R7000P) is ranked 1st while Plume WiFi is ranked 16th. The most important reason people chose NETGEAR Nighthawk AC2300 (R7000P) is:

The R7000P truly shines under busy network conditions. The load-balancing band steering automatically shifts the devices around to give work to both radios. What this means is that users will have a pleasant experience even when the network is busy.

Specs

No specs yet!

For a large homeYes

For an apartmentNo

For gamingYes

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Pros

Pro
Compact design

Plume WiFi system consists of hexagonal pods. Compared to most routers, Plume pods are very tiny and one can easily fit in the palm of a hand. They're just 2.5 inches across and 1.5 inches deep.

Pro
Self improving, adaptive network

Plume WiFi uses cloud-based technology to figure out how you’re using the internet. It checks for interference from other devices and what devices are connected to each pod. It uses this information and over time optimizes its network to achieve the best possible performance.

Pro
Fits in with a variety of decors

Pods are available in three colors - champagne, silver, and onyx. This gives you the option to match routers with your interior.

Pro
Great performance even for busy networks

Pro
You can specify the amount of bandwidth you wish to dedicate to gaming or video

Nighthawk offers two different types of traffic prioritization tools. Traffic that is sent out by the user can be prioritized for gaming, while incoming traffic can be prioritized for improved video streaming.

Pro
Several custom firmwares readily available

To make greater use of the powerful component hardware, owners can easily flash any of the popular third-party firmwares like TomatoUSB, DD-WRT, AsusWRT and more using the existing upgrade page in the stock web-based control panel.

Pro
Excellent USB performance

The Nighthawk achieves file transfer rates of 231.2 Mbps over USB 3.0 and 224 Mbps over USB 2.0. This means that you can connect an external hard disk drive to this router and share a 2 GB file over a Wi-Fi network in just over a minute.

Pro
Easy to configure

Uses a full-featured Web interface for configuration that's easy to use for both beginners and advanced users alike.

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Cons

Con
Poor range

With six pods, the system can cover a home of 1,800 square feet. Range of a single pod, with clear line of sight, is about 20 to 30 feet. If there are any obstacles, range decreases to about 15 feet. Beyond 15 feet you might lose connectivity.

You’ll need a separate pod for every room and for each pod you'll need a separate outlet. If you have a bigger living room, you might even need two pods.

Con
Lacking performance

Plume WiFi is capable of a theoretical combined throughput of 1.2 Gbps. Realistically at a close range of 5 feet and a clear line of sight, the router registers throughput of 230 Mbps. When the distance is increased and there is no clear line of sight, throughput drops to 60 Mbps.

Con
Lacks additional features

The Plume Pods lack additional features that are common in other WiFi systems, such as manual bandwidth prioritisation, manually assigning a device to a pod, or measuring the bandwidth usage of Ethernet devices.

Con
Might be a bit problematic to use in crowded dorms or apartment buildings

The R7000P does not have a third band, which is something that's usually available for routers around this price range. This is not a big problem if the router is being used in a suburban home, but it can be a bit problematic if used in a crowded apartment complex or dorm where there are a lot of neighboring networks interfering.