skschatzman Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 I originally purchased the R1 like 5ish years ago. I love the router ability to give me a consistently stable gaming connection. I then purchased the Netgear XR500 Gaming router almost 3 years ago. Within that time frame I have performed vast testing on both routers and have come to the conclusion that the original R1 outperforms the XR500 in stability. Even with the recent DumaOS 3.0 releases the R1 still manages to impress me. My only gripe is the fact that the R1 doesn't support 5GHz Wi-Fi. I do see that the R2 does support the 5GHz Wi-Fi. I'm curious about the R2 and would like to hear from owners of the router on their observations about the performance compared to the R1 and Netgear routers with DumaOS. I was considering the XR1000 for the Wi-Fi6 capability, but after the last 3 years with the XR500, I am not sure if another NetGear router would be the best choice. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Should I get the XR1000 or the R2...... or should I wait for the next Netduma router with Wi-Fi6 Capability? Opinions and advice are welcome. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 The R2s wifi is always improving.. But if it was me id put your XR500 in AP mode then run that to the R2.. Or even do that with your current R1! I wasnt around to know what the R1 did.. But wish I had.. I came aboard when I purchased the XR500.. And the XR500 has been one interesting ride for sure.. I see no reason to not purchase the R2.. But if you rely on wifi heavily then I would use the XR500 in AP mode then tie that to the R2.. You should get good solid coverage with that setup! I personally would buy an R2.. for a couple of reasons.. One its all of Netdumas work of art! Two when it comes to firmware updates I feel it will get attention much faster then the Netgear line of routers.. Much quicker turn around with that.. And ive always like to support Netduma by buying there very own products.. I honestly was even thinking about buying an old R1 just to get an idea of how it is.. Even in the current day! I have nothing against Netgear.. But if you feel the need for the XR1000 im sure it would serve you well.. After my experience with the XR500 id have a hard time to purchase another.. Would I love to see Netduma build a massive hardware spec and wfi router like no one has ever seen before and call it the BEAST! Yes I would! And I mean insanely over the top hardware. The kind that would make many scratch there head and say holy mosses!! 😲 One thing that we can all agree on is you cant beat Netdumas support.. I mean nowadays you just dont see that kind of support from any one or company! Good luck with whatever router you purchase! Zippy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Netduma Liam Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 13 hours ago, skschatzman said: I originally purchased the R1 like 5ish years ago. I love the router ability to give me a consistently stable gaming connection. I then purchased the Netgear XR500 Gaming router almost 3 years ago. Within that time frame I have performed vast testing on both routers and have come to the conclusion that the original R1 outperforms the XR500 in stability. Even with the recent DumaOS 3.0 releases the R1 still manages to impress me. My only gripe is the fact that the R1 doesn't support 5GHz Wi-Fi. I do see that the R2 does support the 5GHz Wi-Fi. I'm curious about the R2 and would like to hear from owners of the router on their observations about the performance compared to the R1 and Netgear routers with DumaOS. I was considering the XR1000 for the Wi-Fi6 capability, but after the last 3 years with the XR500, I am not sure if another NetGear router would be the best choice. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Should I get the XR1000 or the R2...... or should I wait for the next Netduma router with Wi-Fi6 Capability? Opinions and advice are welcome. Thanks Great response from @Zippy! I'd agree, the Wi-Fi on the R2 is constantly improving but not to the standard of the Wi-Fi 6 capabilities of the XR1000, that being said you could always run your XR500 in AP mode as Zippy mentions! Glad to hear you've enjoyed your R1 though, thanks for sticking around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skschatzman Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 I appreciate the advice so far. I haven't been impressed by the XR500 stability over the last couple of years. Not only with gaming, but wi-fi access as well. I have used numerous firmware updates over this time and not a single one has been a smooth experience. I'm not sure why I would continue using this router. I do not even trust it in AP mode. Constant dropped connections. Intermittent individual device outages. Inconsistent performance with latency and bamdwidth. All of these issues have plagued this router, so suggesting for me to use it in AP mode is just ignoring the issues. I was hoping the issues would be solved with the XR1000 or a possible R3 that is Wi-fi6 capable. I would hate to buy the R2 and suddenly get slapped with an R3 release. This is why I'm so torn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 1 hour ago, skschatzman said: I appreciate the advice so far. I haven't been impressed by the XR500 stability over the last couple of years. Not only with gaming, but wi-fi access as well. I have used numerous firmware updates over this time and not a single one has been a smooth experience. I'm not sure why I would continue using this router. I do not even trust it in AP mode. Constant dropped connections. Intermittent individual device outages. Inconsistent performance with latency and bamdwidth. All of these issues have plagued this router, so suggesting for me to use it in AP mode is just ignoring the issues. I was hoping the issues would be solved with the XR1000 or a possible R3 that is Wi-fi6 capable. I would hate to buy the R2 and suddenly get slapped with an R3 release. This is why I'm so torn. It sounds like one of your issues is your XR500 is suffering a DHCP issue during a release and renew of devices.. But putting a router in AP is just using it in a totally different manner then a router.. Its not really ignoring the issues.. Even though I do understand your frustrations and disappointments with the XR500.. To me your basically are looking for a WiFi6 router.. Which really at this point leaves you with one option.. Netgear XR1000.. It is a new router so dont be surprised if you do run across some issues along the way if you purchase such a router.. But really its up to you on purchasing such a router and take a chance.. If it was me Id make sure I could return it for a full refund if I did get one.. Some places have a 30 day return policy.. But with in a week or just over a week I would know for sure if it was up to my standards.. As far as a R3 release with WiFi6 that would be a question for Netduma for sure.. I personally cant see that happening any time real soon.. Good luck on your decision! Zippy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skschatzman Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 DHCP issues are part of the problem. It also causes the connection to the modem to be erratic. When I'm unable to get an internet connection on any device I have to power cycle the modem. I never have those issues with the r1. The stability of gaming connections seems to be consistently smoother on the r1. I understand that the router works differently in AP mode, but some of the issues remain no matter if it is or isn't in that mode. I'm not necessarily looking to get a wi-fi6 router. I only have 2 mobile devices that are capable of utilizing it at the moment. It seems to be the fastest growing standard at the moment. I wouldn't mind getting the XR1000 if I knew it wasn't plagued by the same issues the XR500 has. Buying it and testing it is an option, but I was hoping for owners to report their opinions on it. So far I have only had suggestions to buy the r2 and/or keep the XR500 and put it in AP mode. I was hoping to hear about XR1000 owners experiences. Even better if they had the XR500 and could compare it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Fraser Posted March 3, 2021 Administrators Share Posted March 3, 2021 We released a beta build recently that should actually fix the DHCP issues: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4mwe5sx81gsc129/XR500-V2.3.2.114-DumaOS3.0.203.img?dl=0 if you do use it I'd recommend factory resetting afterwards. It would also give you a good idea of what you can expect from DumaOS 3.0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skschatzman Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 2 hours ago, Netduma Fraser said: We released a beta build recently that should actually fix the DHCP issues: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4mwe5sx81gsc129/XR500-V2.3.2.114-DumaOS3.0.203.img?dl=0 if you do use it I'd recommend factory resetting afterwards. It would also give you a good idea of what you can expect from DumaOS 3.0. That's the one I'm on. Been on it for a while now. I've done a software factory reset, hardware factory reset and even a 30/30/30 reset. It doesn't fix the issues. No offense, but I've spent too much time trying to like this router. I'm done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Fraser Posted March 3, 2021 Administrators Share Posted March 3, 2021 12 minutes ago, skschatzman said: That's the one I'm on. Been on it for a while now. I've done a software factory reset, hardware factory reset and even a 30/30/30 reset. It doesn't fix the issues. No offense, but I've spent too much time trying to like this router. I'm done with it. Just to make sure, you're on the beta version so you have Connection Benchmark etc for the XR500? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skschatzman Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 12 minutes ago, Netduma Fraser said: Just to make sure, you're on the beta version so you have Connection Benchmark etc for the XR500? Yup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Fraser Posted March 3, 2021 Administrators Share Posted March 3, 2021 Okay and what are the issues you're having specifically on that firmware? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skschatzman Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 3 hours ago, Netduma Fraser said: Okay and what are the issues you're having specifically on that firmware? I already explained the issues in this thread. I get it. You want to help. I'm not looking for help with the XR500. I'm looking to get rid of it and go with something else. The way its looking right now the NETGEAR business deal was good for you guys to branch out and gain more attention. You guys don't seem to have much control over how the software is implemented. It reflects by how well the R1 has been for me and how annoying the XR500 has been. I'm probably going to just bite the bullet and get the R2 and hope you guys don't drop an R3 with Wi-Fi6 within the next couple years. Buyers remorse sucks, but in the tech industry there is no way around it while riding the bleeding edge. 🤷♂️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Fraser Posted March 4, 2021 Administrators Share Posted March 4, 2021 The firmware I provided is much better regarding the disconnects etc and has quite a few improvements, so if you're still having them specifically that would be good to know - did you do a factory reset after for example to start fresh? Do be aware the R2 WiFi will not be as strong as the XR so if that is a major need then it may not be right for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby boy Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 I jumped from the XR500 to the R2 and have been very happy ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skschatzman Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 I'm about to jump on getting an R2. Has anyone paired it with a Wi-Fi6 access point? Which one is recommended? https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-access-points/products/unifi-ap-6-lite https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-access-points/products/unifi-6-long-range-access-point I see these. Are they compatible? Will it cause any unforeseen issues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby boy Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Mine is paired with 5 TP-link Deco's (wireless mesh system) and no issues... but they are not wifi 6. I disabled the R2 wifi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Fraser Posted March 5, 2021 Administrators Share Posted March 5, 2021 13 hours ago, skschatzman said: I'm about to jump on getting an R2. Has anyone paired it with a Wi-Fi6 access point? Which one is recommended? https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-access-points/products/unifi-ap-6-lite https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-access-points/products/unifi-6-long-range-access-point I see these. Are they compatible? Will it cause any unforeseen issues? Any should be fine to use with the R2 and we don't have any specific recommendations. Devices connected to them will appear on the R2 so you can apply settings to them individually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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