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NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 — Wi-Fi 6E · AXE11000
NETGEAR

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500

Wi-Fi 6E · AXE11000

86
/ 100
From $599
VS
Firewalla Gold Pro SE wins by 4
Firewalla Gold Pro SE — Layer-7 firewall · 10 GbE · No subscription
Firewalla

Firewalla Gold Pro SE

Layer-7 firewall · 10 GbE · No subscription

90
/ 100
From $729
Specdex verdict

Firewalla Gold Pro SE takes it — here’s why.

In our weighted Specdex score, NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 lands at 86 and Firewalla Gold Pro SE at 90. That puts Firewalla Gold Pro SE ahead by 4 points — a narrow margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.

Pick NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 if…

  • ✓Current-gen Wi-Fi
  • ✓App-driven setup
  • ✓Parental controls (brand-dependent)

Pick Firewalla Gold Pro SE if…

  • ✓10 GbE WAN + LAN
  • ✓Best layer-7 protection without subscription
  • ✓On-device Family Mode + DNS filtering
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Winner by scenario

Derived from the sub-score breakdown · not a separate test

Features

Firewalla Gold Pro SE

Compared on the features sub-score

Firewalla Gold Pro SE leads on features (100 vs 84).

Throughput

Firewalla Gold Pro SE

Compared on the throughput sub-score

Firewalla Gold Pro SE leads on throughput (96 vs 86).

Range

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500

Compared on the range sub-score

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 leads on range (86 vs 70).

Value for money

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500

Specdex score per dollar at MSRP

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 more score per dollar ($599 vs $729).

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 86
vs
90 Firewalla Gold Pro SE

Score breakdown

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500
86
throughput 86
range 86
features 84
value 82
ease 0
Firewalla Gold Pro SE
90
throughput 96
range 70
features 100
value 0
ease 84

Specs side-by-side

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 versus Firewalla Gold Pro SE — full spec comparison
Spec NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 Firewalla Gold Pro SE
Standard
Wi-Fi 6E
—
Throughput
AXE11000
—
CPU
—
Quad-core ARM Cortex-A76
RAM
—
8 GB
Storage
—
128 GB
Ports
—
10 GbE × 2 + 2.5 GbE × 4
Concurrent connections
—
500K+

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500

Pros
  • +Current-gen Wi-Fi
  • +App-driven setup
  • +Parental controls (brand-dependent)
Cons
  • −Advanced features sometimes subscription-gated
  • −Range varies
  • −Firmware stability improves over time

Firewalla Gold Pro SE

Pros
  • +10 GbE WAN + LAN
  • +Best layer-7 protection without subscription
  • +On-device Family Mode + DNS filtering
Cons
  • −Steeper learning curve vs eero
  • −No built-in Wi-Fi (need separate APs)
  • −Mobile-app-centric setup

FAQ: NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 vs Firewalla Gold Pro SE

Which is better, NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 or Firewalla Gold Pro SE? +

Firewalla Gold Pro SE scores 90 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 4. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.

Is NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 worth the price? +

At $599, NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 delivers a Specdex score of 86 — strongest in throughput.

Is Firewalla Gold Pro SE worth the price? +

At $729, Firewalla Gold Pro SE delivers a Specdex score of 90 — strongest in features.

Does NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 or Firewalla Gold Pro SE last longer? +

Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.

Which is better for features, NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 or Firewalla Gold Pro SE? +

Firewalla Gold Pro SE — leads on features (100 vs 84). Compared on the features sub-score.

Which is better for throughput, NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 or Firewalla Gold Pro SE? +

Firewalla Gold Pro SE — leads on throughput (96 vs 86). Compared on the throughput sub-score.