Netgear's Nighthawk AX8 WiFi Mesh Extender (EAX80) is big and expensive, but more than worth it for homes plagued by Wi-Fi dead zones. Not only was it the fastest of the extenders we tested, but it also has a wide 160 MHz data channel to satisfy data-hungry family members. Netgear's Nighthawk AX8 WiFi mesh extender can be easily integrated into a home network thanks to its numerous ports.

Netgear's Nighthawk AX8 WiFi mesh extender is one of the best Wi-Fi extenders available today, and more importantly, is it worth the high asking price.

Netgear's Nighthawk AX8 WiFi mesh extender is one of the largest and most expensive Wi-Fi extenders available, selling for $250. Too expensive. Netgear's similar AX1800 EAX20 model costs $130.

Netgear's Nighthawk AX8 WiFi mesh extender has the power to push a powerful Wi-Fi signal to previously disconnected parts of the home, but at 10.0 x 7.8 x 4.2 inches, it is one of the largest devices of its kind, making D-Link E15, for example, looks small. Its angular shape makes it look as if an alien spacecraft had landed on my desk.

The black EAX80 tower does not plug directly into an AC outlet, but uses a separate two-plug AC adapter. All four antennas are built in.

On the front of the EAX80 is a long strip of 10 LEDs. These correspond to whether the power is on, the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands are working properly and the extender is online, and the router has a strong link. A white LED means the best connection, amber means good, and red means bad. There are also lights for USB ports and WPS systems for quick connections. Fortunately, the lights can be controlled by an app.

The middle name Mesh means that this extender can be used as part of an Orbi mesh network. the EAX80 can connect to an Orbi network, but it acts as an extender and not as another mesh node. It does not.

In our 100-year-old home, the Nighthawk EAX80 did a great job of extending the Wi-Fi network to previously unconnected areas. 40 feet from the Asus AXE-11000 host router to the EAX80, 40 feet from the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro another 10 feet, the extender delivered 358.0 Mbps. This is still a lot of data, although not as much as the 528.0 Mbps of the TP-Link RE705X.

The extender came into its own when the notebooks were placed 40 feet apart. It had slightly more bandwidth than the RE705X's 248.1 Mbps, twice the bandwidth available to the E15. Finally, one floor above the EAX80 extender, the test system output 319.9 Mbps, the best overall performance of the extenders studied here. The reach was 85 feet.

In the world of extenders, the Netgear nighthawk EAX80 is a power hog, consuming 8.3 watts, twice the power of most other extenders. This translates to an annual electricity bill of approximately $11 per year, assuming the unit is left on 24/7 and paid the national average of 15 cents per kilowatt-hour. Yet, in two weeks of daily use, it remained cool, with a maximum temperature of only 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

The advantage of the Nighthawk EAX80's size is that it can incorporate more technology than a plug-in extender. In addition to acting as an extender or access point, the EAX80 is built around MUMIMO, 1024 QAM modulation, and beamforming. It can be configured to use only one 160 MHz data channel, selecting the most open path for data along the least used data channel. However, there is no ability to extend the Wi-Fi 6E 6 GHz signal.

Data is transferred in 4X4 data streams, capable of 1.2 Gbps in the 2.4 GHz band and up to 4.8 Gbps in the 5 GHz band The AX6000 is rated at 4 times what most extenders can achieve.

The back is chock-full of ports, including four gigabit-per-second LAN connectors. There is also a USB 3.0 port for connecting a storage drive or printer, something most extenders do not have. In addition to the plush on/off button, the EAX80 also has an embedded reset key.

Of the six extenders we tested, the EAX80 took the longest to set up, but it was worth it. The first step is to get the Nighthawk app, create a Netgear account, and tap "Get Started."

Security-conscious users should note that the app allows you to log in using two-factor authentication and your phone's fingerprint scanner.

After choosing the type of gear to install, I connected my phone to the extender's network, selected the network I wanted to extend, and entered my password. This setup took a minute or two, and I added the name of the extender network.

After adding the administrator password and answering two security questions to recover the device in an emergency, I declined the extended warranty or paid support. The process took nearly 13 minutes to complete.

The Nighthawk app has boxes for Device Manager (what is connected), WiFi Analytics (check signal strength and channels), and Internet Speed (using Ookla's Speedtest.net benchmark) One of the best things about the simple dashboard: in WiFi Settings, I was able to change my network name and password and create a QR code to share my login information.

The house logo in the upper left corner took me to a place that duplicated settings, suggested reinstalling hardware, and provided a direct link to the company support group.

At any time I could reboot the device or log out of the Netgear system; the TP-Link705EX has both.

Like all Netgear equipment, the Nighthawk EAX80 comes with a one-year warranty and just 90 days of support for the connection. This pales in comparison to the Tenda A27's three-year warranty and lifetime support, which is second to none.

A link from the Nighthawk app allows the EAX80 to respond to any issue. The online support page includes help and videos to get you started, along with tips for troubleshooting and getting the most out of your gear.

When it comes to Wi-Fi extenders, size really does matter, and the larger Netgear Nighthawk AX8 mesh extender leads overall in performance, range, and array of features. 160 MHz data channels and storage to add of USB ports, as well as four gigabit-per-second Ethernet ports.

That leaves the Nighthawk EAX80 with two drawbacks: a price comparable to some lesser extenders and a 90-day support policy. If you can live with these limitations, the Nighthawk EAX80 is the most powerful Wi-Fi extender on the market.