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Today, Netgear has quietly listed the new Nighthawk MK83 on their website, offering a significant upgrade to the affordable Netgear Nighthawk MK63 I reviewed last year.

The main difference with the new Netgear Nighthawk MK83 is the inclusion of a second 5Ghz channel that offers 4×3 AX up to 1800Mbps. This channel will then be used as the backhaul, which will offer significant throughput improvements for the satellite speakers.

Netgear is also stating that it can cover quite a bit more area at 6,750sq.ft giving you a 50% increase. Presumably, the dedicated backhaul allows you to space things further apart before the connection gets too weak to be usable.

You also get a few more Ethernet ports, with each satellite having two, and the router itself having three plus the WAN port.

This spec then places the Netgear Nighthawk MK83 just below the Orbi RBK753 Mesh system. Unlike the Orbi, the Nighthawk MK83 uses EasyMesh which will theoretically allow it to be paired up with mesh devices from different vendors (similar to how many powerline products work).

Netgear Nighthawk MK83 vs MK63 vs Orbi RBK753 Mesh WiFi System Comparison Table

Netgear  Mesh WiFi 6 System Nighthaw MK83  Nighthaw MK63SOrbi RBK753
Includes One (1) Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 Router (MR80)
Two (2) Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 Satellites (MS80)
One (1) Mesh WiFi 6 Router (MR60)
Two (2) Mesh WiFi 6 Satellites (MS60)
One (1) Orbi Router (RBR750)
Two (2) Orbi Satellites (RBS750)
Wi-Fi Rating Tri-band AX3600
(2x 5GHz and 1x 2.4GHz)
Dual-band AX1800
(1x 5GHz and 1x 2.4GHz)
Tri-band AX4200
(2x 5GHz and 1x 2.4GHz)
Dedicated Backhaul Band5GHzNoYes
Wired BackhaulYesYesYes
Dimensions (Each Unit)5.51 x 5.51 x 3.62 in
14 x14 x 9.2 cm
4.8 x 4.8 x 2.5 in
12.2 x 12.2 x 6.35 cm
 9.1 x 7.2 x 2.8in
5GHz Wi-Fi Specs2×2 AX: Up to 1200Mbps
Up to 80Mhz channel width 
2×2 AX: Up to 1200Mbps
Up to 80Mhz channel width 
2×2 AX: Up to 1200Mbps
Up to 80Mhz channel width 
5GHz Wi-Fi Specs4×3 AX: Up to 1800Mbps
Up to 80Mhz channel width 
N/A4×4 AX: Up to 2400Mbps
Up to 80Mhz channel width 
2.4GHz Wi-Fi Specs2 x 2 Wi-Fi 6 up to 600Mbps
Up to 40Mhz channel width
2 x 2 Wi-Fi 6 up to 600Mbps
Up to 40Mhz channel width
2 x 2 Wi-Fi 6 up to 600Mbps
Up to 40Mhz channel width
Wi-Fi SecurityWPA3 / WPA2 / WPA WPA3 / WPA2 / WPA WPA3 / WPA2 / WPA 
Coverage 6,750sq.ft4,500sq.ftUp to 7,500 sq. ft.
AP ModeYes YesYes
USB Port / Media ServerNoneNone None
Gigabit PortRouter (MR80): 1x WAN, 3x LAN
Satellite (MS80): 2x LAN
Router – 1 x WAN GbE + 1 x GbE
Satellite – 1 x GbE
Router  1x WAN, 3x LAN
Satellite  2x LAN
Link aggregationNoneNone Yes 
Processing PowerQuad-Core 1.5GHz processor
256MB flash /  512MB RAM
Quad-Core 1.5GHz processor
128MB Flash / 256MB RAM
Quad-Core 1.4GHz processor
512Mb Flash / 1GB RAM
Price$499 (3-pack)$299 (3-pack)$549.99

Price & Availability

PreviewProductRatingPrice
NETGEAR MK63-100UKS NETGEAR MK63-100UKS No ratings yet £299.99
NETGEAR RBK753-100EUS NETGEAR RBK753-100EUS No ratings yet £619.59

The new system has launched on the US Netgear site with no buy it now options, just a notify me form. A third party retailer suggests availability will be from July 2021, but there is no word of when the UK will get it.  

For ease of comparison, I will use the current USD prices from Netgear. The 3-pack MK83 comes in at $499 while the MK63 is $299 and the Orbi RBK753 $549.99

In the UK, the MK63 normally retails for around £260, but has seen the price jump recently. The RBK753 was £559 but currently £612.94.

Last update on 2024-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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