When choosing the right router for you, you need to study each one carefully, asking yourself these four questions: What’s the speed it provides? What’s its range? What’s the number of devices it can simultaneously support? Does it have any additional features? Asking these questions when comparing the NetGear AC3200 to the AC1900 will guarantee that you choose the right one for your life.
Perhaps you prioritize speed, or maybe you prefer having a lot of devices connected to the network at once and don’t really care how fast the connection is. Regardless of your needs, it’s always important to see how each product answers the four questions above when comparing them to each other so you can find the router that will work perfectly for what you need, when you need it.
NetGear AC3200 vs AC1900
● The same number of Wired Ethernet Ports
● Both have a free trial and access to NetGear Armor Cyber-threat Protection
● AC3200 is more expensive than AC1900
● Both with WPA2, Firewall, DoS, and price of the subscription
| Product | Nighthawk AC1900 | Nighthawk AC3200 |
| Number of Devices Supported |
up to 30 devices at once |
up to 50 devices at once |
| Data Transfer Speed |
up to 1300 megabits per second |
up to 3200 megabits per second |
| Number of Antennae |
3 antennae |
6 antennae |
| Range of Use |
1800 ft |
3500 ft |
| 4×1 GB Ethernet Support |
✓ |
✓ |
| Personal Cloud Storage | ✓ | ✓ |
| NetGear Armor | ✓ | ✓ |
| Parental Controls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Antennae Folding Feature | ✓ |
1. NetGear Nighthawk AC3200
● Comes with NetGear Armor which protects connected devices against threats
● Ability to create personal cloud storage
● Comes with four 1-GB Ethernet ports
● Up to 3500 square feet of coverage
● Triband speeds of up to 600 + 1300 + 1300 Mb/s
The Nighthawk lineup has some pretty decent models. However, when it comes to power and performance, the NetGear Nighthawk AC3200 is a massive upgrade when compared to other products of this lineup. Even though the Nighthawk AC3200 range is something to take into consideration when comparing these two products, its additional features are also incredibly useful, giving a lot of value for the price it has.
– Number of Devices
The dual-band coverage of the AC1900 is not bad per se, but upon testing, you will surely feel the difference that the tri-band coverage of the Nighthawk AC3200 brings to the table. It is a big improvement over the dual-band coverage of the AC1900, allowing the user to connect a lot more devices with the guarantee of a powerful enough signal to keep the devices receiving a stable and high-speed connection.
Whether you want to stream video games, videos, or just access your connected smart devices, this router provides support to up to 50 devices at once, making sure that no one is left out.
Much like most routers out there, it provides a direct connection (via Ethernet cable) to the device, which is a great boost for the people who need that little bit of extra speed! The AC3200 supports four 1-GB Ethernet ports which work great for those who need the extra speed, such as gamers and people who need high download speeds for work.
In case the shared storage available isn’t enough, or if you need to add a printer, scanner, or any other peripheral to the network, the AC3200 has you covered with its ability to connect devices and expand shared storage via its USB ports.
– Range
When it comes to antennas, you won’t have a problem with the Nighthawk AC3200, since it comes equipped with six antennas, but it has a lot more as well! Coming with a smart connect system, Amazon Alexa voice controls, Dynamic QoS, and Beamforming+ as well as a 1-GHz dual-core processor to make it all run smoothly, when compared to the AC1900, this router is very powerful.
The AC3200 doesn’t have a flashy and bulky design. Instead, it is fairly small and compact which facilitates its blending with its surroundings. If need be, the antennas can also be folded in when transporting, but it is always advised that they remain in an extended position in order to get the best range out of the device.
The Nighthawk AC3200 signal is also something to marvel at, having a range of 3500 square feet, which will surely cover every room and corner of your house with a fast, strong, and stable signal.
– The Speed
Data transfer speeds are very important when it comes to both work and leisure, so you’ll be happy to hear that the Nighthawk AC3200 can reach speeds of up to 3200 Mb/s. However, much like with every other router out there, these can vary depending on how many devices are connected to the network at the same time and, of course, your distance to the router as well.
There is the ability to make sure the AC3200 is properly optimized when it comes to speed, and that is simply by providing the newest devices with more bandwidth than the older ones. Overall, newer devices tend to operate better with larger amounts of bandwidth than older ones do.
– Additional Features
The Nighthawk AC3200 also comes with the added feature of cloud storage. With this device, you can create a personal cloud that you can access through the router. You can access your network from any device on the network throughout your house.
This device also comes with NetGear Armor with will protect you and all the devices connected to the network against all sorts of threats, which, as we all know, is incredibly important when navigating the internet.
The Nighthawk AC3200 also provides the option to monitor the way the devices connected to the network are using the internet and even setting timers on those devices, all with the parental control options available in the system.
2. NetGear Nighthawk AC1900
● NetGear Armor that protects connected devices
● Personal cloud storage
● Comes with four 1-GB Ethernet ports
● Up to 1800 square feet of coverage
● Dual-band speeds of up to 600 + 1300 Mb/s
The NetGear Nighthawk AC1900 is a pretty middle-of-the-road choice when it comes to performance on the Nighthawk lineup. Even though the Nighthawk AC1900 still has a lot of the same additional features as the AC3200, its specs are something to take into consideration when looking for the least expensive option.
– Number of Devices
We won’t lie to you, but the tri-band coverage provided by the AC3200 spoiled us for how powerful it is compared to the dual-band coverage of the Nighthawk AC1900. Regardless, the dual-band coverage will still allow for a good number of devices to be supported on your network. Even though it will still support a pretty fair number of devices, it is good to remember that the output won’t be as powerful.
This router only holds half of the slots available on the AC3200, which means that it can only support up to 30 devices connected to the network at once.
Even though the AC3200 definitely holds more devices than the AC1900, both can still provide direct connection via an Ethernet cable. The Nighthawk AC1900, like the AC3200, supports four 1-GB Ethernet ports. If you need the extra speed, these ports will still give you the power of fast and reliable internet.
The AC1900 comes with one 2.0 USB port and one 3.0 USB port. Both can be used to either expand your shared storage or add peripherals directly to the network the same way you would do with the AC3200.
– Range
In order to achieve a stable signal, The Nighthawk AC1900 comes equipped with three antennas, Dynamic QoS, smart connect, Amazon Alexa voice controls, and Beamforming+, all dependent on the 1-GHz dual-core processor that makes sure everything works as intended, the same as the AC3200. The stats of this router are overall very similar to that of the AC3200, except for the fact that it has fewer antennas. This translates to a more limited range of use.
For those people who like routers to not stand out and to just blend in, the AC1900 has the perfect standard design which, even though it might be a bit bland, it can still be subtly sleek, with the added flexibility of folding antennas whenever you need to transport the router. However, in order to get the best range, again, having the antennas upright is the best option.
The Nighthawk AC1900 range can hold a pretty stable signal up to 1800 square feet away. This device can cover most of the area in your home, though it may struggle in larger homes or if placed in an area far from the center of the house like an office at the corner of the house or even a kitchen.
– The Speed
The data transfer speeds of the Nighthawk AC1900 are pretty stable, going up to 1300 Mb/s, provided you don’t have an overwhelming number of devices connected and you are close to the router, which is always advisable.
The AC1900 is just like the AC3200 in the way it can be better optimized for speed if you take the devices’ age into consideration when dividing the bandwidth between them.
– Additional Features
A lot of the features (such as cloud storage, NetGear Armor free trial, and parental controls) that are found in the Nighthawk AC1900 are also present in the AC3200.
The only real change in additional features from the AC1900 to the AC3200 is that the AC1900 does not have the option of folding down its antennas into itself as the AC3200 can.
Conclusion
Even though these two devices might seem very similar at first glance, the main differences between Nighthawk AC1900 and the AC3200 come in the number of devices one can hold above the other and, of course, the power at which the signal is distributed between them.
The AC3200 is undoubtedly the superior choice for anyone who has the budget and is looking for a powerful router. Even though the AC3200 outperforms the AC1900 in every way, if you take a look at any Nighthawk AC1900 review, you will see that a lot of the experiences of the people who have this product have been positive, with a solid performance that, even though it might not blow you away, will definitely get the job done.
However, if you don’t need 50 devices or a huge range from your router, then the AC1900 is perfect for you. You may not require the power of the AC3200, so if you’re looking to save money, the AC1900 is a terrific choice.
