We are a household with quite a few technology gadgets, so I knew it was only a matter of time, until my wireless router would reach its limits. This moment arrived, when I added an Echo Dot to our equipment. Alexa would play a song for 30 seconds then stop. Nothing could get her to work again. Both, Alexa and Echo Dot were not able to download music content. After Amazon tech support got involved, we found out that I obviously had a bandwidth problem, and my wifi router has no QoS function. That was really bad news, since we are in the process of installing wifi-based security cameras.So after reading countless reviews all over the Internet and here on Amazon about the best routers on the market, I decided to try the Nighthawk R8500.I received the device on Saturday. When I unpacked it, I was initially shocked about the size. Even so many reviews had mentioned that the R8500 was larger than your regular router, I didn't expect it to be about the size of a blueray player. My husband even jokingly asked if I was trying to connect to Mars, and if NASA had developed this router ;-) After some smaller hiccups during installation that were quickly resolved by Netgear tech support, the virtual part of our world literally changed!Our internet provider is Comcast, and we have an Internet subscription for up to 150 Mbps. However, with my old gateway/ router combination I was able to get a maximum of around 35 Mbps on good days. Streaming from my Firestick outside on the lanai was always a pain in the neck; we almost always received the warning screen, that we had a low-quality connection and that buffering might occur.What a difference the Nighthawk makes!!We live in a ca. 2,500 Sft typical Florida ranch style home, built with lots of concrete and plaster. We run 2 smart TVs, 3 Firesticks, 2 tablets, 2 cellphones, a laptop, 2 wireless printers, an Amazon Echo, and Echo Dot, and a game console. The Nighthawk manages very well. I speed test my internet frequently, and the lowest download speed I had, sitting outside on my lanai, was around 57 Mbps, but most of the time it is in the high 80s! My Amazon devices are working well again without any problems. We are more than pleased with the initial results.So far we didn't experience any dropped connections, or signs of instability.We will install our wifi-based security system this week. I will update this review accordingly, in the unlikely case of problems.This router has a fairly high price tag, however, the way things seem to work out, I am pretty confident that I bought the right router for our ever evolving home automation.The only thing "negative" is that Netgear only provides 90 days of free technical support. I feel a router of this price category should qualify for at least a full year of tech support.I am neither a gamer, nor am I a tech wiz. I do a lot of research on forums, when I am faced with technology problems, and get by pretty good with that.In summary I'd have to say that buying the Nighthawk was definitely a smart decision. If it keeps going as it is now, it is definitely the right router for our purposes.I added to screenshots of speed tests, before and after the Nighthawk went into service. Both tests were taken, while sitting outside on my lanai.