Best Buy thinks it has the solution for your crappy Wi-Fi. And it’s not a more expensive router.
The duo came up with the NETGEAR R7300DST Nighthawk DST Router & DST Adapter which, according to Best Buy’s release "was made to the specifications of Best Buy".
The Nighthawk DST-AC1900 router takes NETGEAR’s popular R7000 AC1900 class Nighthawk router and adds DST (Dead Spot Terminator) technology to connect with a bundled DST6501 Add-on DST Adapter. The DST adapter isn’t a wireless repeater. It’s a wall-plugged 802.11ac access point that connects to the router via HomePlug AV2 powerline. The R7300DST kit comes with one DST Adapter and can support "10+" adapters if you have more than one dead spot.
Nighthawk DST explained
The router appears to have the same hardware features as the original R7000 Nighthawk including dual core 1 GHz processor, Gigabit WAN and LAN ports and USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. Software features are also familiar including ReadySHARE USB, ReadyCLOUD USB, IPv6 support, Parental Controls Time Machine backup and genie app.
NETGEAR R7300DST Nighthawk DST Router & DST Adapter
Besides DST, the exclusive-to-Best Buy bundle has a Geek Squad button right on the front, to go along with the included year of 24/7 phone and web support. Geek Squad personnel will remotely "set up, test and secure the home network" and if they need access to the router admin, a push of the button lets them temporarily in.
We’re glad to finally see someone finally moving past selling routers and wireless extenders and leaving it to confused consumers to figure it all out. This solution looks like it has the potential to raise the bar for other vendors, if the Geek Squad can deliver on its end and get everything set up properly.
The NETGEAR R7300DST Nighthawk DST Router & DST Adapter bundle (DST-AC1900 and DST6501) is available now, only at Best Buy for $299.99. Additional DST6501 adapters are $79.99 each.