What’s the difference between Nighthawk MK63 and MK63S?

Netgear recently released the MK63S Nighthawk Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System. So, how does this new model compare against the older MK63?

You can find out in this comparison guide between the mesh systems.

Quick Summary

When compared to the Netgear Nighthawk MK63 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System, the Netgear Nighthawk MK63S Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System comes with a 90-day subscription to Netgear Armor. With this premium service, you will get advanced protection for your network in addition to protection for the devices that are connected to the network.

Aside from the inclusion of Netgear Armor, the two products are identical when it comes to specs and features.

MK63 vs. MK63S Comparison Chart

You can take a look at Seeking Tech’s comparison table for these two Netgear products below.

What’s in the Box

In addition to the routers, both products come with two satellites, a 2-meter-long Ethernet cable, three power adapter and a quick starter guide.

The MK63S also includes a 90-day trial for Netgear Armor.

You can check out a breakdown of what’s included in the box for the two products below:

Netgear Nighthawk MK63 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System:

• 1x MR60 Mesh Wi Fi 6 Router
• 2x MS60 Mesh Wi Fi 6 Satellites
• 1x 2 m Ethernet cable
• 3x 12 V / 1.5 A power adapters
• 1x Quick start guide

Netgear Nighthawk MK63S Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System:

• 1x MR60 Mesh Wi Fi 6 Router
• 2x MS60 Mesh Wi Fi 6 Satellites
• 1x 2 m Ethernet cable
• 3x 12 V / 1.5 A power adapters
• 1x Quick start guide
• 90-day Netgear Armor subscription

Router and Satellite Weight

The router and satellites for each of the mesh systems have the same weight, which is 0.63 lb.

Router and Satellite Dimensions

The router and satellites of the MK63 and MK63S are also identical when it comes to physical size.

You can check out the measurements for each networking device below:

• 4.8 in x 4.8 in x 2.5 in

Wi-Fi Bands

The Netgear Nighthawk MK63 and MK63S Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Systems use the following bands:

• IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ax 2.4GHz with 1024QAM support
• IEEE 802.11a/n/ac/ax 5GHz with 1024QAM support

Tx/Rx

Both products use 2×2 (2.4 GHz) + 2×2 (5 GHz) for transmit and receive.

Router Ports

The MK63 and MK63S routers come with the following ports:

• 1x WAN 10 Mbps /100 Mbps /1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet port
• 1x LAN 10 Mbps /100 Mbps /1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet port

Satellite Port

Each satellite for the two Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems come with one 10 Mbps /100 Mbps /1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet port.

Router Memory

For memory, the main router units of the MK63 and MK63S are equipped with 128 MB Flash and 256 MB RAM.

Satellite Memory

The satellites included in each product come equipped with 128 MB Flash and 256 MB DRAM.

Internal Antennas

Both of the mesh systems in this versus guide have four internal antennas.

Router and Satellite Speed

Both Wi-Fi 6 systems have been rated with a speed of AX1800 (1200 Mbps + 600 Mbps).

Wi-Fi Coverage

The MK63 and MK63S can both cover up to 4,500 square feet.

General Features

The Nighthawk MK63 and MK63S also support the following general features:

• Backwards Compatible with Wi-Fi 5 or earlier
• Compatible with all ISP
• Ethernet Backhaul
• Explicit Beamforming
• Guest Wi-Fi Network
• MU-MIMO
• Nighthawk App
• Push Button WPS/SYNC
• Quad-Core Processor
• Single SSID
• Smart Connect
• Uplink and Downlink OFDMA
• Whole Home Wi-Fi
• Wi-Fi EasyMesh

Security Features

For security, both products feature guest network access, secure boot, VPN support as well as WPA.

The Netgear Nighthawk MK63S also comes with 90-day subscription to Netgear Aromor. With this subscription, you will be able to get notifications on malicious threats, block unknown devices from network access, defend against vulnerabilities and perform other advanced security actions on your network as well as connected devices.

You can check out a list of security features for the two products below:

Netgear Nighthawk MK63 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System:

• Guest Network Access
• Secure Boot
• VPN Support
• WPA

Netgear Nighthawk MK63S Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System:

• Guest network access
• Secure Boot
• VPN Support
• WPA
• Netgear Armor trial

Support

The MK63 and MK63S each comes with a 90-day complimentary technical support if you purchase the mesh system from an authorized reseller.

Warranty

The Netgear Nighthawk MK63 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System and Netgear Nighthawk MK63S Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System each comes with a 1-year limited hardware warranty.

Resources:

• https://www.netgear.com/media/MK63_tcm148-82295.pdf
• https://www.netgear.com/media/MK63S_DS_21Jan21_tcm148-118232.pdf