We purchased the Netgear Nighthawk A7000 Wi-Fi USB Adapter so that our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and review it. Read on for our full product review.

Wi-Fi USB adapters can be a hit or miss part of any gamer’s PC. While some can be spotty and unreliable, others can be solid pieces that nicely complement any gaming rig. That was the case with the Netgear Nighthawk. With over 2,000 reviews on Amazon, it seemed like a solid choice to complement my brand-new custom desktop. Despite being a large, clunky beast, the adapter flew through six days of testing like it was just warmed up for a marathon. Read on for the finer details.

At first, I was very concerned about placing this adapter next to my precious PC. The adapter itself comes with a vertical docking port for laptop users, but my concern centered on the port’s magnetism, which comes with bright yellow warning stickers plastered on it. The dock (4.9 x 4.28 x 1.22 inches (LxWxH)) is designed to stick to a magnetic surface, eliminating the need to take up any desktop space. However, place it too close to important computer components and you could cause serious, irreparable internal damage to your PC. Be careful before placing it on your tower.

Since the adapter itself is a bulky beast, I used the docking port and placed it next to my desk. Most desktop users will be fine using the adapter alone. For laptop users, using the docking port is an absolute necessity, as it’s impossible to use the adapter without it. The adapter itself measures 4.7 x 1.8 x 0.87 inches (LxWxH), which doesn’t sound all that big until you don’t have room on your desk for gaming snacks.