Best Wi-Fi routers for 2022
All-time Wi-Fi routers for 2022
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Having 1 of the best Wi-Fi routers in your house is an essential piece of today'southward online life, and it'southward the simplest way to upgrade your home network. A new router can brand every laptop, smart Tv, game panel and doorbell camera in your dwelling seem a lot faster.
Non only can you get speedier Wi-Fi connections, but many of the latest routers have congenital-in network security, app-based settings interfaces and easy-to-employ parental controls.
We've just seen several new Wi-Fi routers unveiled at CES, including one whose antennas movement to focus signals, then be sure to read our roundup of the best abode Wi-Fi routers of CES 2022.
With so much of our lives spent online, from schoolhouse and work to gaming and streaming, there'south no substitute for the peak-notch functioning that the all-time Wi-Fi routers offer.
- Got a larger home? Bank check out the best mesh Wi-Fi systems
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- Millions of routers may exist vulnerable to hacker set on — what to do
That'southward why nosotros examination every one of the dozens of routers we've reviewed, to find the models that fit your home and needs with swell performance, long range, and a price you can beget. Here are the all-time Wi-Fi routers you can buy today.
What are the best Wi-Fi routers?
Based on our in-depth testing, the all-time wireless router is the Asus RT-AX86U, a Wi-Fi 6 powerhouse that has the chops to ability a whole home'south worth of connected gear, providing pure power for gaming and secure every gadget you own. It'southward equal parts full general-apply router, serious gaming gear and cybersecurity safeguard. And with a reasonable price, there'south no surprise it's our Editor's Choice.
For a justifiably more expensive option, the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) Wi-Fi 6 router blows the doors off of most competing routers. The newer wireless standard offers the best throughput we've always seen, and volition easily handle a whole house total of connected devices.
For larger homes, you need coverage that reaches further and extends to multiple floors as needed, and that means a mesh router. In our testing and evaluation, the Nest WiFi is the best mesh Wi-Fi solution you can buy. It offers splendid performance that blankets a whole house in signal, and it features a congenital-in Google Home smart speaker for intuitive vocalism control.
But if price is no objection, and then the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6e is the fastest mesh-router arrangement we've ever seen, and i of the fastest routers, menstruum. Only exist aware that its cost is well into four figures.
Best Wi-Fi routers right now
The Asus RT-AX86U is a Wi-Fi half dozen powerhouse that delivers great speeds and killer gaming features, also equally awesome customization options. With high-cease operation and lifetime protection against intrusions and malware, it's likewise a great choice for securing your entire habitation network, providing long term protection without a subscription fee, and carrying a two-year warranty.
Just the real draw of the Asus RT-AX86U is the functioning, which approaches the the magical 1Gbps mark to provide speedy and effortless connectivity for all of your devices. With first-class range and great performance — fifty-fifty through walls and between floors — the RT-AX86U is equal parts general-use router and elite gaming router, and the collection of features and ports it offers are a steal compared to some of the top-performing gaming gear. It even gets a nod as the runner upward for all-time Wi-Fi router in the about contempo Tom'south Guide Awards. If you want the best Wi-Fi 6 router for the whole household, the Asus RT-AX86U is information technology.
Read our total Asus RT-AX86U review .
With the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) Wi-Fi 6 router, pinnacle functioning and enhanced security go hand in hand, combining throughput that smashes through the gigabit per second barrier with malware protection and Disney'due south Circle app for blocking inappropriate content and managing family network employ. And with excellent performance through walls and floors, the Nighthawk AX8 will piece of work just too in the real earth as in the lab.
Information technology may exist expensive — most Wi-Fi 6 routers are — simply the RAX80 offers easy setup and lets you lot configure the router exactly the way you want it. Information technology'south also got a 90-human foot range, just delivers better performance at distances of 50 feet, making it better suited to medium-sized homes. By most whatever measure, the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) is the Wi-Fi-6 router to get if you don't desire to compromise on speed and prophylactic.
Read our full Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80) review .
There are several mesh Wi-Fi solutions on the marketplace, and while they'll all comprehend your dwelling in wireless signal, our favorite has to exist the Nest WiFi. Fabricated by Google, the Nest WiFi is small plenty to hide out of sight and stylish enough that you won't need to. But the existent draw for the meaty mesh units is more than just splendid performance. Each mesh extension of the Nest WiFi arrangement has a Google Home smart speaker congenital in, giving yous one of the all-time vocalisation assistants throughout the house, along with powerful wireless betoken.
The speedy Nest WiFi also delivers 1 of the easiest setup processes nosotros've ever used, making it a snap to ready extensions around the firm. Plus, it'll work with any older Google WiFi units you might own. But the addition of Google Assistant really puts information technology over the peak, providing an elegant way to add vox control throughout your home, and easy integration with a huge number of the all-time smart home devices and all of the all-time Google Home compatible devices.
Read our total Nest WiFi review .
The starting time gaming router nosotros've tested that features Wi-Fi 6, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is a gamer'south delight, with speed that improves over longer range, low latency and all the features that gamers expect. Add together it all upwardly and well-nigh other gaming routers are now 2d all-time.
The GT-AX11000 is big, with a gargantuan base, 8 swiveling antennas, and massive 10.8Gbps maximum throughput. This wireless router has connectivity in droves, thanks to its tri-band design and four downstream Gigabit LAN ports, a single ii.5G Base of operations T Ethernet connection, and two USB 3.0 ports.
Built-in customization and gaming-oriented optimizations provide plenty of command, and you tin can fifty-fifty pair it with other Asus routers for mesh networking to comprehend a larger dwelling house. At $450, it is expensive, simply this is the best wireless router for gamers wanting an edge online.
Read our full Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 review .
Netgear's Orbi WiFi 6E (model number RBKE963) is the fastest mesh-router organization on the planet — and also the most expensive. Only if you have money to burn, a gigabit broadband connection from your ISP and an enormous house, and then this is probably the mesh arrangement for you.
The Orbi WiFi 6E tin can cover upwardly to nine,000 foursquare feet. Add a third satellite and you can become to 12,000 square feet. At a distance of xv feet, the router'south half-dozen-Ghz aqueduct delivered throughput of more than than a gigabit per 2d, the first mesh router to do so in our tests.
Each unit of measurement has 12 antennas and four Ethernet ports (1 rated at two.5 Gbps), and the organisation creates channels on the 2.five, v and 6-Ghz bands, plus a 4th five-Ghz 1 for backhaul between units.
Netgear offers trial subscriptions to its Armor security software, which includes Bitdefender antivirus, and parental controls. You lot'll too accept to pay for tech support after 90 days. Only if you lot can afford to pay for this mesh system, you won't mind.
Read our total Netgear Orbi WiFi 6E (RBKE963) review .
The TP-Link Archer C2300 has a deceptively mild-mannered design, but don't exist fooled — it'southward one of the nearly powerful wireless routers you tin buy, and offers the all-time range of any single router on this list.
It's the reigning performance champ, pumping out nearly a gigabit per second of data in our standard operation tests, and blasting through walls and ceilings with ease. Not only is the Archer C2300 the fastest router we've seen, only it'due south besides small, unobtrusive and total of high-stop features.
The Archer C2300 comes with congenital-in optimization tools, like antivirus, QoS and parental controls that are usually found on more than expensive competitors. At $120, it'due south less than half of what similarly performing competitors cost, and is backed past a two year warranty. The TP-Link Archer C2300 is simply the all-time affordable Wi-Fi router you lot can buy today.
Read our total TP-Link Archer C2300 review .
Wi-Fi six routers aren't cheap, just value is the name of the game for the TP-Link Archer AX6000 router, our favorite upkeep-friendly Wi-Fi six router. It may lag on operation and range simply information technology offers Wi-Fi six speeds, for $100 less than competing Wi-Fi six models. Think of the Archer AX6000 every bit the affordable router for the first generation of Wi-Fi 6 devices.
With viii wired networking ports and the power to pair 2 together to create a 2Gbps stream of data, TP-Link's Archer AX6000 router leads the style for Wi-Fi 6 routers that are just every bit good with wired devices equally they are at Wi-Fi. Past adding in router-based security, the Archer AX6000 stands alone every bit one of the best routers yous tin become, at a price that's hard to beat.
Read our full TP-Link Archer AX6000 review .
The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is the kickoff Wi-Fi 6e router to hit the market, and the results are listen-blowing. By adding the new half dozen-GHz band to the already impressive capabilities of Wi-Fi half-dozen, the Nighthawk RAXE500 delivers category-leading performance.
With an AXE11000 rating, the tri-ring device more than lives up to the hype by delivering nearly ii.5Gbps of existent-world data. Add this to the slick design and highly customizable configuration options, and the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 becomes i of the best wireless routers we've ever reviewed.
By calculation access to a slew of new data-delivering channels in the 6GHz spectrum, the tri-band Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 takes the lead as the start high-performance Wi-Fi 6e router. Information technology'southward the sort of performance that earned it the Tom's Guide Award for best Wi-Fi router, even if it's non a great fit for everyone. While it's best at shut quarters and is ane of the most expensive routers you tin buy, the RAXE500 is worth every penny if you have the need for speed.
Read our full Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 review .
Information technology might be priced like a high-performance or gaming router, just the Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400) delivers in a unlike (and perhaps more important) area: cybersecurity. The RS400 may deliver solid functioning and enough range to encompass virtually homes, merely the real value is protection, with a fistful of security features from Netgear and Bitdefender, including three years of protection from Bitdefender Total Security software.
The RS400 is built to safeguard your entire connected home, from your laptops and phones to a whole range of smart devices, from TVs to ovens, thermostats and doorbell cameras. With so many devices on today'due south home network, you have to be more vigilant, as a unmarried poorly secured gadget can open you up to hackers and malware. The RS400 keeps your whole dwelling house safety, and is easy to set up upwards and manage, too, making it our favorite cybersecurity router.
Read our full Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 (RS400) review .
The TP-Link Archer A7 is the best Wi-Fi router for those on a budget, delivering very good 802.11ac performance and a surprising number of features for less than most competing routers. The Archer A7 has bang-up functioning for the price — pushing through more information than most of the comparably priced routers nosotros've tested — and features iv Gigabit LAN ports and a USB ii.0 port for connecting devices.
In addition to solid performance and features, the Archer A7 likewise has a very easy setup process and useful parental controls, with an app that lets y'all monitor and control network use from anywhere. It may non exist loaded with customization tools, but information technology offers parental control and Quality of Service (QoS) software that ensures ameliorate than average performance. Information technology's the best value Wi-Fi router we've tested.
Read our full TP-Link Archer A7 review .
The TP-Link Archer C5400X is the gaming router to crush, with some of the best performance you'll see in any single home networking device. It offers best-in-grade tri-ring functioning, delivering 1Gbps over its 2.4GHz band and two.167Gbps over each of its ii 5GHz channels. It also has impressive coverage, with more than than 100-feet of superb coverage that will blanket most homes in potent, clear Wi-Fi point.
The spider-like eight-antenna design and crimson-on-black color scheme are sure to plow heads, but the existent selling point is the drove of optimization and security features that will satisfy any power user. With excellent bandwidth-allocation controls to allow you lot use the massive throughput as you wish, this router puts incredible performance into the user'southward hands, for gaming or anything else.
Read our full TP-Link Archer C5400X review .
For a truly customizable router, we recommend the Linksys EA8300 Max-Stream, which is not just a not bad tri-band router, it'due south also loaded with tools to tweak and customize your router for optimal performance. The small black EA8300 Max-Stream can move lots of data, though it will do all-time in smaller homes. Simply even with shorter range, it offers impressive performance for a router that sells for less than $200.
Whether you're allocating bandwidth to prioritize gaming or media streaming, or just setting upward parental controls, y'all can automate many features, brand manual adjustments on the wing, and monitor it — all from your desktop or smartphone. With so many ways to customize your router's operation, the Linksys EA8300 Max Stream is an easy pick for the ability user.
Read our full Linksys EA8300 Max Stream review .
Is it time to update your Wi-Fi router?
Maybe yous're finding your current Wi-Fi coverage to experience slower than it used to, have been indomitable with spotty reception, or maybe yous but demand something that tin can better handle the demands of an increasingly broad range of smart devices in the boilerplate habitation. If y'all've got any of the to a higher place irritations, a new router should fix these mutual issues.
It'due south also worth upgrading if you're using older hardware. If yous still have an one-time Wireless-N or Wireless-AC (retroactively renamed Wi-Fi four and Wi-Fi 5, respectively) router in your dwelling house, you should definitely think near getting something electric current. Not just will these newer standards offering faster connectivity, you lot'll encounter other benefits, also. Your smartphone battery volition last longer thank you to more efficient device management, and your connected home gadgets will all experience faster and snappier with the more capable standards.
The other big reason to upgrade your router is if you've been paying a monthly rental fee for a gateway device from your ISP. With average equipment rentals costing $ten-xv every month, a new router can pay for itself in a thing of months, and offering better service and features, too! Only don't forget to pair it with 1 of the best cable modems to free yourself entirely from the actress costs that often come with broadband internet packages.
How to choose the best Wi-Fi router for you
When it comes to choosing the best wireless router, it's like shooting fish in a barrel to become lost in the complexity of networking jargon and obscure technology standards. Simply all you really need to know is how to answer two key questions: What speed practise y'all need for your internet connection? And what sort of coverage exercise you demand in your home?
Speeds and standards: The internet speed y'all demand for your router will generally be determined by the speed yous get from your isp and what speed is supported past your modem. For nigh people, a standard 802.11ac router will handle all but the almost impressive plans available, like Gigabit internet plans that are just available in select cities. With average broadband speeds sitting right around 100 Mbps, most wireless AC routers will exist able to handle the job with ease.
The latest engineering science for routers is called Wi-Fi 6 (aka 802.11ax), which is a faster standard that's improve suited to the many devices found in homes today. Many Wi-Fi 6 routers are available, but at that place'southward an even newer twist on this standard called Wi-Fi 6e that takes advantage of a newly opened part of the radio spectrum.
Wi-Fi 6e-enabled devices, such as laptops and phones, are yet few and far between. Unless you're using a dozen devices at one time, you probable won't see much benefit from Wi-Fi 6e at this time. Run across our article What is Wi-Fi 6E: Routers, devices and how information technology's meliorate than Wi-Fi vi to learn more.
Coverage range: The other part of the wireless equation is coverage area. A basic standalone router will generally offer 50 to 100 anxiety of range, ably roofing the majority of apartments and small homes. If you lot take a house of 3,000 square feet or more, nonetheless, you volition want to consider a mesh router, which uses multiple devices to provide Wi-Fi indicate throughout a larger abode. These are especially helpful in multistory houses, or in homes with dead spots where the Wi-Fi point drops out.
Ports: Though wireless connectivity is the main affair you want from a Wi-Fi router, you'll also desire to recall about wired connections. Ethernet offers faster connectivity for devices like game consoles and smart TVs that use more bandwidth, and USB ports are handy for attaching a printer or storage to your network.
Input is another issue, especially is y'all live in an surface area with Gigabit speed internet. With a Gig-speed connection, an older router can exist a bottle neck, slowing downward your entire home. Some routers tin can even aggregate two inputs for even faster connectivity.
Toll range: Current 802.11ac routers often sell for less than $100 for basic, dual-band models. More expensive models range up to $300, but volition offer wide coverage and faster speeds, while gaming-oriented routers with born optimization features will often sell for more. New routers using the Wi-Fi 6 standard (previously known as 802.11ax) often sell for $400 or more than.
Keeping up on everything happening in the router world is difficult, so check out our helpful guides to the latest technology, like What is a mesh Wi-Fi router, and do you need one? Or get the latest advice on how to fix your router's security bug, from simple steps to advanced protections. From router security to in-depth explanations of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6e, we're ever providing the latest info nigh the newest products and innovations.
- Keep your whole household secure with the all-time router VPN
How we examination Wi-Fi routers
We test every router nosotros review to measure operation and range, in addition to hands-on use to evaluate the ease-of-setup and quality of settings and features.
Throughput describes how much data the router can move dorsum and forth over its wireless connectedness. We mensurate this at a v-human foot distance without obstructions, and so that we can gauge the maximum amount of data that the router can move. College throughput will serve you amend in data-heavy uses, like streaming video, gaming, or connecting multiple users at once.
Range measures the furthest usable distance for the router. Longer ranges are better for larger homes, where rooms are spread out at a distance. Nosotros measure out how much information a router can motility at 5, fifty, 75 and 100 anxiety, so that you tin also choose the best model for smaller homes and apartments, where brusque-range performance may exist the priority.
We also examination performance through walls and ceilings, to decide how well a router tin provide bespeak in the Wi-Fi-dampening conditions common to many buildings and homes.
For mesh routers, nosotros perform additional testing to determine how well the mesh organisation does sending a point through both the main router and through a satellite unit.
Check out all of our home networking coverage:
All-time mesh routers | Best Wi-Fi 6 routers |Best gaming routers |Best Wi-Fi extenders | Best powerline extenders | Best cable modems
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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-wifi-routers,review-2498.html
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