So many people out there spend thousands of dollars to get the best laptops, desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones money can buy. Then they spend $40 on a bargain-basement WiFi router and completely cripple all those cutting-edge gadgets. In the era of smart home devices and blazing-fast computers, WiFi routers are more important than ever before. The expert product reviewers at BGR tested dozens of different models to find the best WiFi routers you can get.
Our top picks
- Best overall: NETGEAR Nighthawk RS600 WiFi 7 Router
- Best mesh wireless system: Amazon eero 6+
- Best cheap option: TP-Link A6 V3 Gigabit WiFi Router
- Best option for gaming: ASUS AX5400 WiFi 6 Extendable Gaming Router
- Simplest option: D-Link AC3000 WiFi Router
Want to know why we chose each of the terrific options above? Keep reading to check out our mini reviews and see what made each of those WiFi routers stand out from the crowd.
1. Best overall: NETGEAR Nighthawk RS600 WiFi 7 Router
Pros: Insanely fast, supports up to 150 devices, 3,300 sq. ft. of coverage, built-in VPN (with a monthly subscription)
Cons: Very expensive for a single-router solution
The NETGEAR Nighthawk RS600 WiFi 7 Router offers fantastic performance for people who need even faster speeds for heavier-duty tasks like online gaming. You can get up to 3,300 square feet of wireless coverage with insane speeds of up to 18Gbps.
It’s our favorite upgraded router because it is recommended for up to 150 devices, and you can reliably stream videos, play games, surf the Internet, and more. It features a wired 10Gb Ethernet port and USB 3.0 connections.
This model also supports the latest WiFi 7 standards, and it’s a tri-band router that includes 6GHz. All that is to say that you’ll be future-proofed with this router.
As far as downsides go, there’s really only one to speak of. With a retail price of $499.99, the NETGEAR Nighthawk RS600 is very expensive for a single-router solution. Unfortunately, that’s the price you’ll have to pay for cutting-edge WiFi 7 tech. Or, if you don’t need quite so many bells and whistles, you can downgrade to the NETGEAR Nighthawk RS300 WiFi 7 Router for $329.99.
2. Best mesh wireless system: Amazon eero 6+
Pros: Built-in Zigbee Smart Home Hub, supports up to 75 devices, 4,500 sq. ft. of coverage
Cons: Some features are paywalled (but they’re not very important)
When even the best single-router solution doesn’t cut it, it’s time to step up to a mesh wireless system. These nifty solutions use multiple WiFi access points to deliver the most consistent and reliable possible WiFi connectivity to every inch of your home. There are plenty of great systems out there these days, but the best option for most people is the Amazon eero 6+ mesh wireless system. It is incredibly simple to set up, and you’ll get a router along with two extenders.
The whole-home WiFi 6 coverage delivers an eero 6 system that covers up to 4,500 sq. ft. with WiFi speeds up to a gigabit. It supports up to 75 devices, and you can say goodbye to dead spots. Of note, there is a built-in Zigbee Smart Home Hub, which is a great feature. It also gets better over time, as the automatic updates keep your WiFi safe and secure.
Our only complaint is that Amazon paywalls some features with a monthly eero Plus subscription, but they’re not very important features anyway. Examples include malware protection, extra parental controls, VPN, and extra network insights. These are all features that you probably already have with other software, so most people will find that there’s no need to pay $10 a month for eero Plus.
3. Best cheap option: TP-Link A6 V3 Gigabit WiFi Router
Pros: Inexpensive, four antennas, four Gigabit LAN ports
Cons: Not as consistently fast as other options, slows down with lots of high-speed connections
Getting your hands on a great WiFi router doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, and perhaps no model better illustrates that than the TP-Link A6 V3 Gigabit WiFi Router. This dual-band router supports speeds of up to 1200 Mbps with your high-speed internet. It’ll reduce buffering and is great for 4K streams. This is a Gigabit router with four Gigabit LAN ports, allowing you to plug important devices directly into the router.
It supports AP Mode to transform your wired connection into a wireless network. TP-Link OneMesh technology creates a single WiFi name for a network that’s great for your home. This model also has four external antennas that are equipped with Beamforming technology to extend and concentrate WiFi signals.
This is a budget model though, so you’re not going to get the same consistent speeds or reliability as you would with a more expensive option.
4. Best option for gaming: ASUS AX5400 WiFi 6 Extendable Gaming Router
Pros: Supports speeds up to 5,400 Mbps, dedicated gaming modes, 1.5 GHz tri-core processor
Cons: Doesn’t support WiFi 7 (but WiFi 7 gaming routers are WAY overpriced right now)
In terms of value, consistency, and performance, the ASUS AX5400 WiFi 6 Extendable Gaming Router is a terrific pick. This enables more efficient, more stable, and faster transmissions. It doesn’t matter if multiple devices are connected at the same time.
This model also supports the 802.11ax standard. And since it’s extendable, you can connect to other Asus AiMesh-compatible routers.
There is commercial-grade security to protect you and your family. You can control the router from a mobile device app, too, which is nice. And for gamers, there are dedicated modes that optimize throughput for gaming. That means you’re not going to have to worry about slowdowns even if other people in your house are streaming movies.
The only thing to keep in mind is that this model doesn’t support WiFi 7, but we intentionally chose a WiFi 6 model in this category. WiFi 7 gaming routers are insanely overpriced for the time being, so we don’t recommend buying one right now.
5. Simplest option: D-Link AC3000 WiFi Router
Pros: Cheap, can be expanded through mesh support, Tri-band WiFi
Cons: Parental controls are lacking
If you want a super-simple, plug-and-play router that couldn’t be easier to set up and use, check out the D-Link AC3000 WiFi Router.
This model is truly plug-and-play. Unbox it, connect it to your modem, and you’re pretty much done. If you want some more advanced features, though, they’re ready and waiting. For example, it works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to allow you to control your network with your voice. You can manage your network without even having to touch the router.
D-Link’s AC3000 router has advanced WiFi mesh support, so you can always expand your system for more coverage. You can control it all from the D-Link app on your smartphone or tablet, which is free to download.
It has dual-band 5GHz and 2.4GHz support for the best possible wireless penetration and throughput. There are enhanced profile-based parental controls, too.
Everyone in your house will be able to download, game, and stream with this. It features six high-performance external antennas for coverage across your home. The parental controls aren’t great, but they’re good enough for most people.
