The 13 Best Wi-Fi Routers, Tested and Reviewed by Experts (2024)

We person tested immoderate different routers we similar and person respective much successful the queue. These aren't arsenic large arsenic the picks supra but are worthy considering.

Netgear Nighthawk RS700 for $699: Although I had setup issues that required a mill reset, there’s nary hiding the apical notch show of this router. It’s a Wi-Fi 7 tri-band router with 2 10 Gbps Ethernet ports, 4 gigabit ports, and a USB 3.2. The operation plan is caller for the Nighthawk enactment and it looks great. This router volition blend successful acold amended than our bulky Wi-Fi 7 prime supra from Asus and it was somewhat faster connected the 6-GHz band, though not the 5-GHz oregon 2.4-GHz bands. It chiefly misses retired connected a proposal due to the fact that it is much expensive. We’re already seeing discounts connected the RT-BE96U and Asus offers escaped information bundle and parental controls. If you get the Nighthawk RS700S, the “S” astatine the extremity denotes a escaped twelvemonth of Netgear Armor, which costs $100 a twelvemonth thereafter. If you request parental controls that’s different $70 a year.

Vodafone Pro II from £39 a month: Folks successful the UK looking for a caller net work supplier (ISP) should cheque retired Vodafone’s Pro II. While ISPs person traditionally provided shoddy routers to their customers, that seems to beryllium changing. The Vodafone Pro II is simply a tri-band router that supports Wi-Fi 6E, and it delivered lightning-fast speeds successful my tests connected a par with galore of my picks above. The scope is limited, particularly connected the 6-GHz band, but this work comes with a scope extender that appears arsenic portion of the aforesaid network. You tin besides get a 4G backup that connects to Vodafone’s mobile web to support you online should your regular net transportation fail. It’s lone disposable with a two-year Vodafone work contract, starting from £39 a month.

Firewalla Gold SE for $449: This quirky portable instrumentality is cleanable for radical who interest astir information and privacy. It offers broad tools for monitoring each postulation successful and retired of your house, robust and elaborate parental controls, ad-blocking, and enhanced information with a built-in firewall and VPN option. It serves arsenic a router, but you volition privation to brace different router successful entree constituent mode for Wi-Fi successful your home. It’s costly and whitethorn beryllium intimidating for inexperienced folks, but it offers heavy penetration into your web and an awesome extent of information features without an further subscription. The Gold SE has 2 2.5 Gbps ports and 2 gigabit ports and is suitable for folks with up to 2-gigabit connections. If your net is lone 1 gigabit, effort the much affordable, but somewhat little capable, Firewalla Purple ($359) (8/10, WIRED recommends).

TP-Link Archer BE800 for $500: With a caller plan that’s much desktop PC than router, the BE800 (8/10, WIRED Review) tri-band beast came retired connected apical oregon adjacent to it successful my tests connected the 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz bands, proving impressively swift for record transfers and downloads. It besides boasts speedy ports galore, a chill but benignant of pointless customizable dot-matrix LED screen, and the Tether app offers a impermanent network, IoT network, VPN server oregon client, EasyMesh, QoS for instrumentality prioritization, and distant management. This was our Wi-Fi 7 pick, but the Asus RT-BE96U bushed it successful my tests and does not necessitate a subscription. TP-Link’s Security+ ($5/month, $36/year) and Advanced Parental Controls ($3/month, $18/year) bring full-featured parental controls and web security.

Reyee RG-E6 for $144: This affordable gaming router from Reyee came precise adjacent to unseating our fund gaming prime supra (TP-Link Archer GX90) aft immoderate awesome trial results. It is lone a dual-band router, but with enactment for 160-MHz channels, the speeds connected the 5-GHz set were precise good. It has a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN and 3 gigabit LANs but nary USB ports. Reyee’s app offers prioritization for devices, ports, and gaming traffic, abstracted impermanent and IoT networks, and basal parental controls. What it lacks is immoderate security, and the app is poorly translated. But if that doesn’t fuss you, this is apt the champion gaming router you tin get for the money.

TP-Link Archer AXE75 for $170: While this tri-band router makes Wi-Fi 6E affordable, its show was mixed. The 6-GHz set offers accelerated speeds astatine adjacent scope but drops disconnected sharply with distance. I recovered the 5-GHz set somewhat inconsistent, signaling zippy show successful astir of my tests but comparatively dilatory results connected a fewer occasions. You besides request subscriptions if you privation full-featured parental controls and web security, and each 4 Ethernet ports are constricted to 1 Gbps.

Synology WRX560 for $220: If you already person the Synology RT6600ax listed above, the WRX560 is simply a decent further instrumentality for mounting up a mesh network. I had immoderate issues with setup that required a mill reset, but erstwhile up and running, the WRX560 offers a beardown and unchangeable awesome connected the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands. However, a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router is simply a pugnacious merchantability astatine this price, truthful if you conscionable request one, it’s worthy spending the other $80 for the RT6600ax.

TP-Link Archer AX5400 Pro for $200: This dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router is astir identical to the Archer AX73, but for the 2.5 Gbps WAN port. It delivers comparatively accelerated speeds connected the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands and boasts a 160-MHz transmission width connected 5 GHz. The scope is good, easy covering my location and garden, but the show was inconsistent. It was besides comparatively dilatory astatine moving files locally. There’s enactment for TP-Link OneMesh, VPN, and QoS, but you lone get basal parental controls and web information unless you subscribe.

MSi RadiX AXE6600 for $161: This Wi-Fi 6E tri-band gaming router has that acquainted reddish and achromatic Sith spider look, though you tin customize the lighting. It proved precise accelerated successful astir of my tests, coming adjacent to the apical of the array astatine abbreviated scope connected the 6-GHz set and offering mean show connected the 5-GHz and 2.4-GHz bands. But the mobile app had constricted options, a confusing layout, and was buggy (it crashed connected maine much than once). The web interface was better, with much options, including unfastened VPN, elemental parental controls, impermanent network, and QoS optimization for gaming. Unfortunately, show was inconsistent, and I suffered random drops doubly successful a week of testing.

Linksys Hydra Pro 6E for $200: One of the archetypal Wi-Fi 6E tri-band routers (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) to deed the market, the terms has dropped importantly since release. It proved casual to acceptable up, and has a precise straightforward app, though it was often dilatory to load. It has a 5-Gbps WAN larboard and 4 gigabit LAN ports. The show proved reliable, and it’s imaginable to get lightning-fast speeds astatine adjacent scope if you person a instrumentality that supports Wi-Fi 6E. Coverage and speeds astatine mid and agelong scope were average. There are escaped basal parental controls that alteration you to artifact sites and docket downtime, but lone connected a per-device ground (no illustration instauration oregon property restrictions filters). You tin divided bands if you privation to, and prioritize 3 devices. There’s besides a impermanent web enactment and casual Wi-Fi sharing. Another affirmative is that this router works with immoderate different Linksys Intelligent Mesh router (including the Velop mesh range).

Linksys Hydra 6 for $100: Specs-wise, this compact router is akin to our apical prime (TP-Link Archer AX55). It’s a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with a gigabit WAN and 4 gigabit LAN ports. The setup was easy, and it uses the aforesaid Linksys app arsenic the Pro 6E above, truthful you get escaped parental controls, impermanent network, prioritization, and set splitting. It proved speedy astatine adjacent scope and not atrocious astatine mid-range, but if your location is larger than 1,600 quadrate feet, it whitethorn struggle. However, arsenic an Intelligent Mesh router, it tin premix and lucifer with different Linksys routers oregon its Velop mesh system. Linksys suggests a bounds of 25 connected devices. Although it managed much than 40 without issues successful my testing, engaged households volition apt privation thing much powerful.

Reyee RG-E5 for $100: Based purely connected performance, this dual-band, Wi-Fi 6 router impressed me. It offered large coverage, precise accelerated speeds connected the 5-GHz band, and coagulated stability. It tin besides signifier a mesh with different Reyee routers, and the app boasts escaped parental controls. On the downside, information is lacking (no WPA3, nary 2FA, nary anti-malware), you person to make a Ruijie Cloud relationship (Ruijie is the Chinese genitor company), and the poorly translated app is somewhat confusing.