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The wireless standards supported by a router determine which devices are able to connect to that router. These standards have evolved a lot over the years, so it’s important to make sure that you choose a router that works with the same standards as your devices to get the best experience. This Synology router ended up alongside two other dual-band routers (the Asus Blue Cave and Asus RT-AC86U) at the top of our performance charts. Like the Archer A20, each of these routers was able to handle the traffic our multi-client test generated and to give us a smooth browsing experience. And the Synology was able to keep a strong connection to our long-distance testing site, transferring data at a speedy 166 Mbps throughput (by comparison, the budget TP-Link Archer A7 was able to manage throughput of only 27 Mbps to the garage). Any of our picks will easily outperform any router you got from your Internet service provider, or any router more than a few years old.
Just make sure you spare a considerable amount of space since it’s relatively large. This router is specifically designed to prioritize gaming above other activities to give gamers the best gaming experience during dungeon raids or heated PVP battles in the arena. Lastly, it doesn’t feature the traditional square slab with antennas pointing upward design.
Best Overall Router: Google Wifi
The TP-Link Archer A20 is our pick because it was the fastest router we tested with the best range, it's reasonably priced, and it has features that others lack, such as a quad-core processor and tri-band radios. Those features improve performance by helping the router handle more connections simultaneously, with results that definitely came through in our tests. Although routers certainly can cost more, we think those models' extra features (such as optimizations for gaming PCs and 802.11ax compatibility) aren't worth the extra cash for most folks. If you want to manage how your Wi-Fi network is being used, make sure your next router has parental controls, QoS options, and a guest-network feature. Parental controls allow you to limit network access for certain users to specific times and days, ideal for parents who want to keep tabs on their child's online gaming and social networking activities.
In some cases, the number will come before the AC or AX designation, which simply indicates whether it's using 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) or 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6). There are a number of older standards, like 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g, but you won’t find routers that focus specifically on those standards. If you have older devices that use those standards, however, there's no need to worry as almost all modern routers are backwards compatible with older devices. Andrew Hayward is a Chicago-based writer who has been covering technology and video games since 2006. He tested the Google Nest Wi-Fi on our list and appreciated its smooth integration with the rest of the Google Home ecosystem. Google’s Nest Wi-Fi is one of the things that distinguishes the Google Home ecosystem from the competition, offering a tight level of integration that most others can’t match.
How much should I spend on a router?
It isn't as high-powered and it isn't a tri-band system like its big brother, but it comes with three devices that all support Wi-Fi 6 for $250, which makes it interesting. There was also a new dual-band ZenWiFi system last year called the ZenWiFi XD6 -- it performed quite well in our tests, but it only costs slightly less than the XT8. I also appreciated the depth of control in the Asus app, which lets you manage your network and customize that backhaul as you see fit. Bill Thomas is a Denver-based freelance writer who covers technology, music, film, and gaming. The 5 GHz band is significantly slower than the 60 GHz band, but still insanely faster compared to the 2.4GHz band. But this is somewhat limited to a small area and is only compatible with modern devices.
The only truly bad part was how it took me forever to get my decidedly basic router up and running. I went for an easy and affordable option, but looking back, I wish I had splurged on a router with quicker connection times or a more advanced firewall. Remember that those prices typically reflect you buying not just a single router, but one or two mesh nodes, too. And as mentioned earlier, Wi-Fi 6E, with support for the 6GHz band, is the latest standard, but 6E routers are just starting to hit the market and we've tested just a handful at this writing. All you need is to start collecting 6E-compliant client devices to leverage this bargain router to the max. Additionally, the router's firmware updating feature indicated that the router's as-shipped firmware was its most current, even though new firmware was available as of July 2017 on Trendnet's website.
Why We Picked It
These routers are a good fit for apartments or small to medium-size houses with three or four people on the network. If you have more people or a large house—more than 2,300 square feet or more than one floor—you should probably look at our mesh-networking guide instead. A good rule of thumb is that if you've considered adding a wireless extender or an extra access point in your house, get a mesh system instead. The 802.11ac protocol also offers downstream Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) technology, which is designed to provide bandwidth to multiple devices simultaneously rather than sequentially. That means up to four clients can have their own data streams instead of waiting in turn to receive data from the router. In order for MU-MIMO to work, the router and the client devices must contain MU-MIMO Wi-Fi circuitry.
Fortunately, most major cable providers in the U.S. have already "pre-approved" the cable modems from all the big manufacturers. You'll normally find this information on the packaging or on the manufacturer's website. However, if you're still not sure, you can always ask your cable provider if the modem/router you're considering will work with their network. To take full advantage of the bandwidth your ISP provides, you'll need a modem/router combo that at the very least matches, and ideally exceeds, the top speed promised by your provider. The maximum bandwidth is indicated in gigabits per second and is usually prominently displayed in a modem/router's title or description.
It's not ugly, has all the ports you might need, and comes with backup battery capability, so if the power goes out, your phone is still working. Keep in mind, it's not capable of the fastest internet connection out there, but otherwise, it might be exactly what you need. The Ethernet ports on the satellites aren't wired in the same way as the base unit (since the base unit is physically connected to your ISP's line), and the satellites allow devices without Wi-Fi to connect to the internet. Once we got the Motorola MG7700 up and running, it delivered outstanding speeds, reliably maxing out our 100 Mbps Spectrum plan when we were hard-wired via the LAN ports. It’s also worth checking whether or not the router supportsQoS if your main purpose is for gaming or 4K video streamingsince this feature basically prioritizes these two, respectively, above any other tasks. The former gives you the option to connect your computers, laptops, and other network-attached storage drives via LAN, which is the best connection you can get.
In layperson’s terms, each band is like a separate internet source that your router can accommodate. For instance, most routers nowadays are at least dual-band, meaning they have two bands that can run concurrently. Yet another thing that makes this appealing, especially for most parents, is the parental control feature. You can limit the daily time usage for specific websites and applications for specific family members to keep them from browsing the internet too much.
Linksys' WRT32XB router is somewhat unique in that it has been optimized to provide the best performance for online gaming. In particular, this router has been optimized to support gaming on Microsoft's Xbox game consoles, but with speeds up to 3,200Mbps and the ability to run three streams simultaneously, this router should perform well for any gaming network. PCMag is obsessed with culture and tech, offering smart, spirited coverage of the products and innovations that shape our connected lives and the digital trends that keep us talking. The Motorola Q11 is a three-piece, dual-band mesh system that's an excellent choice for delivering strong Wi-Fi 6 signals to homes of up to 5,000 square feet.
In the end, the key to finding the best wireless router is to consider all of the factors outlined above, and then select the device that best meets your own personal needs. A good standard to look for on a router is four Gigabit Ethernet ports, although some higher end devices include eight or more. Some even allow you to achieve a 2Gbps connection by connecting to two Gigabit Ethernet ports at once, and a few leading-edge gaming routers now offer special 2.5Gbps or even 10Gbps ports. In general, you should look for a router that’s fast enough to match the speed of your internet connection. Your home network enables devices like computers and printers to communicate inside your house, and it also allows your computers, phones, game consoles, and other devices to connect to the internet.
If you want to take advantage of the faster connection speeds, decreased latency, and more efficient client battery life that you get with Wi-Fi 6, but you need to keep costs down, then the TP-Link Archer AX50 is an excellent choice. It’s easy to install and comes with TP-Link’s Homecare suite, which includes robust parental controls, anti-malware software, and several QoS presets that make it easy to provide application-based bandwidth priority when needed. The RT-AC3200 is a "tri-band router," which means it gives you a single 2.4GHz network and two 5GHz networks to pick from. In practice, you'll want to split your wireless-ac devices between both 5GHz networks, as having too many devices doing too many things on a single network can impact the speeds of connected devices. The RT-AC3200 can help you manage this with its Smart Connect feature, band steering that you have to manually enable within its web-based configuration.
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