Locating the most appropriate router for use in your house for connecting to the Internet might be a difficult process. Every house has its own unique set of requirements for Wi-Fi connectivity, including the size of the coverage area, the speed requirements, and the amount of capacity required.
To take advantage of this increasing industry, merchants have flooded storefronts with network hardware, including Wi-Fi routers, in an attempt to get a piece of the ever-growing Wi-Fi market and attract more home customers. 802.11ax (also known as Wi-Fi 6) has recently been launched and introduced, which has only added to the complexity of the Wi-Fi device environment, as hardware providers (both established brands and newcomers) are swiftly creating and deploying newer models that support the new standard. With so many different Wi-Fi routers available, it begs the question: which Wi-Fi router is the best choice for your home users?
There are a variety of Wi-Fi routers available on the market, including devices that are designed for both general and specialist applications. Due to a large number of available alternatives, it might be difficult to choose which router is the best fit for your requirements.
In order to do this, we’ve compiled a list of the greatest Wi-Fi routers from The Wirecutter, along with their major features, strengths and drawbacks, and advancements over prior generations. We’ve also provided links to each Wi-Fi router so that you can compare the devices in further detail.
1. TP-Link Archer AX50
TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 Smart WiFi Router (Archer AX50) – 802.11ax Router, Gigabit Router, Dual Band, OFDMA, MU-MIMO, Parental Controls, Built-in HomeCare,Works with Alexa
The TP-Link Archer AX50 enabled a fast and responsive network, even when accessed from a distance of up to 500 feet. In order to obtain something even slightly better, you’ll need to spend significantly more money on a router (or a mesh kit if you have a really large home). It’s our top choice for a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) router.
The TP-Link Archer AX50 is a moderately priced router that is capable of supporting a rising number of laptops and smart devices while outperforming routers that cost twice as much. It is typically fast and capable of reaching a long distance; it has little latency even when the network is congested, and it is an excellent choice if you have a high-performance internet service package. In addition to being compatible with Wi-Fi 6, which is the most recent wireless standard, it includes built-in security in the form of a lifetime subscription to software upgrades.
2. TP-Link Archer AX20
TP-Link WiFi 6 Router AX1800 Smart WiFi Router (Archer AX20) – 802.11ax Router, Dual Band Gigabit Router, Parental Controls, Long Range Coverage
The Archer AX20 has fewer features than our top selection at a little cheaper price, but it can keep up with it in terms of throughput, responsiveness, and ease of setup in the vast majority of instances.
You should consider the TP-Link Archer AX20 as an alternative if our top selection is out of stock or its price is more than $30 more than it is now. If your house isn’t as large as our 2,300-square-foot-test home, the AX20 is an excellent alternative to the AX50 since it looks similar and provides a robust, responsive network that is almost as good as the AX50. However, it is not nearly as quick at extended distances, and TP-Link has sacrificed a few sophisticated functions and settings in its administrative interface in order to keep the price as cheap as it can be.
3. Asus RT-AX88U
ASUS AX6000 WiFi 6 Gaming Router (RT-AX88U) - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Router, 8 GB Ports, Gaming & Streaming, AiMesh Compatible, Included Lifetime Internet Security, Adaptive QoS, MU-MIMO
Because of the additional capabilities and enhanced speed and range, the RT-AX88U is a worthwhile upgrade for those who have gigabit internet service or who want to dive into the settings to fine-tune their network. However, it is considered overkill in most houses.
The Asus RT-AX88U had the least amount of latency of any router we tested, and it was overall quicker than our top selections, but it costs twice as much as our top picks for what most users consider to be a little gain in performance. If you have already invested in gigabit internet service and require a strong router to handle the increased bandwidth, we believe the upgrade is worthwhile. If you want to spend an hour or five over the weekend changing your router settings to improve a new smart device or your videoconferencing performance, this Asus model is a better choice than our other selections since it offers more customization options.
4. TP-Link Archer A7
TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router (Archer A7) -Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router for Home, Works with Alexa, VPN Server, Parental Control, QoS
This router, the TP-Link Archer A7, was released some years ago, yet it continues to get important firmware upgrades and works better at close range than some newer, more costly devices. It’s a good choice for a small house or apartment with a limited number of connected devices, and it’s the most affordable option we recommend.
The Archer A7 router from TP-Link is a reasonably priced, slightly older router that may nevertheless provide a reliable network for modest houses or one- or two-bedroom flats with a limited number of connected devices. It is considerably slower than our more costly options when traveling long distances or on more used networks. However, TP-Link has made significant improvements to the Archer A7 since we last evaluated it in 2018, including the addition of features such as compatibility with TP-OneMesh Link’s extenders through frequent firmware upgrades. Generally speaking, the Archer A7 costs less than half as much as the Archer AX50, and we believe it is the finest router you can purchase for less than $100.
