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Its browser-based configuration portal prompts you to pick an SSID and password for your Wi-Fi network, and asks whether to use the same SSID for both networks. It also prompts you to download the latest version of the router’s firmware, which is an important security feature. With its RGB gamer-inspired light panel and customizable light show, the Asus ROG GT-AC2900 stood out visually. Priced just above the Netgear RAX40, it was a strong performer in our tests, and it offered multiple QoS settings to tweak its network for gaming. It has RGB color lighting on its body, and four large antennas that are very visible, so it’s not a router you hide behind a ceramic pot . Its performance was close to the Archer AX50, which is to say very good, but not necessarily a better buy than upgrade picks like the Asus RT-AX88U.
Buying a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem won't give you any better performance if your cable provider only supports DOCSIS 3.0, although it could still be a good investment for the future. A cable modem/router combo is a single device that combines the capabilities of a cable modem with the features of a Wi-Fi router. You plug it directly into your coaxial cable just like you would a cable modem, and then connect your computers, smartphones, tablets, and other devices directly using either wired Gigabit Ethernet connections or via Wi-Fi.
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When you shop for a router, you'll usually see a speed advertised on the spec sheet. An AC router (aka a Wi-Fi 5 router), for example, might boast up to 5,300Mbps of blazing-fast speed, Gordon said. This number represents total combined speed available to the devices feeding off of that router — most routers won't ever reach their theoretical maximum speeds. Still, Gordon said looking at the frequency of each band is “getting way far down into the weeds” — as long as the overall speed is strong, you should be good.
The kicker here is that the phones, laptops, game consoles, and other devices you’re using are almost always 1×1 or 2×2 , and the speed of the connection is determined by the device with the fewest spatial streams. A 2×2 laptop wouldn’t get any more throughput from a 4×4 router than it would from a 2×2 router, though it would still get twice as much as a 1×1 laptop. Again, the Asus RT-AX88U was able to speedily serve each client simultaneously, with a minimal wait between each request. At the bottom of the chart, the longer browsing bars for the TP-Link Archer A7 and D-Link R15 show that you’ll be sitting there waiting for a few seconds if other devices are stressing the network at the same time.
Best Budget Wi-Fi 6E Router
The device doesn't have the richest array of ports we've ever seen, but it should be fine for most people—we were able to connect a few different game consoles and a desktop. The Eero 6+ Wi-Fi mesh system makes it easy to bring speedy wireless networking to every room in your house, but you’ll pay extra for some security and management features. With a range of up to 2,500 square feet, this gaming router provides enough coverage to let you game throughout your entire home.
An aggregate speed of 1.2Gbps renders top speeds of 300 Mbps, 867 Mbps on 2.4GHz and 5GHz, respectively. The router can ideally manage 20 devices with balanced usage in large areas measuring up to 3000 sq ft. AX3000 brings the latest wireless standards (Wi-Fi 6) and its easy mesh scalability to large homes. Deco application brings you the comfort of easy installations and remote management. The real-time security of Homecare protects the network from cyber threats and malicious content. The WPA 3 encryption standards keep the network safe from unauthorized users.
Best For Long Coverage: ASUS RT-AC88U
Flagship phones and high-end business laptops are beginning to show up with Wi-Fi 6 support, but budget phones, tablets, and smart devices are stuck with Wi-Fi 5 and will probably stay that way for another year or two. A regular or standalone router is just that, it stands alone, and sends data packets (streaming videos, music, Slack messages, etc.) from a central location in your home to all your wired and wireless (Wi-Fi) devices. A mesh network is a system of two to four boxes—usually sold together—that work together to relay the Wi-Fi signal around your house or business. Those boxes might be called mesh routers, mesh extenders, satellites, or nodes, depending on the manufacturer. You’d want to use a mesh network if the Wi-Fi signals from a single router are too weak to reach all the corners of your home, causing dropouts.
We still recommend the RT2600ac for folks who love to fiddle with their network settings or those who suspect that they will need to expand their network with a mesh node in the future. Tri-band routers have an extra 5 GHz band or 6 GHz band in addition to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands of a dual-band router. This third band allows more devices to connect and be busy at once without slowing the network down so much. Immediately check for any available firmware updates for your router and then recheck every few months.
Asus RT-AX86U
With firewalls, a dedicated guest network access, you can protect the system from unauthorized devices. On subscription, Netgear Armor brings sophisticated real-time internet protection and comprehensive parental controls. Your maximum internet speed is set by your ISP and will likely fluctuate depending on the time of day. While your router can’t provide an internet connection that exceeds that speed, it can potentially go faster when you stream from a server in your home or move files from one device on your local network to another. This impressive Wi-Fi 6 router delivers reliable performance at a relatively low price and succeeds our previous pick . Despite the demands of four people video streaming and gaming, I rarely noticed a difference in everyday performance between this and my top pick, the AX55.
When you're shopping for a new wireless router, it's best to start by considering the size of your coverage area and the number of clients you need to support, as well as the types of devices that you'll be connecting. Not everybody needs the kind of performance that you get with the latest and greatest models, and there's no reason to pay for features that you will likely never use. If you're looking for a lower price rather than a big bundle of bleeding-edge features, check out this list of budget routers. But if you have several family members vying for bandwidth for things like streaming Netflix video and playingPC gamesonline, a new router with modern management capabilities can make a world of difference and help keep the peace.
These days your Wi-Fi router not only connects you to the internet, but often your job, too. Here's what you need to build the best home network, along with reviews of our top-rated routers for a range of needs and budgets. Despite the recent changes in work environments, we can't forget that family and friends also need stable connections for entertainment, education, and gaming. Asus has also implemented dynamic frequency selection to automatically select the least-congested 5GHz bands for streaming. Wi-Fi extenders allow you to extend the reach of your internet throughout the house without replacing your entire router. While these certainly work just fine, the newer mesh system is quickly becoming the preferred method of extending coverage.
You can combine two of the wired ports to use as a single link for the very highest speed multi-gigabit internet plans. Available for $100 , the TP-Link Archer AX21 is an entry-level, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router that supports top speeds of up to 1,201Mbps (1.2Gbps) on its 5GHz band. It's nothing fancy, but it offered near flawless performance for small- to medium-size homes in our tests, and it's a cinch to setup and use thanks to TP-Link's Tether app.
While pricier, I like this particular Breville model for its good looks, large capacity, cordless design, water-level viewing window and variable temperature settings. I'll spare you the nightmare scenarios that may feel familiar to others with aging parents, but suffice it to say that the Apple Watch was a necessary purchase. Fall detection paired with a passive alert system that doesn't require someone to physically push a button or make a phone call when they need help adds up to a lot of peace of mind. It was fun taking my mom to try on different bands at the Apple Store and decide which colors she wanted to flash from her wrist. And it's been awesome seeing her navigate some of the call and texting features on her own. Although I didn't technically purchase the Apple Watch on my own payment card, I do credit myself with giving the gift of, uh, a strong and rather brilliant "suggestion."
If your employer requires a Virtual Private Network while you work remotely, the Synology RT2600 Wi-Fi router may be a suitable option. A VPN makes internet connections more secure by encrypting communication between browser sessions and servers -- and can also be used to mask your original IP address. So if workers are asked to connect to corporate resources, a VPN can keep access secure. It comes with a 1.8Ghz quad-core processor, 2.5G gaming port, port forwarding, 256MB NAND flash, 1GB RAM, and a range of up to 2,500 sq ft.
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