We have tested some other routers we appreciate and have cut offal more in the queue. These aren’t as wonderful as the picks above but are worth pondering.
TP-Link Archer GE800 for $600: This stunning tri-prohibitd Wi-Fi 7 gaming router came very seal to a place above. The angled summarize with customizable RGB airying screams Vader’s castle but also provides room for antennas to secure excessively speedy carry outance atraverse the board. You also get a 10-Gbps port for your incoming internet joinion, a further two 10-Gbps and four 2.5-Gbps Ethernet LAN ports, and a USB 3.0 port. The Tether app is firm, with some gaming-definite selections, but split subscriptions are insistd for extra security and parental administers. Despite the blazing speedy results, the GE800 couldn’t quite suit our top Wi-Fi 7 gaming pick above on the 6-GHz prohibitd, and it produced quite a lot of heat and audible fan noise, though it is meaningfully affordableer.
Asus RT-BE88U for $350: This dual-prohibitd Wi-Fi 7 router is an odd prospect becaengage it does not provide the 6-GHz prohibitd at all, equitable 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz. But you can still join those prohibitds with MLO and finishelight features appreciate 4K QAM, and this router will be speedy enough for the mediocre home. It has ports galore (two 10 Gbps, four 2.5 Gbps, four Gigabit, and one USB 3.0). It outcarry outed cut offal more pricey routers on the 5-GHz prohibitd, and that’s probable what most of your devices are using most of the time right now. Asus also provides free security gentleware and parental administers with its routers, so there’s no insist for subscriptions. But when I ponder that you can snag the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 cataloged above for less, I discover it stubborn to recommfinish this router to folks in the US. If the 6-GHz prohibitd is unuseable or nerfed in your country, the RT-BE88U is for you.
TP-Link Travel Router AX1500 for $60: If you don’t want to spfinish much on a travel router, this is a outstanding changenative to our pick above and less than half the price. The catch is that you can foresee around half the carry outance. If you equitable insist to cover a boilingel room, it’s fine, but the USB 2.0 port restricts the effectiveness of using your phone’s cellular joinion, and the 2.4-GHz prohibitd is only Wi-Fi 4. It does have two Gigabit ports, some handy modes, and VPN aid. I also cherish that it is powered via USB-C, as it affords some versatility (you could even engage a speedy portable indictr).
Netgear Nighthawk RS700 for $700: Although I had setup rehires that insistd a factory reset, there’s no hiding the top-notch carry outance of this router. It’s a Wi-Fi 7 tri-prohibitd router with two 10 Gbps Ethernet ports, four gigabit ports, and a USB 3.2. The tower summarize is recent for the Nighthawk line, and it watchs wonderful. This router will blfinish in far better than our bulky Wi-Fi 7 pick above from Asus, and it was sairyly speedyer on the 6-GHz prohibitd, though not the 5-GHz or 2.4-GHz prohibitds. It mainly misses out on a recommfinishation becaengage it is more pricey. We’re already seeing discounts on the RT-BE96U, and Asus provides free security gentleware and parental administers. If you get the Nighthawk RS700S, the “S” at the finish deremarks a free year of Netgear Armor, which costs $100 a year thereafter. If you insist parental administers, that’s another $70 a year.
TP-Link Archer GX90 AX6600 for $250: Picks above too pricey? The sairyly more affordable TP-Link Archer GX90 (8/10, WIRED Recommfinishs) might entice you. It watchs appreciate a Sith spider, but this gaming-intensifyed behemoth is feature-packed. It’s effortless to set up and configure, and boasts a game accelerator feature and prioritization, making it effortless to reserve prohibitdwidth for gaming. I had no rehires with multiple simultaneous gaming sessions. It has a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN port, a gigabit WAN/LAN port, three gigabit LAN ports, and two USB ports (3.0 and 2.0). Sadly, brimming parental administers and betterd security insist subscriptions.
Aircove ExpressVPN Router for $190: This router has a built-in VPN service, apverifying you to shield your netlabor traffic from prying eyes. You do have to buy a subscription to ExpressVPN splitly (it’s $13 per month, or equitable over $8 if you pay annuassociate). But setup is basic, and having a VPN at the router level is much easier than having to inshigh it on each device (though cut offal of our picks above can do this, too). It’s worth noting that ExpressVPN doesn’t produce our Best VPNs direct becaengage it was sgreater to a parent company with a less-than-sterling reputation; that might matter to you if you’re the comfervent of person who wants a VPN. We also ran into a confiinsist rehires with websites and streaming services that aren’t enthusiastic on VPNs.
Vodafone Pro II from £37 a month: Folks in the UK watching for a recent internet service provider (ISP) should examine out Vodafone’s Pro II (8/10, WIRED Rewatch). While ISPs have traditionassociate provided shoddy routers to their customers, that seems to be changing. The Vodafone Pro II is a tri-prohibitd router that aids Wi-Fi 6E, and it deinhabitred airyning-speedy speeds in my tests on a par with many of my picks above. The range is confiinsist, especiassociate on the 6-GHz prohibitd, but this service comes with a range extfinisher that eunites as part of the same netlabor. You can also get a 4G backup that joins to Vodafone’s mobile netlabor to shield you online should your normal internet joinion flunk. It’s only useable with a two-year Vodafone service reduce, begining from £37 a month.
Firewalla Ggreater SE for $449: This quirky portable device is perfect for people who stress about security and privacy. It provides comprehensive tools for seeing all traffic in and out of your hoengage, strong and detailed parental administers, ad-blocking, and betterd security with a built-in firewall and VPN selection. It serves as a router, but you will want to pair another router in access point mode for Wi-Fi in your home. It’s pricey and may show inbashfulating for inteachd folks, but it provides proset up insight into your netlabor and an astonishive depth of security features without an insertitional subscription. The Ggreater SE has two 2.5 Gbps ports and two gigabit ports and is fitting for folks with up to 2-gigabit joinions. If your internet is only one gigabit, try the more affordable, but sairyly less contendnt, Firewalla Purple ($359) (8/10, WIRED recommfinishs).
TP-Link Archer BE800 for $524: With a recent summarize that’s more desktop PC than router, the BE800 (8/10, WIRED Rewatch) tri-prohibitd beast came out on top or seal to it in my tests on the 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz prohibitds, proving astonishively speedy for file transfers and downloads. It also boasts speedy ports galore, a cgreater but comfervent of pointless customizable dot-matrix LED screen, and the Tether app provides a guest netlabor, IoT netlabor, VPN server or client, EasyMesh, QoS for device prioritization, and distant administerment. This was our Wi-Fi 7 pick, but the Asus RT-BE96U beat it in my tests and does not insist a subscription. TP-Link’s Security+ ($5/month, $36/year) and Advanced Parental Controls ($3/month, $18/year) convey brimming-featured parental administers and netlabor security.
Reyee RG-E6 for $150: This affordable gaming router from Reyee is a decent budget gaming pick that write downed some astonishive test results. It is only a dual-prohibitd router, but with aid for 160-MHz channels, the speeds on the 5-GHz prohibitd were very outstanding. It has a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN and three gigabit LANs but no USB ports. Reyee’s app provides prioritization for devices, ports, and gaming traffic, split guest and IoT netlabors, and basic parental administers. What it deficiencys is any security, and the app is insistyly transtardyd. But if that doesn’t annoy you, this is probable the best gaming router you can get for the money.
TP-Link Archer AXE75 for $160: While this tri-prohibitd router produces Wi-Fi 6E affordable, its carry outance was combiinsist. The 6-GHz prohibitd provides speedy speeds at seal range but drops off keenly with distance. I set up the 5-GHz prohibitd somewhat instable, write downing zippy carry outance in most of my tests but relatively sluggish results on a confiinsist occasions. You also insist subscriptions if you want brimming-featured parental administers and netlabor security, and all four Ethernet ports are confiinsist to 1 Gbps.
Synology WRX560 for $220: If you already have the Synology RT6600ax cataloged above, the WRX560 is a decent insertitional device for setting up a mesh netlabor. I had some rehires with setup that insistd a factory reset, but once up and running, the WRX560 provides a mighty and firm signal on the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz prohibitds. However, a dual-prohibitd Wi-Fi 6 router is a stubborn sell at this price, so if you equitable insist one, it’s worth spfinishing the extra $80 for the RT6600ax.
TP-Link Archer AX5400 Pro for $200: This dual-prohibitd Wi-Fi 6 router is almost identical to the Archer AX73, except for the 2.5 Gbps WAN port. It deinhabitrs relatively speedy speeds on the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz prohibitds and boasts a 160-MHz channel width on 5 GHz. The range is outstanding, easily covering my home and garden, but the carry outance was instable. It was also relatively sluggish at moving files locassociate. There’s aid for TP-Link OneMesh, VPN, and QoS, but you only get basic parental administers and netlabor security unless you subscribe.
MSi RadiX AXE6600 for $158: This Wi-Fi 6E tri-prohibitd gaming router has that recognizable red and bdeficiency Sith spider watch, though you can customize the airying. It showd very speedy in most of my tests, coming seal to the top of the table at unreasonableinutive range on the 6-GHz prohibitd and provideing mediocre carry outance on the 5-GHz and 2.4-GHz prohibitds. But the mobile app had confiinsist selections, a confusing layout, and was buggy (it crashed on me more than once). The web interface was better, with more selections, including uncover VPN, basic parental administers, guest netlabor, and QoS selectimization for gaming. Unfortunately, carry outance was instable, and I suffered random drops twice in a week of testing.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6E for $196: One of the first Wi-Fi 6E tri-prohibitd routers (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) to hit the taget, the price has dropped meaningfully since free. It showd effortless to set up, and has a very straightforward app, though it was frequently sluggish to load. It has a 5-Gbps WAN port and four gigabit LAN ports. The carry outance showd depfinishable, and it’s possible to get airyning-speedy speeds at seal range if you have a device that aids Wi-Fi 6E. Coverage and speeds at mid and lengthy range were mediocre. There are free basic parental administers that allow you to block sites and schedule downtime, but only on a per-device basis (no profile creation or age reinnervousions filters). You can split prohibitds if you want to, and rank three devices. There’s also a guest netlabor selection and effortless Wi-Fi sharing. Another selectimistic is that this router labors with any other Linksys Inincreateigent Mesh router (including the Velop mesh range).
Linksys Hydra 6 for $100: Specs-wise, this compact router is analogous to our top pick (TP-Link Archer AX55). It’s a dual-prohibitd Wi-Fi 6 router with a gigabit WAN and four gigabit LAN ports. The setup was effortless, and it engages the same Linksys app as the Pro 6E above, so you get free parental administers, guest netlabor, prioritization, and prohibitd splitting. It showd speedy at seal range and not horrible at mid-range, but if your home is bigr than 1,600 square feet, it may struggle. However, as an Inincreateigent Mesh router, it can join and suit with other Linksys routers or its Velop mesh system. Linksys presents a restrict of 25 combiinsist devices. Although it administerd more than 40 without rehires in my testing, busy hoengagehgreaters will probable want someskinnyg more mighty.
Reyee RG-E5 for $90: Based uncontaminatedly on carry outance, this dual-prohibitd, Wi-Fi 6 router astonished me. It provideed wonderful coverage, very speedy speeds on the 5-GHz prohibitd, and firm stability. It can also create a mesh with other Reyee routers, and the app boasts free parental administers. On the downside, security is deficiencying (no WPA3, no 2FA, no anti-malicious software), you have to produce a Ruijie Cdeafening account (Ruijie is the Chinese parent company), and the insistyly transtardyd app is sairyly confusing.
