Best Mesh Wi-Fi Router Systems of 2022

Table of Content

• Best Wireless Router of 2022 (WiFi, Budget, Gigabit, AC)
• Do you lose speed with mesh Wi-Fi?
• Eero Pro Mesh Wi-Fi System
• Belkin F9K1123 AC1200 Dual-Band AC WiFi Router ($18.
• What you need to know about wireless routers in 2019
• TP-Link Archer AX11000 Next-Gen Tri-Band Gaming Router
• Linksys EA9300 Max-Stream AC4000 MU-MIMO Tri-Band Smart Wi-Fi Router ($178.

The DIR-2680 has internal antennas, which make it look less like a robot, and it includes McAfee-branded Internet security, but ultimately it trailed the other models here on our tests. (Use your router's mixed-mode setting—AES and TKIP—only if you have older devices that don't support WPA2.) WPA3 is a newer security standard that purports to be more secure, but very few WPA3-compatible routers and devices are available so far. However, since it uses the same wireless radios as every other device on your network, it's not as adaptable as a mesh-networking kit that lets you use either wired backhaul or dedicated wireless radios. We're planning on testing TP-Link's OneMesh alongside dedicated mesh-networking kits in our next update.

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. The Asus RT-AC3200 is a tri-band router at a flagship dual-band router price, with great range and coverage plus really good device- and traffic-analysis capabilities in its UI. Unfortunately, its band steering was broken when we first tested it, and it's still broken; it claims to steer across all three bands, but in our testing it never once connected a device on 2.4 GHz. A recent firmware upgrade added band steering to the Archer A7, along with OneMesh support.

Best Wireless Router of 2022 (WiFi, Budget, Gigabit, AC)

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.

Home Wi-Fi routers keep millions of people working, and they're also connecting an ever-growing range of smart home devices. That means picking one that does the best job for both you and your wallet is trickier than ever, especially now that we're seeing more Wi-Fi 6 devices becoming available. Amplifi's parent company made its name by providing industrial network hardware for things like arenas and work sites, so ensuring that your signal covers the farthest distance possible is well within its wheelhouse.

Do you lose speed with mesh Wi-Fi?

It isn't quiteas fast as the AX6000 version of the Netgear Orbi listed above, but the Editors' Choice Award-winning Asus ZenWiFi AX came awfully close -- and at $400 or less for a two-piece system, it's a lot easier to afford. It's not a bad idea to invest in technology for the future, but it will be a while before you're likely to really need Wi-Fi 6 in your home or even be able to take advantage of it entirely. It works only with the ISP Xfinity, and you need it only if you also have Xfinity's voice service. Overall, despite its modest performance, it can handle Zoom calls and 4K streaming (that is, pin-sharp TV shows and movies) with ease. Our mission is to provide you with great editorial and essential information to make your PC an integral part of your life.

The Archer A20 looks like a box with a set of six antennas that swing up out of the router's body . It has the usual set of four Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, along with a single marked WAN port that you connect to your cable modem or fiber gateway. It has one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port on the back so you can connect a USB hard drive or SSD for media streaming or file sharing. We tested throughput using a real HTTP download, the same protocol you use to view websites and download files, to better expose differences in CPU speed and general routing performance.

Eero Pro Mesh Wi-Fi System

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.

It's a quick fix—you simply have to switch Smart Connect on at the Wireless Settings admin screen to merge the SSIDs and networks—but it's an extra step that is easy to miss. These days, the market is flooded with tons of option for you next big tech gadget, but shopping for a router is different. To find the best router for you, you need to understand your browsing and streaming habits. Get a router armed with tons of security goodies, like a firewall or a VPN pre-installed. Even if your ISP can serve up the fastest possible internet speed, that doesn't matter if it's faded to nothing by the time it works its way through your wireless network to its final destination. Netgear does a great job walking you through the router's initial setup process, but we were a little annoyed with Netgear's many requests during the setup process, like asking users to download the accompanying Genie app and sign up for a Netgear account.

Belkin F9K1123 AC1200 Dual-Band AC WiFi Router ($18.

A guest network lets you offer Wi-Fi connectivity to guests without leaving your entire network vulnerable. In a nutshell, you're creating a separate network for guests with a Service Set Identifier and password that are different from your main network credentials. This lets your guests connect to the internet, but it doesn't give them access to your files, printers, and other connected devices. Whether you’re a gaming enthusiast or simply demand a top-of-the line router to power your home network, the TP-Link Archer AX11000 has you covered. It uses the latest 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) tech to deliver best-in-class performance, and comes with free anti-malware and parental control utilities that help keep your network and everyone connected to it safe from viruses and unsavory websites. We loved that the router prompts you to update its firmware at the conclusion of the setup procedure, but we hated that its default wireless networks are completely open—no password needed.

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.

What you need to know about wireless routers in 2019

Because what it’s offering—a faster wireless network with full Internet-of-Things protection for all of your devices, plus ad blocking, adaptive traffic monitoring, content monitoring for kids, and an intuitive app—should cost a lot. I’ve had as many as three devices in my house at one time just to do the things that Plume does with a handful of plug-in mesh devices and a subscription. But for just $99 for the first year, you can cover a modest home in smart, adaptive Wi-Fi and be safer online.

Specifically, you can filter which websites the device can only have access to or block inappropriate websites and even pause WiFi access real-time. To top it all off, this AC1900 router has an AiProtection Network Security feature, parental controls to restrict websites, and QoS to give gaming and 4K streaming the strongest and most reliable connection. Compatibility with your wireless devices is key, because there’s no point in owning a wireless router if your devices can’t connect. In that same vein, speed is important, but only if your internet connection can handle it. Range is also important, but the degree of its importance is directly related to the size and configuration of your home.

And with the in-app optimization, you can make sure that that signal is a wicked fast and optimizes your network for exactly what it needs. The multichannel signal utilizes radar-sensing hardware to hop on normally restricted channels to extend your network even further. And if you’d like to optimize how your signal is used, whether to prioritize gaming, streaming or voice, you can do that right from the Razer app. It’s not going to win any beauty pageants, but then when you’re this fast, you don’t need to worry about aesthetics. TP-Link’s Archer GX-90 is a powerful tri-band Wi-Fi 6 gaming router that delivers impressive performance and bristles with features like multi-gig connectivity, robust parental controls, network security software, and game optimization tools. Some lack USB jacks, and others limit you to only one or two spare Ethernet ports for wired connections to media streamers, smart home bridges and other common peripherals.

Or you can connect a second cable modem or DSL line to LAN port 1, and if the main Internet connection goes down, the router will automatically switch to the backup (and back again to the main line once it's up). Smart Connect worked out of the box, so we didn't have to search the administration interface to enable it as we did on the TP-Link routers. It chose bands intelligently, shifting the two farthest laptops to the 2.4 GHz band automatically during our multi-client tests.