The best wireless router: Netgear R6700 Nighthawk AC1750
Why you should buy this: It’s high-speed, fully-featured, and priced competitively.
Why we chose the Netgear R6700 Nighthawk AC1750:
This Nighthawk is the least expensive option in the Nighthawk family, which means you get most of the excellent Nighthawk benefits, but at a much more affordable price. AC1750 (450 + 1300 MBps) may not be the fastest router speed around, but it’s definitely enough for the average home, and you still get powerful features like beamforming, which targets connected devices to help avoid dead zones, and a dual-core processor for managing the network more smoothly.
The router comes with parental control options, backup software, and a USB 3.0 port for connecting your stored media. Basically, it’s everything you could want in a home router without the need to spend hundreds of dollars.
Another reason we like this model is that it’s very easy to move over to another Nighthawk router if you want something different. There are Nighthawks with more power, Nighthawks that are more affordable, Nighthawks more focused on gaming, and so on. The R6700 is a great model to start with, but don’t be afraid to do a bit of shopping if you want one that’s a little different.
The easiest wireless router to use: Google Wi-Fi
Why you should buy this: It creates a powerful mesh network, perfect for larger homes.
Who’s it for: Anyone who needs a large, uniform network throughout their home.
Why we chose the Google Wi-Fi:
Google’s Wi-Fi routers are an excellent example of a mesh network router, where multiple devices can link together to form a wireless network with bigger, better coverage. That makes this router pack ideal for large spaces or homes that struggle with a lot of dead zones and interference. A single point can cover around 1,500 square feet, while three of them cover up to 4,500 square feet. They include intelligent network access, which means they’ll give bandwidth priority to the devices most in need of it. Each router by itself isn’t particularly powerful at AC1200, but together they can help smooth out any rough spots in connection quality so you don’t experience any problems.
You can buy a single Wi-Fi hub for $130, but there is a three-pack deal for those with large homes that can be found for between $250 and $300 depending on where you shop.
The best budget wireless router: TP-Link AC1200
Why you should buy this: For the price, there are few routers that can compete with the TP-Link AC1200.
Who’s it for: Anyone wanting to expand their network on a budget.
Why we chose the TP-Link AC1200:
Looking for a budget router? This $50 TP-Link will see you through! It offers AC1200 dual-band speeds, two USB ports, and Gigabit Ethernet ports to manage your modern net connection. Those aren’t earth-shattering specs, but they are the important basics you need for a good Wi-Fi setup, and TP-Link’s Tether app is one of the better router apps out there, so setting up and managing the router shouldn’t be a hassle.
It’s a perfect fit for a home that only needs a simple net connection for every email, browsing, and some light streaming. However, if you plan on streaming 4K content or other data-heavy tasks, then you may want to upgrade to a more powerful model.