Nowadays, a wifi router has become an indispensable device in any apartment, serving both your work and entertainment needs. Although playing an important role, not everyone knows how to choose the right tool to help upgrade the network.
You need to consider many factors, from the size of the coverage area to the type of device you will connect. In addition, you also need to consider the number of people connecting and the product’s price.
If all of the information above confuses you, don’t worry. The best routers are here to help you choose the one that best suits your personal needs and budget.
Our Top Picks
- TP-Link AC1750 Smart wifi Router – Best for Connectivity
- NETGEAR Nighthawk wifi 6 Router – Best for Network Security
- NETGEAR R6230 wifi Router – Best for Frequency Coverage
- TP-Link wifi 6 Router AX1800 – Best for Gaming and Streaming
- TP-Link AC1900 Smart wifi Router – Best for Overall
In-depth Reviews Of The Best Routers 2024
Today, you are not limited to choosing routers. Among the many products appearing on the market, it is challenging to find routers that have more useful features than the names below.
1. TP-Link AC1750 Smart wifi Router – Best for Connectivity
TP-Link AC1750 Smart wifi Router – Best for Connectivity
Important Specification
- Wireless Standard: 802.11n, 802.11b, 802.11ac, 802.11g.
- Number of Ports: 5.
- Data Transfer Rate: 1750 Megabits Per Second.
Product’s Highlight
TP-Link AC1750 is a product with many advantages that you should not miss if your family’s connection needs are significant.
The manufacturer has equipped the product with a powerful CPU and advanced technology that prioritizes QoS bandwidth. Besides, this name from TP-Link also has up to three antennas with a significant gain of 2,500 Sq. Ft.
With all the above advantages, the product boasts stable performance that can connect to more than 50 devices with coverage up to the backyard.
High speed is also one of the commendable advantages of this product. This router confidently owns 1750 Mbps high-speed Internet, 4 Gigabit LAN ports.
With the above fully equipped, whether you need to play heavy action games to 4K streaming, this dual-band wifi can provide the stable, uninterrupted transmission you’ve always been looking for.
Not only impressive with its fast, stable connection and allowing the connection of many different devices, the representative from TP-Link also stands out with absolute safety and security.
With WPA/WPA2 wireless encryption, the product allows you to easily control the access of guests and children while also not worrying about security issues.
Although quite satisfied with the valuable features that the manufacturer brings, before recommending you to buy, I need to mention one drawback you need to consider: the device does not support the appropriate Gigabit wifi. Therefore, even though Gigabit is high-end, you cannot test the exact speed of the wifi.
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What We Like
- Compatible with Alexa.
- Easy to set up.
- WPA/WPA2 wireless encryption.
- 1750 Mbps high-speed internet.
- 4 Gigabit LAN ports.
Thing to Consider
- No gigabit wifi support, so I can’t test wifi speed yet.
Bottom line
With the ability to connect up to 50 devices, there is no doubt that the TP-Link AC1750 is one of the most powerful routers you can find today.
2. NETGEAR Nighthawk wifi 6 Router – Best for Network Security
NETGEAR Nighthawk wifi 6 Router – Best for Network Security
Important Specification
- Wireless Communication Standard: 802.11ax.
- Number of Ports: 4.
- Data Transfer Rate: Up to 4.2Gbps.
Product’s Highlight
NETGEAR Nighthawk wifi 6 is a product that possesses a series of advantages.
Firstly, this routing pattern is capable of streaming at incredible speeds. Specifically, the product supports Internet packages with rates up to 1 Gbps and wifi speeds up to 4.2Gbps – 3.5 times higher than traditional products.
These impressive parameters above promise to help you comfortably entertain with your favorite games and movies without interruption.
Secondly, the representative from NETGEAR is also a great choice to help you save maximum setup and management time because the manufacturer has equipped the Nighthawk application that allows users to control speed, remote access, and more.
However, the downside of this router also lies in the setup issue. Specifically, I was unable to change the DNS settings at some point.
Although after a while, I was also able to complete the setup. However, I’m not sure that if you’re someone who doesn’t have a lot of networking knowledge, you’ll be satisfied with this less than perfect experience.
Even so, products from Netgear also possess a series of new technologies to help protect your family’s devices from viruses and data theft.
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What We Like
- The Nighthawk app allows users to control speed, remote access.
- High security.
- Supports Internet packages with speeds up to 1 Gbps
- Wifi speed up to 4.2Gbps.
- NETGEAR Smart Parental Controls.
Thing to Consider
- Sometimes it is not possible to change DNS settings.
Bottom line
With all the above advantages, there is no doubt that NETGEAR Nighthawk will not let you down.
3. NETGEAR R6230 wifi Router – Best for Frequency Coverage
3. NETGEAR R6230 wifi Router – Best for Frequency Coverage
Important Specification
- Wireless Communication Standard: 802.11ac.
- Number of Ports: 2.
- Data Transfer Rate: 1200 Megabits Per Second.
Product’s Highlight
Another name from the Netgear brand is NETGEAR R6230. With this router model, the manufacturer has focused on improving coverage, increasing wireless speed, and easy and secure connection.
This product has a large coverage area of up to 1200 square feet with AC1200 standard speed. The manufacturer also expands the coverage area with an 880MHz processor, two amplifying antennas, and many advanced technologies.
In terms of connection speed, you won’t be able to complain about speeds of up to 1200 Mbs – quite impressive numbers, serving any space-intensive activities like high-quality streaming or high-speed gaming.
Meanwhile, in terms of connectivity, easy and safe are adjectives that accurately describe the advantages that R6230 brings.
The manufacturer has integrated an ETHERNET port to support connection to game consoles, devices with 4 x 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
This device also owns dual bands, which help reduce interference during connection, even when you connect up to 20 devices.
Despite possessing a series of advantages, it is quite unfortunate that the R230 still has some disadvantages. For example, the LED design is on the top, so it will be difficult for you to see easily in some cases.
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What We Like
- Coverage up to 1200 square feet.
- Connect up to 20 devices.
- 880MHz processor.
- 2 gain antennas.
- Advanced QoS technology.
Thing to Consider
- The LED lights are placed in a not-so-reasonable position.
Bottom line
Although there are still some disadvantages that slightly affect the experience, overall, NETGEAR R6230 is still one of the most worthy options today.
4. TP-Link wifi 6 Router AX1800 – Best for Gaming and Streaming
4. TP-Link wifi 6 Router AX1800 – Best for Gaming and Streaming
Important Specification
- Wireless Standard: 802.11n, 802.11ax, 802.11b, 802.11ac, 802.11g.
- Number of Ports: 5.
- Data Transfer Rate: 10/100/1000 Megabits Per Second.
Product’s Highlight
Referring to high-speed and high-performance wifi router models, TP-Link wifi 6 cannot be ignored.
It is no exaggeration to say that this representative from TP-Link has brought an actual future experience when owning speeds up to 1.8 Gbps. Combined with that is a powerful CPU, delivering 4x faster connections.
The revolutionary design of TP-Link is also reflected in OFDMA and MU-MIMO, allowing you to connect various devices at the same time without facing the phenomenon of slow, lost connection.
Besides, with beamforming and four antennas working simultaneously, you can’t complain about reliably strong coverage either.
In addition to the advantages of speed and performance, this product is also the first choice if you value an easy setup. Because with the Tether app, setting up has never been so easy.
You can also be satisfied with the powerful web interface that helps you get all the tasks done in just a few minutes.
Despite receiving pretty high reviews from many users, with my experience, I still have to complain about the product’s virtual signal phenomenon.
When searching for wifi on a device about 15 meters away from the router, there are few obstacles, and the signal is almost not lost. However, the connection drops again as soon as it connects, and the SSID disappears.
This phenomenon does not happen often, but it is undeniably a drawback that needs to be done to make TP-Link more perfect.
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What We Like
- Four antennas operate at the same time.
- Speeds up to 1.8 Gbps
- Connectivity is 4 times faster.
- Setup is easy with a powerful app or web interface.
- Significantly reduces network congestion compared to the previous generation.
Thing to Consider
- Sometimes there is a virtual network phenomenon.
Bottom line
Undeniably the above disadvantage affects quite a lot of my personal experience. Fortunately, the problem does not often happen. Besides, the cause may come from the way it is installed and the number of obstacles in the room.
Therefore, TP-Link wifi 6 is still fully worthy of being on the list of Best Routers that you should consider at least once.
5. TP-Link AC1900 Smart wifi Router – Best for Overall
5. TP-Link AC1900 Smart wifi Router – Best for Overall
Important Specification
- Wireless Standard: 802.11n, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11ac, 802.11g.
- Number of Ports: 5.
- Data Transfer Rate: 1.9 Gbps.
Product’s Highlight
It will be a mistake if your list of Best Routers lacks the name TP-Link AC1900, especially if your family has young children. Cause reliable assurance, support parental control.
Specifically, similar to other TP-Link products, this router model also uses beamforming and multiple antennas working simultaneously. So you can have the reliable, comprehensive coverage you’ve always been looking for.
Another commendable advantage is wifi 5 technology, which ensures maximum stability for your high-quality streaming and graphics-heavy online gaming.
One of the most outstanding features of this product is that it supports parental control. If your family has young children and you need to control the time your children spend online, this feature will be handy.
However, like many other products on the list, the AC1900 still has some disadvantages.
In my experience, the only problem that makes you unhappy is that you can’t keep track of how much data each device is using. This lack is quite unfortunate when the manufacturer has allowed users to view the list of connected devices.
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What We Like
- Support parental control.
- Multiple antennas operate at the same time.
- Compatible with the latest version of Internet Protocol.
- Full Gigabit ports.
- The wifi coverage is quite good.
Thing to Consider
- It is not possible to track how much data each device is using.
Bottom line
TP-Link has long been a brand specializing in providing reliable networking products that serve many different needs in life. And AC1900 is no exception for stability, performance, and many other great supporting features.
Buying Guides
If the list of products above hasn’t solved all your doubts about choosing and you want to create your list, the following guidelines may help you:
Bands
Dual-band is becoming the standard of a primary router. The device will own a 2.4GHz band and a 5GHz band. Some products with the same design as above can be Linksys EA7500-4B, TP-Link AC1750, Gryphon Guardian.
However, if you need to connect multiple devices in practice, tri-band routing with one band operating at 2.4GHz and two at 5GHz is ideal.
Wireless protocol
Ethernet networks will typically use the 802.11 protocol to send and receive data. Among them, the most popular protocol is 802.11ac. In addition, there are many other new protocols such as 802.11ax, 802.11n, 802.11b.
You should prioritize products that support many different connection protocols, such as NETGEAR WAC104, Netgear Nighthawk RAX200.
Other features
In addition to paying attention to the parameters related to the frequency band, connection protocol, for a better experience, your final choice also needs to have some valuable features. Some of those features include:
- Multiple 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports (Gigabit): Your router should have 4 Ethernet ports to connect many peripherals such as NAS, PC comfortably.
- USB: USB ports are helpful if you own a printer or other smart home system devices.
- Detachable antenna: In case you want to increase the performance of your router’s thanks to a third-party antenna, this feature will satisfy your needs well.
FAQs
How do wireless routers compare?
Wireless speed and standards are important factors whenever you want to compare routers.
How do I know what size router I need?
128MB is the minimum amount of RAM for a router. If your budget is not limited to 512GB, even 1GB will provide the best experience.
Can buying a better router improve the Internet?
The answer is no because your home and router’s initial internet packet speed are two completely different issues.
Will a router improve my wifi?
The answer is yes. A good quality new router will probably increase wifi speed but won’t increase your default Internet plan speed.
Final Thoughts
Despite my best efforts in searching, comparing, and evaluating, I must admit that I cannot find the perfect product that meets the needs of users.
As you can see, each product in the best routers above has advantages and disadvantages. Each device is towards serving a target audience with different requirements:
- TP-Link AC1750 Smart wifi Router – Best for Connectivity
- NETGEAR Nighthawk wifi 6 Router – Best for Network Security
- NETGEAR R6230 wifi Router – Best for Frequency Coverage
- TP-Link wifi 6 Router AX1800 – Best for Gaming and Streaming
- TP-Link AC1900 Smart wifi Router – Best for Overall
Besides considering the suggestions above, do not forget to consider your needs. With the factors, you will surely be satisfied with your final choice.
