9 Best Wi-Fi Routers of 2026 for Working, Gaming, and Streaming

Compare 9 Top Wi-Fi Routers

Other Routers We Have Tested

I person tested galore different models and person respective much successful the queue. These aren’t arsenic large arsenic the picks above, but they are worthy considering.

TP-Link Archer BE6500 (GE400) for $220: This dual-band Wi-Fi 7 gaming router is simply a coagulated performer. At adjacent scope connected the 5-GHz band, it tin spell toe-to-toe with astir of the devices connected this list. It besides offers dedicated gaming features, though immoderate of them necessitate subscriptions. I was disappointed by the constricted range, and the comparable TP-Link BE6500 (BE400) is presently connected merchantability for a batch less. You besides don’t person to walk overmuch much to get the acold superior, tri-band Archer BE9700 (BE600) listed above, giving you the afloat 6-GHz Wi-Fi 7 experience. For gamers who unrecorded unsocial successful apartments oregon tiny homes, this router could inactive beryllium a decent buy.

D-Link AX3000 DBR-330 for $110: This lightweight, rectangular question router from D-Link is aimed astatine concern professionals who question for work. It’s a dual-band, Wi-Fi 6 router that tin besides service arsenic a blistery spot, with a transportation via USB. There’s adjacent a perchance useful microSD/TF paper slot for up to 2 TB of retention for record sharing oregon backup. Setup via the browser is easy, and there’s built-in VPN support. It proved bully and accelerated astatine adjacent range, but it dropped disconnected quickly, and I couldn’t get a awesome 2 rooms away. It volition enactment good for a edifice room, though. The occupation is, you tin get our TP-Link question router prime supra oregon the Asus RT-AX57 Go for akin money, and I similar some of them.

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 for $190: The curvy spaceship plan successful matte achromatic is simply a small much stealthy than your mean gaming gear, but those wings incorporate antennas for a beardown awesome passim your home. The Nighthawk RAXE300 is simply a tri-band router with Wi-Fi 6E support, covering the 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz bands. It served seamless, speedy Wi-Fi during 2 weeks of testing, with zero issues portion handling a revolving premix of 4 simultaneous gaming and video streams. A azygous 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN port, 5 gigabit LAN ports, and a USB-C 3.0 larboard volition beryllium capable for astir folks. The Nighthawk app is fantabulous and offers set splitting, impermanent web options, and a big of analytical tools. While some the Premium Smart Parental Controls ($8/month oregon $70/year) and Netgear Armor ($100/year) are broad and slick, the other disbursal is hard to swallow erstwhile galore competitors connection cheaper oregon escaped alternatives with akin features.

Asus RT-AX57 Go for $98: This 5-inch, white, integrative quadrate comes with a wee stand. It’s a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with gigabit WAN and LAN Ethernet ports that you tin plug into a modem, the larboard successful your hotel, oregon immoderate different net source. It tin adjacent link to nationalist Wi-Fi, oregon you tin plug your telephone into the USB 3.2 larboard and usage the RT-AX57 Go arsenic a hotspot to magnify your compartment transportation (it doesn’t person a SIM slot of its own). Asus includes its accustomed information software, parental controls, and VPN support. It adjacent has AiMesh support, truthful you tin besides usage the RT-AX57 Go arsenic a mesh node.

TP-Link Archer BE5000 (BE260) for $125: This dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) Wi-Fi 7 router runs adjacent to our apical prime connected show and is simply a coagulated alternative. This router offers a flimsy upgrade implicit the BE230 (BE3600) below, with improved 5-GHz performance, an other antenna, and a sum boost up to 2,400 quadrate feet. It besides sports a 2.5-Gbps WAN, a 2.5-Gbps LAN, 3 Gigabit LAN, and a USB 3.0 port. Throw successful EasyMesh enactment and a comparatively debased price, and the BE260 is simply a tempting option. But if you privation enhanced information and parental controls, you person to subscribe, which takes the radiance disconnected the value.

Devolo 3600 for £400: Pop a SIM successful this 5G router and you tin lavation your location successful beauteous speedy dual-band Wi-Fi 6. It’s designed for homes that can’t get a cablegram connection, but you request to spot it determination that gets a decent mobile web signal. That proved tricky successful my thick-walled home, and having to spot it successful the model astatine the beforehand meant that it struggled to present overmuch velocity to the backmost of the house. It could beryllium a bully enactment for folks stuck without a fibre enactment but with 5G coverage. Sadly, the Devolo 3600 is lone disposable successful the UK and EU close now, and it’s benignant of pricey.

Netgear Nighthawk RS300 for $300: This classy, tri-band, Wi-Fi 7 operation router is understated with a fanless design. Setup was a breeze, and the simplified app is designed to beryllium hands-off. This was our mediate upgrade pick, but was unseated by TP-Link's Archer BE9700. Speed and stableness connected the 5-GHz and 6-GHz bands were excellent, though the scope connected the 6-GHz set is limited. Performance connected the 2.4-GHz set was somewhat beneath par, but that volition apt lone beryllium an contented if you person loads of older devices. The RS300 has 1 2.5 Gbps WAN/LAN, 2 2.5 Gbps, 2 Gigabit LAN ports, and 1 USB 3.0 port. Premium Smart Parental Controls ($8/month oregon $70/year) and Netgear Armor ($100/year) adhd tons of features, but they are costly (you get a 30-day proceedings of each), and astir radical don’t need them. The RS300 is 1 of the champion experiences I person had with a Netgear router, with accelerated speeds connected the 5- and 6-GHz bands, lightning-quick record transportation times, and nary issues implicit 2 weeks of testing. For folks with mostly newish gadgets, net connections up to 2.5 Gbps, and nary tendency to tweak web settings, this is simply a large pick.

Asus RT-BE92U for $250: After a elemental setup and a trouble-free week of speedy, unchangeable net crossed the 2.4-, 5-, and 6-GHz bands, I tin urge this router. It has Wi-Fi 7 benefits similar MLO and 320-MHz channels, enactment for a impermanent network, VPN services, escaped information software, and parental controls. It besides boasts a 10-Gbps WAN/LAN, a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN, 3 2.5-Gbps LANs, and a USB 3.2 port. This tri-band Wi-Fi 7 instrumentality came perilously adjacent to claiming the midrange spot supra held by the TP-Link Archer BE9700, but was a smidge slower connected the 5-GHz and 6-GHz bands and had a considerably shorter range. However, if your location is astir 1,500 quadrate feet and you’d alternatively debar a subscription, the RT-BE92U is an fantabulous alternative. Customer reviews suggest immoderate folks person had occupation with this router, but the latest firmware was stone coagulated for me.

Netgear M3 for £450: I was precise impressed by this mobile 5G router. Slip a SIM successful there, and it connects to 4G oregon 5G networks to present Wi-Fi to your devices. It’s a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 exemplary that’s speedy connected the 5-GHz band. The M3 had nary occupation handling aggregate connected devices (up to 32) and served a unchangeable net transportation for astir 10 hours. You tin complaint via the USB-C port, and there’s a 2.4-inch LCD colour surface for configuration. It’s a coagulated blistery spot for concern oregon idiosyncratic travel. Sadly, the M3 doesn’t look to beryllium disposable successful the US, but folks successful the UK tin prevention immoderate wealth and snag this alternatively of the M6 Pro supra (it's often discounted).

AVM FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro for £457: While AVM has dominated the German router marketplace for years and inactive has astir a 50 percent marketplace share, it's present expanding crossed Europe and the UK, truthful I tested the FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro. AVM’s scope is distinctive successful achromatic and reddish plastic, but there's a absorption connected functionality. This tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router boasts a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN, 4 gigabit LAN, and a USB 3.1 port. It’s fast, scoring mid- to high-table results successful my tests, and it proved reliable. It besides has DSL oregon fiber-optic modems, an integrated DECT basal presumption for cordless phones, built-in retention (NAS), and enactment for Zigbee to link astute location devices. You don’t request an relationship to acceptable it up oregon configure it. There’s a firewall and impermanent web enactment successful the straightforward web interface (you tin usage the mobile app if you prefer). AVM’s routers are developed and manufactured successful Europe, making them an interesting, privacy-focused alternate to routers from China oregon the US. The institution besides has a beardown way grounds of supporting its products for years aft release. Folks successful the UK and Europe looking to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 should see this router. My fingers are crossed that AVM expands into the US next.

TP-Link Archer BE3600 (BE230) for $120: This is the lowest terms I’ve seen for a Wi-Fi 7 router. The basal plan sports 4 antennas, a 2.5-Gbps WAN, a 2.5-Gbps LAN, and 3 gigabit LAN ports. It is dual-band (2.4-GHz and 5-GHz), truthful there’s nary 6-GHz option, and it’s lone 2 x 2 MIMO, truthful the maximum bandwidth is 688 Mbps and 2,882 Mbps, respectively. Sadly, I recovered the scope connected the 5-GHz set to beryllium limited, and the set steering was disappointing, often dropping my telephone onto the overmuch slower 2.4-GHz band. Throughput was so-so, and record transfers were mid-table successful my results. The BE230 finished beneath our apical prime successful each test. It could beryllium cleanable for a tiny apartment, arsenic it was impressively speedy astatine adjacent scope connected some bands, but dropped disconnected rapidly with distance, making it pugnacious to urge for larger properties. The subscription required for enhanced information and parental controls is besides a hard merchantability connected a router this cheap.

Asus RT-BE86U for $250: The caller Wi-Fi 7 mentation of the Asus RT-AX86U, this dual-band (2.4- and 5-GHz) router is akin to the Asus RT-BE88U below. It lacks the 6-GHz set but brings each the different improvements that Wi-Fi 7 offers, from MLO to amended security. The RT-BE86U proved reliable successful my tests and performed highly good connected the 5-GHz band, matching the somewhat much costly RT-BE88U. It is somewhat smaller but inactive has 1 10-Gbps and 4 2.5-Gbps Ethernet ports, alongside a USB 2.0 and a USB 3.0 port. It besides offers each the accustomed benefits of an Asus router, including onboard security, parental controls, AiMesh and VPN support, and a big of configuration options. It’s possibly a small pricey astatine the moment, but erstwhile this router starts to drop, it volition beryllium a coagulated prime for galore homes and whitethorn good assertion a spot above.

TP-Link Archer GE800 for $500: This stunning tri-band Wi-Fi 7 gaming router came precise adjacent to a spot above. The angled plan with customizable RGB lighting screams Vader’s castle but besides provides country for antennas to guarantee highly accelerated show crossed the board. You besides get a 10-Gbps larboard for your incoming net connection, a further 2 10-Gbps and 4 2.5-Gbps Ethernet LAN ports, and a USB 3.0 port. The Tether app is solid, with immoderate gaming-specific options, but abstracted subscriptions are required for other information and parental controls. Despite the blazing accelerated results, the GE800 couldn’t rather lucifer our apical Wi-Fi 7 gaming prime supra connected the 6-GHz band, and it produced rather a batch of vigor and audible instrumentality noise, though it is importantly cheaper.

Firewalla Gold SE for $489: This quirky portable instrumentality is cleanable for radical who interest astir information and privacy. It offers broad tools for monitoring each postulation successful and retired of your house, robust and elaborate parental controls, ad-blocking, and enhanced information with a built-in firewall and VPN option. It serves arsenic a router, but you volition privation to brace different router successful entree constituent mode for Wi-Fi successful your home. It’s costly and whitethorn beryllium intimidating for inexperienced folks, but it offers heavy penetration into your web and an awesome extent of information features without an further subscription. The Gold SE has 2 2.5-Gbps ports and 2 gigabit ports and is suitable for folks with up to 2-gigabit connections. If your net is lone 1 gigabit, effort the much affordable but somewhat little susceptible Firewalla Purple ($389).

Asus RT-BE88U for $350: This dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router is an unusual imaginable due to the fact that it does not connection the 6-GHz set astatine all, conscionable 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. But you tin inactive harvester those bands with MLO and bask features similar 4K QAM, and this router volition beryllium accelerated capable for the mean home. It has ports galore (two 10 Gbps, 4 2.5 Gbps, 4 Gigabit, and 1 USB 3.0). It outperformed respective much costly routers connected the 5-GHz band, and that’s apt what astir of your devices are utilizing astir of the clip close now. Asus besides offers escaped information bundle and parental controls with its routers, truthful there’s nary request for subscriptions. But erstwhile I see that you tin snag the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 listed supra for less, I find it pugnacious to urge this router to folks successful the US. If the 6-GHz set is unavailable oregon nerfed successful your country, the RT-BE88U is for you.

TP-Link Travel Router AX1500 for $39: If you don’t privation to walk overmuch connected a question router, this is simply a bully alternate to our prime supra and is little than fractional the price. The drawback is that you tin expect astir fractional the performance. If you conscionable request to screen a edifice room, it’s fine, but the USB 2.0 larboard limits the effectiveness of utilizing your phone’s cellular connection, and the 2.4-GHz set is lone Wi-Fi 4. It does person 2 Gigabit ports, immoderate useful modes, and VPN support. I besides emotion that it is powered via USB-C, arsenic it affords immoderate versatility. (You could adjacent usage a accelerated portable charger.)

Asus RT-AXE7800 for $226: The tri-band, Wi-Fi 6E Asus RT-AXE7800 is simply a reliable and comparatively affordable mode to adhd the 6-GHz set to your home. This hexagonal router has a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN port, a 2nd 1-Gbps WAN/LAN, and 3 gigabit LANs, with nexus aggregation support. Close-range show was fantabulous connected the 5-GHz and 6-GHz bands, midrange results connected the 5-GHz set were good, and long-range show connected the 2.4-GHz set was average. There are options galore successful the mobile app and browser interface, including band-splitting, prioritization for antithetic activities, impermanent network, VPN support, and tons more. The RT-AXE7800 besides comes with parental controls and web information without a subscription, truthful determination are nary hidden costs.

Netgear Nighthawk RS700 for $600: Although I had setup issues that required a mill reset, there’s nary hiding the top-notch show of this router. It’s a Wi-Fi 7 tri-band router with 2 10-Gbps Ethernet ports, 4 gigabit ports, and a USB 3.2. The operation plan is caller for the Nighthawk line, and it looks great. This router volition blend successful acold amended than our bulky Wi-Fi 7 prime supra from Asus, and it was somewhat faster connected the 6-GHz band, though not the 5-GHz oregon 2.4-GHz bands. It chiefly misses retired connected a proposal due to the fact that it is much expensive. We’re already seeing discounts connected the RT-BE96U, and Asus offers escaped information bundle and parental controls. If you get the Nighthawk RS700S, the “S” astatine the extremity denotes a escaped twelvemonth of Netgear Armor, which costs $100 a twelvemonth thereafter. If you request parental controls, that’s different $70 a year.

Aircove ExpressVPN Router for $190: This router has a built-in VPN service, allowing you to shield your web postulation from prying eyes. You bash person to bargain a subscription to ExpressVPN separately (it’s $13 per month, oregon conscionable implicit $8 if you wage annually). But setup is simple, and having a VPN astatine the router level is overmuch easier than having to instal it connected each instrumentality (though respective of our picks supra tin bash this too). It’s worthy noting that ExpressVPN doesn’t marque our Best VPNs usher due to the fact that it was sold to a genitor institution with a less-than-sterling reputation; that mightiness substance to you if you’re the benignant of idiosyncratic who wants a VPN. I besides ran into a fewer issues with websites and streaming services that aren’t keen connected VPNs.

TP-Link Archer BE800 for $400: With a caller plan that’s much desktop PC than router, the BE800 tri-band beast came retired connected apical oregon adjacent to it successful my tests connected the 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz bands, proving impressively swift for record transfers and downloads. It besides boasts speedy ports galore, a chill but benignant of pointless customizable dot-matrix LED screen, and the Tether app offers a impermanent network, IoT network, VPN server oregon client, EasyMesh, QoS for instrumentality prioritization, and distant management. This was our Wi-Fi 7 pick, but the Asus RT-BE96U bushed it successful my tests and does not necessitate a subscription. TP-Link’s Security+ ($5/month, $36/year) and Advanced Parental Controls ($3/month, $18/year) bring full-featured parental controls and web security.

TP-Link Archer AXE75 for $200: While this tri-band router makes Wi-Fi 6E affordable, its show was mixed. The 6-GHz set offers accelerated speeds astatine adjacent scope but drops disconnected sharply with distance. I recovered the 5-GHz set somewhat inconsistent, signaling zippy show successful astir of my tests but comparatively dilatory results connected a fewer occasions. You besides request subscriptions if you privation full-featured parental controls and web security, and each 4 Ethernet ports are constricted to 1 Gbps.

Synology WRX560 for $230: If you already person the Synology RT6600ax listed above, the WRX560 is simply a decent further instrumentality for mounting up a mesh network. I had immoderate issues with setup that required a mill reset, but erstwhile up and running, the WRX560 offers a beardown and unchangeable awesome connected the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands. However, a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router is simply a pugnacious merchantability astatine this price, truthful if you conscionable request one, it’s worthy spending the other $80 for the RT6600ax.

Linksys Hydra 6 for $85: Specs-wise, this compact router is akin to our fund prime (TP-Link Archer AX55). It’s a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with a gigabit WAN and 4 gigabit LAN ports. The setup was easy, and the Linksys app provides escaped parental controls, a impermanent network, prioritization, and set splitting. It proved speedy astatine adjacent scope and not atrocious astatine mid-range, but if your location is larger than 1,600 quadrate feet, it whitethorn struggle. However, arsenic an Intelligent Mesh device, it tin premix and lucifer with different Linksys routers oregon its Velop mesh system. Linksys suggests a bounds of 25 connected devices. Although it managed much than 40 without issues successful my testing, engaged households volition apt privation thing much powerful.

Routers We Don’t Recommend

These are the net routers we had issues with oregon can't urge for 1 crushed oregon another.

Acer Connect X6E 5G: This is an absorbing Wi-Fi 6E exemplary with a 5G SIM paper slot susceptible of keeping you online utilizing a mobile web should your main broadband transportation fail. It has 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports, a WAN/LAN, LAN, and an RJ-11 larboard for a telephone line. It’s casual to acceptable up and offers an NFC transportation option, truthful you tin conscionable question your telephone implicit it to connect. This antithetic blend of features could beryllium bully for concern travelers. Performance was coagulated erstwhile it worked, and you tin get a precise accelerated transportation astatine adjacent scope connected some the 6-GHz and 5-GHz bands. Sadly, the scope was limited, and the Connect X6E 5G was intermittently unstable during my testing, dropping devices randomly and cutting retired repeatedly.

Netgear Nighthawk RS200: The RS200 is Netgear’s dual-band (2.4- and 5-GHz) router and the cheapest successful its Wi-Fi 7 lineup. After the tri-band RS300 won a recommendation, I expected this router to execute decently, but I encountered respective issues, including random drops and mediocre range. After turning the router disconnected and connected again, galore devices, including my Pixel and iPhone, struggled to reconnect. Perhaps I person excessively galore devices successful my location for it, though Netgear suggests it tin grip up to 80. It has 2 2.5 Gbps ports, 3 gigabit Ethernet ports, and a USB 3.0 port. Test results were OK, but importantly slower than the RT-BE86U. The costly subscriptions for Netgear Armor ($100/year) and Premium Smart Parental Controls ($8/month oregon $70/year) look particularly pricey with a cheaper exemplary similar this.

TP-Link Archer AX5400 Pro: This dual-band Wi-Fi 6 exemplary is astir identical to the Archer AX73, but for the 2.5-Gbps WAN port. It delivers comparatively accelerated speeds connected the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands and boasts a 160-MHz transmission width connected 5 GHz. The scope is good, easy covering my location and garden, but the show was inconsistent. It was besides comparatively dilatory astatine moving files locally. There’s enactment for TP-Link OneMesh, VPN, and QoS, but you lone get basal parental controls and web information unless you subscribe.

MSi RadiX AXE6600: This Wi-Fi 6E tri-band gaming router has that acquainted reddish and achromatic Sith spider look, though you tin customize the lighting. It proved precise accelerated successful astir of my tests, coming adjacent to the apical of the array astatine abbreviated scope connected the 6-GHz set and offering mean show connected the 5-GHz and 2.4-GHz bands. But the mobile app had constricted options, a confusing layout, and was buggy (it crashed connected maine much than once). The web interface was better, with much options, including unfastened VPN, elemental parental controls, a impermanent network, and QoS optimization for gaming. Unfortunately, show was inconsistent, and I suffered random drops doubly successful a week of testing.

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