5 best wireless routers for a fast and reliable home network

The best wireless routers can dramatically change your home internet speeds. In this article, we're breaking down the top five best Wi-Fi routers, so you'll never have to suffer through laggy streams or buffering again. The only issue is that some routers work better in different situations. What might work at your friend's house might not be the best option for you, so purchasing the perfect wireless router is important.

Regardless of whether you live in a small apartment or a 5,000-square-foot house, these are the best wireless routers for you.

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Best wireless routers on the market: TP-Link Archer AX6000, Asus RT-AX86U, and more

1) Asus RT-AX3000 ($139)

The AX3000 is one of the best value routers, with stable performance, tons of useful features, and an affordable price for midrange users who don't want to spend a fortune on their router. It's a tiny wireless router that will fit in every room, no matter how little space you have left.

Pros

• WiFi 6 support.
• It can reach a maximum speed of 890 Mbps at 5 GHz.
• It has parental control, malware protection, and great QoS.
• Extremely easy to install.

Cons

• The further you get, the less potent the signal becomes.
• The 80 ft maximum reach may not be enough if you have a big home.

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2) TP-Link AX5400 WiFi 6 Router ($145)

The TP-Link AX5400 is a great entry into WiFi 6 for anyone with a medium to small-sized home or apartment. It is the ideal wireless router for under $200 that can handle traffic without signal drops.

Pros

• Impressive 5 GHz band speed performance.
• OneMesh-ready to maintain network connectivity throughout every space.
• The router includes OFDMA, 44 MU-MIMO, 4T4R, and beamforming.

Cons

• On the 2.4 GHz band, the speed is slower.
• Processor specifications are average.

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3) TP-Link Archer AX6000 ($209)

The TP-Link Archer AX6000 is the best wireless router for most people because of its straightforward installation, staggering WiFi performance, and solid parental malware controls.

If you're not looking for the fastest wireless router and want a device to provide you with a reliable and strong signal throughout your house or office, the Archer AX6000 is your best solution.

Pros

• Easy to install.
• The interface of Archer's software is straightforward to navigate through.
• The software provides Trend Micro, which is a powerful antimalware system that offers robust parental control settings.
• At 2.4 GHz in close range, the Archer scores 120 MBps and 55 MBps at a distance of 30 ft.
• At 5 GHz, the top speed is 775 Mbps in close range and 315 Mbps at a distance of 30 ft.
• It can transfer a file of approximately 1.5 GB with mixed files at a speed of 76 Mbps.

Cons

• Does not support WPA3.
• Limited mobile app controls.

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4) Asus RT-AX86U ($319)

The Asus RT-AX86U is arguably one of the fastest and best wireless routers for WiFi 6 technology. On top of that, it also supports several spectacular gaming features, excellent parental controls, and robust malware protection.

The AX86U is an extremely compact dual-band router and is a perfect choice if you want a powerful wireless router but also have limited space.

Pros

• The top speed on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands is 5700 Mbps.
• The WiFi 6 on this router also uses OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) to make the signal more reliable when multiple devices are connected to the router simultaneously.
• It provides a special gaming port.
• With substantial parental controls, it is ideal for both gamers and families with kids.

Cons

• Pricey.
• No wall-mounting options.
• Dual-band only.

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5) NetGear Nighthawk RAXE500 ($499)

The NetGear Nighthawk RAXE500 is the best overall wireless router with a 6 GHz radio band and lightning-fast file transfer performance. It has WiFi 6 technology, allowing you to upgrade to the 6 GHz band, which offers wider channels, much faster speeds, and less congestion.

Pros

• Maximum speed is 961 Mbps with 6 GHz in close range.
• File transfer performance is stellar.
• It has an incredible, potent chipset designed to handle 8K video streaming and heavy traffic loads with ease.

Cons

• The parental controls are limited.
• No QoS settings.
• NetGear armor protection, which is a premium security feature for your router, requires a paid subscription.

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Endnotes

In the remote working era, your WiFi router is piling up some serious overtime. Home WiFi routers do a lot more than help you stream movies and play games. It keeps millions of people working while also connecting an ever-growing range of smart home devices.

This makes it more difficult than ever to choose the one that works best for you and your wallet. So, here are the best wireless routers of 2023 and their key features to help you choose the best one for you.