In today’s age and time, routers have become an essential device to own. From power users to non-tech people, everyone needs a decent wireless router so that they can share the internet with multiple devices and enjoy seamless internet at any corner of their house. However, finding a good router which can satisfy specific requirements can be a time-consuming exercise. So RouterGuide did a wireless router reviews and have sorted top 5 wireless routers in different categories so that you can easily pick one based on your preference.
1. Overall Best Wireless Router: Netgear R7000P Nighthawk
Netgear R7000P Nighthawk is the most advanced wireless router, RouterGuide found in our wireless router reviews. It claims to cover the area up to 4,000 square feet and easily ranks among the best in terms of range. If you have a large home, this router is more than adequate. The Netgear R7000P Nighthawk has lots of modern features under the hood. For starters, it has support for dual-band frequencies and MU-MIMO which can provide great stability of internet connection in any corner of your house. So let us have a look at the specifications:
- Wireless Standard: 802.11 b/g/n and 802.11 a/n/ac. It has dual band support of 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency and can easily provide a separate network for both the bands. Also, it supports the modern IPv6 protocol so you are future-proof.
- Speed: Download speed up to 1.6Gbps and upload speed up to 600Mbps. It can also prevent DDoS attacks through built-in protection.
- Processor: Yes. 1GHz Dual core processor for managing high definition video streaming and multi-player gaming.
- Ports: Five Standard Ethernet ports including one USB and one Gigabit port.
- Security: WEP, WPA, WPS, WPA2-Enterprise
- MU-MIMO Support: Yes. MU-MIMO is a new standard which stands for Multiple User- Multiple Input, Mulitple Output. Basically, multiple users can access the network and the router can provide consistent input and output of data to all the users at the same time. Due to this technology, the R700P can easily handle live 4K streaming on one system and smooth multiplayer gaming on the other console.
- Beamforming Technology: Yes. The strength of the network remains consistent throughout the premises because of Beamforming technology. It basically emits the signal directly towards the device instead of releasing blanket signals. This hugely helps in better connectivity, hence you won’t see any network drops.
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Additional Features: There is support for Dynamic QoS which stands for Quality of Service. It basically allocates the bandwidth based on your usage so that you get the service as soon as you request it. The quality of network upstream remains top-notch because of DQoS optimization. Additionally, it has Parental Controls so that you can filter out unwanted websites from your child’s reach. You can also control the router through the mobile app from anywhere you want.
2. Best Budget Wireless Router: TP-Link AC1200
The TP-Link AC1200 is a tried and tested wireless router which costs just $50. You can’t go wrong with this router as it offers excellent stability and can host up to 10 devices easily. If you are not a heavy user and use the internet just to check emails or browse the internet, this router is for you. In out WiFi router reviews, RouterGuide found that it can even stream high definition videos without any buffering issue. Let us find out more about this router.
- Wireless Standard: 802.11 a/n/ac. Has dual bands of 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency. Also supports IPv6 protocol.
- Speed: Download speed up to 1.2Gbps and upload speed up to 300Mbps.
- Processor: Yes, Single Core.
- Ports: Four Gigabit port and one USB port.
- Security: WEP, WPA, WPS
- MU-MIMO Support: No
- Beamforming Technology: Yes
- Additional Features: You can share files through the network without hindering the internet speed. It has 3 antennas to improve coverage so you won’t have any problem regarding range. There is also an app for easy management of the router.
3. Best Mesh System Router: Netgear Orbi
Generally, routers have antennas and look similar. However, there has been a new way to distribute network called the Mesh WiFi system. In our extensive testing during WiFi Router Reviews I came to the conclusion that Netgear Orbi is the best wireless router you can pick right now. It offers lots of flexibility and disseminates strong signals across every room using in-house satellites. The coverage that Netgear Orbi provides is amazing, to say the least. It has something called tri-band technology which gives a constant throughput of bandwidth to multiple devices. If you have multiple rooms with many devices then you should not look further and buy Netgear Orbi. Here is the spec sheet for a closer look.
- Wireless Standard: 802.11b/g/n and 802.11 a/g/n/ac. Has dual bands of 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency. Also supports IPv6 protocol.
- Range: Up to 5000 square feet.
- Speed: Download speed up to 3Gbps and upload speed up to 1Gbps.
- Processor: Yes. Qualcomm Processor.
- Ports: Eight Gigabit and one USB port.
- Security: WEP, WPA, WPS
- MU-MIMO Support: Yes
- Beamforming Technology: Yes
- Tri-Band technology: Yes
- Additional Features: Flexibility of running Smart TV, online gaming and 4K video streaming simultaneously. Option to create a guest network. It also supports Parent Control through the mobile app for easy accessibility.
4. Best Gaming Router: ASUS AC3100
The Asus AC3100 is the best gaming router you can buy right now. It has 4 highly-sensitive antennas to connect and transmit data to multiple devices at once. Also, this one is truly a gigabit router with 8-gigabit ports at the back. In our WiFi router reviews, I found that this router has extremely low-latency while gaming. For gamers, it is a must to have absolute low latency so that they can play in real-time. Going further, Asus has embedded 512MB RAM as well so that gaming performance remains top-notch and does not lag even on high load. Without any second thoughts, this is the best wireless router for gaming. Take a look at the internals.
- Wireless Standard: 802.11b/g/n and 802.11 a/g/n/ac. Has dual bands of 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency. Also supports IPv6 protocol.
- Range: Up to 5000 square feet
- Speed: Download speed up to 2.1Gbps and upload speed up to 1Gbps.
- Processor: Yes. 1.4GHz Dual Core Processor.
- Ports: Eight Gigabit and two USB ports.
- Security: WEP, WPA, WPS
- MU-MIMO Support: Yes
- Beamforming Technology: Yes
- 4T4R Antenna: It has 4-transmit and 4-receive antenna bands for faster performance.
- Additional Features: The Asus AC3100 has something called Game Acceleration which boosts the router to its limit and provides great performance without any lag. Also, it has Asus AiProtection for safer online gaming.
5. Best For Crowded Spaces: Google WiFi
Google has finally put its foot into hardware space. And with Google WiFi, it is trying to solve wireless connectivity in busy spaces. It uses a Mesh system to distribute network but also uses tons of software optimization to deliver better performance. Google employs Network Assist Technology for automatically choosing appropriate bands and transmission of data. It has three WiFi points which mean 3 different satellites which you can put in three different locations for maximum coverage. There are some features like pause WiFi, and selecting radio channels manually. Have a look at the specifications.
- Wireless Standard: 802.11b//g/n/ac. Has a combined band of 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency. Also supports IPv6 protocol.
- Range: Each WiFi point has a range of 1500 square ft. So total coverage is 4500 square feet.
- Speed: Download speed up to 1.2Gbps and upload speed up to 600Mbps.
- Processor: Yes. Quad Core CPU with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.
- Ports: Four Gigabit and one USB port.
- Security: WEP, WPA, WPS
- MU-MIMO Support: Yes
- Beamforming Technology: Yes
- Additional Features: As Google is a software company first, it has lots of software-based applications like Family Control to easily manage WiFi for kids and family members. It also has Bluetooth for Mesh circuitry which is unconventional to see in a router.
Conclusion
These are the top five routers in different categories I found to be the best wireless router. You can pick any one of the above-listed routers and you won’t go wrong with either of them. At present, it is essential to have a reliable wireless router and investing in a good router should be the way to go. I hope through our wireless router reviews, you could find the most suitable router you were looking for.
