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If you’re not familiar with the advancements routers have made in recent years, you’ll be in for quite the surprise. Today’s best wireless routers work to provide seamless internet connections, cover more area than ever, and a whole lot more. Join us as we uncover the latest developments and what they mean for you.

We reviewed some incredible systems and ranked the best 10 to help you find the right one for your needs. These models provide some of the best speed and reliability around. You’ll soon be able to enjoy movies uninterrupted, play games lag-free, and connect your smart home – all from one convenient unit.

Don’t Have Time to Read the Whole Article?

When choosing the best overall from the bunch, we knew it had to be affordable and reliable. Enter: the Google Wi-Fi System. It’s the perfect solution to your wireless internet needs. This clever unit ensures there are no dead zones throughout your home for complete coverage.

If you’re one of the many who have upgraded to a smart home package, the Google Nest was made with you in mind. This router provides more coverage than ever while giving you a seamless connection throughout your home.

Top 10 Best Wireless Routers

We’ve got 8 more units to show you, each one providing you with excellent service. Whether you’re looking for greater coverage or a better game playing experience, we’ve got a router for you.


1. Google Wi-Fi System Review - Best Overall

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  • Wide coverage area
  • Compact design
  • Strong signal
  • Affordable
  • Phone configuration
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If you’re still using an old router that your internet provider gave you, Google’s Wi-Fi System will convince you to switch. Those traditional units don’t cover much area and are prone to interruptions galore.

You can purchase Google Wi-Fi in packs of 1 or 3. Each router covers a total of 1,500 square feet. Doing the math, a 3-pack gives you 4,500 square feet of wireless internet. Simply figure out how much coverage you need throughout your home and buy only what you need.

No longer do you have to rely on hit-or-miss wireless extenders. Google Wi-Fi uses an advanced system that gives you seamless internet without fear of disruptions. Now you can stream movies worry-free. No dip in connection means a more enjoyable internet experience. Can you imagine being able to watch videos without waiting on the dreaded buffering?

Well, now you can. Google Wi-Fi excels at it. This works by scanning and choosing only the fastest bands and clearest channels available. This means better connections for you and your family at all times.

And, getting coverage in every corner of your home has never been easier. By strategically positioning each router, every inch of your home can have fast, solid internet. Managing your Google Wi-Fi has never been easier thanks to Google’s clever app.

Now you can prioritize a device or devices over another, giving you the best connection when you need it most. Do you have children that need to be monitored? No problem there. Google’s app lets you easily pause Wi-Fi on any device, ensuring screen time is limited as you see fit.

The great thing about these handy little routers is that they are small and attractive. Each one is about the size of a couple stacked cans of tuna. They are all-white with an LED strip in the center. Being so small, they are easy to place just about anywhere you like.

Features

  • 4.2 x 4.2 x 2.7 inches
  • 2 Ethernet ports
  • Up to 867 Mbps
  • 11.8 ounces
  • Dual-band
  • Bluetooth

Ease of Use

If you’re using a smartphone to configure the router(s), you don’t get quite the same flexibility as with a computer. Regardless, Google has made setup a breeze. Simply plug in each device and scan a QR code. It’s quick and painless.


2. Google Nest Wi-Fi Review - Best for Smart Homes

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  • Small and compact
  • Excellent coverage
  • Attractive design
  • Highly versatile
  • Initial setup can take a while
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If you’ve upgraded to a smart home, Google’s Nest will connect everything together and make your life much easier. This upgrade of the Google Wi-Fi System tightens things up in a sleeker and smaller package.

Each unit covers more square footage than ever, maxing out at 2,200 per router. With coverage like this, a single router can provide a steady internet connection throughout your entire home. If you have a larger home, simply pick up an extra unit or two.

Google also equips each Nest with a built-in speaker for greater versatility. You get all the same features as the Google Wi-Fi, but now with even better performance. Need to limit screen time to one or all family members? Done. Simply open the provided app and select which devices you want to limit.

Each Nest ensures you’re getting the fastest internet speeds possible. If your home is filled with smart technology, you can bet they’re going to work seamlessly without fail. You need a connection you can rely on. Google Nest gives you that.

The design of the Nest is rounder and smoother than that of the Google Wi-Fi. It’s wrapped in a fabric material for a soft-touch feel. A single LED light tells you when the unit is up and running. The gaudy plastic hunks of yesteryear are now replaced with an attractive design that looks great anywhere you put it.

Google offers the Nest in packs of 1, 2, or 3. You’re guaranteed more coverage than ever before thanks to the cutting-edge technology each unit provides.

Features

  • 4.3 x 4.3 x 3.6 inches
  • Up to 612 Mbps
  • 2.88 ounces
  • Bluetooth
  • 2 pounds

Ease of Use

Managing your internet connection through Google’s Nest app is a cinch. You can easily add devices, check your connection speeds, share passwords, and more.


3. ASUS RT-AC86U NORDIC Review - Best for Distance

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  • Long-distance coverage
  • Plenty of customization
  • Solid performance
  • Fast connections
  • Bulky design
  • Slower at close range
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The first thing you’ll notice about the ASUS NORDIC is its design. This wild-looking router is perfect for gaming. It provides stellar coverage with breakneck speeds. With the NORDIC, there’s no need to mess with pricey wireless extenders throughout your home.

It gives you incredible long-distance coverage. This ensures your online gaming sessions are played the way they were intended. This bleeds over into streaming movies and everyday web browsing, as well.

It’s equipped with a 1.8GHz dual-core processor to bring you the fastest performance at all times. Until fairly recently, it wasn’t uncommon to struggle through laggy gameplay at every turn. ASUS eliminates this in fine fashion thanks to its top-of-the-line components.

Even better, the NORDIC is optimized with the best security measures. It’s also modified so that your games run better than ever. ASUS even lets you customize and tweak settings so you’re getting just the connection you need.

The only issue we ran into in our tests was when using the NORDIC at close range. Surprisingly, it’s not quite as fast as it is at longer distances. But that’s where it really shines, giving you incredible speeds, all the way at the other end of your house.

Features

  • 3.3 x 8.7 x 6.3 inches
  • 512MB of storage
  • 5 Ethernet ports
  • 256MB of RAM
  • 2 USB ports
  • 1.9 pounds

Ease of Use

You’ll need to have an active internet connection in order to set up the router. Once completed, performance is lightning-fast. Playing at close range can cause some slowdown, but long distances soar.


4. NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 Review - Best for Gaming

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  • Fast speeds
  • Great range
  • DumaOS
  • Versatile
  • A bit pricey
  • Spotty Geo-Filtering
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Are you into gaming? Have you been looking for the perfect wireless router to complement your setup? Well, you can stop holding out, because NETGEAR has exactly what you need.

This monster of a machine is designed to deliver the highest speeds so you can enjoy your games without lag. A big part of making this possible is the Nighthawk’s reduction of high pings. Your latency rates are kept to a minimum, leaving you with more speed than you’ll know what to do with.

If you’re the parent of a gamer and you need to set some limitations, the Nighthawk will help you there, too. Its DumaOS software lets you control parental settings in great detail. From here, you can also manage devices, monitor your network, check vital system information, and much more.

But one of the handiest features for gamers is Geo-Filtering. Accessed through DumaOS, this allows you to set the router to only connect to local players and servers. We found this to be incredibly useful, but it’s not perfect.

When using the Nighthawk with our Xbox One and PS4, we had zero issues with Geo-Filtering. On PC, however, we found that not all games work with this feature.

Aside from that one drawback, we can’t recommend this router enough. It looks cool and will blend right in with any gaming rig; it provides excellent speeds, and its software is intuitive and well-designed.

Features

  • 2.2 x 12.7 x 9.6 inches
  • Dual-core processor
  • 5 Ethernet ports
  • 3.71 pounds
  • 4 antennas

Ease of Use

The incredibly useful DumaOS software delivers one of best management systems for a router we’ve ever seen. It’s majorly beneficial to any serious gamer thanks to its robust features.


6. NETGEAR Orbi Pro Review - Best for Businesses

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  • Fast performance
  • Compact design
  • Excellent range
  • Versatile
  • It’s expensive
  • Have to pay for full control
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Another pricey offering comes courtesy of NETGEAR’s Orbi Pro. If you’re a business owner looking to expand your office’s wireless coverage, this is definitely one you want to take a look at.

It boasts up to 5,000 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage. If you need even more than that, extra satellites can be equipped for 2,500 additional square feet of coverage. They are a cinch to set up and put into place.

Where the Orbi Pro shines is its continuous speedy delivery. If your office suffers from lagging connections and spotty areas, you’ll be amazed at the difference this little guy can make. The Orbi works to ensure everyone has equal internet speeds, regardless of how much one is using over the other.

It’s distributed evenly across the board, with no dips in performance. It’s the perfect solution to a disgruntled office full of employees. In this day and age, no business can afford to have substandard wireless connectivity.

The devices are small, yet attractive. They look great anywhere, and take up very little real estate. Yes, the price is a bit steep for a router. But for the advantages it brings to the table, the Orbi is worth its weight in gold.

Features

  • 5,000 square-foot coverage
  • 6.7 x 3.1 x 8.9 inches
  • 8 total Ethernet ports
  • 3.92 pounds
  • Tri-band

Ease of Use

Installation is a breeze and setup is equally easy. For $4.99 a month, you get complete control over the Orbi system. You can check history, pause access, and filter certain websites for free. But you’ll have to pay to create time limits and set access schedules.


7. NETGEAR Orbi AC2200 RBK23 Review - Best for Small Homes

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  • Solid connections
  • Attractive design
  • Broad coverage
  • Easy setup
  • Expensive
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Want the broad flexibility and fast performance of the Orbi Pro in your home? NETGEAR has you covered with the home networking version, the AC2200. You’re still going to be paying about the same as what the Orbi Pro costs. But now you can enjoy professional-grade internet access right at home.

And if you have an Alexa-capable device, you can use voice commands with the Orbi for greater flexibility than ever. The home versions don’t cover quite the same amount of area as the Pro. You’re getting a little less than half at 2,000 square feet of wireless internet broadcast throughout your home.

As with the Pro, you can buy additional satellite units to expand your coverage. If you live in a small or medium home, this is the solution for you. You can ensure each room is adequately covered so that no one is left out.

If your abode is extensively equipped with smart home technology, the Orbi home version is the perfect package. Each device receives equally fast connections. There’s no interruptions, giving everyone and everything under your roof what they need for proper streaming, gaming, and more.

The design of the Orbi is compact and attractive. It will look great anywhere in your home thanks to its versatile construction. The devices are pretty straightforward to install and setup, leaving you more time to enjoy their benefits.

Features

  • 5.8 x 6.7 x 6.9 inches
  • Quad-core processor
  • 256MB of storage
  • 512MB of RAM
  • 1.05 pounds

Ease of Use

Installation and setup is quick and easy. You get free parental control over connected devices and you can set limitations, too.


10. Eero Pro Review - Most Versatile

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  • Compact design
  • Robust user experience
  • Speedy performance
  • Very expensive
  • Limited coverage
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For those who like to have complete control over their internet network, the Eero Pro is the perfect system. You can tweak and customize settings to your heart’s content. There’s a lot of versatility at play here. But all of this comes at a price.

For one, the Eero has a pretty hefty cost to it. You get 3 router hubs that are designed to give you complete coverage throughout your home. The problem is, each one provides little coverage in actuality. They are rated for 5,000 square feet of collective coverage, but we had trouble connecting all of our devices during testing.

When connected, speed is impressive. Streaming movies works flawlessly, and gaming is just as solid. But we found we were limited to setting up where we got the best connection. If you’re looking for true total-home coverage, you may want to look elsewhere.

Again, the main draw here is user control. If that isn’t as important to you as performance, save a few bucks and grab a Google Wi-Fi System. But if you love the technical aspect of these devices, the Eero is right up your alley.

A nice bonus is its Alexa support. If you have an Alexa device, you can sync the two for greater versatility. You’ll be able to use voice commands to control even more.

Aesthetically, they do have an attractive and sleek design. A single LED lets you know the unit is operating normally. While the Eero isn’t anything you haven’t seen already, it will look great in any setting.

Features

  • 4.76x 4.76 x 1.26 inches
  • Quad-core processor
  • 4GB-flash storage
  • Security included
  • 2 Ethernet ports
  • 512MB of RAM

Ease of Use

Three units come with the package. You get one router and 2 satellites. The size of each makes installation easy, allowing you to covertly place them anywhere in your home. You’ll have to do your setup from the Eero app on your smartphone. But it’s just as easy as any other and will have you up and running in a snap.


Wireless Router Buyer’s Guide

Wireless routers are everywhere around you. Take a look at your phone whenever you are in a cafe or shopping. You will see a lot of Wi-Fi routers, some of them connectable, the others not. The point is that nearly every house, cafe, restaurant, mall, and more, have a wireless router.

Wireless routers allow you to easily connect to the Internet from the comfort of your home, without having to deal with ethernet cables.

The problem is, there are way too many wireless routers available on the market. Purchasing a high-quality one feels like an adventure from which you might return with an empty bag.

We have spent countless hours researching wireless routers to bring you our top 10 list, but we didn’t stop there. This short article will teach you what to expect from wireless routers, and how to find the best ones.

Types of Wireless Routers

Before you can start your search for a wireless router that will suit your needs, you need to know more about their types. Today, there are a couple of different types of wireless routers. We are focusing on the three that are commonly used.

  • Single-band: Single-band routers are, despite their limitations, still very popular. Their name tells you that you are limited to only one frequency – 2.4GHz. The 2.4GHz frequency easily penetrates walls and doors, and almost every device is compatible with it. The worst problem is that you are limited to slower speeds. Another major problem is the fact that single-band wireless routers are prone to interference. While the price of single-band routers is low, they lack modern features that the other routers bring to the table. Our advice is to skip single-band routers and go for one of the following types.
  • Dual-band: Dual-band routers step up the game by utilizing the 5GHz frequency, as well as the 2.4GHz one. The 5GHz frequency isn’t very good at penetrating walls and doors, but it has almost no interference. Yes, dual-band wireless routers are more expensive than the single-band ones. But, they are worth purchasing. They offer you two frequency bands, which means that you can use your old and new devices to connect to the Internet. Another major advantage is the increase in speed brought by the 5GHz frequency.
  • Tri-band: Tri-band routers add a second 5GHz band. The advantage is that the interferences on your Wi-Fi network are brought down to a minimum. The best part is – you don’t have to do anything complicated to make it work, the router does it for you. Tri-band wireless routers are a good choice if you spend a lot of time online. They are also a sound choice for everyone with plenty of devices connected to the Internet. If you live in a crowded city, then a tri-band router is the best choice. If you need a way to future-proof your Wi-Fi, a tri-band wireless router is an excellent choice.

Important Features You Should Consider

Before you can buy a wireless router that will do everything you want it to, you need to be aware of a couple of features. Never skimp on the following features, and your new wireless router will serve you well.

  • LAN ports: While the main idea of using a wireless router is to get rid of the ethernet cables, you still need a few LAN ports. Plenty of smart home devices require a LAN port because their hubs are connected to it. But, LAN ports are useful if you have desktop PCs. Especially if you plan on getting together with a couple of friends for a LAN party. Most of the wireless routers come with 4 LAN ports, which can be expanded if you add an Ethernet switch.
  • USB ports: Some routers come with a built-in print server, so connecting a USB printer to it is a good idea. You can also use the USB ports to connect an external HDD or a flash drive. It is always better to have spare USB ports than to have none.
  • Traffic control: This feature is also known as Media Prioritization, and QoS (Quality of Service.) Traffic control allows you to boost the performance of your wireless router depending on what you’re doing. It gives you the power to focus the bandwidth on video streaming, video games, Skype calls, and more. Traffic control allows you to stream videos without buffering even when someone in your home is downloading a large file.
  • Parental control: It is no secret that plenty of kids spend a lot of time online. It is also no secret that spending too much time online isn’t a healthy habit for children. Parental control allows you to control the time when children can use the Internet. But, it also allows you to block access to social media platforms, gambling websites, video games, adult content, and more.
  • Guest network: The guest network feature allows you to provide limited router access to your guests. It allows you to create a separate network for guests. Your guests will be able to use the Internet, but they won’t have access to your files, USB printers, and other devices.

What is MU-MIMO? Do I Need it?

MU-MIMO(Multiple User Multiple Input, Multiple Output) is a new router technology. It allows the wireless router to connect to, at this moment, up to four devices at the same time.

Routers without the MU-MIMO shuffle data packets quickly between one device at a time. This can make the connection unreliable and slow.

MU-MIMO technology doesn’t shuffle data packets between devices. It focuses on up to four devices and maintains a direct connection to them.

Not a lot of mobile devices can utilize the MU-MIMO technology. So, you should think hard whether you really need it. But, if you want to future-proof your home, then a wireless router with MU-MIMO technology is something you should consider.

How Should I Secure my Wireless Router?

If you don’t take the necessary steps to secure your wireless router, you are leaving your Internet connection open to everyone. Anyone with malicious intent can listen in on your online activities or use your Internet. Some attackers will be able to access your files and even infect your devices with viruses.

First of all, secure your devices with antivirus software. Your second step should be securing the router. Secure the wireless router with at least WPA2 encryption. Avoid WEP encryption at all costs. Anyone with the most basic understanding of computers can crack WEP encryption in a matter of minutes.

WPA2 encryption and antivirus protection should be enough to protect you from plenty of attacks. But, as always, be careful online, don’t open files sent by strangers, and avoid shady websites.