It has the features were looking for, such as Wi-Fi 6 compatibility, great throughput, good range, quick responsiveness (aka low latency), four Ethernet ports, embedded security software, and an easy-to-set-up interface. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing to save people time, energy and money when making buying decisions. But technologies such as OFDMA and MU-MIMOwhich we discuss in a separate section belowmake it possible for the AX50 and similar routers to keep more speedy connections active even with slower devices in the mix. Although your network probably isnt always that busy, it is that busy often enoughand those busy times are when youre most likely to get annoyed, so theyre what we were modeling in our tests. The E5600 and E7350 notably were at the bottom of our performance charts. It wasnt the fastest Wi-Fi 6 router we tested, but it did come close, and its much less expensive than routers that add limited benefits. What we like about it: The Archer AX20 did really well at close range in our tests, but it doesnt have the long-range punch like the AX90, AX11000, and RAX200. Plus, features like free antivirus and multigig wired connectivity make it our favorite gigabit router. This test measured throughput and speed, andmore importantput a constant load on the router that the other devices on the network had to work around. We used a mix of 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) USB Wi-Fi adapters and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) internal Wi-Fi adapters to simulate a home network serving different clients. Its not the fastest router, but it handles multiple devices and fast connections with ease. If youre spending the extra dough for a gigabit (or faster) internet service plan, the Asus RT-AX88U is the router to make the most of the bandwidth youre paying for. The problem is, if you have a smartphone, a laptop, and a game console connected to the same band, that adds up to six streams one way. Native Amazon Alexa support is also a plus. Mbps vs. Gbps: Do You Need Gigabit Internet? Nearly every wireless device we use supports up to two streams. Older routers simply switched back and forth between devices, albeit at an imperceptible rate; one slow device on an older router, and the whole thing would grind to a halt. Although its rack-mounted models are decidedly overkill for most homes, we were intrigued by the UniFi Dream Machine (UDM), which seems tailor-made for homes and small businesses. Its speeds fell between these two contenders at close range but outpaced the AX11000 the further we moved away. And folks who need more capabilities have to spend a lot to get just a small jump in performance. The purpose of our testing was not to choose a router that was slightly faster than another; it was to see which routers could deliver consistently strong performance without encountering major issues in real-world conditions. The AX50 is not listed on TP-Links OneMesh compatibility page, so you cant add Wi-Fi extenders to fill dead spots using the same network name. Its a Wi-Fi 5 router, and the maximum speed we recorded in tests was just shy of 700 Mbps. Improvements such as WPA3 for additional security and MU-MIMO to better handle multiple devices at the same time make the Archer A8 a better pick than the venerable Archer A7, which we recommended for over three years. We also run tests in a hallway to the left of the TV room and officewhere theres a glass door, three walls, and an air handler unit blocking our view of the router. Unless you have a large home better suited to mesh networking, the AX50 is a good choice, as it can provide a better network than what you get from routers more than a couple of years old or many networking kits rented from an internet provider. Even the far less expensive TP-Link Archer AX50, our top pick, performed better than the UDM in some situations. It has great Wi-Fi speeds, loads of wired connectivity options, free antivirus and parental controls, and a user-friendly setup. At best, routers have a range of up to 100 feet straight out, but manufacturers typically advertise range in square feet. Saving a substantial amount of money by choosing a cheaper model means making a noticeable sacrifice in performance. The Synology RT2600ac was our runner-up in the previous guide, and it also proved itself competitive this time. More cores arent a guarantee of success, however: The Archer AX20, for example, has a quad-core processor, yet it performed a bit worse than the AX50. We ran each test six times, and we then averaged the results to smooth out spikes. Compared with TP-Links router setup, D-Links setup tends to be on the limited side, while Asuss and Synologys screens have multiple settings that appeal to tinkerers and similar geeks. A Lenovo ThinkPad laptop may support a faster 2,400 Mbps connection, but the local area conditions may cut that speed in half. Keep in mind that some desktops support up to four streams each way (or even eight), but generally, PCs transmit and receive across two streams since they can fall back on Ethernet. Confines QoS, parental controls, security settings, and antivirus settings to Tether app. It has the best wireless speeds of the routers on our list. We tested the A8 with a mix of Wi-Fi 5 and 6 laptops, and it produced an excellent throughput of 482 Mbps on a Wi-Fi 6 laptop, more than enough for the average cable broadband connection (around 144 Mbps in early 2022, according to Speedtest.net) and faster than the speeds we saw from some Wi-Fi 6 routers like the TP-Link Archer AX10 and D-Link DIR-X1560. *Amazon.com prices (as of 2/17/22 17:35 MST). Though it does a good job operating on only basic settings, this Asus router is the one you should look at if you think our pick doesnt allow enough customization and you want more settings and sliders to tweak your network. A typical home network today doesnt look like networks did a few years ago. The UDM did okay on our tests, though the Asus RT-AX88U was able to outperform it. The problem with this method is that it assumes that a big number for one connected device divides evenly into bigger numbers for all connected devices. But its not quite as fast at longer ranges, and TP-Link sacrifices a few advanced features and settings in its administration interface to meet the lower price. At short range, the advantage of Wi-Fi 6 was less pronounced, as the AX50 roughly tied with a handful of other routers in speed at a little over 500 Mbps. When we updated our Acer laptop with Wi-Fi drivers straight from Intel, which were newer than the ones Acer offered, our problem went away. The Archer AX90 is really, really big, with eight permanently attached antennas. What we wish it did better: You shouldnt need a MyNETGEAR account just to use a NETGEAR router. The TP-Link Archer AX55 is a Wi-Fi 6 router aimed to match the price and performance of our pick, the Archer AX50. The Archer AX50, like the Archer AX20, uses TP-Links updated design. If you need (or like) to tweak your network settings for specific cases such as gaming or content streaming, or because you need to give critical devices priority over others, the RT-AX88U offers lots of switches and sliders to change those settings in its administration console. It performed well in our testsit even maintained a fast connection to devices used outside. The Archer AX50 is priced squarely in what we consider the sweet spot. At HighSpeedInternet.com, he focuses on internet security. Add more devices to the mix, and the connections become sequential. If you find that the A8 works pretty well but cant quite reach a stubborn dead zone, you can extend its range with compatible TP-Link OneMesh extenders. It supports more devices, too, which helps reduce traffic congestion during in-home peak times. What you shouldnt do is blindly buy either the cheapest router or the most expensive router you can find. The Netgear RAX20 was promising on paper, with a quad-core processor and a $100 price, but it performed worse than the $60 TP-Link Archer A7, our former budget pick.
On the other hand, the AX20 was less responsive than the AX50 when multiple devices were active, so a busy household might notice more lag on the AX20 than a home with fewer devices. Its ideal for fast fiber plans like those provided by AT&T and Google. Unfortunately, you cant access QoS, parental controls, or security settings through the web interfaceyou must use the Tether app. Only a couple of stragglers (the TP-Link Archer AX10 and D-Link DIR-X1560) fell far behind at 100 Mbps.
Priced just above the Netgear RAX40, it was a strong performer in our tests, and it offered multiple QoS settings to tweak its network for gaming.
An older router that doesnt support Wi-Fi 5 (also known as 802.11ac) or Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and drops connections constantly, needs frequent reboots, or is slow even when youre in the next room can hold you back significantly.
At long range, the AX50 performed better than most of the competition, aside from a few of our upgrade alternatives. Requires four different accounts to use all the features offered on this high-dollar router. Although the AX20 didnt perform as quickly as the AX50, it didnt lag too far behind: It was almost as fast in our speed test as the AX50 was at close range (7% behind) and a little behind at long distance (about 20%). Updating will help you ensure that you get the best performance, security, and reliability. But the AX20 is a decent substitute and a good value if our main pick is out of stock, and it also outperforms our budget pick, the Archer A8, in all factors. He began writing about computer hardware and soon branched out to other devices and services such as networking equipment, phones and tablets, game consoles, and other internet-connected devices. Note that tri-band routers have two 5 GHz radios, so you can connect critical devices such as a streaming set-top box or a gaming PC to its own 5 GHz radio manually. Radio interference is the biggest culprit. If youre a bleeding-edge tech buff with deep pockets, wed give a slight nod to the RAXE500, but most people should wait until Wi-Fi 6E becomes more prevalent. Why do we recommend it? Nearly every wireless device uses just two streams to send data and two more streams to receive datafour streams in total (22). Why do we recommend it? Packs a lot of speed into a compact design you can take on road trips. The TP-Link Archer AX10 and D-Link DIR-X1560 were our budget router contenders. Sometimes, all the tips and tricks in the Wi-Fi world cant help you. Also, look for a router with more than two download streams per band. We tested nine standalone routers and mesh kits to determine which routers were the best for gigabit Wi-Fi speeds. It also has a more basic parental control system and simpler QoS (quality of service) settings for prioritizing traffic like video streaming, and it doesnt include the AX50s Trend Micro security suite. If you find a NAS too intimidating or expensive but you want to take advantage of network-based storage anyway, the AX50 also has a USB 3.0 port for connecting a shared portable hard drive or SSD. We passed all of them over for one reason or another. Dont just connect everything to your routers 5 GHz radio because its faster. Yes, 5 GHz is faster than 2.4 GHzat short range, at least. One reason a router like the AX50 performs better than other routers making similar claims relates to its processor and memory. The top routers here passed this test with flying colors: Any of them will give you good to great responsiveness while youre browsing, even while other family members or devices are using your networks bandwidth. We researched dual- and tri-band routers from each of the major router manufacturers, including Asus, D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, and TP-Link. To help improve the traffic flow, Wi-Fi 6 incorporates Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). Includes premium features like TrendMicro antivirus and parental controls at no extra cost to you. The router handles all downloads in sequential order, so in one instance, the router sends data to the laptop and console, and in the next, it sends data to the smartphone and laptop. Kevin Parrish Edited by Rebecca Lee Armstrong, Apr 25, 2022 | Share Your internet service plan acts as a speed limit on your connection to the internet. To test the routers best possible speeds at close range, we placed one of our test laptops approximately 15 feet from the router, with one interior ceiling between router and laptop; we also performed a long-distance maximum-throughput test at about 50 feet, with four interior and two exterior walls in the way. Wi-Fi speeds fluctuate significantly, so these numbers reflect at least three tests taken at each 10-foot interval. If that last sentence sounds like incoherent technobabble to you, the AX50 would be more than sufficient for your needs. We also made sure to enable each routers load-balancing band-steering feature, when applicable, to make sure that the routers would properly distribute our client laptops across all available bands to improve performance. Our budget pick, the TP-Link Archer A8, uses Wi-Fi 5 (aka 802.11ac), but it worked well with our mix of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5 laptops in our tests, and its the router we recommend if you want to spend less than $80 or have a smaller space such as an apartment or a compact home. We tested the Linksys E5600, E7350, and E8450. Our current recommendations stand. These features cost more, but theyre worth the expense. Rebecca Lee Armstrong has more than six years of experience writing about tech and the internet, with a specialty in hands-on testing. Why do we recommend it? Our top picks were faster and more reliable at range than the Archer A8, but at shorter ranges it still outperformed some routers costing two to four times as much. Routers supporting 2.5-, 5-, and 10-GbE (gigabit Ethernet) connections promise faster transfers than the 1 GbE ports found on most current laptops, desktops, and media streaming boxes. OFDMA is generally used for low bandwidth applications, like IoT communications, and it helps alleviate bottlenecks caused by having more devices than your router has streams. But thats the case here, yet TP-Links comparable (and cheaper) AX11000 gives you both for free. You get what you pay for in terms of speed, but some features that come free on other routers require a subscription here. Speed isnt everything, so in addition to evaluating throughput, we measured latency on a busy network. No QoS, antivirus, or parental controls in web interface, Subscription-based security and antivirus. Highspeedinternet.com on Twitter, How Much Internet Speed You Need to Work from Home. WPA2-AES, which the AX50 supports and turns on by default, remains a secure networking option in the eyes of Apple and other device makers. In an addendum to our mesh-networking guide, we found that a Ubiquiti setup with wired UAP access points outperformed a top mesh-networking kit in wireless-only mode. 
The TP-Link Archer A20 was our top pick in a previous iteration of this guide. It shares many features with the RT-AX88U, including the ability to customize Wi-Fi radio settings, AiMesh compatibility, and it includes updated security and advanced parental controls (AiProtection Pro) for the life of the router. If you dont have automatic updates enabled, youll have to check the administration screen or mobile app for that notice from time to time. Metaphorically, Joel has been a wire cutter for over two decades: Testing wireless home networking has been a part of his life for the past 20-plus years through all versions of Wi-Fi, back to the wireless phone extension he tacked onto the back of his Apple PowerBook. These routers are a good fit for apartments or small to medium-size houses with three or four people on the network. Although it was competitive in this go-around, it ended up in the middle of the pack overall. In our tests, the AX55 was competitive in performance but lagged behind the AX50 overall. The AX20 supports WPA3 security, which the AX50 lacks. A deep dive into why Wi-Fi kinda sucks, Wi-Fi gets quicker with 802.11ax, but buying early might offer few advantages. But there are other factors to consider if you want to harness all that speed on your wireless devices. The mix of these tests and devices let us evaluate each routers speed (throughput), range, and ability to multitask (latency or lag). Ranging in price from about $50 to $150, these three routers share an antennaless angular design, but were poor performers overall. Band steering is essential for mesh networks, which have multiple access points and multiple bands to deal with, but the feature is important even in standalone routers, because if you arent using all the radios in your router, you arent getting all the performance you paid for. Requires a MyNETGEAR account to usetheres no obvious way to bypass this requirement. However, its styling calls attention to itself, with eight red-accented antennas sticking out of its body, and it is overkill unless you absolutely need its gaming optimizations.