Best Tri-Band Wireless Routers in 2021 (Reviews and Guide)

These are the best tri-band wireless routers that will allow you to stream, game, and even browse seamlessly.

With many improvements in-home networking technologies, it’s easy to get confused over what to choose, but some of the best options on the market for you today feature tri-band wireless routers. These are routers designed with advanced technologies, specifically, the addition of an extra radio band, meaning that you will have one more band in addition to the traditional dual bands.

Now, if you have been planning to upgrade your home or small office internet setup, the tri-band wireless routers might sound like the best possible upgrade ever. But you still need to exercise caution as you look for the best of these routers because the tri-band routers are not created the same. Some will have more features than others, and it is important for you to know what features would make the best routers.

In this review, we take a look at some of the best tri-band routers on the market, and also the things you need to look out when searching for a tri-band wireless router.

By getting one of these routers, you will not just experience a huge boost in the performance of your home wireless network, but also experience good coverage and fast wireless internet speeds.

Best Triband Wireless Routers – Comparison Table

Best Tri-Band Wireless Routers	Best for	Speed	Price
Netgear Nighthawk AX12	Best Overall High-Speed Triband Router	6Gbps	Check Price
Linksys Max-Stream AC5400 Tri-Band WiFi Router for Home	Best Router for Streaming	5.3Gbps	Check Price
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300	Best Triband Router for Gaming	5.3Gbps	Check Price
TRENDnet TEW-829DRU Tri-Band Router	Best Smart Router for Home and Office Use	3Gbps	Check Price
NETGEAR Orbi RBK50 Tri-band Whole Home Mesh WiFi System	Best Triband Mesh Router	3Gbps	Check Price

Reviews of the Best Tri-Band Wireless Routers

1. Netgear Nighthawk AX12 – Best Overall High-Speed Triband Router

Netgear is a leading brand of routers on the market today, and it boasts a long line of high-performance routers and network devices fitted with advanced features and technologies, and this Nighthawk AX12 is just one of the high-performance routers by Netgear.

This tri-band router is an ideal router for large households up to 3,500sq ft. area coverage, specifically household with high-traffic devices that are connected to one network. The high-performance of this router comes from its support for multi-user multiple inputs, multiple outputs, or MU-MIMO technologies, and it also boasts a 12-stream setup, meaning that you can connect up to 12 devices to the router. The best bit is that all these 12 devices will run optimally because there is no interference between the streams. But you need to get the router’s placement right for it to run efficiently. You can have simultaneous devices streaming 4K UHD quality content at the same time easily. It boasts a device capacity of up to 40 devices.

The other reason why this is one of the best triband routers has to do with its capacity to deliver an impressively high maximum throughput of up to 2.5Gbos, all thanks to the 2.5Gbps WAN port. The only catch is that you cannot enjoy this multi-gig performance without the best fiber-optic infrastructure. However, it also offers 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports offering high-speed wired connections. The other ports are two USB 3.0 ports for file transfers or NAS devices (network-attached storage).

It’s easy to set up thanks to its easily configurable system, and you might also like the router’s support for QoS, which means that you get to enjoy device prioritization. There also are advanced security features like VPNs, DoS, guest network access, and firewalls.

Pros

• 12X12 stream connectivity/ MU-MIMO connections
• Large area coverage up to 3500sq/ft
• Multi-gig speeds supported
• QoS for device prioritization
• 4 Ethernet ports
• WiFi 6
• NAS USB 3.0 Port

Cons

• The app’s interface isn’t the best
• Expensive

View Price on Amazon

2. Linksys Max-Stream AC5400 Tri-Band WiFi Router for Home – Best Streaming Router

If you are looking for a high-performance router for your home, you might like this Linksys router designed for homes up to 300-sq.ft.

It works with at least 25 devices, thanks to the incorporation of the multiple user MIMO technologies that ensures connectivity at high speed across multiple connected devices. You will be able to stream or game from multiple devices also because of the high-speed performance of this router – it boasts high theoretical speeds of up to 5.4Gbps with each of the two 5GHz bands capable of high speeds reaching 2166Mbps, as the 2.4GHz band peaks at 1000Mbps. Thanks to these features, this router is an ideal fit for 4K HD streaming, as well as gaming, and the best part is that you wouldn’t have to worry about buffering every few minutes.

Pros

• MU-MIMO technology for improved multi-device performance
• Easy setup and use
• Large area coverage
• A great option for streaming
• 8 powerful antennas
• Supports device prioritization
• Parental controls and guest network access
• Powerful dual-core processor
• 8 Ethernet ports
• Supports 25+ devices

Cons

• Large
• Lacks link aggregation
• No support for VPN

View Price on Amazon

3. Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 – Best Triband Router for Gaming

This Asus ROG Rapture is a beasty router designed to support intense gaming, as well as heavy streaming.

Based on the 802.11ac wireless standard, this router offers theoretical speeds of up to 5333Mbps, and you can use it for 4K and VR streaming because of the powerful 1.8GHz quad-core processor. But the processor isn’t all that drives the performance of this router; you also have the two 5GHz bands and the single 2.4GHz band, all working to create a network with minimal interference, hence the high maximum throughput. There is also the 4×4 MU-MIMO function that ensures multiple device connectivity that will take place simultaneously and not sequentially. Therefore, if you have 4 high demand devices, you can look forward to the best connectivity.

The other features that make this an excellent gaming triband router include the 8 antennas that boost the signals throughout your home, as well as the secure network system made possible by Game IPS supported by Trend Micro for multi-state protection during gaming through the identification and neutralizing of external threats and attacks. There’s also VPN Fusion that allows you to run your normal internet connection simultaneously with a VPN.

Your gaming performance is then enhanced by the ROG Gaming dashboard, which gives you complete access to gaming features like Game IPS, GameBoost, VPN Fusion, as well as the path-optimized low-ping servers for gaming. This low-ping access to the gaming servers is made possible by the WTFast GPN (Gamers Private Network), and it allows for the optimization of gaming networks.

Pros

• Supports AirMesh
• Powerful quad-core processor
• MU-MIMO connections
• Gaming features – WTFast, Game Boost, VPN Fusion, and Game IPS
• Gigabit speeds supported
• USB 3.0 Ports (two)
• 8 Ethernet LAN ports

Cons

• Firmware isn’t the best and requires upgrades
• Pricey

View Price on Amazon

4. TRENDnet TEW-829DRU Tri-Band Router – Best Smart Router for Home and Office Use

Designed with 6 antennas and powerful features that support high speeds of up to 3000Mbps, along with its incorporation with advanced features like Wave 2 and MU-MIMO, this router might be the right fit for you if you are looking a smart router for your home. You could also use it for your office setup. The versatility of this router is brought about by the 802.11ac wireless setup, the triband system that reduces interference, as well as the 8 Ethernet ports, which allow for wired connections for more stable and reliable access to the internet.

The VPN setup means that the router will be ideal for gaming and content streaming. There’s also the QoS setup, which allows for easy traffic prioritization, hence a higher level of performance across the board. The other features that boost the performance of the router include its intelligent setup that incorporates dual WAN ports specifically for load-balancing and for the fail-over modes, not to mention the VPN access option. The Ethernet and dual-WAN ports ensure smooth internet access with reduced downtime and smooth network loading, making it easy for multiple devices to access the internet seamlessly.

It also boasts a number of advanced features, including QoS, SSL, VLAN-Routing, PPTP, IPsec, etc., all incorporated to ensure optimal performance of the router, network protection, and scalability.

Pros

• Network prioritization
• Packed with advanced features to boost its performance
• Load-balancing
• MU-MIMO (2×2)
• 8 LAN/ Ethernet ports and 1 USB 3.0 port
• OpenWrt interface is flexible

Cons

• Setup could be easier
• The antennas are a tad flimsy

View Price on Amazon

5. NETGEAR Orbi RBK50 Tri-band Whole Home Mesh WiFi System – Best Triband Mesh Router

Last on our list is this NetgearOrbi RBK50 triband router. It is a high-performance whole-home router that offers blanket wireless coverage throughout spaces, eliminating dead spots completely. It boasts coverage of up to 5000sq/ft., and top speeds of 3Gbps.

Unlike other triband routers, the triband setup of this router features one dedicated backhaul band set up between the router and the nodes, which leaves you with two high-speed bands, hence the best gaming and HD video streaming.

It’s easy to set up, use, and manage, and you can easily put up parental controls as you enjoy advanced cyber protection from the Netgear Armor, which is powered by the powerful BitDefender. These security features mean that you wouldn’t have to worry about phishing, fraud, or ransomware, for as long as you pay the subscription (after the 30 days free trial period).

Its performance is enhanced by technologies like beamforming, MU-MIMO, and Smart Connect, which ensures that you use one WiFi name across your devices.

Pros

• Advanced security system
• Reliable and stable mesh network connectivity
• Beamforming, MU-MIMO, and Smart Connect are incorporated
• High-speed connectivity
• Whole-home coverage

Cons

• Cyber threat protection and advanced parental controls are not free
• Few issues with the firmware

View Price on Amazon

Comprehensive Buying Guide for The Best Tri-Band Wireless Router

When it comes to the search of the best wireless router, some of the crucial considerations that you need to bear in mind in your search for the right product include congestion and interference, and how the selected router will be able to overcome these challenges.

Generally, the single-band wireless routers suffer a great deal from interference, and despite having a longer range, the speeds are slower than what you’d get from the dual-band or the tri-band router. Then you have the dual-band routers which offer better performance, higher speeds, and less congestion because of the long-range 2.4GHz band and the fast 5GHz band. These dual-band routers boast support twice as much as the bandwidth supported by the single-band routers, and they are not very much vulnerable to interference.  The first dual-band router with an added 5GHz band operated on the 802.11n, and it’s significantly faster than the single-band routers running on the previous 802.11b/g protocols.

Today, however, the dual-band system has undergone significant improvements with most of these routers running on the high-speed 802.11ac wireless protocol that offers impressive data transfer speeds of up to 1.3Gbps on all its 3 spatial streams. But it doesn’t stop there, because the incorporation of technologies like MU-MIMO in the antenna system has resulted in powerful dual-band routers that can handle higher wireless speeds across devices, with blazing high speeds of up to 2.34Gbps on the 5GHz band alone.

However, things didn’t stop there, and in a bid to further push the envelope, the tri-band routers were developed. These routers are among the most advanced router systems on the market today, and getting a tri-band router might be an excellent upgrade for you, especially because the triple-banded systems are capable of carrying thrice as much router bandwidth as the single-band routers. These three bands also mean that the tri-band routers have less interference. The only catch is that these tri-band routers cost more.

How do tri-band routers work?

Well, there are two main configurations for tri-band routers, the tri-band routers that run on one 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands, and the ones featuring one 2.4GHz band, one 5GHz band, and one 60GHz band.

Essentially, the tri-band router system supplement on the dual-band systems with an additional 5GHz band, and the extra 5GHz band gives your router an even bigger capacity to handle multiple devices while providing super-fast wireless connections, often as high as 4Gbps, on that 5GHz band alone. Therefore, these tri-band routers carry a lot more bandwidth than the single or the dual-band routers.

Then you have the tri-band routers with a 60GHz band in addition to the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz bands. These routers often comply with the 802.11ad wireless standard, also called the WiGig standard operating on the 60GHz band. However, it is important to note that this 60GHz band has a much shorter coverage range than the other bands.

The other important thing to note is that although a tri-band router with two 5GHz bands is faster, the setup of this router will not increase the speeds for one device because your devices are always connected to one network/ band at a time. So, to experience the full power of the tri-band router, you’d need to have more devices that need to be connected to fast WiFi.

Speeds

Now that you know how the tri-band routers differ from the single and the dual-band routers let’s now take a quick look at the numbers. Note, however, that the numbers advertised by the manufacturers are the theoretical speeds and the actual speeds are usually lower than what’s quoted.

That said, a tri-band router offers speeds of 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, and the 5GHz bands may offer speeds of up to 1300Mbps, each. But since no device will reach those numbers, you need to test it first – also check reviews of the product for a more accurate picture. You also need to remember that although the quoted speeds are very high, the highest possible speeds you will enjoy will depend on the packages offered by your ISP and the plan you’ve subscribed to.

FAQs

Will a Tri-Band Router Increase My WiFi Speeds?

Well, the truth is that the tri-band router is set up in a way that the device hosts a 2.4GHz band and two separate 5GHz bands, which means that the wireless system will allow for the automatic splitting of the channels between the devices. So, if you have two devices that use up quite a bit of bandwidth at the same time, having a tri-band router means that each of the two devices will access the 5GHz band without interfering with the other, hence a high performance. In this case, this router boosts performance, but not the WiFi speeds.

On the other hand, having many devices that use a lot of bandwidth would result in faster WiFi speeds because this tri-band router allows for high performance and minimal interference between the devices. However, this only happens when you have many bandwidth-hungry devices connected to your wireless network occasionally. Because if you always have multiple bandwidth-hungry devices connected to your WiFi, you won’t really notice much difference. Note, however, that having extra features like MU-MIMO, OFDMA, or Beamforming technologies would impact the performance of your wireless router significantly.

So, if you are considering a tri-band router because you anticipate faster WiFi speeds, you might want to check your plans again.

Why Should I Consider a Tri-Band Router?

As noted above, a triband router will not increase the speeds of your WiFi, and this obviously makes one wonder, why should I get this triband router system? Well, despite marketing campaigns that make you believe that you need the triple-band system for faster speeds, the truth is that the reason why you may want to get yourself a triband router has to do with the fact that the triband router is designed to enhance your wireless system’s efficiency; specifically, the ability of the wireless system to handle multiple devices connected simultaneously.

Should I trust the numbers showing the speeds of wireless routers?

While some routers will offer high speeds that peak close to the advertised speeds, the truth is that hardly any of the routers on the market will clock those high speeds advertised, whether 1900Mbps, 300Mbps, or 6000Mbps. You will not see such high throughputs on your device/ from your router.

So, why have they there? Well, the speeds quoted are the speeds attained at the lab under controlled conditions, and often with zero interference. Things are different in the real world, from the lower maximum speeds offered by the ISPs to the fact that there is a lot of interference in the real world, and there also are many obstructions, all affecting the actual maximum throughput of your router.

Conclusion

The best tri-band routers offer an excellent range, secure connections across multiple devices, and fast internet/ data delivery speeds. The routers reviewed above offer all these features, and anyone of them would be a good fit for you, depending on your needs.