7 Best Wireless Router for Your Home in 2021 (Reviews and Guide)

I don’t think I need to explain the worst that would happen if your internet was unstable, all the damn time, because unless you live in a Utopian world, you have had your share of poor quality and an unstable internet connection and it all really sucks!

I honestly cannot imagine a better time for you to have your internet connection working at its best than now..

How do I know? Well, my router seems to have had it, or maybe it was my fault that I didn’t research as extensively as I know I should have, and I ended up with one of the poor choices of routers.

The damn thing decided to hang its boots in the middle of a huge client presentation, which was not only embarrassing and frustrating but also placed my life’s work on the line. Luckily, I got the meeting rescheduled, but I wouldn’t wish that little internet hitch on anyone else.

Here’s what I’ll do instead, I’ll recommend options of the best wireless routers for your home. Following my experience, I promised myself to invest in only the best, hence my extensive research into what the market offers.

The routers reviewed below are among the best on the market, based on their specs, features, and they promise solid connection. Any of these routers would be the unsung hero that holds your smart home together.

These are the best wireless routers for gaming, streaming, and browsing.

Comparison Table: Best Wireless Routers for Your Home

Best Wireless Routers	Best For	Bands/ Speed	Price
Google Nest WiFi	Best overall whole house mesh router	Dual band 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	Check Price
TP-Link Talon AD7200 Tri-Band Wireless Wi-Fi	Best High-speed router	Tri-band 7200Mbps 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands	Check Price
Google WiFi	Value for money	Dual bands IEEE 802.11a/d/g/n/ac 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz bands	Check Price
NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 Smart WiFi Router	High-performance router	Dual-band 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands 1900Mbps	Check Price
TP-Link Archer C7	Easiest to use	Dual-band, 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz 1750Mbps	Check Price
TP-Link Archer AX6000	Best WiFi 6	Dual-band with 2Ghz and 5Ghz 6000Mbps/ 802.11ax	Check Price
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300	Best Gaming Router	Tri-band, 2.4Ghz and (2) 5Ghz 802.11ax/ 11000Mbps	Check Price

 

Best Wireless Router For Home Use

1. Google Nest WiFi – Best Overall Mesh Router

The biggest challenge when it comes to home routers is finding that it is both easy to use and powerful enough to cover a large home. Google’s Nest WiFi is the perfect router for you if these are your considerations.

As one of the best mesh home routers, this Google Nest WiFi creates one of the most powerful mesh networks that ensure maximum connection throughout your home, regardless of the size.

With multiple nodes linked together, the router forms a bigger network coverage. On its own, this router will cover 2200 square feet, but it could cover as much as 5400 square feet if bundled up with one or two points/ nodes. This coverage also makes this router an ideal fit for your larger homes struggling with dead zones and significant interference.

But the coverage is not the biggest selling point of this router: its ease of use is. The setup and the management of this home network is unlike what you get from other routers, as it is extremely easy to use.

Then you have the added functions offered by this router; for example, Google Nest WiFi doubles as the Google Assistant smart speaker with control over your smart home devices and music.

To keep everything running, particularly your wired devices, the router has 2 Ethernet ports, one for your modem and the other for your desktop or switch.

This router is pure genius, and you might also like it more because of its super-sleek design.

Pros

• It boasts an excellent sleek design
• Very easy to use thanks to the simple controls
• It comes with smart speakers
• Built-in Google Assistant Integration
• Two Ethernet ports for wired connections
• Large coverage

Cons

• You need to pay a bit more for more features, including the two Ethernet ports
• If you have the older mesh router, this upgrade might not be entirely worth it

View Price on Amazon

2. TP-Link Talon AD7200 Tri-Band Wireless Wi-Fi – Best High-speed router

Heavy internet users appreciate the power of the most robust, large, reliable, and highest-speed routers. This TP-Link Talon AD7200 will sit right at home, with you being one of the biggest wireless home routers on the market.

TP-Link Talon AD7200 wireless router is the first gargantuan 802.11ad router on the market, and it delivers a mind-blowingly smooth connection, at ultra-fast speeds, allowing you to stream, 4K movies or share thousands of photos and files in minutes; thanks to the 60GHz band.

This multi-band router lives up to its name by delivering high WiFi speeds of up to 7200Mbps over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 60GHz bands.

This router also packs other cutting-edge features that ensure the router’s ultimate performance. The design is also quite impressive, with the smart antenna innovatively set up in a way that allows you to fold down all its 9 antennas for that flat top surface. Out of these nine antennas, 8 maximize the router’s performance and range.

It further supports superfast WiFi connectivity for each of your devices using the multi-user support system made possible by MU (multi-user) MIMO technology. What this means is that while the traditional routers allow for streaming on one device at a time, the use of MU MIMO and Wireless AC technologies allows for simultaneous streaming from this router.

The function and performance of this router are further enhanced by the and the 2 super-speed USB 3.0 ports which facilitate the direct transfer of files to an external USB or HDD directly. And with a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, the router supports use by multiple users all at once.

The speed of this router is quite remarkable, covering a range of 30ft within the router’s line of sight.

Pros

• Best performance on all the bands
• Easy installation and use
• Superfast speeds
• Multiple users can use it
• USB 3.0 ports allow for direct file transfer

Cons

• It is large and needs a bigger spot to sit on
• The signal doesn’t penetrate walls

View Price on Amazon

3. Google WiFi – Best Value for money

Think of Google WiFi as an elaborate home WiFi system that boasts one of the best range coverages.

Regarded as more than a router and more of a home WiFi system, this router has huge coverage of between 3000 and 4500 square feet, which makes it one of the best home internet solutions.

Its design is perfect for your home environment at 4.1 inches in diameter and a height of 2.7inches. Its size makes it smaller than most of the traditional routers on the market, which gives it more reason for use in your home. Its white body divided by an unobtrusive LED light that gives the router an elegant flair, making your home even more stylish.

Beyond looks, the router works better than it looks, with this Google WiFi system running on a dual-band system that ensures the highest connectivity speeds. The 3-pack system makes it a good fit for larger homes, but if you need more power, you could increase coverage by buying one more Google WiFI unit.

Its 710MHz quad-core processor along with the 512MB RAM ensure the best network performance, while the 2 high-speed Ethernet ports act as WAN and LAN ports on the primary unit and LAN on the secondary unit, hence advanced performance at all times.

The controls are also elegant, thanks to the router’s compatibility with Google Home and Alexa’s voice commands.

It comes with a Google WiFi app that gives you comprehensive stats for each device connected. The app also allows you to prioritize devices so that the device runs at the desired bandwidth, and you can schedule the router to automatically pause connection. You could use the app to control your smart lights, as well as the Nest systems.

Pros

• Effortless setup
• Great value for money
• App statistics
• Impressive speeds and overall performance
• It controls your smart home and devices
• Nice, compact design

Cons

• Low AC rating
• There isn’t much control over the hardware
• You must be logged into your Google account to use it

View Price on Amazon

4. NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 Smart WiFi Router – Best High-performance router

Netgear is behind a number of top-of-the-line wireless routers in the market, and with each release, the brand has only grown more popular. Since its inception, the brand has dedicated itself to the production of the highest-quality and brilliant wireless routers with unparalleled networking, and this NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000 is an example of their excellence. A stealth wireless router with high speeds of up to 1,300Mbps in a 5GHZ band or 600Mbps on its 2.4GHz band, the NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000 could be exactly what your home needs.

With its stealth, minimalist design, this Nighthawk R7000 looks stylish, and its overall design is enhanced by the all-black construction design. The three antennas are detachable, but the only issue is that it needs a bit of space because it is not the smallest router on the market.

This router sports a high connectivity speed of up to 1900Mbps, which means that this router is the perfect fit for anyone who is serious about gaming and HD streaming.

To ensure the best performance, it features DD-WRT support, which means that the router can run on 3rd party firmware that is based on Linux. It also supports OpenVPN thanks to its OpenDNS, and the best part is that you won’t have to worry about your kids watching what they shouldn’t thanks to the complete parental control package that’s built into the router.

There’s also the QoS feature, which ensures easy management of the upstream and downstream internet connections. The router further acts as a NAS.

With the top speeds, the performance of the router is quite impressive, and you don’t have to worry about slowdowns or hiccups in the connection. The wired gigabit Ethernet ports enhance its function and performance.

The last super-impressive feature of this router is the NETGEAR Armor, which will protect your network plus all connected devices from all manner of internet threats. It has the best anti-malware, anti-virus, as well as data protection functions. But you have to pay for this feature after the 30-day trial period lapses.

Pros

• Ideal for smaller spaces, up to 1800 square feet
• Excellent speeds and connectivity
• Smart controls
• It comes with the most advanced technologies
• Easy to use
• OpenVPN integration
• Seamless integration for up to 30 devices
• Wireless security protocols protect your home and network from internet threats.
• Excellent features for the price
• It looks and feels as good as it works

Cons

• The 2.4GHz speed band could be better
• It’s a little bulky

View Price on Amazon

5. TP-Link Archer C7 – Easiest to use

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Not everyone can afford the pricier routers on the market, but that doesn’t mean settling for bad options. This TP-Link Archer C7 is one of the most affordable routers on the market.

If you are on a budget and need a good router that supports 4K streaming, you might like this TP-Link Archer C7 router.

While its build is not the best and the router might feel a little flimsy, the router has a combined speed of 1750Mbps, it is stylish, and works incredibly well for the price.

It is a dual-band router with 6 antennas, 3 internal and 3 external. These antennas ensure that you enjoy good WiFi speeds within an acceptable range. It comes with an average NAS capability too, and this increases its range and performance.

The Ethernet ports allow for easy connection of your wired devices, while the USB ports facilitate easy data sharing. It further makes use of advanced wireless AC technology to deliver high-speed connectivity at all times.

Pros

• It has a powerful processor for processing of higher speeds
• 6 antennas enhance its coverage
• Dual bandwidth for easy streaming
• Intuitive mobile interface
• NAS capability enhances its function
• Great for gaming too
• Impressive performance

Cons

• Low-quality build of the router

View Price on Amazon

6. TP-Link Archer AX6000 – Best WiFi 6

A high-performance router for heavy home internet use or use by small businesses. This router might be exactly what you need to get your small business off its feet.

If you are ready to invest in high-performance technology, this router might be a great place for you to start. It provides an impressive Wi-Fi 6 internet connectivity, as well as a performance upgrade if you’d like to push the range and the performance of your router.

A dual-band router, TP-Link Archer AX6000, is a WiFi-6 router that delivers high speeds of up to 4804Mbps on its 5GHz band plus 1148Mbps on its 2.4GHz band, hence its effectiveness for heavy internet use.

It is compatible with several important technologies, for example, MU-MIMO and OFDMA, hence enhanced performance, and it also features a USB-C port for fast charging along with high-speed data transfers, as well as its 9 gigabit Ethernet ports which ensure the best-wired connections.

And with the integration with proprietary technologies, for example, the technology that will automatically move devices between bands if one band is too crowded, as well as its compatibility with Alexa, it offers pretty much everything you would need from a router.

Pros

• Versatile
• Integration with Amazon Alexa
• Long-range coverage from the 8 high-gain external antennas
• Smooth connections thanks to BSS color technology
• Stable internet connection
• 4X increased average throughput
• High processing speed performance
• Advanced security features
• Parental controls/ Antivirus protection and content filtering
• Good price

Cons

• You cannot turn off QoS
• No default account

View Price on Amazon

7. Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 – Best Gaming Router

You need the most powerful and reliable router for gaming, and this router by Asus promises the features you are looking for.

This router is intelligently designed to handle high bandwidth demands with ease. It’s designed to recognize and work well with gaming devices, services, and data, allowing you the best gaming performance at all times.

Its 1.8GHz quad-core processor optimizes the system, meaning that you won’t have to worry about switching between modes or settings. Being a WiFi-6 router, you can have up to 6 devices connected, all enjoying the best level of connectivity.

It boasts cutting-edge performance, made possible by the hardware design, which gives you access to 1.8GHz quad-core CPU performance, along with an advanced 2.5Ghz port, which ensures the highest level of gaming performance.

It also features the ASUS WRT system, which ensures advanced support and advanced monitoring plus control of your devices for the best level bandwidth utilization and prioritization.

ASUS AIProtection will protect your devices and neutralize any internet threats before the threats hot your network.

Pros

• Triple-level of game acceleration with low game latency and ping rates, hence a boost in-game traffic
• GameFirst V support allows for optimization with ROG devices
• Game boost for prioritization of gaming packets and acceleration
• Support for Gamers Private Network that’s powered by WTFast
• Powerful WiFi system for the whole house
• Ideal for very large homes
• AI protection

Cons

• Compatibility issues with smart home systems
• ASUS’ tech support could be better
• Expensive

View Price on Amazon

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Things to Consider When Buying a Wireless Router

A wireless router is a device that allows for connection of your gadgets and modem in your home or home office, as well as the outdoors, through a wireless connection.

But as you can tell from the routers we’ve reviewed above, no two routers are created exactly the same. To choose the right wireless for your home, you need to take into consideration the following factors:

• Range

The range of a wireless router represents a measure of the distance covered by the router’s signal. Depending on the size of your home, you will need to look for routers with a bigger range, but be careful not to take the word of the manufacturer as is.

The range provided for a router is often the lab-tested range, and it is commonplace to find that the real signal range of the router is lower than specified.

These differences often come about because of things like walls, obstructions, interference from devices like your mobile phone’s signal, baby monitor, or any other sources of radio waves. With this in mind, the best home wireless router would have a range of about 150ft or 4572cm, and it should extend a bit to the outdoors.

Keep in mind that the router’s range is further influenced by the type of antenna in the router. Some antennas will give the router a large range of up to 300ft when there is no interference, but the range by other routers will be well below this.

• Bands – Single, Dual, or Tri-Band

The router’s band is the frequency that the router will send signals to the modems through. These bands can be 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz. In a single-band router, the frequency can be either of the two, in dual-band the two frequencies, and in the tri-band routers, you have 3 frequencies – 2.4Ghz and two 5Ghz.

Routers with more than one frequency are preferable, especially in an area with several routers, with the signal strength from multi-band routers, making it easier for your router to deliver bandwidth to your gadgets.

• 11a/b/g/n/ac

These are wireless signals, and there are 6 of these standard signals – 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax. The only thing you need to know here is that the signal strength of your router increases with the alphabet – 802.11a features the lowest signal strength while 802.11ax high the strongest signals strength. The latter is also the most recent release of wireless signals.

• Security

Security is crucial in these wireless router systems because you need to keep your information private. Choose a router that sports the most reliable security protocol for a good connection and a high level of privacy.

These are the three security protocols: WEP, WPA2, and WPA. WEP refers to the wired equivalent privacy that encrypts radio waves’ connections in point-to-point transmissions, WPA is WiFi protected access, works like WEP, but it’s more secure, and it uses TKIP for security. WPA-2 is more secure than WPA, and it makes use of more robust encryption protocols, for example, AES.

The other considerations you need to consider include:

USB functionality and whether the router allows for direct connections or not.

The presence or absence of wired ports – wired ports prevents interference in connections.

Antenna type – There are internal and external antennas. Though internal antennas make the routers look cool, you need to choose the routers with external (and maybe internal too) for increased range and performance.

MIMO – Also called Multiple in Multiple Out, MIMO refers to one of the latest robust technologies used in wireless routers. MIMO ensures high-speed data transfers, along with wide-range signal coverage.

Conclusion

The market for wireless home routers is considerably saturated and finding the best router is not that easy. Which is why you need a list to help you make the right choice. The 7 routers above are among the best on the market, and I hope that you will find the perfect fit for your needs from the list.

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FAQs

• What is WiFi 6?

Wi-Fi 6, also called 802.11ax, is the most recent Wi-Fi version on the market, and though the older versions of Wi-Fi, from 802.11a to 802.11ac, are not allotted the numbers WiFi 1 – 5, they might as well be. In simple terms, WiFi 6 represents the fastest form of Wi-Fi available on the market today. It is backward compatible and works with all the other devices using other types of WiFi.

• Can you extend wireless signals?

Yes. If you live in a large or even a multi-story house, you might have dead zones. To ensure that every bit of your house is covered, you can buy a wireless range extender.

• Why Use Guest Networks?

A guest network allows you to provide a WiFi connection to all your guests without exposing your entire network to any vulnerabilities that guest’s devices might have. The network has a different SSID and password from what you’ve set up for your main network.