Best Wi-Fi Routers for 2023 – CNET
Best Wi-Fi Routers for 2023 - CNET
You may think that getting a high-speed plan at an affordable rate from your internet provider would guarantee you consistent and fast speeds. However, that’s just half the battle. To get the most out of your internet connection, you’ll need a router that can access the speeds you’re paying for. That doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune to buy the best Wi-Fi routers though.
For instance, the TP-Link Archer AX21 is enough for most homes. It is the best router choice based on our testing — and it’s a Wi-Fi 6 model that costs less than $100. But the best fit for your network depends on a few factors, from the size and layout of your home to the content you stream. We’ve tested dozens of the latest models to help find options for every situation.
It’s a particularly good time to upgrade your internet equipment. Routers have come a long way in the past few years, with a number of today’s best Wi-Fi router options boasting impressive speeds and features worth investing in. Over the past few years, the new and improved version of the Wi-Fi standard called 802.11ax — or Wi-Fi 6 — has grown more ubiquitous, boasting faster, more efficient home network performance. On top of that, there’s a growing number of mesh router options that are well worth considering too, particularly since many of them are far less expensive than the router combo systems that came before them.
Shop around, and you’ll also find new Wi-Fi 6E routers capable of sending signals using newly opened bandwidth in the 6GHz band. Just don’t expect routers like those to come cheap.
All of that means that you’ve got a lot to think about if you’re currently in the market for an upgrade. That’s where we come in. Whether you’re interested in gaming routers, mesh systems, Wi-Fi 6 routers or just want something decent that won’t break the bank, we’re here to simplify things and point you in the right direction so that you can find the best Wi-Fi router to manage your needs.
Expect regular updates to this post as we continue testing networking devices periodically. When we find a new router that merits strong consideration, we’ll add it to this list with links to our most recent test data so that you can always find the best router.
Read more: Best Internet Providers for 2023
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Best Wi-Fi routers of 2023
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” overridecredit=”Ry Crist/CNET” linktext=”Read our TP-Link Archer AX21 review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/news/tp-link-archer-ax21-review/” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__76a0fe24-af52-41a3-b503-1d7755ad8890″ position=”1″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” filtershortcodetypes=”” totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”FAQ Markup + BL Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle c-shortcodeListicle-smallImage g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-top g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Available for $100 (or less if you catch a sale), the TP-Link Archer AX21 is an entry-level, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router that supports top speeds of up to 1,201Mbps (1.2Gbps) on its 5GHz band. It’s nothing fancy, but it offered near flawless performance for small- to medium-size homes in our tests, and it’s a cinch to setup and use thanks to TP-Link’s Tether app.
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” overridecredit=”Ry Crist/CNET” linktext=”Read our Linksys Hydra Pro 6 review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/linksys-hydra-pro-6-review/” offer=”{"id":"2db98d2b-e9e5-460b-b166-cc4cef3dda51","label":"Linksys Hydra Pro 6E – wireless router – 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax – desktop","slug":"linksys-hydra-pro-6e-wireless-router-802-11a-b-g-n-ac-ax-desktop","edition":["US","ES"],"imageId":"c62899c9-2f7b-4ede-8daf-f496ab565d25","imgUrl":"/content/image/redirect/c62899c9-2f7b-4ede-8daf-f496ab565d25/resize/75×56","typeLabel":"Tech Product","objectType":"content_product","icon":"type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product ct-small"}” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__1bf693e0-29da-41ff-b751-27595a04531c” position=”2″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” filtershortcodetypes=”” totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”FAQ Markup + BL Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle c-shortcodeListicle-smallImage g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-top g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
If you’ve already got a budget router running your network and you’re ready to upgrade to something more powerful, the Linksys Hydra Pro 6 belongs high on your list. With a dual-band, AX5400 build, full support for Wi-Fi 6, and 160MHz channel support for moving data more efficiently, it was an excellent performer in my speed tests, even managing to outperform flashier picks like the also great Asus RT-AX86U.
<div data-cy="shortcodeListicleSmallImage" data-id="listicle-ff094668-93de-4663-a52f-0b48b7624165" data-location="LIST" edition="us" superlative="Best mesh router overall" imagegroup="{"alt":"img-1975","caption":"
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” overridecredit=”Ry Crist/CNET” linktext=”Read our TP-Link Deco W7200 review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/tp-link-deco-w7200-tri-band-wi-fi-6-mesh-router-review/” offer=”{"id":"83ee77fa-0472-48eb-ac6b-e0c62b8d5813","label":"TP-Link Deco W7200","slug":"tp-link-deco-w7200","edition":["US","ES"],"imageId":"","imgUrl":null,"typeLabel":"Series","objectType":"content_product_series","icon":"type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small"}” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__ff094668-93de-4663-a52f-0b48b7624165″ position=”3″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” filtershortcodetypes=”” totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”FAQ Markup + BL Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle c-shortcodeListicle-smallImage g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-top g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
For the best performance from your mesh router, you’ll want to prioritize getting one with support for Wi-Fi 6, plus a tri-band design that includes three separate bands of traffic: the usual 2.4 and 5GHz bands, plus an additional 5GHz band that the system can use as a dedicated wireless backhaul for transmissions between the router and its satellites. Most mesh routers like that cost at least $300 or even $400, but the TP-Link Deco W7200 gets you there for less than $200.
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” overridecredit=”Ry Crist/CNET” linktext=”Read our list of the best gaming routers” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/news/the-best-gaming-routers-of-2019/” offer=”{"id":"2a49b304-9a44-4fcf-bb54-68cbfdb6d565","label":"Asus RT-AX86U Wi-Fi 6 Router","slug":"asus-rt-ax86u-wi-fi-6-router","edition":["US","ES"],"imageId":"587f9c24-5f21-4e40-8f08-08990451d23d","imgUrl":"/content/image/redirect/587f9c24-5f21-4e40-8f08-08990451d23d/resize/75×56","typeLabel":"Tech Product","objectType":"content_product","icon":"type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product ct-small"}” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__b8859342-7144-4057-bc35-14fa4d321f14″ position=”4″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” filtershortcodetypes=”” totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”FAQ Markup + BL Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle c-shortcodeListicle-smallImage g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-top g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Gaming routers promise high performance and low latency for die-hard gamers, and it isn’t uncommon to find them selling for $300 or even $400. At less than $300, the Asus RT-AX86U dual-band router isn’t inexpensive either, but it’s a strong value relative to routers like those — and the performance it delivers as a gaming router is flat-out great.
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” overridecredit=”Netgear” linktext=”Read our Netgear Orbi review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/reviews/netgear-orbi-2019-review/” offer=”{"id":"b94c77f8-c6da-4334-8692-062d4013a0db","label":"Netgear Orbi (2019)","slug":"netgear-orbi-2019","edition":["US","ES"],"imageId":"8d516887-be22-4b2a-a817-4a26174a14fb","imgUrl":"/content/image/redirect/8d516887-be22-4b2a-a817-4a26174a14fb/resize/75×56","typeLabel":"Series","objectType":"content_product_series","icon":"type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small"}” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__964771e2-6d79-4e6d-af02-b524faf59e76″ position=”5″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” filtershortcodetypes=”” totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”FAQ Markup + BL Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle c-shortcodeListicle-smallImage g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-top g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
It isn’t as fully featured as systems that cost more, and it doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6 — but aside from that, the budget-friendly, AC1200 version of the Netgear Orbi mesh router stands out as a clear value pick in the mesh category. Currently priced below $200 for a three-device setup with the Wi-Fi router and two satellite extenders, it’s an affordable system that managed to keep up with both Nest Wifi and the Wi-Fi 5 version of Amazon’s Eero mesh router in our speed tests, and it’d be a great fit in homes with internet speeds of 300Mbps or less.
