We have now examined another routers we like and have a number of extra within the queue. These aren’t as nice because the picks above however may very well be value contemplating for some people.
Vodafone Professional II from £39 a month: Of us within the UK searching for a brand new web service supplier (ISP) ought to try Vodafone’s Professional II. Whereas ISPs have historically supplied shoddy routers to their clients, that appears to be altering. The Vodafone Professional II is a tri-band router that helps Wi-Fi 6E, and it delivered lightning-fast speeds in my assessments on a par with lots of my picks above. The vary is proscribed, particularly on the 6-GHz band, however this service comes with a spread extender that seems as a part of the identical community. You may also get a 4G backup that connects to Vodafone’s cell community to maintain you on-line ought to your common web connection fail. It’s solely out there with a two-year Vodafone service contract, ranging from £39 a month.
Firewalla Gold SE for $449: This quirky transportable gadget is ideal for individuals who fear about safety and privateness. It presents complete instruments for monitoring all site visitors out and in of your home, strong and detailed parental controls, ad-blocking, and enhanced safety with a built-in firewall and VPN choice. It serves as a router, however it would be best to pair one other router in entry level mode for Wi-Fi in your house. It’s costly and should show intimidating for inexperienced people, but it surely presents deep perception into your community and a powerful depth of security measures with out an extra subscription. The Gold SE has two 2.5 Gbps ports and two gigabit ports and is appropriate for folk with as much as 2-gigabit connections. In case your web is just one gigabit, strive the extra inexpensive, however barely much less succesful, Firewalla Purple ($359) (8/10, WIRED recommends).
TP-Hyperlink Archer BE800 for $600: With a recent design that’s extra desktop PC than router, the BE800 (8/10, WIRED Overview) tri-band beast got here out on prime or near it in my assessments on the two.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz bands, proving impressively swift for file transfers and downloads. It additionally boasts speedy ports galore, a cool however kinda pointless customizable dot-matrix LED display, and the Tether app presents a visitor community, IoT community, VPN server or shopper, EasyMesh, QoS for gadget prioritization, and distant administration. This was our Wi-Fi 7 choose, however the Asus RT-BE96U beat it in my assessments and doesn’t require a subscription. TP-Hyperlink’s HomeShield Professional at $6/month or $55/12 months brings full-featured parental controls and community safety.
Reyee RG-E6 for $160: This inexpensive gaming router from Reyee got here very near unseating our price range gaming choose above (TP-Hyperlink Archer GX90) after some spectacular take a look at outcomes. It’s only a dual-band router, however with help for 160 MHz channels, the speeds on the 5-GHz band have been superb. It has a 2.5 Gbps WAN/LAN and three gigabit LANs, however no USB ports. Reyee’s app presents prioritization for gadgets, ports, and gaming site visitors, separate visitor and IoT networks, and fundamental parental controls. What it lacks is any safety, and the app is poorly translated. But when that doesn’t hassle you, that is seemingly one of the best gaming router you will get for the cash.
TP-Hyperlink Archer AXE75 for $200: Whereas this tri-band router makes Wi-Fi 6E inexpensive, its efficiency was combined. The 6-GHz band presents quick speeds at shut vary, however drops off sharply with distance. I discovered the 5-GHz band considerably inconsistent, recording zippy efficiency in most of my assessments however comparatively gradual outcomes on a number of events. You additionally want a HomeShield Professional subscription if you need full-featured parental controls and community safety, and all 4 Ethernet ports are restricted to 1 Gbps.
Synology WRX560 for $220: If you have already got the Synology RT6600ax listed above, the WRX560 is a good further gadget for establishing a mesh community. I had some points with setup that required a manufacturing facility reset, however as soon as up and working, the WRX560 presents a powerful and steady sign on the two.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands. Nevertheless, a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router is a tricky promote at this value, so should you simply want one, it’s value spending the additional $80 for the RT6600ax.
TP-Hyperlink Archer AX5400 Professional for $200: This dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router is nearly an identical to the Archer AX73, aside from the two.5 Gbps WAN port. It delivered comparatively quick speeds on the two.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands, and boasts 160-MHz channel width on 5-GHz. The vary is nice, simply protecting my residence and backyard, however efficiency was inconsistent. It was additionally comparatively gradual shifting information regionally. There’s help for TP-Hyperlink OneMesh, VPN, and QoS, however you solely get fundamental parental controls and community safety until you subscribe to HomeShield Professional.
MSi RadiX AXE6600 for $200: This Wi-Fi 6E tri-band gaming router has that acquainted pink and black Sith spider look, although you’ll be able to customise the lighting. It proved very quick in most of my assessments, coming near the highest of the desk at quick vary on the 6-GHz band and providing common efficiency on the 5-GHz and a pair of.4-GHz bands. However the cell app had restricted choices, a complicated structure, and was buggy (it crashed on me greater than as soon as). The net interface was higher, with extra choices, together with open VPN, easy parental controls, visitor community, and QoS optimization for gaming. Sadly, efficiency was inconsistent, and I suffered random drops twice in every week of testing.
Linksys Hydra Professional 6E for $200: One of many first Wi-Fi 6E tri-band routers (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) to hit the market, the worth has dropped considerably since launch. It proved simple to arrange, and has a really simple app, although it was typically gradual to load. It has a 5-Gbps WAN port and 4 gigabit LAN ports. Efficiency proved dependable, and it’s attainable to get lightning quick speeds at shut vary when you’ve got a tool that helps Wi-Fi 6E. Protection and speeds at mid and lengthy vary have been common. There are free fundamental parental controls enabling you to dam websites and schedule downtime, however solely on a per gadget foundation (no profile creation or age restrictions filters). You possibly can break up bands if you wish to, and prioritize three gadgets. There’s additionally a visitor community choice and simple Wi-Fi share. One other constructive is that this router works with another Linksys Clever Mesh router (together with the Velop mesh vary).
Linksys Hydra 6 for $100: Specs-wise, this compact router is just like our prime choose (TP-Hyperlink Archer AX55). It’s a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with a gigabit WAN and 4 gigabit LAN ports. Setup was simple, and it makes use of the identical Linksys app because the Professional 6E above, so that you get free parental controls, visitor community, prioritization, and band splitting. It proved speedy at shut vary and never unhealthy at mid-range, but when your private home is bigger than 1,600 sq. ft, it could battle. Nevertheless, as an Clever Mesh router, it will probably combine and match with different Linksys routers or its Velop mesh system. Linksys suggests a restrict of 25 related gadgets. Though it managed greater than 40 with out points in my testing, busy households will seemingly need one thing extra highly effective.
Reyee RG-E5 for $100: Primarily based purely on efficiency, this dual-band, Wi-Fi 6 router impressed me. It supplied nice protection, very quick speeds on the 5-GHz band, and stable stability. It could possibly additionally type a mesh with different Reyee routers, and the app boasts free parental controls. On the draw back, safety is missing (no WPA3, no 2FA, no anti-malware), you must create a Ruijie Cloud account (Ruijie is the Chinese language father or mother firm), and the poorly translated app is barely complicated.
