The Best WiFi Routers to Power Your Smart Home

In today‘s hyper-connected homes, a reliable and robust WiFi network is as essential as electricity and running water. It‘s what enables the dozens of smart devices around your house to come alive and enrich your life. Your WiFi router is the heart of this network – pumping out wireless signals to every corner, empowering your family‘s work, play, and communication.

But as the number of connected gadgets in the typical home has skyrocketed – smartphones, laptops, tablets, smart TVs, gaming consoles, security cameras, etc. – the demands on your humble router have grown exponentially as well. If your WiFi frequently slows to a crawl, can‘t reach the basement or backyard, or constantly needs rebooting, it‘s a sign you‘ve outgrown your current router.

Thankfully, a new generation of smarter, stronger routers have arrived to tame the chaos of the modern smart home. Leading the charge are "mesh" router systems, which use multiple units working in unison to blanket your entire home in fast, seamless WiFi. For those seeking top speeds and customization, ultra-powerful traditional routers boast incredible bandwidth and gamer-friendly optimizations. And you no longer have to spend a fortune for great WiFi – our budget picks deliver outstanding performance at very affordable prices.

After extensive research and analysis, we‘ve selected the best home WiFi routers you can buy in 2021:

Best Mesh WiFi System: Netgear Orbi

For most people, a mesh router system is the ideal solution for whole-home WiFi coverage. These consist of a main router and one or more satellite units you place around the house. They work together to create a single seamless network that automatically passes your devices from one unit to the next as you move around.

Our top pick is the Netgear Orbi, which has emerged as the most popular and praised mesh system since this new category took off a few years ago. In a sea of space-age looks, the Orbi‘s white mini-tower design stands out as elegantly unobtrusive. More importantly, it delivers where it matters: excellent speed, range and reliability.

The Orbi‘s tri-band technology dedicates an entire WiFi band to communication between the router and satellite units. This allows it to maintain maximum speeds even as more devices hop on. The system also intelligently optimizes your WiFi for top performance and employs MU-MIMO technology to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously.

Setup is refreshingly painless using the Orbi app, though some advanced functions require the web interface. A 3-pack covers an impressive 6,000 square feet, enough for most multi-story homes, with smaller packages available. You can expand coverage down the line by adding more satellite units. Each has 4 Ethernet ports to hardwire devices like game consoles or smart TVs.

With almost 30,000 nearly 5-star reviews on Amazon, the Orbi is a proven performer in real-world conditions. Owners rave about its speed, range and stability with dozens of devices. If you want reliable, whole-home WiFi without becoming a network engineer, the Orbi is the mesh system to beat.

Most Powerful Router: Netgear Nighthawk AX12

Perhaps you‘re a competitive gamer who needs the absolute lowest latency. Maybe you‘re a 4K videophile who streams to multiple TVs. Or you might live in a smart mansion with 50+ connected devices. If maximum horsepower is your top priority, look no further than the Netgear Nighthawk AX12.

As the first router to support WiFi 6 (802.11ax), the AX12 is a glimpse into the future of wireless. It serves up an incredible 6Gbps of total bandwidth across 12 simultaneous streams. With a 2.2GHz quad-core processor and muscular amplifiers, this dragon is ready for anything. It‘s overkill for normal homes but will delight the most demanding users.

Netgear‘s excellent DFS (dynamic frequency selection) technology dodges interference in the 5GHz band, while high-powered external antennas with beamforming extend range up to a claimed 3,500 sq.ft. Wired connections enjoy special treatment, with a 5Gbps "multi-gig" Ethernet port and a 6-speed aggregation port that can combine two incoming Gigabit links. You also get a built-in VPN client/server as a unique perk.

All this bleeding-edge technology doesn‘t come cheap, with the AX12 commanding a premium price over the more modest Nighthawk models. Setup is also a bit more involved than the dead-simple Orbi, though the Nighthawk app does a good job guiding you through. But those who invest in this Ferrari of routers will be rewarded with unrivaled performance.

Best Budget Router: Linksys EA6900

Great home WiFi doesn‘t have to be expensive. The Linksys EA6900 packs an impressive array of high-end features into a very affordable package, making it our top budget pick. This dual-band AC1900 router delivers up to 1.9Gbps of total bandwidth, more than enough for HD streaming and online gaming in small to mid-size homes.

The star of the show is the EA6900‘s full MU-MIMO support, which lets it talk to multiple devices at once rather than rapidly cycling between them. This helps it efficiently serve busy networks with lots of active devices. Beamforming extends range and concentrates the signal on your devices. The router‘s sharp, angular looks also impress, with no unsightly antennas sticking out.

You get a nice selection of connectivity options, including 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, a USB 3.0 port for sharing files and printers, and a USB 2.0 port. The Linksys Smart WiFi app makes setup a breeze while providing easy parental controls and guest access. More advanced users can tweak settings through the browser interface.

Like any router, the EA6900 isn‘t perfect. Its range won‘t suffice for very large homes (look to a mesh system instead), and some owners experienced DNS issues requiring a settings change. But the vast majority of owners are very happy with the EA6900‘s performance and feature set, especially given its modest price. It‘s proof that fast, reliable WiFi is within reach of almost any budget.

The Importance of a Great Router

Why does your router matter so much? Because in the age of smartphones, smart homes and always-on connections, it‘s the unsung hero keeping everything running. When your router can‘t keep up, your entire digital life suffers.

Work and school grind to a halt. Streaming video constantly buffers. Video calls drop out or look pixelated. Websites take ages to load. Multiplayer games lag. Smart home devices act glitchy or disconnect entirely. Everything just feels slower.

The cheapo router provided by your ISP isn‘t designed to handle the ever-growing demands of the modern household. It‘s time to upgrade to a router that‘s ready for anything you can throw at it – a router that will keep your digital ship sailing smoothly for years to come. You‘ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

Understanding Router Specs & Technologies

When comparing routers, you‘ll encounter a sea of arcane terminology, technical standards and specs. While you don‘t need to understand all the nitty-gritty details, a basic grasp of key WiFi concepts will help you make a more informed choice:

• Wireless Standards: The latest widely-adopted WiFi standard is 802.11ac, also known as WiFi 5. The newest devices are starting to support WiFi 6 (802.11ax), which offers improved speed and efficiency, but it will take time to become common. Older standards are too slow by today‘s benchmarks.
• Theoretical Speed: Router makers advertise combined maximum speeds like "AC1900" or "AX6000" to indicate the total wireless bandwidth of the router. In reality, your individual devices will see lower speeds since this bandwidth is split between them.
• Bands: Modern routers broadcast on two or even three wireless frequency bands – 2.4GHz and 5GHz – to reduce congestion. "Tri band" routers have an additional 5GHz band for even better performance with lots of devices.
• MU-MIMO: This stands for "multi-user, multiple input, multiple output". It‘s a technology that enables the router to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously rather than rapidly switching between them. With so many gadgets demanding WiFi, MU-MIMO is becoming essential.
• Beamforming: An optional feature that focuses the wireless signal toward your devices rather than broadcasting in all directions. It can help improve range, speed and stability, especially for 5GHz connections.
• Security: You‘ll want a router that supports the latest WPA3 security protocol, or at least WPA2, to protect your network from prying eyes. Never use the outdated and insecure WPA or WEP protocols.

While these are some of the key considerations when router shopping, don‘t get too hung up on having the absolute latest specs. An extra band or a bump in theoretical throughput makes little difference to the average user. Focus on the big picture – range, speed, reliability and ease of use – and choose the router that best matches your needs and budget.

The Bottom Line

In a world where nearly everything connects to your home WiFi, the router is the most important gadget most people never think about. If you‘re still limping along with the basic box your broadband company offered, it‘s time for an upgrade. Stepping up to a great router like our picks will transform your home wireless experience.

For most, the Netgear Orbi mesh system is the best way to blanket your entire home in fast, seamless WiFi. For power users, the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 is in a league of its own. And for those on a budget, the Linksys EA6900 proves you don‘t have to spend a fortune for excellent home WiFi.

Whichever route(r) you go, you‘ll be shocked how many daily frustrations melt away with a top-notch home network. In the age of ubiquitous connectivity, a great WiFi router isn‘t a luxury – it‘s a necessity. Don‘t put up with bad WiFi any longer.