Everyone wants a fast and reliable WiFi router whether its to check email, stream movies or play online games. Finding the best Wifi router that fits your needs and budget can be confusing and time consuming. To help we have compiled a list of the top 9 best WiFi Routers of 2020 based on not only consumer reviews but also routers that we have installed for our customers. So whether you are in the market for a new router to stream 4k movies, want a router with an easy app interface to manage your kids devices, looking for a router with the lowest ping for video gaming or need a wifi signal that covers a large square footage of space we have a router that will fit your needs.
Tenda AC1200 Dual Band WiFi Router, High Speed Wireless Internet Router with Smart App, MU-MIMO for Home (AC6) – $33.oo
At the $33 price point the Tenda AC1200 is the cheapest router on our list but still a viable choice due to its features. Designed with the B2 StealthBomber in mind the Tenda AC1200 dual band wifi router uses “Beamforming” technology to cover an area of up to 2,000 square feet. Beamforming technology allows for the concentration of the wireless signals to a single location, it lengthens the transmission of WiFi signal 70% longer creating more stable data transmissions. It’s dual band functionality supports both 2.4GHz & 5GHz.
Other important features boasted by the Tenda AC1200 include:
+ 4 external antennas that are moveable
+ has a wireless data transfer rate of up to 1167 Mbps
+ can support up to 20 wireless devices
+ includes 4 ports – 1 fast WAN port and 3 fast LAN ports
+ has parental controls and other features which include disconnecting and blacklisting of unknown devices, optional separate guest network for guest to connect to without a password and is compatible with Google Assistant and Alexa. The unit also has a WiFi schedule that will automatically turn WiFi off at a set time to help reduce power consumption.
Tp- Link Ac1750 Smart WiFi Router – Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router – $52
On a budget but don’t want to compromise on WiFi square footage coverage? The second Wifi router on our list- the TP-Link AC1750 smart WiFi router maybe on the lower end of the price spectrum but that doesn’t mean you need to forfeit browsing the web on your back porch. With coverage up to 2,500 square feet the TP-link AC1750 smart WiFi router has the perfect balance of features and performance in its class.
Additional features of the TP-Link AC1750 include:
+ can connect up to 50 devices
+ dual band functionality supports both 2.4GHz & 5GHz and up to 1750 Mbps of high speed internet
+ compatible with with Alexa and IFTT – turn guest wifi on and off with Alexa voice control and use IFTT when devices connect or disconnect from your network
+ includes 3 powerful external antennas & 4 gigabyte LAN ports
+ features include easy set up and management of wifi for parental controls that can be accessed at home or remotely, WPA /WPA2 wireless encryption options, VPN server and QoS (give certain devices bandwith prioritization)
+ is compatible with microsoft windows , osx, unix and linux
Netgear Wifi Router R6230 WiFi Router – AC1200 Dual Band – $59
Upgrade your WiFi experience and household coverage with the dual band Netgear R6230 WiFi router. This router is perfect for movie streaming and casual game play with its high powered antennas.
Other features of the Netgear R6230 WiFi Router include:
+ up to 1,200 square feet coverage with dual band speeds up to 1200 Mbps
+ connect up to 20 wireless devices
+ includes 4 1G high speed ethernet ports and 1 USB 2.o port which is ideal for a printer or for external hard drive storage
+ includes 2 antennas to amplify wifi coverage
+ supports WPA2 wireless security protocols and provides secure wifi connection with its double firewall protection
+ boasts a 880MHz processor
+includes such features as guest wifi, bandwith prioritization QoS & vpn
+includes nighthawk smart parental controls to control things such as pausing wifi for specific devices. The nighthawk app is easy to use and takes about 5 minutes to set up with step by step instructions
+compatible with microsoft windows , osx, unix and linux. Web browser compatible with IE 5.0 Firefox 2.0, Safari 1.4 or Google Chrome 11.0 or higher
NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router (R6700) – AC1750 Wireless Speed – $70 (there is currently a $10 coupon on Amazon, dropping the price to $60!)
For households that have a bit more excessive streaming demands the Netgear Nighthawk R6700 Smart Wifi Router is a nice little upgrade to the Netgear R6230 router listed above. If you are able to apply the $10 coupon on Amazon you are basically getting this upgrade for the same price which makes your decision a whole lot easier if you couldn’t decide between the two.
Find out more about the Netgear Nighthawk R6700 Smart Wifi Router Below:
+ up to 1,500 square feet of coverage with dual band speeds up to 1750 Mbps
+ connect up to 25 devices
+ includes 4 1G high speed ethernet ports and 1 USB 3.0 port
+ includes 3 range boosting Beamforming plus technology
+ has 1GHz dual core processor built to efficiently and reliably stream movies, surf the web and play games
+ supports WPA2 wireless security protocols, allows for dynamic Q0S bandwidth prioritization, includes guest WiFi, DoS, firewall & vpn
+ easy to use nighthawk app to access parental controls. Pause internet access for specific devices, filter website & view site history at a press of a button. For more advanced options like setting up or scheduling online time limits for a device a monthly service plan can be purchased for $4 with the first month free
+ compatible with microsoft windows , osx, unix and linux. Web browser compatible with IE 5.0 Firefox 2.0, Safari 1.4 or Google Chrome 11.0 or higher
+ includes a free 30 day trial of armored security – protection against internet threats with best in class anti virus, anti malware and data protection for all your connected devices
Linksys EA7300 Dual Band WiFi Router- $80
The Linksys EA7300 Dual Band WiFi router finishes off our list of routers under $100 price tag and features MU MIMO (multi user multiple input multiple output) which is basically fancy terms for providing the same high speed WiFi to multiple devices at once. You can also manually assign high bandwith WiFi activities such as 4k video streaming the high-speed 5GHz band and assign low level WiFi activities such as checking email to the 2.4GHz band.
Find out what other features the Linksys EA7300 has:
+ covers up with 1,500 square feet
+ connect up to 10 wireless devices
+ wifi speeds up to 1.7Gbps
+ includes 3 external antennas with beamforming technology
+ includes Linksys easy to use app. App includes such features as creating device prioritization rules, parental controls and the ability to get real – time information about your home wifi. App is compatible with iOS & Android devices
Linksys Tri-Band WiFi AC2200 Router – $138
The Linksys AC2200 Tri-Band WiFi router kicks off our mid grade routers and is the upgrade to the Linksys EA7300 router listed above. Instead of dual band technology this Linksys router uses tri- band technology which is basically just a 3rd signal. A tri-band router has one 2.4GHz signal and two 5 GHz signals. It automatically sorts devices into different networks depending on how intensely a frequency is being used giving the router double the bandwidth on 5Ghz signal.
Features of the Linksys AC2200 Tri-Band Router include:
+ coverage up to 1,500 square feet
+ connect up to 15 wireless devices
+ wifi speeds up to 2.2 Gbps
+ Supports MU MIMO (Multi User Multiple Input Multiple Output) which allows for high speed WiFi connections for multiple devices at once and assignment of devices that require higher bandwith speeds to the 5GHz band.
+ supports FAT, NTFS, HSF+ storage file system
+ has 4 1G high speed Ethernet LAN ports and 1 USB 3 port
+ includes Linksys easy to use app. App includes such features as creating device prioritization rules, parental controls and the ability to get real – time information about your home wifi. App is compatible with iOS & Android devices
+includes “airtime fairness” feature that improves WiFi distribution by allowing an equitable distribution of Wi-Fi to different devices. This feature reduces lag that is introduced by slower wi-fi devices and ultimately improves your home’s wifi efficiency
NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S Smart WiFi Router (R7800) – AC2600 – $168
The second mid grade router in our list is the Netgear Nighthawk X4s R7800 Smart Wifi Router. This router boasts many advanced wifi technologies including a 1.7GHz dual core processor, quad streaming technology, 4 amplifying antennas ,”beamforming” range extending technology and Amazon Alexa voice controls.
Other features of the Netgear Nighthawk X4s R7800 Smart Wifi Router include:
+ coverage up to 2,500 square feet – Dual band up to 800 + 1733
+ 2600Mbps speed to support multiple player gaming & heavy duty 4K HD Streaming
+ connect up to 45 devices
+ includes 4 1GB ethernet Lan ports, 2 3.0 USB ports and 1 eSATA port.
+ supports MU MIMO (Multi User Multiple Input Multiple Output) which allows for high speed WiFi connections for multiple devices at once and assignment of devices that require higher bandwith speeds to the 5GHz band.
+ supports WPA2 wireless security protocols such as separate and secure Guest Wifi Access, Firewall, VPN and Dynamic QoS
+ allows for secure remote access – monitor your home network from anywhere in the world
+ easy to use nighthawk app to access parental controls. Pause internet access for specific devices, filter website & view site history at a press of a button
Netgear Night Hawk Pro Gaming XR500 Router $246
PCGamer magazine says it’s the fastest gaming router they ever tested. We will not dispute those claims. We will also not dispute that the Netgear Night Hawk XR500 Pro Gaming Router was designed with gamers in mind. This router uses state of the art software to reduce lag spikes, QoS implementation, use of smart geo filters, and optimizing your internet connection by stabilizing ping and provide lowest ping possible for both wirelessly and wired devices.
Check out additional features included with the Netgear Night Hawk XR500 Pro Gaming Router:
+ 2600Mbps speed
+ dual core 1.7GHz processor
+ 4 1G Ethernet LAN ports and 2 USB 3 ports
+ 4 external antennas
+ supports MU MIMO (Multi User Multiple Input Multiple Output) to provide the same high speed WiFi to multiple devices at once. This allow for simultaneous streaming, quad streaming & 160MHz for accelerated speeds. Prioritize gaming devices and allocate bandwidth by device to eliminate lag. Easily control the maximum upload and download speeds per device on the network to minimize sudden lag spikes while gaming
+ supports VPN, WPA / WPA2, gaming VPN client support and prevents from DDos attacks. Supports your existing VPN service.
+ has Geo-Filter which guarantees local connection to eliminate lag. Fix your gaming lag by limiting distance to servers or other players. Blacklist laggy opponents and whitelist your friends
+ view real time bandwidth utilization by each connected device to the network with the gaming dashboard. Monitor your game ping and network in real time to see what devices are using the most bandwith.
+ allows for identifying applications that could be causing lag with it’s network software monitor
+ easy to use nighthawk app to access parental controls. Pause internet access for specific devices, filter website & view site history at a press of a button
Amazon eeros Pro mesh WiFi System – 3 pack $499
The Amazon eeros Pro mesh WiFi System works a little bit different than just a traditional router. Like a traditional routers it uses tri-band technology giving it an additional 5Ghz band but it also uses a mesh wifi system that has multiple access points to provide you with reliable and fast wifi coverage anywhere in your home. This system is perfect for larger homes, homes with a dead zones, homes with multiple floors and homes with very thick or dense walls. This system replaces traditional wifi routers, boosters & extenders.
Here are some of the features the Amazon eeros Pro mesh WiFi System has to offer:
+covers up to 6,000 square feet
+can connect up to 130 devices
+ uses tri-band wifi radio technology – 2.4GHz, 5.2GHz & 5.8GHz
+ has a 700MHz Quad -core processor, 512MB ram, 4GB flash storage
+ automatically updates once a month keeping your home WiFi secure
+ includes WPA2 encryption, Family Profiles, DHCP, IPV6, NAT, VPN Passthrough, UPnP, Static IP, and Port Forwarding
+ provides easy setup through the eeros app