12 Best Wi-Fi Routers of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Other Routers We Have Tested

I person tested immoderate different routers and person respective much successful the queue. These aren’t arsenic large arsenic the picks above, but are worthy considering.

AVM FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro for £374: While AVM has dominated the German router marketplace for years and inactive has astir a 50 percent marketplace share, it's present expanding crossed Europe and the UK, truthful I tested the FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro. AVM’s scope is distinctive successful achromatic and reddish plastic, but there's a absorption connected functionality. This tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router boasts a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN, 4 gigabit LAN, and a USB 3.1 port. It’s fast, scoring mid- to high-table results successful my tests, and it proved reliable. It besides has DSL oregon fiber-optic modems, an integrated DECT basal presumption for cordless phones, built-in retention (NAS), and enactment for Zigbee to link astute location devices. You don’t request an relationship to acceptable it up oregon configure it. There’s a firewall and impermanent web enactment successful the straightforward web interface (you tin usage the mobile app if you prefer). AVM’s routers are developed and manufactured successful Europe, making them an interesting, privacy-focused alternate to routers from China oregon the US. The institution besides has a beardown way grounds of supporting its products for years aft release. Folks successful the UK and Europe looking to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 should see this router. My fingers are crossed that AVM expands into the US next.

TP-Link Archer BE3600 for $99: This is the lowest terms I’ve seen for a Wi-Fi 7 router. The basal plan sports 4 antennas, a 2.5-Gbps WAN, a 2.5-Gbps LAN, and 3 Gigabit LAN ports. It is dual-band (2.4-GHz and 5-GHz), truthful there’s nary 6-GHz option, and it’s lone 2 x 2 MIMO, truthful the maximum bandwidth is 688 Mbps and 2,882 Mbps, respectively. Sadly, I recovered the scope connected the 5-GHz set to beryllium limited, and the set steering was disappointing, often dropping my telephone onto the overmuch slower 2.4-GHz band. Throughput was so-so, and record transfers were mid-table successful my results. The BE3600 finished beneath our apical prime successful each test. It could beryllium cleanable for a tiny apartment, arsenic it was impressively speedy astatine adjacent scope connected some bands, but dropped disconnected rapidly with distance, making it pugnacious to urge for larger properties. The subscription required for enhanced information and parental controls is besides a hard merchantability connected a router this cheap.

Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro for $800: While I americium keen to adhd a 5G router and mobile blistery spot to this guide, and the Nighthawk M6 Pro is an fantabulous performer, it is simply excessively costly to urge for astir folks. (I program to trial cheaper models successful the coming weeks.) That said, the M6 Pro is casual to usage and mightiness suit concern folks with an disbursal account. Pop a 5G SIM successful determination and you person a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router (2.4-, 5-, and 6-GHz) with a sturdy design, a useful 2.8-inch touchscreen, a 2.5-gigabit Ethernet port, and a artillery that’s bully for up to 13 hours of use. You tin link up to 32 devices via Wi-Fi and expect a scope of astir 1,000 quadrate feet. You tin besides usage the Ethernet larboard arsenic a WAN transportation oregon employment the M6 Pro arsenic a unafraid Wi-Fi repeater. It’s versatile, but configuration tin beryllium a chore, speeds are constricted if you privation to widen artillery life, and it’s excessively expensive.

Asus RT-BE86U for $260: The caller Wi-Fi 7 mentation of the Asus RT-AX86U listed above, this dual-band (2.4- and 5-GHz) router is akin to the Asus RT-BE88U below. It lacks the 6-GHz set but brings each the different improvements that Wi-Fi 7 offers, from MLO to amended security. The RT-BE86U proved reliable successful my tests and performed highly good connected the 5-GHz band, matching the somewhat much costly RT-BE88U. It is somewhat smaller but inactive has 1 10-Gbps and 4 2.5-Gbps Ethernet ports, alongside a USB 2.0 and a USB 3.0 port. It besides offers each the accustomed benefits of an Asus router, including onboard security, parental controls, AiMesh and VPN support, and a big of configuration options. It’s possibly a small pricey astatine the moment, but erstwhile this router starts to drop, it volition beryllium a coagulated prime for galore homes and whitethorn good assertion a spot above.

TP-Link Archer GE800 for $350: This stunning tri-band Wi-Fi 7 gaming router came precise adjacent to a spot above. The angled plan with customizable RGB lighting screams Vader’s castle but besides provides country for antennas to guarantee highly accelerated show crossed the board. You besides get a 10-Gbps larboard for your incoming net connection, a further 2 10-Gbps and 4 2.5-Gbps Ethernet LAN ports, and a USB 3.0 port. The Tether app is solid, with immoderate gaming-specific options, but abstracted subscriptions are required for other information and parental controls. Despite the blazing accelerated results, the GE800 couldn’t rather lucifer our apical Wi-Fi 7 gaming prime supra connected the 6-GHz band, and it produced rather a batch of vigor and audible instrumentality noise, though it is importantly cheaper.

Firewalla Gold SE for $479: This quirky portable instrumentality is cleanable for radical who interest astir information and privacy. It offers broad tools for monitoring each postulation successful and retired of your house, robust and elaborate parental controls, ad-blocking, and enhanced information with a built-in firewall and VPN option. It serves arsenic a router, but you volition privation to brace different router successful entree constituent mode for Wi-Fi successful your home. It’s costly and whitethorn beryllium intimidating for inexperienced folks, but it offers heavy penetration into your web and an awesome extent of information features without an further subscription. The Gold SE has 2 2.5-Gbps ports and 2 gigabit ports and is suitable for folks with up to 2-gigabit connections. If your net is lone 1 gigabit, effort the much affordable but somewhat little capable, Firewalla Purple ($369) (8/10, WIRED recommends).

Asus RT-BE88U for $330: This dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router is an unusual imaginable due to the fact that it does not connection the 6-GHz set astatine all, conscionable 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. But you tin inactive harvester those bands with MLO and bask features similar 4K QAM, and this router volition beryllium accelerated capable for the mean home. It has ports galore (two 10 Gbps, 4 2.5 Gbps, 4 Gigabit, and 1 USB 3.0). It outperformed respective much costly routers connected the 5-GHz band, and that’s apt what astir of your devices are utilizing astir of the clip close now. Asus besides offers escaped information bundle and parental controls with its routers, truthful there’s nary request for subscriptions. But erstwhile I see that you tin snag the Netgear Nighthawk RS300 listed supra for less, I find it pugnacious to urge this router to folks successful the US. If the 6-GHz set is unavailable oregon nerfed successful your country, the RT-BE88U is for you.

TP-Link Travel Router AX1500 for $60: If you don’t privation to walk overmuch connected a question router, this is simply a bully alternate to our prime supra and little than fractional the price. The drawback is that you tin expect astir fractional the performance. If you conscionable request to screen a edifice room, it’s fine, but the USB 2.0 larboard limits the effectiveness of utilizing your phone’s cellular connection, and the 2.4-GHz set is lone Wi-Fi 4. It does person 2 Gigabit ports, immoderate useful modes, and VPN support. I besides emotion that it is powered via USB-C, arsenic it affords immoderate versatility (you could adjacent usage a accelerated portable charger).

Netgear Nighthawk RS700 for $550: Although I had setup issues that required a mill reset, there’s nary hiding the top-notch show of this router. It’s a Wi-Fi 7 tri-band router with 2 10-Gbps Ethernet ports, 4 gigabit ports, and a USB 3.2. The operation plan is caller for the Nighthawk line, and it looks great. This router volition blend successful acold amended than our bulky Wi-Fi 7 prime supra from Asus, and it was somewhat faster connected the 6-GHz band, though not the 5-GHz oregon 2.4-GHz bands. It chiefly misses retired connected a proposal due to the fact that it is much expensive. We’re already seeing discounts connected the RT-BE96U, and Asus offers escaped information bundle and parental controls. If you get the Nighthawk RS700S, the “S” astatine the extremity denotes a escaped twelvemonth of Netgear Armor, which costs $100 a twelvemonth thereafter. If you request parental controls, that’s different $70 a year.

TP-Link Archer GX90 AX6600 for $250: Picks supra excessively expensive? The somewhat much affordable TP-Link Archer GX90 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) mightiness tempt you. It looks similar a Sith spider, but this gaming-focused behemoth is feature-packed. It's casual to acceptable up and configure, and it boasts a crippled accelerator diagnostic and prioritization, making it casual to reserve bandwidth for gaming. I had nary issues with aggregate simultaneous gaming sessions. It has a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN port, a gigabit WAN/LAN port, 3 gigabit LAN ports, and 2 USB ports (3.0 and 2.0). Sadly, afloat parental controls and enhanced information necessitate subscriptions, and it is simply a Wi-Fi 6 router.

Aircove ExpressVPN Router for $190: This router has a built-in VPN service, allowing you to shield your web postulation from prying eyes. You bash person to bargain a subscription to ExpressVPN separately (it’s $13 per month, oregon conscionable implicit $8 if you wage annually). But setup is simple, and having a VPN astatine the router level is overmuch easier than having to instal it connected each instrumentality (though respective of our picks supra tin bash this too). It’s worthy noting that ExpressVPN doesn’t marque our Best VPNs usher due to the fact that it was sold to a genitor institution with a less-than-sterling reputation; that mightiness substance to you if you’re the benignant of idiosyncratic who wants a VPN. I besides ran into a fewer issues with websites and streaming services that aren’t keen connected VPNs.

Vodafone Pro II from £37 a month: Folks successful the UK looking for a caller net work supplier (ISP) should cheque retired Vodafone’s Pro II (8/10, WIRED Review). While ISPs person traditionally provided shoddy routers to their customers, that seems to beryllium changing. The Vodafone Pro II is simply a tri-band router that supports Wi-Fi 6E, and it delivered lightning-fast speeds successful my tests, connected par with galore of my picks above. The scope is limited, particularly connected the 6-GHz band, but this work comes with a scope extender that appears arsenic portion of the aforesaid network. You tin besides get a 4G backup that connects to Vodafone’s mobile web to support you online should your regular net transportation fail. It’s lone disposable with a two-year Vodafone work contract, starting from £37 a month.

TP-Link Archer BE800 for $400: With a caller plan that’s much desktop PC than router, the BE800 (8/10, WIRED Review) tri-band beast came retired connected apical oregon adjacent to it successful my tests connected the 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz bands, proving impressively swift for record transfers and downloads. It besides boasts speedy ports galore, a chill but benignant of pointless customizable dot-matrix LED screen, and the Tether app offers a impermanent network, IoT network, VPN server oregon client, EasyMesh, QoS for instrumentality prioritization, and distant management. This was our Wi-Fi 7 pick, but the Asus RT-BE96U bushed it successful my tests and does not necessitate a subscription. TP-Link’s Security+ ($5/month, $36/year) and Advanced Parental Controls ($3/month, $18/year) bring full-featured parental controls and web security.

Reyee RG-E6 for $119: This affordable gaming router from Reyee is simply a decent fund gaming prime that recorded immoderate awesome trial results. It is lone a dual-band router, but with enactment for 160-MHz channels, the speeds connected the 5-GHz set were precise good. It has a 2.5-Gbps WAN/LAN and 3 gigabit LANs, but nary USB ports. Reyee’s app offers prioritization for devices, ports, and gaming traffic, abstracted impermanent and IoT networks, and basal parental controls. What it lacks is immoderate security, and the app is poorly translated. But if that doesn’t fuss you, this is apt the champion gaming router you tin get for the money.

TP-Link Archer AXE75 for $130: While this tri-band router makes Wi-Fi 6E affordable, its show was mixed. The 6-GHz set offers accelerated speeds astatine adjacent scope but drops disconnected sharply with distance. I recovered the 5-GHz set somewhat inconsistent, signaling zippy show successful astir of my tests but comparatively dilatory results connected a fewer occasions. You besides request subscriptions if you privation full-featured parental controls and web security, and each 4 Ethernet ports are constricted to 1 Gbps.

Synology WRX560 for $230: If you already person the Synology RT6600ax listed above, the WRX560 is simply a decent further instrumentality for mounting up a mesh network. I had immoderate issues with setup that required a mill reset, but erstwhile up and running, the WRX560 offers a beardown and unchangeable awesome connected the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands. However, a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router is simply a pugnacious merchantability astatine this price, truthful if you conscionable request one, it’s worthy spending the other $80 for the RT6600ax.

Linksys Hydra Pro 6E for $158: One of the archetypal Wi-Fi 6E tri-band routers (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) to deed the market, the terms has dropped importantly since release. It proved casual to acceptable up and has a precise straightforward app, though it was often dilatory to load. It has a 5-Gbps WAN larboard and 4 gigabit LAN ports. The show proved reliable, and it’s imaginable to get lightning-fast speeds astatine adjacent scope if you person a instrumentality that supports Wi-Fi 6E. Coverage and speeds astatine mid and agelong scope were average. There are escaped basal parental controls that alteration you to artifact sites and docket downtime, but lone connected a per-device ground (no illustration instauration oregon property regularisation filters). You tin divided bands if you privation to and prioritize 3 devices. There’s besides a impermanent web enactment and casual Wi-Fi sharing. Another affirmative is that this router works with immoderate different Linksys Intelligent Mesh router (including the Velop mesh range).

Linksys Hydra 6 for $95: Specs-wise, this compact router is akin to our apical prime (TP-Link Archer AX55). It’s a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with a gigabit WAN and 4 gigabit LAN ports. The setup was easy, and it uses the aforesaid Linksys app arsenic the Pro 6E above, truthful you get escaped parental controls, impermanent network, prioritization, and set splitting. It proved speedy astatine adjacent scope and not atrocious astatine mid-range, but if your location is larger than 1,600 quadrate feet, it whitethorn struggle. However, arsenic an Intelligent Mesh router, it tin premix and lucifer with different Linksys routers oregon its Velop mesh system. Linksys suggests a bounds of 25 connected devices. Although it managed much than 40 without issues successful my testing, engaged households volition apt privation thing much powerful.

Routers We Don’t Recommend

These are the Wi-Fi routers we had issues with oregon can't urge for 1 crushed oregon another.

Netgear Nighthawk RS200 for $206: The RS200 is Netgear’s dual-band (2.4- and 5-GHz) Wi-Fi 7 router and the cheapest successful its Wi-Fi 7 lineup. After the tri-band RS300 won a recommendation, I expected this router to execute decently, but I encountered respective issues, including random drops and mediocre range. After turning the router disconnected and connected again, galore devices, including my Pixel and iPhone, struggled to reconnect. Perhaps I person excessively galore devices successful my location for it, though Netgear suggests it tin grip up to 80. It has 2 2.5 Gbps, 3 gigabit Ethernet, and a USB 3.0 port. Test results were OK, but importantly slower than the RT-BE86U. The costly subscriptions for Netgear Armor ($100/year) and Premium Smart Parental Controls ($8/month oregon $70/year) look particularly pricey with a cheaper router similar this.

TP-Link Archer AX5400 Pro for $200: This dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router is astir identical to the Archer AX73, but for the 2.5-Gbps WAN port. It delivers comparatively accelerated speeds connected the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands and boasts a 160-MHz transmission width connected 5 GHz. The scope is good, easy covering my location and garden, but the show was inconsistent. It was besides comparatively dilatory astatine moving files locally. There’s enactment for TP-Link OneMesh, VPN, and QoS, but you lone get basal parental controls and web information unless you subscribe.

MSi RadiX AXE6600 for $123: This Wi-Fi 6E tri-band gaming router has that acquainted reddish and achromatic Sith spider look, though you tin customize the lighting. It proved precise accelerated successful astir of my tests, coming adjacent to the apical of the array astatine abbreviated scope connected the 6-GHz set and offering mean show connected the 5-GHz and 2.4-GHz bands. But the mobile app had constricted options, a confusing layout, and was buggy (it crashed connected maine much than once). The web interface was better, with much options, including unfastened VPN, elemental parental controls, impermanent network, and QoS optimization for gaming. Unfortunately, show was inconsistent, and I suffered random drops doubly successful a week of testing.