Best Router and Networking Deals

Those long, hot summer days are here again (at least in some places). Avoid the heat with some indoor activities, including gaming online, watching your favorite streaming platforms, or scrolling through websites. Or maybe a little bit of everything. No matter how you choose to send your time, you’ll need a strong wi-fi connection.

There’s a lot of day-to-day tasks that rely on a steady internet connection: streaming movies and TV shows, playing video games, joining Zoom meetings, printing on your networked printer, scrolling through social media, maintaining a home security system—the list goes on. The more smart objects you have in your home, the more simultaneous connections your router needs to be able to support. And get this: the larger your home is, the more difficult it is for your connection to get where it needs to go. With all those factors working against you, you should definitely check out our list of wi-fi routers and mesh systems that will give your signal a boost and make the most of the dollars you spend on your monthly internet service bill.

When was the last time you updated your Wi-Fi router? If it wasn’t within the last few years, chances are your existing setup is not Wi-Fi 6 compliant. This standard brings faster throughput speeds, better battery life, and less bandwidth congestion than Wi-Fi 5; here’s how to see if you need to upgrade.

We have a full rundown on what to look for when buying a router, but you’ll want one with at least two radio bands, a 2.4GHz and a 5GHz band. If your household is gobbling up bandwidth regularly, a tri-band router uses three radios—one at 2.4GHz and two at 5GHz.

Though Wi-Fi 6 is the modern standard for wireless signal, Wi-Fi 5 is still effective in a pinch (Wi-Fi 6E is on the way). If you’re adding a mesh system, make sure your preferred system’s coverage area will extend everywhere you need it to be and that you’ve got places in mind for the multiple devices you’ll need to spread the signal wide enough.

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Mesh Wi-Fi Systems

The Eero 6 Dual-Band mesh system covers up to 4,500 square feet with wifi and supports speeds up to 550 Mbps. Compatible devices are automatically synced up to your network via Alexa,which removes the need to purchase a separate smart home hub. The Eero app will walk you through the simple setup and also allows you to manage your network any time, anywhere.

Asus is a well known name in the tech world and their mesh wi-fi system embodies the quality and ease of setup that they’re known for. This two pack of devices provides a tri-band setup, giving you the most bandwidth possible and extending the signal further than a single conventional router. Their range is up to 5500 square feet, which is enough for whole home coverage for most.

Is your signal not reaching all parts of your house or business? This trio of devices offers a simple step up to a Wi-Fi mesh network. This dual-band system gives you three signals on one network for seamless Wi-Fi connections across a 5,500-square-foot range. Need more coverage? Just buy another unit, and add it to the mesh; the Deco app makes for easy setup.

With up to 2,200-square-foot of coverage, the Google Nest AC2200 will offer a strong, stable network connection to every room of your home. A single mesh router is strong enough to handle up to 200 connected devices at once, but you can extend your range by adding additional mesh routers as needed. Because this is a Google Device, the Google Nest AC2200 can easily be set up and added to your smart home network via the Google Home app, which can also be used to check speeds and manage your network right from your smartphone.

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Wi-Fi Routers

The TP-Link Archer AX21 AX1800 is an Amazon best-seller in computer routers thanks to its ease of setup, affordability, and signal strength. This dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands and speeds up to 1.8Gbps. Its four high-gain antennas with beamforming technology focus signal strength to provide a reliable connection.

Online gamers should check out the Asus RT-AX82U AX5400. It operates on the dual-band frequency, meaning it will reduce signal interference and provide stronger connectivity, which results in less slowdowns and dropped signals. With speeds up to 5,400 Mbps, you’ll be able to connect multiple devices and perform tasks like streaming and gaming without worry about bandwidth. As an added bonus, this device makes your online browsing safer with AiProtection Pro, powered by Trend Micro.

The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is a tri-band  6GHz Wi-Fi 6E router with coverage of up to 3,500 square.feet. Supporting speeds of up to 5.4Gbps for up to 60 concurrent devices, you’ll be able to game, stream, and surf the web without a drop in connectivity. And if you’re looking for the most stable connection possible, the four 1G Ethernet ports and 1 2.5G Ethernet port enable you to wire your devices. This router is suitable for those who use a lot of data in high-bandwidth activities like streaming to Twitch and playing multiplayer games online.

And if you’re ever wondering how we test Wi-Fi routers, take a look at a rundown of our entire process.

More Deals to Consider

• Best Router and Networking Deals at Amazon

• Best Router and Networking Deals at Best Buy

• Best Router and Networking Deals at Walmart