Best wireless routers 2018: the best routers for your home network
These days, so much of what we do every single day is online, and there’s nothing worse than having your work – or even your leisure – interrupted by a shoddy wireless connection. So, these days it’s extremely important to go out and invest in one of the best wireless routers on the market. After all – in this connected world, there’s nothing worse than losing your connection.
The first thing you might be tempted to do to combat your wireless troubles is to go out and throw more cash at your ISP. But even if you have the fastest internet connection in the world.
Fast service won’t do too much good if your router isn’t up to the task. Don’t worry, though, we here at TechRadar picked out the top wireless routers you can buy in 2018.
There’s a wide variety of different wireless routers on the market, so finding the best router for your needs can be difficult. That’s why we created this guide to the best wireless routers on the market today. No matter what you need to do with your network, you can be confident that you’ll find the best router for your needs right here.
The days of traditional wireless routers are over – the future is in the best wireless mesh routers. Google Wifi is the best proof we can think of for this mesh revolution – you can finally say goodbye to the days when the only way to achieve wireless freedom was to install a bunch of wireless extenders. The premise of Google Wifi is simple – buy a set of points and place them in key locations around your home. Then, just scan a QR code and you’re good to go – it’s not just the best wireless router you can buy, it’s also the easiest to set up.
Read the full review: Google Wifi
Anyone who’s familiar with Asus, and especially its more gamer-centric products knows exactly what they’re getting themselves into here – especially regarding design. The Asus RT-AC86U looks like the result of a Mountain Dew-fueled deal with the devil, and it will certainly stand out wherever you put it. Underneath that garish design forever, is hardware that, for its price, wholly stands up against its competition. You won’t be paying a premium here for the ‘gaming hardware’ and, if you’re looking for a fast router at a good price, you can’t really go wrong here.
Read the full review: Asus RT-AC86U
Unlike Google Wi-Fi, the Netgear Orbi wireless mesh system comes with just two units instead of three: a router and a satellite, much like a cell phone signal booster. And, it may be expensive, but it's worth it – its simple setup, requiring little more than being plugged into a modem and a wall adapter, makes the Orbi extremely accessible. Add in its fantastic performance, and it’s easy to see why the Netgear Orbi is one of the best routers you can buy in 2018.
Read full review: Netgear Orbi
In 2018, we’re living in a time when many everyday appliances and devices are being controlled by a smart-home hub. Now, while this does wonders for convenience, having all those wireless routers, modems and hubs can start to clutter things up. Thankfully, the Samsung Connect Home is here to save us all from clutter. It’s not going to be the most feature-rich router on the market, but it’s competitive enough with the Google Wifi while still packing in the SmartThings hub that it’s still one of the best routers – especially if you have a ton of smart devices.
Read the full review: Samsung Connect Home
If you want high-end wireless performance from a device that looks like something out of an 90s Sci-Fi movie, you’re going to want to check out the TP-Link Archer C5400 v2. Sure, it’s not a Mesh Wi-Fi system like Google Wi-Fi, but it’s unique in its ability to bridge consumer and enterprise users by offering high end features at an affordable price point – and with easy setup. Yeah, it looks weird, but if you’re looking for the best router for a large home, you really can’t do much better.
Read the full review: TP-Link Archer C5400 v2
If you work in an office, and you’re ready to bring your networking into the modern age with one of the best routers for businesses, you seriously need to check out the Netgear Orbi Pro. Much like the Netgear Orbi mentioned earlier in this guide, the Orbi Pro is a modular Wi-Fi mesh system, but it makes some design and performance changes that specifically cater to the business user. It’s not cheap, but if you run a business where you can’t afford anyone slowing down due to slow Wi-Fi, it’s worth every penny.
Read the full review: Netgear Orbi Pro
If you’ve been looking at wireless mesh systems, but wanted to keep the control over your network that the best wireless routers allow, you’re in luck. While it’s more expensive than the competition, the Eero Home Wi-Fi system allows its users complete control over their network, while also providing an extremely secure connection thanks to its use of AI. To sweeten the pot and make the price more approachable, Eero includes subscriptions to 1Password, MalwareBytes and Encrypt.me VPN – which should help keep everyone on your network safe. The only downfall here is it doesn’t cover quite as much area as something like the Google Wifi or Netgear Orbi, but if you’re looking for sheer horsepower, look no further.
Read the full review: Eero Home Wi-Fi System
It might be more expensive than the Google Wifi for similar performance, but the Amplifi HD has a clean, modern aesthetic that might just be worth it. While for some people, aesthetic doesn’t really matter, it does mean that no one will be ashamed of installing this router in a nice open space – which will only boost its already great performance. In our testing, we didn’t notice a difference in performance, whether right next to the main router, or upstairs next to one of the included mesh units. This is one of those routers that matches great performance with great looks – as long as you have the cash to support it.
Read the full review: Amplifi HD
The Linksys WRT32X may not look all that different than Linksys’ heavy-hitter, the WRT3200. And, well, it’s actually not very different at all. The WRT32X succeeds because it takes all of the successful components of one of the best routers we’ve ever used, and packs them in a gaming-centric router with a custom firmware that’s extremely easy to navigate and a very subdued and attractive visual design. You’ll be paying a premium for this repackaging, but if you’re looking for a reliable latency and online gaming performance, the Linksys WRT32X takes one of the best routers and tailors it to your needs.
Read the full review: Linksys WRT32X Gaming Router
Billion has done it again and delivered the fastest router it’s ever released. Boasting a throughput of 2,400Mbps over both a 2.4GHz and 5GHz band, the BiPac 8900AX-2400 is a beast – even if we wouldn’t consider it aesthetically pleasing. In lieu of a dated interface, this router features a wide range of ports for added storage down the line on top of integrating a state of the art ADSL2+ modem.
Read the full review: Billion BiPac 8900AX-2400
Joe Osborne, Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article
- We’ve also picked out the best best wifi extenders of 2018
