Finest Wi-Fi 6 Router of 2023

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$88 at Amazon

A Netgear r6700ax Wi Fi 6 router on a wooden surface

Netgear R6700AX

Finest price range router for gigabit networks

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Although Wi-Fi 7 routers are on their approach, in the intervening time, Wi-Fi 6 remains to be the most recent technology of Wi-Fi that is supported by a lot of the present technology of devices and units. And that will help you equip your own home with the quickest and most steady web connection potential, we have rounded up the most effective Wi-Fi 6 router choices in the marketplace proper now under. 

Nearly each new cellphone and pc launch helps Wi-Fi 6, and we’re beginning to see help pop up amongst peripheral units, too. Did you decide up an Apple TV 4K or Amazon Fireplace TV 4K Max media streamer on your TV? Each of these help Wi-Fi 6. Have you ever managed to attain a brand new PlayStation 5 console but? That is a Wi-Fi 6 gadget too.

Wi-Fi 6 units like these are backward appropriate with older routers, however if you wish to unlock their full potential for quicker, higher Wi-Fi efficiency, then you definitely’ll want a Wi-Fi 6 router working your own home community. That was an costly proposition again when Wi-Fi 6 first arrived, however not anymore. Now, purchasing round, you will discover a good variety of Wi-Fi 6 choices obtainable for lower than $100, in addition to mesh methods, gaming routers, vary extenders and extra. Some do the job higher than others — however that is the place we are available in, with complete, hands-on exams to assist determine the most effective improve picks for the cash. 

Anticipate common updates to this submit as we proceed to place Wi-Fi 6 to the check in 2023. At any time when we discover a new router that deserves consideration, we’ll add it to the listing.

Finest Wi-Fi 6 routers of 2023

TP-Link Archer AX21 wi-fi router on a green background.

Ry Crist/CNET

Like

  • Sooner efficiency and higher vary than comparable AX1800 routers
  • Straightforward-to-use app controls
  • Excellent worth

Do not like

  • Lacks superior options
  • Not highly effective sufficient to take full benefit of gigabit web speeds

When a router helps Wi-Fi 6, that signifies that it is able to utilizing new options like OFDMA and 1024-QAM to ship quicker speeds and decrease latency to busy networks with numerous linked units. That is true even with the budget-priced worth picks — and amongst these, the one which performs the most effective is the TP-Hyperlink Archer AX21.

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Ry Crist/CNET

Like

  • Tri-band design ensures optimum mesh efficiency
  • Simplified setup, with extenders that mechanically pair with the primary router
  • Speeds similar to mesh routers that value a whole lot extra

Do not like

  • Bland, barely cumbersome design
  • Restricted retail availability

Wi-Fi Commonplace Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking AX3600Vary As much as 5,500 sq. ft. (two units)Wi-fi Networking Safety WPA2, WPA3Bands Tri-Band (2.4 and two 5GHz)

This was an excellent yr for TP-Hyperlink, and it wasn’t simply due to the Archer AX21. There’s additionally the TP-Hyperlink Deco W7200, which cruised by means of my pace exams to earn a spot as my top-rated mesh router of the yr. With a number of units working like a workforce of routers to unfold a quicker, extra dependable sign throughout a bigger space than a single router can, it is a incredible decide for giant houses — and one that will not set you again very a lot.

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Ry Crist/CNET

Like

  • Wonderful speeds, low latency, terrific vary
  • Complete gaming and community customization options through Asus Router app
  • Non-compulsory improve to a multi-gig Ethernet jack

Do not like

  • “Good Join” band steering does not carry out effectively in small houses (however you may flip it off)

Wi-Fi customary Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking AX5700Vary As much as 2,500 sq. ft.Wi-fi Networking Safety WPA3Bands Twin-Band (2.4 and 5GHz)

Asus is without doubt one of the high names within the gaming router class, boasting the most effective number of quick, flashy routers that promise elite efficiency, low latency, and superior controls on your connection. The Asus RT-AX86U is definitely one of many extra understated routers in that blend — it does not embody color-changing lights or an oversize, ostentatious design — but it surely’s nonetheless among the finest gaming routers you should purchase. Gaming apart, it is among the finest Wi-Fi 6 routers you should purchase, interval.

A Netgear r6700ax Wi Fi 6 router on a wooden surface

Ry Crist/CNET

Like

  • Dependable, constant speeds
  • Wonderful worth
  • Higher efficiency on high-speed, gigabit networks than different entry-level Wi-Fi 6 routers

Do not like

  • Barely increased latency than comparable AX1800 routers
  • No USB jack

Pace Ranking AX1800Vary As much as 1,500 sq. ft.

Gigabit web speeds are rising in availability from a large variety of main ISPs, and so they’re an ideal match with the quicker wi-fi switch charges of Wi-Fi 6. Should you’ve made the improve to gigabit web speeds at dwelling, then you definitely’ll undoubtedly desire a Wi-Fi 6 router that may take full benefit of it.

Two Netgear Orbi AX6000 Wi-Fi 6 mesh routers

Ry Crist/CNET

Like

  • A constant high finisher throughout a number of years of pace exams
  • Multi-gig Ethernet jack helps the quickest web speeds obtainable right this moment

Do not like

  • Costly and infrequently on sale, regardless of being just a few years outdated

Wi-Fi Commonplace Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking AX6000Vary As much as 5,000 sq. ft.Wi-fi Networking Safety WPA, WPA2Bands Tri-Band (2.4 and two 5GHz)

Bear in mind how I discussed that the TP-Hyperlink Deco W7200 outperformed each different mesh router I’ve ever examined apart from one? Properly, here is the one which beat it — the AX6000 model of the Netgear Orbi mesh system.

img-1907

Ry Crist/CNET

Like

  • Robust efficiency and speeds, with help for 160MHz channel width
  • Constructed-in Zigbee radio and help for Matter make it an ideal good dwelling decide

Do not like

  • Barely inconsistent bandsteering in small houses

Wi-Fi Commonplace Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking AX3000Vary As much as 1,500 sq. ft.Wi-fi Networking Safety WPA2, WPA3Bands Twin-Band (2.4 and 5GHz)

Going with a mesh router makes a ton of sense in the event you stay in a big, multi-story dwelling with loads of house to cowl. In circumstances like that, it is value it to prioritize getting a system with greater than two units within the mesh — and Amazon’s Eero 6 Plus will get you there for $300, full with full help for Wi-Fi 6.

asus-zenwifi-xd6-wi-fi-6-mesh-router-promo

Ry Crist/CNET

Like

  • A dual-band mesh router that performs extra like a tri-band mannequin
  • Compact, nice-looking design

Do not like

  • Barely costly at full value

Wi-Fi Commonplace Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking AX5400Vary As much as 2,700 sq. ft.Wi-fi Networking Safety WPA, WPA2Bands Twin-Band (2.4 and 5GHz)

It was a bit too dear for me to suggest when it launched at $380 for a two-piece setup, however I’ve seen the Asus ZenWifi XD6 marked right down to $300 at a number of retailers in latest weeks, which makes it a significantly better worth.

How we check Wi-Fi 6 routers

At any time when I take a router into consideration, I put it by means of the identical set of complete, managed pace exams to get a superb sense of the way it performs in comparison with different fashions. All through the pandemic, I have been working these exams out of my 1,300 square-foot dwelling in Louisville, Kentucky, however final yr, we have have been in a position to transfer these exams again into the CNET House check lab, the place we have arrange a 1,350 sq. ft. check atmosphere with a gigabit fiber connection.

There are 5 rooms in that check house, so after setting the router up within the first of them, I run a battery of pace exams in all of them to get a way of the common speeds at varied ranges. For every set of exams, I begin in the identical room because the router with my check machine, a Lenovo ThinkPad Wi-Fi 6 laptop computer. I hook up with the router’s community, then I run three pace exams and document the outcomes for add pace, obtain pace and latency. Then I transfer to the subsequent room and repeat.

As soon as I’ve completed within the fifth room, which is farthest from the router, I restart my connection and repeat all of these exams in reverse room order. This strategy provides me a superb sense at how the router’s efficiency differs when the connection begins up shut versus when it begins at a distance, as this will usually influence your speeds. I repeat this whole course of thrice, throughout morning, afternoon, and night hours. I am going to usually additionally run devoted check runs to test the speeds on particular person bands, or if the router presents any distinctive efficiency settings. All informed, it provides as much as a whole lot of pace exams and a number of days of labor for every router I evaluate.

Which Wi-Fi 6 router is true for me?

There are three most important issues to contemplate first as you are dialing in on a brand new router: the pace of your own home’s web plan, the scale of your own home, and the variety of Wi-Fi units underneath your roof that want a dependable connection. Should you’re residing in a small- to medium-sized dwelling with web speeds of 500Mbps or much less, and also you simply want a dependable sign on your cellphone, laptop computer and streaming machine, then a easy decide just like the TP-Hyperlink Archer AX21 or the Netgear R6700AX ought to supply loads of bandwidth and vary to fit your wants. The 2 are largely indistinguishable except your own home has a high-speed connection, and the AX21 usually prices rather less, so I would suggest beginning there.

Should you’ve received a home full of good dwelling units, or a number of members of the family who every make common use of your Wi-Fi with a wide range of devices, or in the event you’ve simply upgraded your web plan so as to add in gigabit speeds, you must in all probability think about a router with better bandwidth potential. The tried-and-true Asus RT-AX86U is the one I would in all probability suggest first as a result of it has been a daily standout by means of a number of rounds of CNET exams, together with full rounds of exams on three separate networks at three separate places.

Nevertheless, in the event you’re residing in a bigger dwelling, particularly a multistory dwelling, then it is value contemplating stepping as much as a mesh router just like the Eero 6 Plus, the Asus ZenWifi XD6, or the TP-Hyperlink Deco W7200, as a result of these a number of mesh units will assist guarantee a greater, extra dependable sign all through everything of your own home. You might additionally think about splurging on a mesh powerhouse just like the Netgear Orbi AX6000, however at a value of a number of hundred {dollars}, it is in all probability overkill for many houses.

Wi-Fi 6 router FAQs

Should you’ve received questions concerning the ins and outs of Wi-Fi 6, make sure to try my full explainer on the usual and what makes it higher than the Wi-Fi of yore. You too can attain me by wanting me up on Twitter (@rycrist) or by clicking the little envelope icon on my CNET profile web page to ship a message straight to my inbox. Within the meantime, I am going to submit solutions to any generally requested questions under. 

What makes Wi-Fi 6 higher than earlier than?

Are Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E the identical factor?

Will older units nonetheless work with a Wi-Fi 6 router?



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