Are you thinking about purchasing a Wireless Router for your Home or Office but getting confused about which one you should buy?
If yes, then go through this entire post.
In this article, I’ll guide you on how to choose the best wireless router for your home/ office and also present a comprehensive list of the Best Wireless Routers.
It will be a complete buyer’s guide where I’ll discuss the technical specifications of a router and recommend the best wireless routers you may consider buying.
Whenever we buy any product, it is advisable to buy one with the latest technology and have a good technical specification but in some cases, paying too much attention to the technical specifications results in a waste of time.
We end up scratching our heads to understand the meaning of technical jargon used to explain different functions of the router and eventually become confused about which wireless router is best for us.
If you’re caught in the same situation, don’t worry, I’ll help you.
Keep reading!
How to Choose the Best Wireless Routers
As I said, whenever we need to buy any gadget, it is always better to buy one that uses the latest technology and has good specifications.
But often we become so much worried about the technical specifications of the product that we completely forget what we actually buying this product for, whether this particular model will serve our needs or not.
Of course, it is better to buy one with better technical specifications but what is the use of paying extra money to buy a product with added features and the latest configuration when we are not going to use it?
It doesn’t make any sense to buy a long-range router when I know my house is not that big or if I’m living in a cramped apartment.
It would be a total waste of money. Isn’t it?
Hence, apart from technical specifications, our first priority should be to analyze our needs.
Whether our house /office is big or small and if we need small, medium, or long-range wireless routers?
Are we buying a wireless router for our gaming needs or just for general use? Do we need a Single, Double, or Tri-band wireless router?
Such kinds of questions could help you analyze your need and eventually helps you select the best wireless router.
Apart from that, we just need to consider the budget for the best wireless routers because if we need to buy a router with more features, we must have to spend more money.
I always recommend buying a wireless router that serves all your needs and doesn’t hurt the pocket either.
However, we must consider future needs as well.
For example, if you anticipate that you will be moving to a bigger house than where you are presently living, it is advisable to buy a long-range router now itself so that you don’t feel the need to buy a new one later when you shift to a bigger house.
Such kind of planning is very important!
Factors to be considered for making a list of Best Wireless routers:
Whenever I’ve to buy a router or any other product, I simply create a list of the best wireless routers or models of the product, compare them and come up with the 3 best options that I consider buying.
From this list of the 3 best options, I chose the one that fits my requirements.
Below are the factors that you might consider and create a list of the best wireless routers and finally buy one of your choices.
Range (Proximity) –
One of the important things to be considered before you purchase a wireless router is the range.
You must figure out what area you want to cover with this particular model of wireless router.
Space, walls, and floors impede the wireless router’s signal strength.
For example, if you have a big house and the area where you will be placing this router is way, you need a long-ranged Wireless Router.
However, if your house has several floors and you want to use the internet on every floor, you might consider buying a very high ranged Wireless router.
Some longest-ranged best wireless routers can cover up to 5000 square feet of area.
ASUS AC5300 Wireless Tri-Band Gigabit Router is among one such best wireless routers that cover a wider area at home as well as in the offices.
If you have to cover an even larger area, you might need more than one wireless router and connect them to the same network.
Moreover, If you have a small but it is a multi-room house with many walls, you will need a long-range Wireless Router as the walls impede signal strength.
The small range of routers may cause a “weak signal” or “signal drop” problem in that case.
Internet Speed –
The other important thing to consider is the speed of your internet connection. The routers have a wireless speed that they can be used for.
You must need to find out the speed of your internet connection and you can do that by calling customer care or by login into your account.
For example, if your internet speed is 5000 MBPS but the routers that you have purchased don’t support this much speed, you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of your high-speed internet connection.
Some high-speed best wireless routers like NETGEAR AD7200 Nighthawk support up to 7200 Mbps speed.
You must consider factors like future requirements as well.
If you are planning to upgrade your internet plan to high-speed internet, consider buying a router that supports higher speed.
Figure out How many devices will be connected to a router-
If you anticipate that you will be connected to many devices such as smartphones, Laptops, Tablets, Printers, etc, consider buying a heavy Wireless router as the normal one wouldn’t be successful in this case.
The devices like printers need a heavy wireless router because they are high-bandwidth devices.
Also, try to find out how many of these devices will be connected simultaneously. If it is happening not very often, a normal router would do the job.
Wireless Standard Signals –
There are five wireless signals standards according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) that signify the strength of the signals.
The wireless standards a, b, g have become obsolete by now and hence you wouldn’t find many routers working on these standards.
However, the current routers use “n” and “ac” wireless signal standards. I’d recommend buying routers that work on ac standards.
So any router that you are going to choose, make sure it works on 802.11 AC standard. It is because of the fact that technology changing very quickly and this is the current latest wireless standard.
Single, Dual, Tri-Band Wireless Router –
There are three types of wireless routers in the market – Single Band, Dual Band, and Tri-Band wireless routers.
While the single-band wireless routers work on a single frequency, either 2.5 GHz or 5 GHz, the dual-band wireless router works with both of these two frequency bands.
The Tri-band wireless routers work with an additional 5 GHz frequency band apart from 2.5 GHz and 5 GHz.
I’d recommend Daul or Tri-band wireless routers cuz they come with more options than single-band routers.
These routers are useful when we have to connect more than one device.
Price
One of the important things that everyone pays close attention to is the cost.
However, deciding which routers are best based on cost factors alone wouldn’t be a smart decision.
While the cheaper wireless routers wouldn’t come with the latest configuration and features, it is not necessary that the costly one would fit your requirements.
Hence, don’t just blindly go for the cheaper ones or the costlier ones…
While the budget is a constraint in most cases, we must select a router that serves all our needs and doesn’t much hurt our pocket.
The routers like ASUS RT-AC3200, NETGEAR 7900 are good options for a home network.
Above are the factors that buyers need to consider while purchasing a wireless router.
There are plenty of best wireless router choices for customers that could fit in their requirements but more than that means more confusion.
Our team of experts has created below a list of the best wireless routers based on the feedback that we receive from the readers.
We created this list based on the common preferences of the users and hence it will suit you as well.
#1ASUS RT-AC88U – Best for Gamers & Heavy Use
Asus is a well-known company when it comes to wireless routers and has several great routers in the product line to cater to the different needs of the customers.
They make routers for normal users, heavy users, gamers, homes & offices specifically suitable for them.
So whether you are looking for the best wireless routers that are suitable for gamers specifically, ASUS has the best router for you to serve your gaming needs, though it never means it is not suitable for non-gamers.
It’s a great router for all those people who anticipate heavy and faster Wi-Fi needs.
The router I’m talking about is ASUS RT- AC88U which comes with numerous features and carries the latest technical specifications.
The first thing that attracted me to its design!
It has four antennas that offer full signal strength to everyone at every corner of the house (a normal house).
It is able to cover an area of up to 5000 square feet (as advertised).
ASUS RT-AC88U is a dual-band router that works with 2.4 GHz as well as 5 GHz frequency bands to offer more flexibility to a wide range of devices.
There are several devices that don’t support 5 GHz frequency, in that case, ASUS RT-AC88U gives them an alternative to connecting with the 2.4 GHz frequency band.
It offers up to 2100 MBPS wireless speed at 5 GHz and 1000 MBPS at 2.4 GHz.
ASUS RT-AC88U comes with a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor and 512 GB RAM which together offer great power for faster processing.
This amazing wireless router comes with 8 Gigabits LAN ports that can handle faster internet pretty easily and are considered best for connecting gaming consoles, set-top boxes, gaming PCs, etc.
It has two USB ports – USB 2.0 as well as USB 3.0 standards that add more flexibility to it.
ASUS RT- AC88U comes with a built-in Game Accelerator and ASUS router app that helps you manage the devices that you’ve connected with these routers easily.
The MU MIMO technology that helps you connect several devices to a single router without affecting the speed is one of the key features of the ASUS RT AC88U router.
This technology would allow you to connect your smartphone, gaming console, laptop, PC, and a set-top box with these routers and offer each of these devices full-speed WiFi connectivity, It wouldn’t diminish wireless speed even though several devices are connected simultaneously.
This router supports all the wireless signal standards 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n & the latest 802.11ac, and comes with a user manual that helps you install this router on your own without any problem.
Pros:
- Eight Gigabit Ports to handle the faster connection.
- MU MIMO technology for dedicated full speed to each connected device.
- USB 2.0 as well as USB 3.0 support.
- Elegant design with 4 antennas for better connectivity.
Cons:
- Bit Pricey.
#2Google Wi-Fi System (Set of 3) – Best for Homes
Google doesn’t need any introduction as almost everyone is associated with Google products in one way or another, let it be a Gmail account, Chromecast, or any other product.
It is a trusted company that we can rely upon and be sure its product would be of great quality.
Google Wi-Fi System that comes with a set of 3 units is not a wireless router, it is a complete system to offer you world-class wireless connectivity for all your devices connected to it.
If you hate wireless router antennas, this Wi-Fi system from Google gives you a reason to smile.
Apart from its white color and elegant design of all three units that look ditto copy of each other, it is pretty easily adjustable in a small area.
Each of these units has coverage of 1500 square feet, hence all three units together cover a big area of 4500 square feet which means you can have internet connectivity almost everywhere in the house.
However, at any point, if you feel the need to increase the coverage, you can add an additional unit to the system anytime. The whole Wi-Fi system can be controlled by Alexa or Google Home voice commands.
Google Wi-Fi system gives you more control over the internet connection such as you can share the password with guests with the APP, switch off the internet for kids’ devices when it is their time to sleep or study, etc.
It works with IEEE Wi-Fi signal standards 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, and the current 802.11ac and simultaneously supports 2.4 GHz as well as 5.0 GHz frequency bands being a dual-band Wi-Fi system.
Hence you will be able to connect those devices too that don’t work on a 5.0 GHz frequency band since you have a 2.4 GHz option as well.
Google Wi-Fi system is compatible with major ISP such as Time Warner, Verizon Fios, Comcast, etc. It is also very easy to install the system with the help of the user manual.
Pros:
- Powered by the world’s most technologically advanced company.
- Unique Design.
- No antenna.
- Flexibility to increase coverage by adding another point (unit).
Cons:
- You need to always stay logged on to Google Account to use the system.
#3Linksys WRT AC3200 – Good for normal use
Linksys is yet another great company that makes a wide range of routers to serve the different needs of customers. If you are fond of routers with Antennas, then Linksys WRT AC 3200 is the best choice.
It comes with plenty of features that you would hardly find in any other comparable routers within the same price range.
Linksys AC3200 is a dual-band wireless router with MU MIMO technology that offers dedicated speed to all connected devices.
As per the advertisement, it’s the fastest dual-band router among all.
It supports 2.4 GHz as well 5.0 GHz radio frequency to connect all those devices too which don’t support the 5.0 GHz radio frequency band.
It has a massive 1.8 GHz processor and together with 256 MB flash memory and 512 MB RAM, this router offers blazing faster processing and hence the connectivity across all the connected devices.
You can control the network by creating a Guest Access for the guests, restrict access to the children when it’s time to sleep or study, prioritize the devices, etc.
It has four Gigabit ports, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 for cable connectivity. Apart from that, there is a reset button and a power button at the back to switch off the modem whenever needed.
Pros:
- 1.8 GHz processor blazing faster processing
- Dual Band
- Open-source ready
Cons:
- The price might seem high to the customers
#4NETGEAR Orbi – Best for Complete Home Coverage
NETGEAR is one of the best companies when it comes to wireless routers. They have plenty of products ranging from low prices to high prices serving different needs of the customers.
Whether you need a router for your house or the office, they have a wide plethora of options to choose from.
One such wireless router that I couldn’t resist myself including in the list of best wireless routers of 2017 is NETGEAR Orbi.
Its super elegant design and ability to be controlled by Amazon Alexa/Echo voice commands makes it a good choice for the customer.
It’s a Tri-band Wi-Fi system that covers a wide area at your home with a Wi-Fi kit and satellite range extender.
It can cover up to 5000 square feet (as advertised) area and gives each and every device connected to it a dedicated wireless speed.
If you need to cover an even larger area, you can add more satellites to the Wi-Fi system easily at any point in time.
It means if you are living in a small house at the moment and planning to move to a bigger one, you can still buy it since you can always extend the range by adding another satellite.
Connect several devices simultaneously and enjoy uninterrupted faster Wi-Fi connectivity at every corner of your house or office.
The system comes with both 2.4 GHz as well as 5.0 GHz frequencies and supports IEEE standards 802.11ac. It has three ethernet ports plus a USB 2.0 port for connecting the device through a wire.
The Orbi Wi-Fi system is pretty easy to set up and doesn’t require you to create an account. What you have to do is to connect the devices and follow the instructions.
This router has been selected as editors’ choice by websites like Forbes, PC Magazine, Engadget, etc. for its better performance and ease to setup & use.
Another great feature of the NETGEAR Orbi Wi-Fi system is GUEST CAPABILITY. If you are like me who invites friends and family members every week to your home, this feature can be very helpful.
Guest Capability allows you to create a separate network for the Guests that protects your password as well as the network.
Pros:
- Small size to fit just anywhere with an elegant design.
- No Antenna
- Create a separate network for the Guests.
- Flexibility – Add more satellites to extend the range.
Cons:
- Difficult Wi-Fi settings.
- Bit Costly.
#5NETGEAR Nighthawk X10 – AD7200 – Fastest router, Best for Heavy Wi-Fi Use
Yet another Wireless router from NETGEAR that secured a place in my list of best wireless routers of 2017 is the NETGEAR Nighthawk AD7200 wireless router which comes with features that you wouldn’t find in any other wireless router.
This is an expensive router but comes with an unmatchable specification and ultra faster Wi-Fi connectivity that other routers don’t offer.
Starting with the design, its black and grey color combination looks pretty good.
The four antennas which fit symmetrically at the back and on both sides of the router offer a great balance to the router.
If you are looking for the best routers for VR gaming and streaming 4K videos on your devices, Nighthawk AD7200 is the best choice.
It is a tri-band wireless router that supports 2.5 GHz, 5.0, and an additional 60 GHz radio frequency to connect a wide variety of devices to the same network.
It comes with 6 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and 2 Gigabit LAN ports that help to stream 4k without any problem.
The router comes with a powerful 1.7 GHz dual-core processor accompanied by 512MB ram which makes AD7200 one of the fastest routers.
Its 60 GHz 802.11 ad Wi-Fi technology can deliver two times faster speed than other wireless routers available in the market.
The combined wireless speed of the AD7200 wireless router can go up to 7.2 GBPS (as advertised).
NETGEAR AD7200 again comes with cool MU MIMO technology that allows you to simultaneously access the internet via several devices without compromising the data transfer speed.
The router is compatible with Amazon Alex / Echo which lets you control the network with a voice command.
The high-performance four antennas add to the faster speed and better Wi-Fi connectivity across the whole house/ office.
The installation of NETGEAR Nighthawk AD7200 wireless routers is pretty easy. All you have to do is to connect the device and complete the installation process through the website routerlogin.net.
The user manual explains each and every step of the installation process that anyone can follow.
Pros:
- 60 GHz 802.11 Ad Wi-Fi technology
- MI MIMO technology for dedicated faster speed for each device.
- Easy to install.
- Combine wireless speed up to 7.2 GBPS
Cons:
- High Price.
- The AD frequency band is not supported by many devices.