If your WiFi connection is slowing you down at work or frustrating you at home, you might want to consider upgrading your router. The fastest routers these days support the next-generation WiFi 6 technology (also known as 802.11ax). Not only is WiFi 6 faster up to 250% faster than the current standard, it also lets you connect to more devices at once. Here is our list of the best WiFi 6 routers you can get now, including the best budget, gaming, and mesh WiFi systems for large homes.
If you want to know more about what WiFi 6 is, check out our previous article here.
TP-Link Archer AX3000: Best Budget WiFi 6 Router
If you’re looking for a budget WiFi 6 router, the Archer AX3000 from TP-Link is one of the best options on the market. This dual-band router can deliver speeds up to 2.4 Gbps (gigabits per second) on the 5 GHz band and up to 574 Mbps (megabits per second) on the 2.4 GHz band.
If you want to know more about the difference between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, check out our previous article here.
The Archer AX3000 can accommodate up to 40 devices at once, and it provides 2,000 square feet of WiFi coverage. But the best thing about this gigabit WiFi 6 router is that you can connect it to your Alexa devices. Then you can tell Alexa to prioritize which of your devices will get the fastest connection.
It is worth noting that to use some of the features, you will need a subscription to TP-Link Homecare. However, the company assured us that this service is “provided for free for the first three years and is available in all TP-Link Homecare routers.”
Netgear Nighthawk MK63: Best Budget WiFi 6 Mesh Router
If you have any WiFi “dead zones” in your home, Netgear’s Nighthawk MK63 is one of the best WiFi 6 routers you can get. This mesh WiFi system comes with one router and at least one “node.” Each of these nodes will give you 1,500 square feet of WiFi coverage, and you can always add more nodes to your system later.
If you want to know more about what mesh WiFi system is, check out our previous article here.
This dual-band mesh WiFi system delivers speeds up to 1.2 Gbps on the 5 GHz band and 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. You can connect at least 25 devices to this WiFi system at once. Plus, each node has one LAN Ethernet port on the back, which means you can connect any device directly to a node to get the fastest speeds in any room.
But this WiFi 6 mesh router isn’t just fast, it will also help you get the most out of your internet plan. According to real-world tests, the Nighthawk MK63 delivered download speeds up to 58.9 Mbps on a 50 Mbps network.
Asus RT-AX88U: Best WiFi 6 Router for the Money
The Asus RT-AX88U isn’t the cheapest option, and it doesn’t offer the best features, but it has everything that most people want and need from a WiFi 6 router.
This dual-band router can deliver speeds up to 4.8 Gbps on the 5 GHz band and 1.1 Gbps on the 2.4 GHz band. Based on real-world tests, you can achieve speeds of up to 400 Mbps when you’re 50 feet away for this router.
This WiFi 6 router has eight streams, as opposed to the previous routers, which only have four streams. These additional streams allow your router to send data to up to four devices on the 2.4 GHz band and four devices on the 5 GHz band at the same time. You can imagine streams like lanes on a highway, so the more streams you have, the faster and more reliable your WiFi signal will be.
The Asus RT-AX88U also has eight gigabit Ethernet ports, commercial-grade security features, parental controls, and a quad-core processor. Plus, the adaptive QoS technology automatically adjusts the bandwidth allocation for certain apps and devices.
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000: Best WiFi 6 Router for Gaming
The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 has tons of features that make it one of the best WiFi 6 gaming routers. According to Asus, this is the world’s first 10 gigabit WiFi router, and it is able to deliver incredible speeds up to 10.8 Gbps.
This tri-band router features a 2.4 GHz band and two 5 GHz bands. This way, you can have one of the 5 GHz bands dedicated to gaming, and you won’t have to worry about other devices slowing your connection down. This WiFi 6 router delivers speeds up to 1.1 Gbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 4.8 Gbps on each of the two 5 GHz bands.
It also comes with other features that make it great for gaming, including a powerful 1.8 GHz quad-core processor and 1 GB of RAM to help reduce lag. This 12-stream WiFi 6 router is packed with software that can reduce ping times by up to 90%, so you can have the best gaming experience possible.
The back of the ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 features four gigabit LAN ports and one 2.5 Gbps LAN port, which makes it 2.5 times faster than regular gigabit Ethernet routers. You will also find two USB 3.0 ports, which can be useful for setting up a network printer or attaching a storage drive.
Netgear Orbi 6: Best Mesh WiFi 6 Router for Large Homes
The Netgear Orbi 6 offers the best overall performance of any tri-band WiFi 6 router on the market today. This 12-stream mesh WiFi system can handle up to 100 connected devices at once. The primary router and each of the nodes in this mesh WiFi system will give you 2,500 square feet of WiFi coverage. So, if you buy a two-pack, you’ll get 5,000 square feet of WiFi coverage.
This tri-band mesh system can handle speeds up to 1.2 Gbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 2.4 Gbps for the two 5 GHz bands. However, you only use one of the 5 GHz bands for your devices. The other 5 GHz band is a “dedicated backhaul” that connects your main router to your nodes. This provides a reliable WiFi connection everywhere in your home.
The back of the router and each of the nodes have four gigabit Ethernet ports. This router system also comes with an Orbi app where you can easily set up your network, access controls, or even run a quick speed test.
If you want to learn how to test your WiFi speed and what the results mean, check out our guide here.
The Orbi 6 can provide best-in-class security features and parental controls with Netgear Armor. Netgear Armor is a subscription-based advanced cyber threat protection feature that costs $69.99 per year. When you purchase this WiFi 6 mesh system, you will get a 30-day free trial to Netgear Armor.
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