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Although Wi-Fi 7 routers are on their approach, in the interim, Wi-Fi 6 remains to be the most recent technology of Wi-Fi that is supported by many of the present technology of devices and gadgets. And that can assist you equip your house with the quickest and most secure web connection doable, we have rounded up one of the best Wi-Fi 6 router choices available on the market proper now beneath.
Virtually each new telephone and laptop launch helps Wi-Fi 6, and we’re beginning to see assist pop up amongst peripheral gadgets, too. Did you choose up an Apple TV 4K or Amazon Fireplace TV 4K Max media streamer to your TV? Each of these assist 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 gadgets like these are backward appropriate with older routers, however if you wish to unlock their full potential for sooner, higher Wi-Fi efficiency, then you definately’ll want a Wi-Fi 6 router working your house community. That was an costly proposition again when Wi-Fi 6 first arrived, however not anymore. Now, procuring round, you may discover a good variety of Wi-Fi 6 choices accessible for lower than $100, in addition to mesh programs, 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 establish one of the best improve picks for the cash.
Count on common updates to this submit as we proceed to place Wi-Fi 6 to the take a look at in 2023. Each time we discover a new router that deserves consideration, we’ll add it to the listing.
Greatest Wi-Fi 6 routers of 2023
Like
- Sooner efficiency and higher vary than comparable AX1800 routers
- Straightforward-to-use app controls
- Excellent worth
Don’t love
- 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 sooner speeds and decrease latency to busy networks with a number of linked gadgets. That is true even with the budget-priced worth picks — and amongst these, the one which performs one of the best is the TP-Hyperlink Archer AX21.
Like
- Tri-band design ensures optimum mesh efficiency
- Simplified setup, with extenders that robotically pair with the primary router
- Speeds similar to mesh routers that value a whole bunch extra
Don’t love
- Bland, barely cumbersome design
- Restricted retail availability
Wi-Fi Customary Wi-Fi 6Velocity Score AX3600Vary As much as 5,500 sq. ft. (two gadgets)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 way of my velocity exams to earn a spot as my top-rated mesh router of the yr. With a number of gadgets working like a group of routers to unfold a sooner, extra dependable sign throughout a bigger space than a single router can, it is a implausible choose for giant houses — and one that will not set you again very a lot.
Like
- Wonderful speeds, low latency, terrific vary
- Complete gaming and community customization options by way of Asus Router app
- Elective improve to a multi-gig Ethernet jack
Don’t love
- “Good Join” band steering would not carry out nicely in small houses (however you may flip it off)
Wi-Fi commonplace Wi-Fi 6Velocity Score AX5700Vary As much as 2,500 sq. ft.Wi-fi Networking Safety WPA3Bands Twin-Band (2.4 and 5GHz)
Asus is likely one of the high names within the gaming router class, boasting one of the best number of quick, flashy routers that promise elite efficiency, low latency, and superior controls to your connection. The Asus RT-AX86U is definitely one of many extra understated routers in that blend — it would not embrace color-changing lights or an oversize, ostentatious design — nevertheless it’s nonetheless among the best gaming routers you should purchase. Gaming apart, it is among the best Wi-Fi 6 routers you should purchase, interval.
Like
- Dependable, constant speeds
- Wonderful worth
- Higher efficiency on high-speed, gigabit networks than different entry-level Wi-Fi 6 routers
Don’t love
- Barely increased latency than comparable AX1800 routers
- No USB jack
Velocity Score 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 sooner wi-fi switch charges of Wi-Fi 6. In case you’ve made the improve to gigabit web speeds at house, then you definately’ll undoubtedly need a Wi-Fi 6 router that may take full benefit of it.
Like
- A constant high finisher throughout a number of years of velocity exams
- Multi-gig Ethernet jack helps the quickest web speeds accessible immediately
Don’t love
- Costly and infrequently on sale, regardless of being a number of years previous
Wi-Fi Customary Wi-Fi 6Velocity Score AX6000Vary As much as 5,000 sq. ft.Wi-fi Networking Safety WPA, WPA2Bands Tri-Band (2.4 and two 5GHz)
Keep 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.
Like
- Sturdy efficiency and speeds, with assist for 160MHz channel width
- Constructed-in Zigbee radio and assist for Matter make it an ideal sensible house choose
Don’t love
- Barely inconsistent bandsteering in small houses
Wi-Fi Customary Wi-Fi 6Velocity Score 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 house with loads of house to cowl. In instances like that, it is value it to prioritize getting a system with greater than two gadgets within the mesh — and Amazon’s Eero 6 Plus will get you there for $300, full with full assist for Wi-Fi 6.
Like
- A dual-band mesh router that performs extra like a tri-band mannequin
- Compact, nice-looking design
Don’t love
- Barely costly at full value
Wi-Fi Customary Wi-Fi 6Velocity Score 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 advocate 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 shops in current weeks, which makes it a significantly better worth.
How we take a look at Wi-Fi 6 routers
Each time I take a router into consideration, I put it by way of the identical set of complete, managed velocity exams to get an excellent 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 house in Louisville, Kentucky, however final yr, we have have been in a position to transfer these exams again into the CNET Residence take a look at lab, the place we have arrange a 1,350 sq. ft. take a look at surroundings with a gigabit fiber connection.
There are 5 rooms in that take a look at house, so after setting the router up within the first of them, I run a battery of velocity exams in all of them to get a way of the common speeds at numerous ranges. For every set of exams, I begin in the identical room because the router with my take a look at machine, a Lenovo ThinkPad Wi-Fi 6 laptop computer. I hook up with the router’s community, then I run three velocity exams and report the outcomes for add velocity, obtain velocity 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 offers me an excellent sense at how the router’s efficiency differs when the connection begins up shut versus when it begins at a distance, as this may typically influence your speeds. I repeat this complete course of thrice, throughout morning, afternoon, and night hours. I am going to sometimes additionally run devoted take a look at runs to examine the speeds on particular person bands, or if the router provides any distinctive efficiency settings. All advised, it provides as much as a whole bunch of velocity exams and a number of days of labor for every router I assessment.
Which Wi-Fi 6 router is true for me?
There are three important issues to think about first as you are dialing in on a brand new router: the velocity of your house’s web plan, the dimensions of your house, and the variety of Wi-Fi gadgets below your roof that want a dependable connection. In case you’re dwelling in a small- to medium-sized house with web speeds of 500Mbps or much less, and also you simply want a dependable sign to your telephone, laptop computer and streaming machine, then a easy choose just like the TP-Hyperlink Archer AX21 or the Netgear R6700AX ought to provide loads of bandwidth and vary to fit your wants. The 2 are largely indistinguishable until your house has a high-speed connection, and the AX21 sometimes prices rather less, so I might advocate beginning there.
In case you’ve bought a home stuffed with sensible house gadgets, or a number of relations who every make common use of your Wi-Fi with quite a lot of devices, or in the event you’ve simply upgraded your web plan so as to add in gigabit speeds, you need to most likely take into account a router with larger bandwidth potential. The tried-and-true Asus RT-AX86U is the one I might most likely advocate first as a result of it has been a daily standout by way 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 dwelling in a bigger house, particularly a multistory house, 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 gadgets will assist guarantee a greater, extra dependable sign all through the whole lot of your house. You possibly can additionally take into account splurging on a mesh powerhouse just like the Netgear Orbi AX6000, however at a value of a number of hundred {dollars}, it is most likely overkill for many houses.
Wi-Fi 6 router FAQs
In case you’ve bought questions concerning the ins and outs of Wi-Fi 6, be sure you take a look at my full explainer on the usual and what makes it higher than the Wi-Fi of yore. It’s also possible to attain me by trying 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 beneath.
What makes Wi-Fi 6 higher than earlier than?
Are Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E the identical factor?
Will older gadgets nonetheless work with a Wi-Fi 6 router?
