A good rule of thumb is that if you've considered adding a wireless extender or an extra access point in your house, get a mesh system instead. If you have more people or a large house-more than 2,300 square feet or more than one floor-you should probably look at our mesh-networking guide instead. These routers are a good fit for apartments or small to medium-size houses with three or four people on the network. Any of our picks will easily outperform any router you got from your Internet service provider, or any router more than a few years old. This guide covers standalone Wi-Fi routers. An older router that doesn't support 802.11ac (also known as Wi-Fi 5), has a weak CPU, or lacks Gigabit Ethernet ports can hold you back significantly. If you're having problems with range, speed, or reliability, though, it might be time for an upgrade. If you're happy with your Wi-Fi, you don't need a new router-it's as simple as that. He did that so he could connect to the Internet from his desk, his couch, and his bed seamlessly (a rarity for the time). Metaphorically, Joel has been a wire cutter for at least two decades: Testing wireless home networking has been a part of his life for the past 20-plus years through all versions of Wi-Fi, back to the wireless phone extension he tacked onto the back of his Apple PowerBook. Prior to writing for a living, Joel was an IT tech and system administrator for small, medium-size, and large companies.
#Wirecutter best wifi router Pc
Why you should trust usīefore joining Wirecutter, Joel Santo Domingo tested and wrote about PCs, networking, and personal tech at, Lifewire, HotHardware, and PC Magazine for more than 17 years. It's typically less than half the price of the Archer A20, and we think it's the best router you can buy for less than $100. On our toughest test it outperformed two higher-priced competitors, though the Archer A20 and other top performers still beat it overall. The A7 lacks beamforming and MU-MIMO, two high-end features that can improve speeds but aren't vitally important, but still performs well at shorter distances. TP-Link has improved the Archer A7 since we tested it in 2018, adding band steering (here called Smart Connect) and TP-Link OneMesh support via firmware updates.
TP Link's Archer A7 router is relatively inexpensive, and it's a great choice for small homes or one- or two-bedroom apartments.
You can extend the RT2600ac into a mesh network with the add-on Synology MR2200ac router purchasing a mesh-router kit is often less expensive than buying two separate routers to create a mesh network, though, and many mesh kits have extra features, such as dedicated wireless bands, that help them perform better. It has a dual-core processor, rather than a quad-core, and it lacks a third wireless radio, which means it may reach its limits earlier than the Archer A20. The Synology RT2600ac is a bit pricier than our pick, and it finished our performance tests in a dead heat with the Asus Blue Cave and Asus RT-AC86U for second place. The Archer A20 has features such as a quad-core processor and band steering over its three channels (two 5 GHz and one 2.4 GHz), which can help you connect your household's growing collection of wireless devices while avoiding dropped connections and slowdown. If you don't have a huge or complicated house that needs a mesh-networking kit, the Archer A20 is the best choice to replace an older router or one that doesn't have the range, speed, or reliability you need now. The TP-Link Archer A20 tri-band 802.11ac router passed all of our performance tests with top marks.
It was faster than anything else we tested at both close and long range, it's reliable, and it shrugs off the stress of handling multiple wireless devices simultaneously. Īfter testing 10 routers over 120 hours, we've determined that the best router for wirelessly connecting your laptops, your smart devices, and anything else your daily life depends on is the TP-Link Archer A20. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter.
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