Best routers that use mesh, Wi-Fi 6
We’ve previously given you some tips on the best streaming devices to enhance your wintertime viewing experience. But if you don’t have a router that’s up to the task, your stream could wind up little more than a trickle, and your 4K TV could look a lot more like standard def.
Wi-Fi 6, which was first introduced a few years ago, is the latest generation of Wi-Fi, and it boasts faster, more efficient home network performance. Now, the growing number of new, second-gen mesh router options is worth paying attention to as well — particularly since so many of them are so much less expensive than the router combo systems that came before them.
Between mesh and Wi-Fi 6, you’ll find a number of interesting new options if you’re currently in the market for an upgrade. Whether you’re interested in gaming routers, mesh systems, Wi-Fi 6 routers — or if you just want something decent that won’t break the bank and won’t require you to switch your devices back to a wired connection tethered to an access point for the fastest internet connection possible — we’re here to point you in the right direction. These are CNET’s recommendations for three of the best routers out there for different situations.
BEST WI-FI 6 ROUTER
TP-Link Archer AX6000
Wi-Fi 6 is the latest, fastest version of Wi-Fi and we’re expecting to see lots of new models that support it soon. But if you’re looking to make the upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 right now, or if you need a new wireless router and you want something future-proofed for the next generation of Wi-Fi devices, then go for the TP-Link Archer AX6000. It basically aced our performance tests, delivering the fastest router transfer speeds we’ve ever recorded, plus excellent range and low latency.
The AX6000 debuted at a price of $350, but it’s currently down to $300 and we’ve seen it marked down as low as $270. It definitely isn’t cheap even at that price, but if you can catch it on sale, it’s a worthy way to upgrade your home network to a robust Wi-Fi 6 network.
BEST MESH ROUTER Nest Wifi
With fast wireless speed, simple setup and helpful, easy-to-use app controls, Google Wifi has been our top mesh router pick for the past three years. Its secondgen follow-up, Nest Wifi, is faster, more affordable and just as easy to set up and use. Plus, the range-extending Points double as Google Assistant smart speakers now. That, coupled with a new design that comes in multiple colors, is aimed at getting you to keep these things out in the open, where they’ll perform better.
It doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6 (and Nest’s range-extending satellite devices don’t have Ethernet ports, which means you can’t wire them back to the Wi-Fi router), but Nest Wifi does add in a couple of current-gen upgrades, including support for new WPA3 security standards and also 4X4 MU-MIMO connections, which means that this mesh Wi-Fi router can provide faster top speeds to devices that use multiple Wi-Fi antennas.
All of that helps Nest’s mesh router punch above its weight and outperform most other mesh routers with similar specs.
At $179 for a two-device setup capable of Wi-Fi coverage up to 3,800 square feet (a claim that checked out when we tested it in both a small home and the 5,800-squarefoot CNET Smart Home), the dual-band Nest Wifi is the most well-rounded mesh router on the market right now.
BEST GAMING ROUTER Asus RT-AX86U
Gaming routers promise high performance and low latency for die-hard gamers, and it isn’t uncommon to find them selling for $300 or even $400. At about $250, the Asus RT-AX86U dualband router isn’t inexpensive either, but it’s a strong value relative to routers like those — and the performance it delivers is flat-out great.
Most noteworthy is the router’s latency management. In fact, it leads all of the routers we’ve ever tested, gaming or otherwise, with the lowest average latency across all of our tests, which online gamers will definitely appreciate.
Gaming features aside, the RT-AX86U offers full support for Wi-Fi 6, with strong, stable speeds and good range. If you need additional range, you can add other Asus “AIMesh” devices to your home network to make it the centerpiece of a mesh.
That checks off all of the boxes that most people want from a good gaming router, and it gets you there at a price that isn’t too painful for us to recommend. Even if you aren’t a gamer, this is tstill one of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers you can buy right now.