Greatest Wi-Fi 6 Router of 2023

$88 at Amazon

Netgear R6700AX

Greatest price range router for gigabit networks

Present extra (2 gadgets)

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Although Wi-Fi 7 routers are on their way, in the intervening time, Wi-Fi 6 continues to be the most recent technology of Wi-Fi that is supported by many of the present technology of devices and gadgets. And that will help you equip your property with the quickest and most secure web connection doable, we have rounded up the most effective Wi-Fi 6 router choices available on the market proper now under. 

Virtually each new cellphone and laptop launch helps Wi-Fi 6, and we’re beginning to see assist pop up amongst peripheral gadgets, too. Did you decide up an Apple TV 4K or Amazon Fire TV 4K Max media streamer in 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, you then’ll want a Wi-Fi 6 router working your property community. That was an costly proposition again when Wi-Fi 6 first arrived, however not anymore. Now, buying round, you may discover a good variety of Wi-Fi 6 choices accessible for lower than $100, in addition to mesh systems, gaming routers, range extenders and extra. Some do the job higher than others — however that is the place we are available in, with complete, hands-on assessments to assist establish the most effective improve picks for the cash. 

Anticipate common updates to this put up as we proceed to place Wi-Fi 6 to the take a look at in 2023. Every time we discover a new router that deserves consideration, we’ll add it to the record.

Greatest Wi-Fi 6 routers of 2023

Like

• Quicker efficiency and higher vary than comparable AX1800 routers
• Straightforward-to-use app controls
• Excellent worth

Do not like

• Lacks superior options
• Not highly effective sufficient to take full benefit of gigabit web speeds

When a router helps Wi-Fi 6, that implies that it is able to utilizing new features like OFDMA and 1024-QAM to ship sooner speeds and decrease latency to busy networks with numerous related gadgets. That is true even with the budget-priced worth picks — and amongst these, the one which performs the most effective is the TP-Hyperlink Archer AX21.

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Like

• Tri-band design ensures optimum mesh efficiency
• Simplified setup, with extenders that robotically pair with the primary router
• Speeds akin to mesh routers that price tons of extra

Do not like

• Bland, barely cumbersome design
• Restricted retail availability

Wi-Fi Commonplace Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking 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 via my velocity assessments to earn a spot as my top-rated mesh router of the year. With a number of gadgets working like a crew of routers to unfold a sooner, extra dependable sign throughout a bigger space than a single router can, it is a incredible decide for big houses — and one that will not set you again very a lot.

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Like

• Wonderful speeds, low latency, terrific vary
• Complete gaming and community customization options by way of Asus Router app
• Optionally available improve to a multi-gig Ethernet jack

Do not like

• “Good Join” band steering does not carry out properly in small houses (however you may flip it off)

Wi-Fi customary Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking 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 prime names within the gaming router class, boasting the most effective number of quick, flashy routers that promise elite efficiency, low latency, and superior controls in your connection. The Asus RT-AX86U is definitely one of many extra understated routers in that blend — it does not embrace color-changing lights or an oversize, ostentatious design — nevertheless it’s nonetheless top-of-the-line gaming routers you should purchase. Gaming apart, it is top-of-the-line Wi-Fi 6 routers you should purchase, interval.

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Like

• Dependable, constant speeds
• Wonderful worth
• Higher efficiency on high-speed, gigabit networks than different entry-level Wi-Fi 6 routers

Do not like

• Barely larger latency than comparable AX1800 routers
• No USB jack

Pace Ranking 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 a terrific match with the sooner wi-fi switch charges of Wi-Fi 6. If you happen to’ve made the improve to gigabit web speeds at dwelling, you then’ll positively desire a Wi-Fi 6 router that may take full benefit of it.

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Like

• A constant prime finisher throughout a number of years of velocity assessments
• Multi-gig Ethernet jack helps the quickest web speeds accessible at present

Do not like

• Costly and barely on sale, regardless of being a couple of years outdated

Wi-Fi Commonplace Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking 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 aside from one? Properly, here is the one which beat it — the AX6000 model of the Netgear Orbi mesh system.

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Like

• Sturdy efficiency and speeds, with assist for 160MHz channel width
• Constructed-in Zigbee radio and assist for Matter make it a terrific sensible dwelling decide

Do not like

• Barely inconsistent bandsteering in small houses

Wi-Fi Commonplace Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking 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 if you happen to dwell in a big, multi-story dwelling with a variety of house to cowl. In circumstances 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.

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Like

• A dual-band mesh router that performs extra like a tri-band mannequin
• Compact, nice-looking design

Do not like

• Barely costly at full value

Wi-Fi Commonplace Wi-Fi 6Pace Ranking 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 all the way down to $300 at a number of shops in current weeks, which makes it a a lot better worth.

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How we take a look at Wi-Fi 6 routers

Every time I take a router into consideration, I put it via the identical set of complete, managed velocity assessments to get an excellent sense of the way it performs in comparison with different fashions. All through the pandemic, I have been working these assessments out of my 1,300 square-foot dwelling in Louisville, Kentucky, however final yr, we have have been in a position to transfer these assessments again into the CNET Dwelling 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 assessments in all of them to get a way of the common speeds at numerous ranges. For every set of assessments, I begin in the identical room because the router with my take a look at system, a Lenovo ThinkPad Wi-Fi 6 laptop computer. I hook up with the router’s community, then I run three velocity assessments and document the outcomes for add velocity, obtain velocity and latency. Then I transfer to the following 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 assessments in reverse room order. This strategy provides 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 could typically impression 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 verify the speeds on particular person bands, or if the router presents any distinctive efficiency settings. All instructed, it provides as much as tons of of velocity assessments and a number of days of labor for every router I overview.

Which Wi-Fi 6 router is correct for me?

There are three important issues to contemplate first as you are dialing in on a brand new router: the velocity of your property’s web plan, the scale of your property, and the variety of Wi-Fi gadgets beneath your roof that want a dependable connection. If you happen to’re residing in a small- to medium-sized dwelling with web speeds of 500Mbps or much less, and also you simply want a dependable sign in your cellphone, laptop computer and streaming system, then a easy decide just like the TP-Link 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 property has a high-speed connection, and the AX21 sometimes prices rather less, so I would advocate beginning there.

If you happen to’ve bought a home crammed with sensible dwelling gadgets, or a number of members of the family who every make common use of your Wi-Fi with a wide range of devices, or if you happen to’ve simply upgraded your web plan so as to add in gigabit speeds, you must in all probability contemplate a router with better bandwidth potential. The tried-and-true Asus RT-AX86U is the one I would in all probability advocate first as a result of it has been an everyday standout via a number of rounds of CNET assessments, together with full rounds of assessments on three separate networks at three separate areas.

Nonetheless, if you happen to’re residing in a bigger dwelling, particularly a multistory dwelling, 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-Link Deco W7200, as a result of these a number of mesh gadgets will assist guarantee a greater, extra dependable sign all through the whole thing of your property. You possibly can additionally contemplate splurging on a mesh powerhouse just like the Netgear Orbi AX6000, however at a value of a number of hundred {dollars}, it is in all probability overkill for many houses.

Wi-Fi 6 router FAQs

If you happen to’ve bought questions in regards to the ins and outs of Wi-Fi 6, remember to try my full explainer on the standard and what makes it higher than the Wi-Fi of yore. You may as well attain me by trying me up on Twitter (@rycrist) or by clicking the little envelope icon on my CNET profile page to ship a message straight to my inbox. Within the meantime, I am going to put up solutions to any generally requested questions under.