Routers have advanced a lot in the past few years, and if yours is a bit on the older side, it might be time to upgrade to one of the newer modern routers. Not only do they offer access to the newer Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E standards, but you also get better connectivity to lots of devices instead of having to constantly struggle with only a few being very slow. In fact, if you’re decking out your smart home setup, then a new router is pretty much a must to connect everything smoothly.
Of course, there are a lot of routers to pick from out there, and if you don’t have a lot of tech-savvy, it can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve gone out and found our favorite router deals that will give you the best bang for your buck, and that includes mesh router deals too. So if you’ve just picked up some smart home devices from Google Nest deals or Amazon Echo deals, or you need to lower your ping so you can enjoy gaming PC deals and gaming console deals to their fullest, check out the options below.
Best Router Deals
TP-Link Archer AX3000 — $69, was $130
Upgrading to the newer Wi-Fi 6 standard doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, especially if you aren’t planning to use it for anything as intense as gaming, which is where the TP-Link Archer AX3000 comes in. It can hit a combined speed of 3Gbps over its two bands and will work wonderfully if you mostly plan to use it to stream content or connect your tablet and phone. It also comes with OFDMA technology, which essentially lets you connect to a lot of devices without experiencing issues, so if you have a lot of smart home devices, this will work great for that too.
Linksys AX3000 Mesh — $130, was $180
Another great option that can run at the combined speed of 3Gbps, the Linksys AX3000 Mesh has a bit more coverage, up to 2,000 square feet, and is a solid option if you need a bit more performance out of your router. It follows the Wi-Fi 6 standard and can connect up to 30 devices, which should be more than enough for the average home, especially if you use a smart bridge or smart hub for your smart home devices. Also, one benefit of the Linksys AX3000 Mesh is that you can also use it as a mesh system if you buy more than one.
ASUS AX5700 — $202, was $250
If you have a larger home and need a lot more coverage, then you’ll want to go for the ASUS AX5700, which has a massive 5,000 square-foot coverage and is one of the biggest you’ll find on the market. It can go up to 6000 Mbps combined across all its bands, and even better, it has a 2.5 Gigabit ethernet port, so if you heavily rely on something like a network-attached storage, this is a solid solution. It’s also a great router if you want to game, since it can prioritize gaming connections to help keep lag and other forms of latency down.
Linksys Hydra Pro AXE6600 — $200, was $280
If you want to get the latest Wi-Fi standard, that’s going to be Wi-Fi 6E, which is optimized for connecting with lots of devices using MU-MIMO technology so that you can connect up to a whopping 55 devices at the same time. Not only that, but this comes with a 5 Gigabit WAN port, so its also another great option if you rely heavily on your network for sharing files or watching content on something like a Plex server. That said, coverage isn’t as expansive as some of the cheaper options, coming out to around 2,700 square feet, which is still pretty good if we’re being honest.
ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro — $350, was $400
If you take your gaming very seriously, then you may want to consider going for the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro, which certainly looks like it’s come out of a sci-fi game set in a few hundred years. It has a very impressive 5,400 square feet of coverage, which even rivals some mesh routes, can handle a whopping combined speed of 11,000 Mbps, and even has a 2.5 Gigabit ethernet port, so it can go incredibly fast. It’s also optimized to provide a clear signal and try its best to decrease latency so that you have a smooth gaming experience.
Best Mesh Router Deals
TP-Link Deco M5 Mesh WiFi System (3-pack) — $150, was $150
A good starter set of mesh routers is this 3-pack of TP-Link Deco M5 which can cover an impressive 5,500 square feet and is great if you have a plan that can reach up to 450Mbps. Even better, each of the Deco M5s comes with a 2.5 Gigbit ethernet port, so you can get faster transfer speeds inside your home, which is very handy. Beyond that, this mesh system can connect up to 100 devices which should be more than enough for the average home, even one that is chock full of smart home devices.
TP-Link Deco X20 WiFi 6 Mesh System (3-pack) — $150, was $180
If you want to ensure fast wifi speeds, these TP-Link Deco X20s support wired ethernet backhaul, and with a 2.5 Gigabit ethernet port, you can keep your Wi-Fi speeds pretty fast. In terms of coverage, this 3-pack can cover 5,800 square feet and can connect to a whopping 150 different devices, so it’s very forward-facing if you plan to add a bunch of extra smart devices.
eero 6+ AX3000 Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (3-pack) — $240, was $300
You may not know this, but the Eero brand of mesh routers comes from Amazon, and they’re a great middle-ground option if you don’t want to be spending a ton of money. They have a solid 4,500-square-foot coverage and can handle up to a combined 3 Gbps, so it’s worth grabbing if you have a faster internet connection. Interestingly enough, the Eero router also functions as a smart home hub, with support for Thread and Zigbee devices, so you don’t necessarily have to have a separate device.
NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 System (2-pack) — $325, was $450
If you have a really fast internet connection in the Gigabit range, then you’ll want a high-end mesh router system like the NETGEAR Orbi, which can handle up to 4,200 Gbps across all its bands. It also has an impressive 5,000 square feet of coverage for just two devices, and you could always get the 3-pack which covers up to 7,500 feet if you need a lot more coverage. That said, the 2-pack can only connect up to 40 devices, which is still a lot, but if you plan to add a lot more smart home devices or other things that need internet, that may be a problem.
NETGEAR Nighthawk AXE5700 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System (3-Pack) — $449, was $550
If you have a really large space that you need to cover, this 3-pack of the NETGEAR Nighthawk AXE5700 can handle a space up to 7,500 square feet, as well as a combined speed of 5,700 Gbps, so it’s pretty fast for internal networking needs. They also come with 2.5 Gigabit ethernet ports if you’d like to go for the wired option as well, so there’s a lot of versatility you can take advantage of. The NETGEAR Nighthawk AXE5700 can also handle connecting up to 100 devices, which is a lot, although it would have been nice if it could match the TP-Link Deco X20 for this price point.
How to Choose the Right Router
When it comes to picking a router, the most important thing to focus on is what sort of speeds you’re expecting to get. On most routers or mesh systems, you’ll notice the term ‘AX’ followed by a set of numbers, which signifies its top speeds in megabits per second. Now, in reality, if you’re connecting through an ethernet cable, it won’t really matter what speeds you get since very few homes actually hit or go above 1,000 Mbps. Instead, where this number makes a difference is in the wireless connection since the faster it can go wirelessly, the further it can reach, at least in theory. The big problem is that AX number tends to be the combined speed of all frequencies or antennas, so it can be a bit of a difficult system to decipher. That said, it’s a good rule of thumb when shopping, and then when you find something you like, go in and check the actual speeds for each band, 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, and what sort of speeds it can deliver.
Another thing to consider is the sort of technology it has under the hood. For example, as mentioned earlier, if you’re buying a new router, you really should opt for Wi-Fi 6 or the newer Wi-Fi 6e, although the latter might be a bit harder to find. You should also check for things like MU-MIMO, a connectivity tech that allows several devices to connect simultaneously without impacting the speeds or quality of the internet.
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