When you subscribe to Verizon Fios internet, you may want to consider changing the standard router to the best router for fios gigabit. You have a choice to choose a router offered by Verizon Fios for rent or purchase, or you can buy your own router available on the market.
If you’re searching for the best router for verizon fios gigabit internet connection from the market, you need to ensure it’s compatible with Verizon Fios network. In addition, there are other considerations to look at. Everyone who wants to find a router from the market would want to look up for the device that performs great and offers extensive features, and at the same time, saves money.
Furthermore, it would be best to figure out what your home requires. If you have a large home and a lot of devices to connect, then you should choose the router capable of covering the whole area and devices. But, don’t waste money for the features that you don’t need. It’s smarter to leave some capacity for your future needs, though. Read on to find out some of the best wireless routers for fios.
Two Decent Routers from the Top Manufacturer: TP-Link
TP-Link claimed it has a whopping 50% market share of WiFi equipment sales. That’s enough to build confidence in prospective buyers. And what about the JD Power Award who certified TP-Link in providing the highest in user satisfaction for routers in 2017 and 2019? It certainly makes people want to consider buying its routers. Here are two TP-Link’s affordable routers with high capability and features.
TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router (Archer A7)
With a price of slightly more than a pair of jeans, the TP-Link Archer A7 could be the best router for your home. This router has it all – powerful, reliable, extensive, and affordable. Its dual-band signal provides a decent speed of 1,750 Mbps suitable for Fios plan of up to 300 Mbps. Routers for online gaming might come with higher specifications, but you can still play games with this router, ideally by connecting the game consoles to the four Gigabit LAN ports by wire.
If you’re looking for a new router that’s not that fast and can cover a good distance, then the Archer A7 is dead on. It will do most of the functions necessary for a decent internet connection experience in the low to middle range. Most impressive is how easy it is to set up the connection with a user-friendly and straight-forward navigation interface.
TP-Link AC1900 Smart WiFi Router (Archer A8)
For just a little bit more to spend, you can get a TP-Link Archer A8. Although it has the same look and mainly similar features as the Archer 7, you can enjoy a faster internet connection. Its dual-band signal produces a total of 1,900 Mbps, making it slightly faster than the A7. If you have Fios internet subscription plan of up to 450Mbps, then it’s a better choice than the A7.
The first upgrade of the A8 on the A7 is the presence of a DNS relay where it stores the reaction to queries for a while. That means you get a faster response for a query coming from another device in the same network. In addition, it has beamforming technology which can focus stronger signals to your devices, instead of spreading them in all directions. Moreover, it has IPsec Passthrough to filter data for increased security. That said, the Archer A7 has an external memory slot to store additional memory storage, which is not present in the Archer A8.
In conclusion, both routers have the brand’s presence, extensive features and adequate power and speed to cover your entire house and connected devices. However, with a slightly higher price tag, the A8 is equipped with additional features making it perform faster.
How About Netgear Routers?
We have two routers with similar performance from a similarly popular manufacturer – Netgear. It’s widely known as a brand producing routers from the budget-friendly to the high-end devices, including routers especially developed for avid online gamers. For an average home, we recommend the following two Netgear routers with decent performances, offered at affordable prices.
NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart Wi-Fi Router, R6700 – AC1750
If you have an average size home of up to 1,500 square feet and want to connect up to 25 devices, the Netgear Nighthawk R6700 is a smart choice. Its dual-band signal gives a speed of 1,750 Mbps, coming from a 1GHz dual-core processor. While maintaining a low price, it boasts advanced features such as MU-MIMO, and beamforming technology, giving seamless WiFi performance.
A newly wed user took up the R6700 replacing a TP-Link router who could not cope with his various device usage. The money he spent to replace the router was well worth when the R6700 effortlessly supplied internet connections for TV and video streaming, online gaming, and video conferencing simultaneously.
NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart Wi-Fi Router, R7000 – AC1900
The Netgear R7000 is an older model compared to the R6700, but it was the first model coming from the Nighthawk line. While being older, the R7000 is still the fastest Nighthawk model around and has similar features with advanced technology, such as the beamforming.
If you look at the outer design, you can’t find the differences between the two routers. However, the R7000 price is almost double compared to the newer R6700. The higher price tag resulted from its capability in terms of performance and coverage. It’s dual-band signal produces 1,900 Mbps, and can connect up to 35 devices, covering an area of up to 2,000 square feet. Moreover, the R7000 has two USB ports for easy storage and connection to a printer, while the R6700 has only one USB port.
In conclusion, the two routers have similar features that you expected from the same model line, but it’s some minor variations that make one better than the other. While the R7000 is priced higher, it offers faster signal speeds. Moreover, it has more USB ports and detachable antennas. However, the R6700 has one better feature in the present of a MU-MIMO setup, which promises better performance while connected to many devices simultaneously.
TP-Link AX5400 WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX73)
The previous routers that we reviewed are all lower range routers. If seconds matter and you have enough budget, go for a mid-range router. The TP-Link Archer AX73 is equipped with many great features which should rightly present in a mid-range router. It offers Gigabit WiFi speed of up to 5,400 Mbps suitable for robust online activities such as 8K streaming, online gaming and many more.
The Archer AX73 features the next-gen WiFi 6 technology so that you can connect all your latest devices equipped with similar technology. Its MU-MIMO and OFDMA help you to connect more devices and stay fast with effortless streaming and gaming at the same time. In addition, the Archer AX73 has more vents to make the device cooler. Less heat means higher ability to unleash the maximum power out of the router.
A user found that the AX73 strikes the right balance between performance and affordability. He tried to pick up a slightly cheaper router, but it heated up when put to test, and he couldn’t afford anything priced higher than the AX73. This router stays cool all the time and has never encountered any slowdown in performance caused by the heat.
To wrap it up, the TP-Link Archer AX73 is a well-designed mid-range router with many advanced features, employing the latest technology. The best part is it still doesn’t break your bank to bring it home. It should be your first-choice router if the price is within your budget.
TP-Link and Netgear are two of the most popular router manufacturers. They might appear too common for some of you, and you’d prefer a less popular router but giving similar performance and reliability, like Asus. Check here for a couple of Asus routers that made into our list of preferred routers.
ASUS AX5400 WiFi 6 Gaming Router (RT-AX82U)
This Asus RT-AX82U is also a mid-range router similar to the TP-Link Archer AX73 in performance, features, price, and aiming to heavy online users, especially gaming. The first thing that takes note on this router is its revolutionary and futuristic design. It’s shaped like a space fighter ship, not squarish or roundish like many others.
You might be skeptical about its overly futuristic look, but its high-level performance and features might grab your attention further. It has a next-generation WiFi 6 technology, coupled with ultra-fast speeds of up to 5,400 Mbps. when gaming, you can shift it to mobile game mode. It will automatically set to minimize lag for lower latency suitable for mesmerizing gaming experience. In addition, it also has a dedicated gaming port, where you can utilize one of the four LAN ports for prioritized connection.
A new user who was looking for an updated version of the old Asus AC86U first tried the AX88U, but it had stability issues. It also took up a lot of workstation space that he couldn’t afford when forced to work from home during the pandemic. Finally, he got the RT-AX82U, which is much smaller to fit nicely into his small work area. The router has two bands, the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, and the 5GHz gave him super-fast and uninterrupted signal, even though the area he worked was crowded with others using the same frequency band.
As a conclusion, the Asus AX5400, RT-AX82U is great for a home having some heavy users. During this pandemic most parents work from home, and the kids are also forced to study from home. Most need heavy online operations such as video conferencing, downloading and uploading large files, zoom class meetings and many more. At the same time, family hours nowadays mean 4K and 8K streaming, as well as online gaming on multi devices. The RT-AX82U can serve all these activities without so much hassle.
ASUS AX1800 WiFi 6 Router (RT-AX55)
If the RT-AX82U seems a bit too expensive, and you’re strapped for money, then the Asus AX1800 (RT-AX55) may suit your needs. It’s also equipped with similar next-gen WiFi 6 technology giving better performance and speed. While its dual-band signal gives a total speed of only 1,800Mbps, compared to the RT-AX82U’s 5,400 Mbps, its MU-MIMO and OFDMA ensure efficiency in the connections.
A user simply recommended the RT-AX55 just because it is an Asus. To him, Asus means performance and reliability. He tried two different routers from two of the biggest brands before turning to this RT-AX55. The previous routers worked great but had reliability issues since both produced lower signal speeds after some time. With this router, he had no issues with the power, speed, reliability and coverage area.
To conclude it, the Asus AX1800 (RTY-AX55) may be an entry-level AX technology WiFi router, but it performs almost similarly to the min-range routers, only a little bit slower. If you have a low budget but need some high-end performance and reliability, then the AX55 is here for grab.
If you’re looking for the best wireless routers for fios having a mesh network, please read our reviews on two of the best and affordable routers here.
Amazon eero mesh WiFi router
When you have a large home with many family members needing to connect their devices, then this eero mesh WiFi router is a great option. Eero was in the heart of the mesh WiFi system even before Amazon took over the company. Amazon decided to keep the name and eero continues to manufacture better mesh routers. The eero mesh WiFi router produces fast and reliable internet connection to your home with an area of up to 1,500 square feet.
With the mesh system in place, you can easily add eero routers to expand the mesh system. That way you can extend coverage to more than 1,500 square feet. With TrueMesh technology, traffic will intelligently find its way to avoid congestion, interruptions and dead zones. Now, everyone can use each device with seamless WiFi experience from every corner of the house.
FAQs
It costs $15 per month to rent a Verizon Fios router.
No, Fios doesn’t use modems but ab Optimum Network Terminal (ONT) instead.
Yes, you can use your own router that’s compatible with Fios network.
You need to follow the instructions on each manufacturer’s manual. The installation process varies from one company to another.
Conclusion
Verizon Fios utilizes the fast fiber internet network to its subscribers. It doesn’t use a modem, but you need to connect your devices using a router. Verizon Fios offers routers for rent, but you can opt for the best router for fios gigabit subscription widely available in the market. While most routers can do the job of providing an internet connection to your home, there are certain routers designed to meet everyone’s needs. If you’re at a loss in finding the suitable router for your home, we can help you find one with our list of recommended routers in this review.