The lack of coverage and the low speed in the Wi-fi connection are two of the most common problems in homes. In many cases they are solved by changing the location of the router, but in others there is no choice but to change the router with a more powerful one.
The routers provided by Internet operators meet the minimum connection needs for most users. However, its features do not stand out for its power, and it is easy for problems with connection speed and stability to appear.
For this reason, it is interesting to change the operator’s router for another that offers better performance. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on the latest models, but you will always get better results. These are the best routers of 2021 by price range .
For regular home use, it is not necessary to buy the most powerful router on the market, for about 50 to 100 dollars you already have alternatives that far exceed the power of your current router. However, if you want greater coverage or take full advantage of the fiber connection speed, in that case you will have to scratch your pocket a little more but still that’s under 200 dollars.
Many of us do not understand the complex features and specifications of a router, so we are not going to discuss those here in this review article. We will try to make it an easy comparison for you to understand and pick the best router that you actually need and is with in your budget. We categorize the routers in this articles mainly based on price range.
Definitely, most of the share is occupied by TP-Link, specially for home users for browsing and streaming. And of the main reason, TP-Link is very easy to setup and easily detects all your devices.
TP-Link AX3000 Smart WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX50)
Physically the router is small and thin, aesthetically looking good. It has the classic holes at the bottom if you want to mount it on the wall.
The signal range distance is better. The setup is very easy with the TP-Link app.
I have devices that use the 2.4 GHz network and connect seamlessly to the router, the 5GHz one also works very well.
The router has good bandwidth handling, as I may be downloading things while other users are checking their social networks on their phones and don’t complain about slowness on the network.
It does not get slow if there are multiple devices connected at the same time. The manufacturer’s page says that it can handle up to 256 connected devices. I only connect 20 phones, TVs, android TV box, video games. It handles them without problems.
It is very good for streaming Netflix on TV, Youtube, etc. The truth is, it feels faster internet browsing with this router compared to others and with the mediocre internet speed offered by the phone company. So you can imagine the wonders that will do with good fiber optic speed.
I could say that it is the best router for the price. I’ve been using it for about a month with a WiFi 6 card on my PC and the results are as follows.
- Good coverage (Understand that for the 5GHz band there is a maximum transmission power by law, no matter if the router has 1 or 100 antennas and yes, the distance of 5GHz is relatively short about 20m WITHOUT obstacles and with walls about 5m maximum)
- Easy installation.
- Application to manage the network.
Cons:
It is good for browsing and watching Netflix, Youtube, etc. in 4K HDR. It has good wifi coverage. But if you are looking for a router to play online, you better buy a more expensive router that has the factory enabled QoS. And even paying, the QoS configurations of this router are not very good. The best thing about this router is its price, it is also a model of the year 2019 and has a good processor. If you are not a gamer playing online, this router will serve you a lot.
The free QoS is dynamic, that is, it only allows you to select which device you give priority to, but it does not allow you to assign bandwidth to each device. Paid QoS would be equivalent to services like WTFast or similar, which redirect your network traffic to optimize latency. In my opinion, there are better services for the same purpose for a better price. Also, redirecting all traffic from your network for security purposes sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? You activate your third party vpn when you are going to play and you’re done, you don’t have it active all the time.
For those who have doubts about WPA3, the router does not have it and does NOT mean that it is not an official router, the standard is not yet complete and the parameters have not been defined. If any of you prefer to pay $500 for another router with an incomplete standard, go ahead. Similarly, those routers are going to drop drastically in a couple of years when they migrate to WiFi 6.
The temperature, the technical sheet mentions that the operating temperature is 40°C, but I assure you that it should easily be at about 55°C most of the time and feel to the touch, in my case it has not given me stability problems, never dropped the link, but it is definitely something that affects the performance. That is a firmware and design issue of ventilation/heat sinks and is the only significant flaw I see.
You can upgrade with TP-Link AX6000 WiFi 6 Router, if budget is not an issue.
The most important thing is that you have devices with WiFi 6 antennas, otherwise you can save money and check the previous version, TP-Link AX1800 Smart WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX20).
The standard is backward compatible, but the extra money you pay for the benefits and if most of your devices at home are WiFi 5 or earlier, you better buy a state-of-the-art ac router for the same price, more bandwidth and well-optimized firmware.
You do things like uploading or reading very heavy files to a hard drive that is connected to the router, that is a very good reason. To get a router like this.
TP-Link AX1800 Smart WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX21)
TP-Link AX1800 is an easy device to set up using the Tether app.
It nicely manage the balance among the connected devices between the two bands (2.4 and 5). Increased range of Wifi signal compared to other router.
Like other TP-Link devices, their QoS and High Priority features are very useful to ensure Internet service for video conferencing and Home Office activities.
Physically it is light and does not take up much space.
Benefits
- Dual Band WiFi 6
- Up to 1.8 Gbps speeds
- Connect more, stay fast
- Quad core CPU
- Max coverage with 4 antennas
- Reduced power consumption
- Refined password security
Cons
- We recommend buying a better quality Ethernet cable than the one included.
- You might need to update the firmware.
Get rid of many network problems and network extensions with this TP-Link.
NETGEAR – R7000P – AC2300 Nighthawk WiFi Router
You will get 2000 square feet wireless coverage and extremely fast wifi performance. Dual band up to 600 + 1625 Mbps. Recommended for up to 35 devices.
For more specific technical details please check.
If you have an old router with multiple wifi extenders to cover your 3 bed room flat and still getting slow data transfer rate with a high speed fiber internet connection, you can easily replace the router, wifi extenders with this Netgear R7000P router.
We have another Netgear model, R6700 – AC1750 Wifi, best under $100. You might like to check this too.
Netgear is built for serious HD Streaming and online gaming.
Intelligently selects between dual bands to maximize speed and minimize interference for your many smart wireless devices.
Circle smart parental control app allows you to easily manage internet content access and device screen time.
Easy 5 minute setup with Nighthawk App. Just connect the internet Ethernet cable to the router and the app will walk you through simple setup steps.
It hast 4 high speed 1 gigabit wired connection ports that gives you fast wire connections to your computer, game box and other devices.
Two USB ports allow you to share a storage drive or printer across your network.
TP-Link AC1750
Now we have TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router under 100 dollar price range. Dual band, JD Power Award winner and No 1 in customer satisfaction for wireless routers.
AC1750 works with Alexa and compatible with all Wi-Fi devices, 802.11ac and older. 1750 Mbps high speed internet.
The power range is very good for the 2.4 GHz band, and the 5 GHz band maintains good audio and video streaming speeds, but is recommended for streaming-only devices, and the 2.4 GHz band for simple internet browsing.
3 external antennas helps to cover long range. 4 Gigabit LAN ports for faster access to multiple connected wired devices, ideal as a gaming. USB port available to easily share your USB drive content.
TP-Link tether app allows you to easily set up and remotely manage your home network. Super easy to install and configure either with the app or on the configuration web page.
No advance configuration is required to get connected. There is also an option in the router admin page to generate a QR code, that you can print and put in a wall for your guests, so they can just scan the QR code and get connected.
You will be happy with it’s performance. Up to 2500 square feet WiFi Coverage and it can handle 50+ devices, with no drop signal or dead spots.
Has advanced WPA/WPA2 wireless encryption to keep your family safe and devices secure.
Without a doubt one of the best router, super signal range up to 60 meters and with the intuitive configuration interface makes it the perfect router to expand the Wi-Fi network, the best thing is its dual band and well the price is very good for what It offers since it is gigabit and most of its competitors are more expensive and apart is compatible with Alexa.
Cons
- The bad thing is probably the printer server (connected in USB to make it WiFi) does not work that well.
- Doesn’t have MU-Mimo technology for multiple simultaneous connections at higher speed, but I think it’s still worth this equipment.
- It lacks good rubbers in its bases, the router slips on smooth surface.
- The antennas are not removable!
Overall it is a good router, has good range of range, very easy to configure.
A newer model of this item: TP-Link AC1900 Smart WiFi Router.
Amazing product at a very affordable price, it is worth to lower the PING increase the speed and increase the coverage of the Wifi.
ASUS WiFi 6 Router (RT-AX3000)
Magnificent, super speed and stability.
- Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router
- Gaming & Streaming
- AiMesh Compatible
- Included Lifetime Internet Security, Parental Control, MU-MIMO, OFDMA
It fulfills its purpose and promises 100%. The price/quality ratio is very good! Easy to use, easy to install, the stability it has is very good!
The equipment comes well packaged and sealed. I really like how it is managed and the bunch of options that Asus always includes. You do not regret buying it and recommend it 100%.