5 Best Wireless Router of 2022 (WiFi, Budget, Gigabit, AC)
Everything we do today is done online: work, entertainment, socializing, gaming… other stuff, too. And yet a lot of people just stick with the crappy router (or modem/router combo) that their internet company sticks them with (and you usually pay a monthly fee for using it). While you don’t need the best WiFi router on the market, there are a lot of different options out there that will almost assuredly be a better fit for you.
Whether you’re looking for the best budget router, the best AC router, the fastest WiFi router, the most secure router, the best dual-band router, we have a list of the top-rated routers to help you find the right one for you. Without further ado, here are the best routers of the year.
Products at a Glance
5 Best Wireless Router of 2022 (WiFi, Budget, Gigabit, AC)
- Supports the latest 802.11ad WiFi standard
- Tri-band technology
- Expensive
- No QoS to improve gaming
Out of the box, the NetGear R9000 Nighthawk X10 AD7200 features a really aggressive design. But the 4 antennas aren’t just for show because it also features the 60GHz band on top of the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands.
Unlike most routers on the list, this features the latest 802.11ad WiFi standard– supporting the 60GHz band that’s insanely faster (close to 1Gbps throughput) but also insanely shorter coverage. With that, it’s clear that this is a strong candidate for the best gigabit router on the list– even the best Netgear router to date.
However, this has a limited range, unlike the Google WiFi. And you just can’t simply extend the coverage by buying more than one because it’s not a mesh system (oh and these come at a premium price tag).
It also has a total of 6x LAN ports and 2x USB 3.0 ports that you can use as a storage hub for all your files to make transfers a lot faster. It’s just unfortunate that this doesn’t have the QoS (Quality of Service) feature that prioritizes data packets for a more stable and reliable wireless connection.
This router also lets you choose which devices can have access to the internet. So even if your new device is connected to the internet, you still can’t access the internet unless you “allow” the device via Access Control.
- Supports the latest 802.11ad WiFi standard
- Tri-band technology
- Expensive
- No QoS to improve gaming
A couple things we love about the TP-Link Archer C5400 v2 are its max speed of up to 5400 Mbps and its tri-band support (1x 2.4GHz and 2x 5.0GHz).
Like the rest of the consumer wireless routers, this only has 4 LAN ports. But when it comes to wireless connectivity, you can definitely count on it. This router also comes with MU-MIMO (multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output) technology, which simply means the router can communicate with multiple devices simultaneously at once (rather than having to rapidly switch between devices), ensuring a strong and stable connection.
It’s also worth noting that this router takes security seriously. The HomeCare feature it utilizes is an anti-virus that protects every single device connected to the network.
And lastly, this router lets you set up a personal VPN server to browse the web and access files securely unlike the Linksys AC5400 (one of its strong competitor, also considered as the best Linksys router). On top of that, this one also has a faster RAM and Flash memory.
- Consistent firmware updates
- MU-MIMO capable router
- 2 access points might not be for everyone
- Expensive
What makes the NetGear Orbi Home Mesh (RBK50) great is the fact that it’s rich in features without compromising speed. And because of this, it’s relatively expensive, coming in at around $300 for the 2-set package.
Starting off with the coverage, this wireless router can cover up to 5,000 square feet since it has 2 physical routers. So, if you have a 2-story house, you can put 1 on each floor or you can have one for personal use and the other one for guests.
Separating the access point allows you and your guests to have a more stable and secure connection at all times. And this also keeps the guests from messing around with your personal network. On top of that, each router has 4 LAN ports at your disposal.
Yet another thing that makes this appealing, especially for most parents, is the parental control feature. You can limit the daily time usage for specific websites and applications for specific family members to keep them from browsing the internet too much.
Lastly, it doesn’t feature the traditional square slab with antennas pointing upward design. Rather, it has a modern touch to it– which can be used as decor.
- Consistent firmware updates
- MU-MIMO capable router
- 2 access points might not be for everyone
- Expensive
If you’re only here to find the best internet router for gaming, this is it. The TP-Link Archer C5400 (C5400X) is your best bet.
This router is specifically designed to prioritize gaming above other activities to give gamers the best gaming experience during dungeon raids or heated PVP battles in the arena.
Keep in mind though that this doesn’t come cheap; it’ll set you back at least $300 and sometimes it pushes close to the $400 range after taxes + shipping are accounted for.
Everything about the router is filled with features gamers will surely love. One of which is its dual 5.0GHz bands. With 2 lightning fast bands at your disposal, you can have 2 computers connected to each band for an outstanding performance.
The robust Quality of Service (QoS) feature of this router is also what makes it perfect for gamers since this prioritizes gaming above all else. On top of that, this also has a built-in malware protection feature to keep everything safe.
This also has 8 LAN ports at the back and 2x USB 3.0s that you can use as a hub for file transfers and such.
Overall, it’s a great router if you’re a gamer; how could it not be when it looks like something straight out of DOOM. Just make sure you spare a considerable amount of space since it’s relatively large.
- Outstanding 802.11ac speed and range
- Reasonably priced
- Asus AiMesh compatible
- Can’t be wall mounted
The Asus AC2900 (RT-AC68U) is another product we proudly present in this roundup. With almost 4,000 customer reviews on Amazon now (4.2 out of 5 stars), this is definitely worth mentioning in this best wireless router roundup.
This router is a lot cheaper than the above-mentioned routers but the 802.11ac technology it features performs just as good compared to some of its competitors in the $150 price range.
It doesn’t have a really interesting design. In fact, you can’t even mount this on a wall like most of the routers featured above. Also, this doesn’t have a really sturdy stand (as you can see on the image above) so I suggest you place this in a secured and balanced area.
This router is AiMesh compatible so you can cover more area if you have another Asus WiFi that’s also AiMesh compatible. We don’t recommend using this as mesh though, since its performance isn’t outstanding compared to dedicated mesh routers.
To top it all off, this AC1900 router has an AiProtection Network Security feature, parental controls to restrict websites, and QoS to give gaming and 4K streaming the strongest and most reliable connection. So, if you want to get the best Asus router for the price, this will be it.