Rating of routers for home 2018

The last in the list of budget routers is represented by Keenetic Start. KN-1110 capabilities can be called simply excellent, as for a solution within a thousand and a half rubles. This router is equipped with high-precision antennas with a gain of 5 dBi and allows you to manage the home network with the help of proprietary mobile software. Moreover, the popular router supports SkyDNS, Yandex.DNS and VPN-tunnels. As a result, the KN-1110 can be called the best inexpensive Wi-Fi router in the top 10.

Top 10 best Wi-Fi routers

The need to choose a good Wi-Fi router can arise for a variety of reasons. Some customers need to organize their apartment wireless Internet for PCs, smartphones, tablets and other devices. Others want to connect different appliances like computers, televisions and NAS in their home network to be able to quickly access files on different devices. Others need to provide stable Wi-Fi for employees and visitors in the office. Whatever your goal, a review of the best Wi-Fi routers, chosen for signal quality, reliability, and cost, will help you decide on the right device to buy.

Determining the leaders is always a difficult task. On the one hand, you need to consider the characteristics and quality of routers. On the other hand – the opinions of real customers. If we talk about the average evaluation of routers, the top five would look as follows:

1. TP-LINK . – a popular Chinese brand, which consumers appreciate for its functionality, reliability and reasonable cost.
2. MikroTik . – The mass consumer does not know this company as well as its competitors. But corporate users regularly give preference to routers of this brand for its quality and capabilities.
3. ASUS – The top three is rounded out by another Chinese manufacturer that needs no introduction. Not only the excellent build, but also a great design speaks in favor of ASUS.
4. D-Link . – is a popular brand known for its reliability. The only criticism of the company is that it does not have the most successful firmware, which users change for a third party.
5. Keenetic – this brand appeared on the domestic market in the spring of 2017 as an independent company. However, behind its creation is the famous manufacturer ZyXEL, which produces excellent network equipment for 30 years.

The best inexpensive Wi-Fi routers for home

When you just need to distribute the Internet to multiple devices, it makes no sense to buy an expensive router. Such a financial investment is unlikely to justify itself, because most of the features will simply not be used. It is more reasonable to choose a budget router model with sufficient functionality for an average user. We have selected four most attractive Wi-Fi routers with a price under 1000 RUR, among which you can choose a solution that is suitable for your needs.

D-Link DIR-615S.

The D-Link DIR-615S is an inexpensive and high-quality router that can be called a perfect budget router. A simple but attractive design, two antennas and four LAN ports are the necessary minimum that you can get for 1200 rubles. The device can only work in the 2.4 GHz band; the maximum wireless connection speed of DIR-615S is 300 Mbps. The web-interface of the budget router is performed in the usual for D-Link devices style with the menu on the left side of the page and the main settings in the center. From the useful options of the router D-Link DIR-615S we can, perhaps, only support Yandex.DNS.

2. MikroTik hAP mini

If you call the hAP mini the simplest Wi-Fi router on the market, this assessment is unlikely to be exaggerated. The device from the MikroTik brand comes in a simple box of gray cardboard, on which there are only the outlines of the router, as well as the name of the manufacturer and model. Equally ascetic is the package, which includes only the Wi-Fi router itself, a power adapter and a tiny manual. The compact hAP mini router has only two LAN ports and a couple of built-in antennas with the gain of 1.5 dBi. The maximum wireless connection speed in a single 2.4 GHz frequency band for the model under review is 300 Mbps.

Top 10 routers of 2018

Name	Wi-Fi frequency	WAN speed	LAN port speed	LAN Ports	USB Ports	Price
Xiaomi Mi Wi-Fi mini	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz)	1167 Mbps	100 Mbps	2	1	Check price
TP-LINK TL-WA901ND	802.11n (2.4 GHz)	300 Mbps	–	–	–	Check price
ASUS RT-N56U	802.11n (2.4/5 GHz)	300 Mbps	1000 Mbps	4	2	Check Price
Budget Models
TP-LINK TL-WR841N	802.11n (2.4 GHz)	300 Mbps	100 Mbps	4	–	Check price
D-link DIR-300/A/D1	802.11n	150 Mbps	100 Mbps	4	–	Check price
Netis WF2419E	802.11n (2.4 GHz)	300 Mbps	100 Mbps	4	–	Check price
Tenda N301	802.11n (2.4 GHz)	300 Mbps	100 Mbps	3	–	Check price
ZyXEL Keenetic Start	802.11n (2.4 GHz)	150 Mbps	100Mbps	4	–	Check prices

How should you choose?

To advise, you need to understand how the average person answers the question, "How do I choose a router?" To do this, it is enough to read the reviews of users on the device that is installed in their home. That is exactly what we did.

Most of the users named the stability of the device as the main criterion. Regardless of the requirements or operating conditions, this characteristic was the main one. An equally important parameter is the data transfer rate. This is another criterion that was emphasized in the reviews.

We are also sure that the ease of setting up the equipment is also important. Especially for the fair sex, who often have to choose and operate the equipment themselves. Sometimes you end up with something like this 🙂

ASUS RT-AC66U.

An elegant gadget with an unusual surface texture: it is made in the form of a cube pattern. On the front there are several LED-indicators, which signal the connection status. It was included in the router rating for the house thanks to support for the modern AC standard, which boasts incredible characteristics – up to 1.3 Gbps. Of course, in reality it's very difficult to achieve such an indicator, so the usual speed is about 900 Mbit/sec.

The device provides signal transmission even through several concrete walls with virtually no degradation.

Xiaomi Mi Router Pro R3P

Another representative of the brand Xiaomi, which impresses with a solid and powerful functionality. It can handle all frequencies, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, simultaneous work in two bands (2.4 and 5) and the speed of each of the four LAN ports up to 1 gigabyte per second.

Four antennas and the MT7621A MIPS processor are responsible for the excellent signal transmission. The RAM capacity is also impressive with 512 Mbytes.

The home router is enclosed in an aluminum case with plastic grates on the sides that act as passive cooling. On the back side, there are USB 3.0 connectors for the power adapter, etc. This is one of the best routers Xiaomi, which is configured in two ways: through the application Xiaomi MiWiFi App or to configure the router using the browser.

Buying

Since I am a cheapskate, I, of course, bought the router at Aliexpress, in order to save 300-500 rubles on the bribery of Russian dealers. If anyone is interested, here is the link to the seller from whom I bought the Mi WiFi Router 3 with the English interface and an adapter for the euro plug.

While the product was "getting" to me from China, I had to borrow a router from one of the Russian manufacturers at work (I will not say which one), which almost made my eyes bleed – it was slow, lagging, disconnecting. Therefore, when the parcel came, my happiness was boundless.

So, to summarize: in my purely personal opinion, and at the same time in the opinion of the site Samnastroyu.ru, for the budget price, excellent appearance and good technical specifications, I proclaim the router Xiaomi Mi WiFi Router 3 the best router for home 2018.

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Comments:

Also ordered this router, adequate price for 5 GHz. By the way, ordered from the seller link in this article, thanks for the tip

Great! Thank you! I have a smartphone of this manufacturer, for the second time already. I did not know that they have such a great range of products.
I think I will try this router. By the way, I also ordered the phones from Ali – God knows how much money they save.

Good night, please advise which of these models of routers is better to take? My service provider at the moment Rostelecom.
1variant: Router Xiaomi Mi Wi-Fi Router 3C International (International version) International version.
IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, IEEE 802.3/3u
2.4 Ghz WiFi 2×2 (up to 300 Mbps)
Option 2: also xiaomi International version.
IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, IEEE 802.3/3u
Dual-band 802.11AC 2.4 and 5 GHz
2.4 Ghz WiFi 2×2 (up to 300 Mbps)
5 Ghz WiFi 2×2 (up to 867 Mbps).
Or maybe you can advise (recommend) something?

Best routers 2018 under 2000 rubles

In this category there are three routers, each of which is of sufficient quality and reliable in use, despite its budget cost.

TP-LINK TL-WR841N

WiFi standard: 802.11n | Operating frequency: 2.4 GHz | maximum WiFi speed: up to 300 Mbit / s | LAN: 4 ports of 100 Mbit / s | Antennas: External, fixed, 2×5 dBi | MIMO support: yes

"Cheap and cheap" is exactly what the TL-WR841N stands for. As an inexpensive device, the router packs most of the essential features that a router should have:

• Maximum WiFi speeds of 300 Mbps. The standard is 802.11n, operating at 2.4 GHz;
• Has four LAN Ethernet ports (100 Mbps each) for connecting computers via cable;
• Works in the most common modes – PPPoE, Static IP, Dynamic IP;
• Protects your computer from malicious attacks with a built-in network filter (Firewall), as well as has a built-in DHCP-server for automatic distribution of IP-addresses to local network clients;
• There is support for MIMO (Multistreaming).

Slightly non-transparent housing is equipped with two fixed WiFi antennas, which together with the transmitter power of 20 dBM gives an obscenely high level of wireless signal.

Thanks to the intuitive WEB-interface the device can be easily adjusted without any Jedi mind tricks and special knowledge in the IT field.

TL-WR841N is great for everyday users who are not overly burdened by high speeds and is ideal for the Internet.

This router is an example of how long a good model can stay on the market, because for several years now this router has been in high demand due to its quality and reliable performance.

Best Routers 2018 under 5000 rubles

In this category I have three routers and each of them is more suitable for users who need something more than just WiFi and a couple of LAN ports. But also the cost of such devices – "bite".

ASUS RT-AC51U

The average price in the stores of our vast country is 2400 roubles.

WiFi standard: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | Operating frequency: 2.4 / 5 GHz (can operate simultaneously in two bands) | Maximum WiFi speed: up to 733 Mbit/s | LAN: 4 ports of 100 Mbit/s | Antennas: External, removable, 2×5 bBi | MIMO support: No

Good-quality router from ASUS, with a number of significant advantages, such as simultaneous work in two bands and the ability to connect 3G and LTE modems.

Two removable antennas give a good signal and stable connection, and a simple and intuitive WEB-interface will be available to configure many users who are not burdened with IT-knowledge.

The device has a nice design (although, still, on the amateur) and a few nice chips, which to some users will seem like a great bonus, this:

In general, a good router, but some kind of "Wow-effect" it does not cause. Maybe because I never really liked the design of routers of this Chinese brand. But for its price range the device has a pretty good functionality, which gives it a place in my top today.

MikroTik hAP AC lite

The average price in the land of borscht and pelmeni fans is 3000 roubles.

WiFi standard: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | Operating frequency: 2.4 / 5 GHz | WiFi maximum speed: up to 150 Mbit / s | LAN: 5 ports of 100 Mbit / s | Antennas: Internal | MIMO Support: Yes

Could you be a little more specific?

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Comments:

Overall, a very informative article and well written, without the abstruse phrases and all the technical crap. The beginning of the article is fire! That's right, soon we won't be able to do anything without the Internet.
On the core of the issue I would like to add a little: 100 Mbps WiFi speed will be enough for free, because, firstly, your tariff will probably be lower than that, and secondly, where can you use such a channel for data transfer? Most users are just sitting in the social networks and watching soap operas, they are enough and 20 Mbit/sec.
Another question is for those users who have constant data transmission within the network, but they are very few.
In general, thanks for the good content.

D-link – Almost any router from this company does not work out of the box 99 percent of the time. It begins to work either after dancing with tambourine, or after firmware on the latest version of the software (if available, but if it is a novelty – the firmware will have to wait) Constantly come across models which in two or three days the password from Wi-Fi flies off and the router begins to cling to all the neighbors. This brakes internet, calls to technical support, call the wizard, which re-insert the password. Naturally calling a wizard for money. A good master will flash the router (this bug is treated only by flashing the latest version of the software) Not a good wizard just zabeet password and leave. And after two days to your router will again connect all the neighbors. It is also very strongly heated and hangs 3-4 times a day, helps to reset the power. This began after 2012, when longk began producing in Russia. Before 2012, dolinks were the ideal budget option.

Tp-link – value for money. If you do not want to bother with firmware and dancing with tambourine, and money is tight, it is better to take a tplink. Again – the model 740 and 741 are very weak, often hangs (but much rarer than d-links, 3-4 times a week have to overload on power) It is desirable after purchase to flash the latest firmware. Model 840 cuts speeds both by cable and by wifi. It helps to firmware to the latest version of the software. with 9xx models no problems noted, but they cost quite good. It is much easier for that amount of money to buy….–>

What do I need to know when choosing a router?

Let's consider the most important characteristics that you should pay attention to when buying.

Wi-Fi standard. Supported Wi-Fi standards have several varieties. The Wi-Fi standard supported by the equipment determines the data transfer rate. To date, there are two main standards that can be distinguished: 802.11n и 802.11ac. The standard is 802.11n has a speed limit of 450 Mbit/s (the real figure is noticeably lower and closer to 150-200 Mbit/s). The standard 802.11ac provides data transfer speeds of more than 1 Gbit/sec.

Frequency range. Wi-Fi devices can operate in two radio frequency bands – 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. Single-band routers operate at 2.4 GHz. Dual-band routers have the ability to operate on two frequency bands at the same time. This allows you to spread the load. In addition, 5 GHz speeds can be much faster due to the heavy congestion of 2.4 GHz frequencies in apartment buildings.

Port speeds. A speed of 100 Mbit/sec will be sufficient if your ISP gives you an Internet speed of no more than this value. For faster wired data, you'll need Gigabit ports (1000 Mbps).

4G modem support. With this feature, you will be able to connect a 4G modem to the device via USB port and access the Internet via it. The mobile modem itself is usually not included in the package and must be purchased separately. You can also buy a Wi-Fi router with a SIM-card slot, in which case you do not need to buy a modem.

VPN support. The Virtual Private Network function allows you to connect several computers into an analog of a local network, using a secure Internet channel. It is often used to connect remote users to the "main" network.

Which company's routers are better?

Which manufacturer's Wi-Fi routers are better? Any visitor of our website has the opportunity to vote "for" or "against" any brand, thereby increasing or decreasing its final rating. Of course, this approach does not guarantee one hundred percent objectivity, but at least gives the opportunity to judge the popularity of the products of a particular company and the percentage of satisfied customers.

At this point in the voting was attended by more than 5 thousand people. The Top 10 brands with the highest final rating are shown below:

		VOICES FOR	AGAINST	Final Rating	% FOR votes
1	ASUS	1283	325	958	79%
2	ZyXEL (Keenetic)	1145	275	870	80%
3	D-link	1133	510	623	68%
4	TP-LINK	669	191	478	77%
5	Huawei	183	64	119	74%
6	NETGEAR	259	142	117	64%
7	Xiaomi	165	50	115	76%
8	Cisco	160	101	59	61%
9	MikroTik	98	43	55	69%
10	Linksys	173	124	49	58%

#2 – Apple Time Capsule 2TB ME177

Price: 17 500 rublesHave you noticed how the appearance of the word Apple in the name of the model has changed the order of prices? But it's not just a matter of brand promotion. The main thing – a similar router can be used as a file server, because it is equipped with built-in storage for as much as 2 terabytes! Now the owners of Macbooks with modest in volume and incredible in price SSD licked their eyes and began to hastily google where they can buy such a miracle of technology.

Brilliant design – another trademark feature of Apple technology. Otherwise, we are faced with a standard high-end router – two bands, excellent antennas, incredible available data transfer speeds. And the downside is clear – the price to this day is the main drawback of products with a logo in the shape of a bitten apple.

No. 1 – Asus RT-AC88U

Price: 15 000 rubles.Router of the future, able to provide the work of dozens of devices thanks to an incredible dedicated channel in 3167Mbit / c. Today, especially at home, such figures look like a bliss, but progress by leaps and bounds takes us into a wonderful new world of superfast Internet, which means that in a couple of years such figures will become commonplace and a necessity for comfortable work.

I think you've all learned about the advantages of top routers by the end of our rating, except for the fact that the device has no alternative but the best hardware – not even Apple can boast of such performance. Honorable first place in our rating!

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If you are reading this, it means you were interested, so please subscribe to our channel on Yandex.Den, well, and for one put aike (thumbs up) for labors. Thank you!

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