Router 5 ghz

Internet connection speeds up to 733 Mbps, 100 Mbps ports.

Top 10 best 5 ghz router with Wi-Fi: 2022-2023 ranking

Great speeds, high bandwidth, and compliance with the latest communication standards – dual-band 5 GHz routers can help you set up a fast Wi-Fi network with a stable signal. We've selected the best models of modern 5 GHz routers that are available on the Russian market.

Wi-Fi standard, which was first introduced in 2011. It is an evolutionary development of previous specifications, but only uses the 5 GHz frequency band. Therefore, it is only backward compatible with the 802.11n standard in the part that also uses this frequency. As of 2019, 802.11as is not yet widespread, although most new routers already support it.

What's the difference between 5 GHz and widespread 2.4 GHz?

Technically, the key difference is the 5 GHz frequency. There are also important features, which are discussed below.

High data rate

The higher the signal frequency, the more information the device can transmit. A single 802.11n router antenna provides data at 150 Mbps, while 802.11as provides data at 450 Mbps. The more transmitters in the device, the higher the maximum speed.

Wide coverage range

802.11n uses 13 channels for data transmission. This means that 13 clients can operate within a single room without interruption. The new specification takes advantage of 23 channels.

Elimination of interference

The radio air on the 2.4 GHz frequency is overloaded with devices, which is especially noticeable in apartment buildings. When paired with a relatively small number of channels, this reduces the data rate for each individual router. The 802.11as standard uses a different frequency, where the number of channels is higher and the number of devices is lower.

In practice, it provides an increase in speed. Do not get your hopes up for the unconditional benefits of the new standard. The more routers that use 802.11as, the more bandwidth will be consumed. Inevitably there will be the same situation that is now typical for 802.11n.

MikroTik hAP AC.

This is one of the first dual-band routers, which appeared on the Russian market. The model is still relevant: three chains on each frequency, three antennas for each band, and one can be replaced by a more powerful. MikroTik hAP AC offers a rich choice of connectors: there is an SPF-slot and four Gigabit Ethernet ports.

MikroTik hAP AC has four Gigabit Ethernet ports and one SPF-slot

On the downside, the router has a rather weak QCA9558 processor at 720 MHz and only 16 MB of flash memory, which makes it unable to operate at its full potential. At the same time, the manufacturer claims the maximum data transfer speed of up to 3,900 Mbps – this will be enough for a home device.

Keenetic Ultra (KN-1810)

The Keenetic Ultra has a much faster MediaTek MT7621AT processor (two MIPS1004Kc cores, 880 MHz), built-in USB controllers and a gigabit network switch, and significantly more both RAM (256 MBytes DDR3) and flash memory (128 MBytes NAND). The device will be able to reach its full potential and provide a stable Internet without interruptions.

Keenetic Ultra (KN-1810) proves that a good dual-band router does not have to be very expensive

The router has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports and two USB ports (2.0 and 3.0). The built-in software has an intuitive interface, which is not very common among the representatives of this niche, so even a novice can configure the model. Despite the advanced characteristics, the price of the router is about 10,000 rubles – so the purchase of the model from Keenetic will be very profitable.

Xiaomi Redmi Router AC2100

This unit of the Chinese brand Xiaomi is focused on the hard and continuous operation in a variety of conditions. Affordable router Xiaomi Redmi Router AC2100 looks stylish, it costs inexpensive, and at the same time perfectly solves its primary tasks, meeting the demands of modern users. The non-trivial release has six powerful signal amplifiers with wide directionality and high gain, which guarantees impeccable speed and quality of the web connection. The device also has three Ethernet network ports and 1 WAN for cable connection to your service provider and consumers. The router supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz operating bands and has Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), 802.11 b/g/a/n connectivity and speeds up to 1,733 megabits per second. The network ports operate at 1 Gbps. The device can also create VPN tunnels to register a secure Internet connection. Among the useful options is a bridge mode for the organization of the local network from different access points and work as a repeater. If you are not satisfied with the standard set of functions, you can install third-party firmware and replace the regular version with the Chinese interface. On the reverse side of the case you can find elements of the wall mount. This allows you not to clutter up the working space on the table and install the router vertically. Data transmission is carried out with the WPA2 encryption standard.

Customer reviews mention only one drawback – the Chinese firmware. However, it is very easy to replace it, or translate the interface with a built-in plug-in in your browser.

Xiaomi has long been known for its excellent routers, and the Xiaomi Redmi Router AC2100 model only emphasizes this.

TP-LINK Archer A9

The TP-LINK Archer A9 is a sought-after model of wi-fi router in the mid-priced segment. The device provides a stable signal even in the presence of 2-3 obstacles, can work with wireless modems, and has a handy application for configuration via smartphone. At the same time, the router is ready to use right out of the box, as it comes with the factory settings and knows how to automatically set the optimal configuration.

The TP-LINK Archer A9 is positioned as a reliable and advanced solution for handing out data in the modern 5 GHz broadcast band. The model is priced inexpensively and is designed based on the latest technology in the industry. The router features increased bandwidth and a high-speed Wi-Fi module for instant network processing. It also has the option of parental control and user access restriction. With its advanced hardware platform, it can deliver up to 1900Mbps at the speed of the wired ports up to 1Gbps.

With this inexpensive device, you can run two full-fledged networks with different bands and wide coverage. According to user reviews, the TP-LINK Archer A9 is one of the best routers produced by TP-Link with an advanced feature set, nice appearance and high performance indicators. The model comes with 3 external and 1 internal antenna, supports external 4G LTE modems, and has 3 stable streams for the fastest performance.

From the extensive range of wireless routers TP-LINK Archer A9 stands out for its impeccable workmanship, stylish design and excellent performance. This unit will allow you to extract the highest speeds from your service provider's data plan and get a stable signal within the premises.

Features of 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies

These two frequencies are the main bands on which Wi-Fi connection can be made. Over the past few years, with the development of wireless technology, most routers operate at 2.4 GHz.

If you go to the settings of any home Wi-Fi router and open the tab "Wireless mode" (or any similar), you can see such an item as "Channel". For 2.4 GHz there will be 13 (this is the number of wireless network channels supported in Russia). You can set the channel manually or leave the automatic selection. Most routers will automatically connect to the busiest channel after rebooting.

Over the years, there are more and more Wi-Fi routers operating on the frequency 2.4 GHz, they occupy this range almost completely, this is associated with a decline in the quality of the Internet wireless network in apartment buildings: when many routers are working on the same frequency, especially on the same channel, this significantly worsens the signal.
Those who access the Internet with a standard router operating on a frequency of 2.4 GHz, you can use special utilities (for example, Wi-Fi Analyzer), which allow you to determine the least busy channel of the wireless network.

However, it will always help for a short time – until the signal on the selected channel is "clogged" again.

An effective solution to solve this problem is to buy a router that can operate at 5 GHz. To date, there are fewer such devices, this frequency is unloaded, and the characteristics of this range give many more opportunities to work with Wi-Fi network. The number of available channels in Russia is 4 (34, 40, 44, 48). This range is enough for stable and smooth operation of the network.

On the video: Wi-Fi Analyzer, how to work with it (detailed instruction)

Advantages and disadvantages of 5GHz routers

The main advantages of Wi-Fi routers operating at a frequency of 5 GHz, include the following:

• the presence of a greater number of non-intersecting wireless network channels compared to 2.4 GHz;
• the small number of devices that support this frequency, even in apartment buildings;
• absence of interference and short-term interruptions of the signal;
• the ability to support channels on the 20/40/80 mHz band;
• most of these routers are dual-band: they can simultaneously distribute two Wi-Fi networks at a frequency of 5 GHz, and 2.4 GHz;
• increase speeds up to 1300 Mbps using equipment operating on the 802.11ac standard (depending on the capabilities of the provider).

This technology has fewer disadvantages, but they are worth a closer look.

Not all devices can operate at 5 GHz: A lot of laptops, tablets and smartphones released a few years ago, before such frequencies became widespread, simply will not see the required network in the list of available ones. The same goes for some budget models of modern wireless devices.

Wave attenuation on this frequency is faster than on networks supporting 2.4 GHz, so the coverage area will be smaller. Interestingly, this drawback can easily be considered a significant plus in densely populated homes: the neighbors can simply be inaccessible to the Wi-Fi network signal in the 5 GHz range, it increases network security, and the signals from the nearby devices will not overlap. On average, the wireless coverage area in this range will be less than 40 square meters.
Unfortunately, most modern 5 GHz routers supporting the 802.11ac communication standard are quite expensive. But in recent years, there is a trend towards lower prices and the appearance of cheaper devices on the market, primarily due to the entry into the market models of popular Chinese manufacturers.

Read More: