Wifi 6 router rating

Rarely do these models have quality parental controls with age settings to filter social media, gambling, Internet shopping, adult content, etc. There may be basic access scheduling and URL filtering features to control where kids can go on the Internet.

List of the best 6E Wi-Fi routers – 6GHz power for your home network

Since its introduction, Wi-Fi 6E equipment has been growing like mushrooms after the rain. This post presents only the best Wi-Fi 6E routers you can get today.

Some of the ones mentioned here may work as members of a mesh Wi-Fi system, but they're here because they work well as the only Wi-Fi broadcaster in the house – In many cases, one is enough..

If you're looking for a mesh system of the same Wi-Fi standard, they're on this list of the best Wi-Fi 6E systems. Note that you can generally use all mesh routers as standalone routers – most systems include identical routers.

This list includes only the ones I would use for myself. By the way, if you want to keep your existing (Wi-Fi 6 or older) router, you'll find some options at the bottom of this page to upgrade your network to Wi-Fi 6E.

Wi-Fi 6E routers – a list of the best devices

This list includes both standalone routers and mesh systems, and is sorted in order of view. The numbers are simply numbering and do not correspond to the rankings.

Needless to say, I will update it as I review more – so add the page to your bookmarks.

Asus RT-AXE7800 – Wi-Fi 6E router that matters

The RT-AXE7800 is a smaller version of the GT-AXE11000 (below) and definitely far inferior to the GT-AXE16000 (also below). But it has one special feature: It is compact and practical. In addition, the performance is quite excellent. And a nice price tag doesn't hurt either.

• Great performance with many networking options with excellent feature set, free online protection and parental control
• Support for AiMesh 2.0 with Mult-Gig wired service network as a companion
• Ultra-flexible network ports for Dual-WAN and LAN/WAN linking
• Compact and practical design; relatively affordable

The RT-AXE7800 is not the first tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router from Asus. The company already had the GT-AXE11000, ZenWiFi ET8, GT-AXE16000 and ZenWiFi Pro ET12.

But the new router still manages to be unique. Its hardware specs remind me of the Netgear RAXE300, and its appearance evokes fond memories of the RT-AX89X.

As a Wi-Fi 6E machine, you could call the RT-AXE7800 a "mini and somewhat stripped-down version of the GT-AXE11000. But, the significantly lower price makes the new router a great buy.

If you like Wi-Fi 6E and live in a relatively small house, choose the RT-AXE7800 today!

TP-Link Archer AXE300 – the best TP-Link router today

Keenetic Viva (KN-1910)

The simplified version of the popular Giga series router opens the rating. Its budget price, nice appearance and advanced specs make Keenetic Viva (KN-1910) a reliable and functional networking tool that can provide you with high quality and fast Internet. Unlike Giga KN-1010, this edition has some advantages which made its users prefer it. For example, there is a much smaller form factor and weight. The power supply is even smaller, and its power has been cut down to 18 watts. At the same time in terms of functionality the devices are almost identical. They are equipped with two USB ports, have support for 5 GHz and proprietary configuration software.

The Keenetic Viva (KN-1910) uses the efficient MT 7621 AT processor as its hardware platform with good data processing speed and multitasking capability The equipment's USB 2.0 ports support synchronization with 3G/4G modems. This means that you can organize wireless data transfer to different devices (both wired and wireless) even without connection to a cable service provider. Also the USB-connectors allow turning the router into a full-fledged file, print, or DNLA-server in no time. In practical tests, the router showed such connection speeds:

As a result, the total throughput of the model reaches 1267 megabits per second, which is quite a good indicator against the budget cost.

With Keenetic Viva (KN-1910) you can be sure that your personal data is protected at the highest level. The integrated WEP, WPA2, WPA encryption standards contribute to this. Non-removable antennas have a gain of 5 dBi.

Keenetic Viva (KN-1910) deserves your attention because of its practicality, functionality and affordability. This router works perfectly with high-speed tariffs of ISPs and is a versatile machine for different usage scenarios.

Xiaomi Redmi Router AC2100

This unit of the Chinese brand Xiaomi is focused on hard and prolonged work in a variety of conditions. Affordable router Xiaomi Redmi Router AC2100 looks stylish, it is inexpensive, and it perfectly solves its primary tasks, meeting the demands of modern users. The non-trivial release features six powerful signal amplifiers with wide directivity and high gain to ensure flawless speed and quality web connectivity. 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 organizing a local network from different access points and work in a repeater format. If you're not satisfied with the standard set of functions, you can install third-party firmware and replace the regular version with a Chinese interface. On the back of the case you can find elements of the wall mount. This allows you to not clutter the workspace on the desk and install the router vertically. Data transmission is carried out with the WPA2 encryption standard.

Customer feedback mentions 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.

From 6000 to 10000 rubles

Keenetic Sprinter KN-3710

Model for home use with good coverage. It can be used as a router, Mesh access point or a master station. LAN port speed up to 1000 Mb.

Includes all required technologies for WiFi 6: beamforming, OFDMA, WPA encryption, etc. AX1800 total speed.

Tp-Link Archer AX73.

One of the highest performing inexpensive WiFi 6 routers. Can work simultaneously with more than 200 devices. It has a USB3.0 port with support for SAMBA and DLNA servers. As well as beamforming technology and six external antennas.

Bandwidth up to 160 MHz makes it possible to realize high data rates. Total speed of AX5400. Router can be used in a Mesh system as a master device.

Redmi AX5400 Gaming

Gaming WiFi 6 router with improved speeds and minimal latency in gaming data packets. Powerful amplifiers allow you to cover large areas with wifi signal without dropping the signal in the far corners of the room.

Suitable for simultaneous connection of a large number of devices (PCs, smartphones, tablets, smart home, etc.). Includes modern technologies OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 4K QAM, Beamforming. AX5400 total speed, six signal amplifiers and channel width up to 160 MHz.

• Mesh mode is activated at the touch of a button.
• WAN 2.5 Gb, 1 Gb LAN ports. Dual WAN (you can connect to two ISPs).
• LAN port aggregation for connection to NAS with speeds up to 2000M.

From 10000 rubles

Keenetic Giga KN-1011

Updated model with a WiFi6 module, giving the maximum speed of 2.4GHz up to 574 Mbit/s, and for the 5GHz range up to 1201 Mbit/s. The RAM capacity has also increased to 512Mb. The total speed of AX1800.

The router has an SFP port to connect the fiber optic cable. Gigabit WAN and LAN ports. The new WiFi 6 standard introduced OFDMA technology to increase speeds.

• Automatic WiFi network analysis and connection optimization.
• USB ports (3.0 + 2.0) for external storage devices and 3g/4g modems.
• Built-in torrent client, DLNA server and VPN features.
• Signal shaping in the right direction (beamforming).

Weak processor (2 cores, up to 880 MHz). Other routers in this price category use more powerful chips.

TP-Link Archer AX90

Tri-band WiFi6 router with eight external antennas capable of concentrating the signal toward connected devices. Powered by a quad-core processor up to 1.5 GHz.

Eight streams, FEM amplifier and signal enhancement technologies (OFDMA, 4×4 MU-MIMO, DFS) provide a large coverage area with high-quality wireless communication. Two 2.5 and 1 Gb WAN ports. Three LAN ports up to 1000M.

• Possible theoretical speed for all devices in AX6600 network.
• Two USB ports for SAMBA, FTP, Time Machine file access.
• HomeShield protects the network from cyberattacks and vulnerabilities.
• The user can set parental control, learn about potential threats and prioritize certain devices (Qos).

Netgear Nighthawk RAX80

Netgear is known for their WiFi routers with a new version of WiFi 6 called the Nighthawk RAX80.

It has all the latest WiFi technologies and protocols, and like all Netgear routers it will have good support such as firmware updates.

The 1.8 GHz quad-core processor with 160 MHz channels is enough to provide gigabit WiFi speeds.

The device has a curved wing-shaped housing with 4 antennas built in.

There are 2 USB 3.0 ports, 5 Ethernet ports and 1 Internet port on the back, as well as a power button.

The RAX80 is also backwards compatible with older protocols, so it will work with older devices as well.

ASUS RT-AX88U

The ASUS RT-AX88U has built-in WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and many other features.

It has 4 MU-MIMO antennas along with Beamforming.

The RT-AX88U runs on a 1.8GHz quad-core SoC processor with 1GB of RAM.

The back of the device has a USB 3.1 port, 1 WAN, 8 Gigabit LAN ports, WPS, a reset button and a power button.

ASUS uses WRT firmware for its routers, which gives them a lot of nice features, such as prioritizing the use of the device over others or working in the router via VPN using OpenVPN protocol.

Netgear Nighthawk AX12 (RAX120)

Netgear released the Nighthawk AX12 in the first half of 2019, which looks more like a spaceship than a router. The flagship 12-stream device runs on a quad-core processor with a maximum frequency of 2.2 GHz, as powerful as some computers. Wireless bandwidth reaches 10.8 Gbps, for wired data transfer there are 5 Gigabit LAN ports and one WAN at 5 Gbps.

The model can become the best option for home use, giving the opportunity to use the Internet for gaming, viewing online video in all formats (2K, 4K, 8K) and managing the "smart home" system. It is also suitable for the office – the total number of simultaneously connected devices can be more than 30. However, the router will cost at least $420 or about 27000 rubles.

TP-Link Archer AX6000.

TP-Link Archer AX6000 eight-core router provides the speed of the wireless network up to 6 Gbps in the range of 2.4 and 5 GHz with a channel width of 160 MHz. For wired data transmission, the device is equipped with 8 LAN ports with 1 Gbit/s bandwidth and a 2.5 Gbit/s WAN Ethernet socket. To support such speeds and the Wi-Fi 6 standard, it has a 1.8 GHz quad-core processor with three co-processors, 1 GB of RAM and 256 MB of ROM.

Band Steering technology allows you to direct users connected to the router from congested lanes to free ones. Airtime Fairness ensures optimal use of time, and HomeCare TM provides malware protection. The TP-Link Archer AX6000 also has support for technologies to optimize gaming streams, including a special "gas pedal" that increases speed and reduces latency. The router can work with Alexa and IFTTT services and evenly distributes the load using the Band Steering mechanism.

Best Affordable Wi-Fi Router 6: TP-Link Archer AX50

We're looking at an affordable Wi-Fi 6 router in the mid-range price range. It offers high throughput and lifetime protection from malicious apps plus parental control software.

Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Router: D-Link EXO Mesh AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 Router (DIR-X1560)

Inexpensive and fairly simple router with Wi-Fi 6 support. It has decent performance on the 5 GHz frequency band, although it is worse in the 2.4 GHz band.

• Speed on the 2.4 GHz band.
• No USB and multi-gigabit LAN ports.
• No malware protection.
• Weak parental controls.
• Does not support 160 MHz bandwidth.

Rating

Best for advanced users and gamers: the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300

One of the fastest routers among those tested. It has plenty of useful gaming features, a variety of I/O ports, and a handy management console where you can optimize network performance.

• High performance
• Gaming functionality
• 8 LAN ports
• Works with voice commands for Alexa assistant and IFTTT applets
• Sleek user interface

NETGEAR R9000

Netgear R9000 Nighthawk X10 is probably the fastest of all listed routers: it can cope with a large format conference in the office (and not just one!), with multiplayer 4K game, and with online streaming. In fact, the X10 has all the features that will become standard over the next 5 years. It has a ten Gigabit SFP+ interface and not only supports 802.11ac, but also the new 802.11ad standard, which promises speeds up to 4,600 Mbps in the 60 GHz band.

Netgear R9000 Nighthawk X10 – the router of the future

On paper it all looks very cool, but there is a huge "but": at the moment in the stock firmware has no settings that will allow to use all the capabilities of the router. You can't integrate it with a "smart home" either, and there are no devices that can work with ten-gigabit Internet yet. Buying a Netgear R9000 Nighthawk X10 would be a great investment for the future, but if you need a powerful router in the "here and now", you're better off looking at other current models.

D-Link EXO WiFi 6 AX1500 MU-MIMO Router

This router from D-Link is probably the cheapest WiFi 6 router on the market and costs less than $100. But it still has all the usual features you'd expect from a WiFi 6. For example, WPA3 and MU-MIMO.

It can still support 4 times as many devices as most other routers. So it's a great option for smaller homes or homes with thinner walls.

TP-Link AX6000 Wi-Fi 6 Router

This is a WiFi 6 router, so it has all the expected features and technologies of WiFi 6. For example, WPA3, MU-MIMO, and OFDMA.

OFDMA increases average throughput by 4x in high-density scenarios compared to a standard 802.11ac wireless Internet router; Multiple devices can use Wi-Fi simultaneously.

This router also has long-range capability. 8 high-gain external antennas provide a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout your home. BSS color technology provides a smooth and stable connection, eliminating signal interference likely from your neighbors, while beam shaping and range extension provide a more powerful and long-range network

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