Best router under $100

A great router that has been in use for year is the NETGEAR WNDR3700. It was NETGEAR’s best router for a long time. It can be bought under $100. Other NETGEAR Routers to look at also at a bargain are the WNDR4700 with built in NAS. It was several hundred dollars when it came out but can be bought now for under $100 as it has been discontinued. I use one and love it.

A bargain in the latest technology of AC wifi is the NETGEAR R6100. Sells retail for $99. Dual Band AC 1200mbs speed potential. If it were me id buy that one. But you have choices.

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Our list of best routers under $100 is sectioned in half. The first five routers are the higher end routers for this budget and the bottom half are your more casual internet users. Now that may not mean a whole lot for some of you but, if your household has a couple gamer’s then I recommend one from the first half on the list.

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Most people will be completely satisfied by a well rounded device like the TP-LINK Archer C7 AC1750. This router will work great for the majority of households with mixed internet needs.

An important question to know is if the router is going to be able to handle your internet speed. For most people this own’t be an issue and you won’t have to worry about this. If your internet is above 100mbs then you may want to begin to understand what to look for in speed for a router.

You’re looking for a section on the box that says something like “Ethernet Interface “. It will have a break down of what each port can handle. Just because the router may say 1300Mbs on the front of the box that does not mean it can handle that sort of connection. So make sure to double check what each Ethernet port can handle. As long as your connect isn’t over 100mbs then all the routers on our best router under $100 list will be fine for you.

A lot of people don’t realize that where you place your router can greatly affect its performance. Placing the router in the center of your house is ideal. It will product signal out in all directions evenly. Our best router under $100 should be treated the same way.

The more walls between the router and your device the weaker the signal can become. Keep the router up off the floor so you’re not projecting signal down into the ground or basement for no reason. Mounting it on the ceiling is actually the most recommended method.

Point the antennas in different directions. This will allow the signals to make a better parallel match giving you a stronger signal strength.

So lets break down these routers and talk a little about each one. Hopefully this will give you some additional insight into the best router under $100. They each have different features so there may be one that suits you better than the other.

First on our list is the (1) TP-LINK Archer C7 AC1750 this is a great well rounded router. It’s the one we recommend for most people due to it having above average set of features.

This router has a gigabit WAN port as well which makes it great for newer modems companies are coming out with. It also comes with USB ports which is great for things like setting up a printer straight off the router without the need for a host computer.

The (2) Securifi Almond router has a unique touchscreen set up feature. You can establish this set up very quickly without the need for any PC, MAC, or web browser. This can be a very useful feature for those not the most technologically savvy.

This companies customer service is highly recommended as well by other consumers. There are a lot of instances online where people have received a very positive customer service experience if they had needed to call. So all in all for this router… it’s great if you don’t really know what you’re doing! Plus it’s got the power to handle gamer’s & your average internet browsers alike.

The (3) Afoundry Wireless Router is a great long range router. If you have a bigger house with a lot of walls or anywhere with a large area.

It could be a business location or outdoor event where you want Wi-Fi. This router can handle 50 different devices at once. With that kind of power it can pretty much handle anything you throw at it.

The (4) NETGEAR N750 is a great fit for the best router under $100. It can handle high speed connections while providing a larger range of connection in comparison to other routers.

This is a really great router for online gaming. HD streaming, and large media downloads. If you’re a big time media lover than this is a really great option. If your house is full of gamer’s than it’s an ever better option!

The (5) ASUS RT-N66U router is a strong router that allows 3G and 5G wireless connections. You can allow your guests to connect to a 3G home network so they have access but, at the same time aren’t going to hog up all your bandwidth.

That’s also a really great feature for those with kids that sometimes may need punishment for being bad, ha ha! If they start acting up well… slow their internet down or simply change the password for one of the connections.

I own one version of this ASUS router and I absolutely love it. It’s done well by me and definitely going to last a long time.

The (6) TP-LINK TL-WR841N router is a lower end router that surprisingly packs a punch. It won’t be able to handle the 100mbs connections that a lot of cable companies provide but, if your someone who casually browses the internet or only uses Facebook this can be a great choice.

It’s only around twenty bucks and has great consumer reviews. It also includes parental controls for those with children. A great feature that is sometimes overlooked.

The (7) TP-LINK TL-WR940N router made our list of best router under $100 because of its well rounded abilities.

It’s a great router for those that love media streaming but, don’t really game. So if you’re a binge watching Netflix user than this is a good choice. It has the bandwidth you’ll need to handle those long multi season sessions.

If you Netflix & Chill then you got to make sure you can keep it up, right? Of course I’m talking about the show though. What did you think I was referring to?

The (8) NETGEAR N600 router is a middle grounds router. It’s great for gamer’s and it’s only priced around fifty dollars. This is a big factor on why it made our best router under $100 list.

The ideal Wi-Fi range for this router is for medium to large homes. Includes simultaneous dual band which reduces any interference to your connected devices. No one likes being in the middle of a game session or Netflix show and having to reboot their router.

The (9) D-Link DIR-813 AC750 router comes to you from a great and trusted company D-Link. Consumers have been trusting this companies with a wide variety of products for a long time now and their routers are no exception.

They consider this router to have next generation wireless technology. Basically the latest and greatest! However in the tech world that’s always happening every 30 days or so.

No matter because with a overwhelming positive review board from current owner you can feel assured in your purchase.

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Last on our best router under $100 list we have the (10) TP-LINK AC1900 router. This is a higher end router that sometimes is a little more than the $100 price range but, not by much. It was just to good to leave off our list when it’s so close to meeting the budget.

Supports 802.11ac which is basically next gen Wi-Fi. Almost 2 gigabytes of available bandwidth so it definitely can handle almost anything most homes will throw at it.

Also provides the new beamforming technology which locates wireless devices to create a stronger connection. So for something maybe just slightly over the budget you’re getting a lot extra. If you can stretch the pocket book just a tad then I really really recommend this router!

So that concludes our best router under $100 post. Hopefully this helped you a lot and please leave us a comment below. Let us know what you think!

There are several different reasons why families and businesses require routers. The first, of course, is that it converts a wired internet connection into one that several individuals and devices can share. In some cases this may be done without physically connecting to the router. For others it is a matter of upgrading to a new router with the latest tech features and tools.

Pricing dramatically varies from brand to brand and it is not always dependent upon quality. With the evolution of technology comes the expansion of tech terminology. It is extremely difficult for the average consumer to understand how to choose the best router under 100 dollars.

There are wired and wireless routers. It was once believed that those which were wired offered better protection. However, with today’s technology that is not always true.

Wireless routers offer connection for individuals and devices that do not have physical access to the router.

All routers feature ports for wired connections.

USB ports provide file and printer sharing opportunities.

There are several advantages of purchasing the best router under $100, including those which are wired. All routers allow shared internet connection among several individuals and devices. Wireless routers themselves offer an additional advantage of connectivity without physical contact.

Adding a router to any computer system is more expensive. That being said, the additional tools and features are well worth the money. Another benefit of purchasing a router is the ability to connect to LAN or WAN networks. LAN connections usually offer faster speeds. LAN is used to refer to local area networks, while WAN refers to wide area networks.

The TP-LINK Archer C5 AC1200 Dual Band Router provides easy networking and connectivity. It features six separate antennas. Three of these are external while the other three are internal. This enables the router the ability to achieve and consistently maintain greater speeds across longer distances to provide users with safe and reliabile wireless coverage.

This TP-LINK Router features 2 USB, 4 LAN, and 1 WAN port for optimal connectivity and sharing. Potential speeds are up to 10 times quicker than with the fastest Ethernet available. The Archer C5 AC1200 Router is an extremely powerful hub which supports fast robust wired networks. User hub management is extremely simple with app connection of Android or iOS from media and file sharing to parental control.

The management tether app lends parents assurance and peace of mind. This tether app allows users to review the status of the router itself, specifically what devices are currently connected, and what privileges are available for those devices. This also includes remotely while away from home.

The TP-LINK Archer C5 Router is capable of handling heavy bandwidth demands such as those for streaming online games and or HD movies. It is seamlessly compatible with most all tech devices including laptops. phones. tablets. gaming consoles. and e-readers. TP-LINK provides an easy to follow step by step installation guide as well as a two year warranty.

One of the first things that should be noted is the Securifi Almond 2015 Long Range Wireless Router does not require a computer during setup. It features its own touch screen for quick and easy installation. Securfi engineers have updated the 2012 model with revolutionary features for 2015.

The Securifi Almond Router is compatible with most all modems whether Fiber, DSL, or Cable. It dramatically extends your Wi-Fi range and is suitable to work with other router brands such as Netgear, Apple, Cisco among many others. This router provides a wireless bridge for all of your wired devices for effortless wireless connectivity.

The Securifi Router offers home automation and security through the simple addition of applicable sensors. There are no lock-ins, messy contracts, or monthly fees involved. The system will alert you in the event that your home’s windows or doors have been accessed. It also has an energy saving feature which allows users to control appliances, lights, and thermostats .

The Securifi Almond Router only requires only about 3 minutes of time from beginning to end for installation and setup. This router is truly an amazing deal for the price especially since it includes a one year guarantee which protects against any manufacturing defects as well as software updates which are available on the web through the router’s touchscreen interface.

The Mikrotik RouterBOARD hEX lite 5 is an adorable router that packs a powerful punch. It has been engineered with a sleek look and extremely compact design. This top rated router is definitely one of the least expensive for all of the features that it provides.

This router offers a total of 5 Ethernet/LAN ports for ultimate connectivity. It is perfect for SOHO (small office home office) LAN networking. It allows for fast and stable home or office wired connectivity sharing in a snap. Consumers can rest assured that nothing is stripped down or sacrificed with this mini router. It consists of Router OS with Level 4 certificate which is fully featured.

The Ethernet ports may be used independently or 2 to 5 may be placed in switch mode providing a line switch rate between ports which is mirror capable. The Mikrotik provides switch chip functionality which is optional. This means it offers increased throughput for both smaller and larger packets. Throughput is the information of raw data that is communicated or processed.

With streaming video accounting for the majority of my home network traffic I decided it was time to upgrade our home router. Our previous router was 8 years old, and getting a WiFi signal in our bedroom was like trying to lure your cat out of a crawlspace with a bag of cat treats. We literally had to leave the bedroom door open to let the signal in. it was time to upgrade.

If you go online and look at some of the recommended routers from the top tech sites, you will see prices ranging from $200-$300 dollars. sometimes more. Truth be told, you can get a much more affordable router without sacrificing much in the way of function or performance.

I was able to get a router that meets all of today’s standards, and will keep up with internet speeds for years to come for $110. That router is the TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 .

Working in IT, I love top of the line technology. However, often times I find we overpay for functionality. What’s the point of paying $300 for a top of the line router, when you can pay a third of that price for a router that meets your needs.

Some may say, buying the best available device keeps you current longer. I find that I’m seeing last years $300 router for about $200, and it will be everyone’s $100 bargain a year from now.

The important part of finding the bargain router is making sure you have the required standards of today, with the capabilities of handling the newest standards in devices released in the past year. I’m going to go over what those standards are, and why the TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750 is the one you want to buy to meet them.

Of course you will want the basics, A WiFi Access point, Ethernet capabilities, and security. However there are things you want to look for to ensure you are ready for not only the devices of tomorrow, but the technology trends that will be prevalent in most houses over the next 5 years. Let’s take a look at what those technologies are.

802.11ac is the latest wireless standard. It was approved in January of 2014 and is the WiFi standard being used in modern consumer devices. Most WiFi devices released prior to 2014 will be 802.11n. Legacy devices from the prior 2 decades used the 802.11 G, A, or B standard. If you see a bargain router for $50-$60 bucks, it most likely doesn’t support the AC standard.

You want to ensure that your router can handle the 802.11ac standard. Most all WiFi devices being made now will use it. Samsung Galaxy has been on the standard since 2013, before it was officially approved. iPhone 6 utilizes 802.11ac, and you can’t buy an Apple laptop that doesn’t make use of the standard.

If you currently don’t have 802.11ac devices, don’t worry. These routers are backwards compatible with the A,B,G, and N standards of yesteryear. This brings me to my next requirement.

802.11ac operates on a different frequency than previous iterations of the standard. 802.11ac operates on a 5 GHz frequency, while N, G, B, and A operate at 2.4 GHz. Since the 802.11ac standard solely operates within the 5 GHz band, all 802.11 routers should have at least 2 bands.

A router with multiple bands will allow you to set up multiple WiFi SSIDs (The WiFi Network Name) on the router. This comes in handy when trying to make your network more efficient.

On my home network, I created SSIDs using a dual band router, one named mynetwork_2_4G and one called mynetwork5G. I have all my devices that are 802.11ac capable connect to the 5 GHz network, and all my 802.11n devices connect to my 2.4 GHz network. This ensures my top speed devices won’t be slowed down by the older devices in the house.

The 802.11n standard can also use the 5GHz band, but not many 802.11n devices utilize the 5GHz band. Therefore, I find it better for my network to separate the 802.11ac devices to their own SSID to guarantee peak performance.

When looking at the speeds available from routers, don’t expect to get the speeds advertised on the box. Those are the theoretical maximum speeds. You will most likely find that your speeds are about a quarter of their theoretical maximum speeds.

With that in mind, I recommend getting a router that boasts 450 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. Router makers typically add the speeds together when advertising, thus calling the router a 1750, or claiming a 1750 Mbps capability.

I’m going to stay above the technical weeds on this one. The 802.11ac WiFi standard has improved upon the router’s ability to target it’s client. Instead of the router wasting it’s energy, sending it’s signal in all directions, it narrows multiple beams to it’s clients for better speed and performance.

Beamforming has existed long before 802.11ac. However, it’s usage has been standardized in 802.11ac to apply Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) techniques providing better speeds and reliability.

Whether you’ve considered it or not, USB ports on a router come in very handy. While print capabilities are possible, that can easily be accomplished with a WiFi printer. The real benefit to a USB port is the ability to attach an external hard drive and have Network Attached Storage (NAS) available to all devices on your network.

This provides a means to centrally store movies, music, videos, and other media files. Not only is this convenient for PCs, Macs, and laptops on your network, but you could set up a media server and serve movies and TV shows to the Roku, Apple TV or other streaming device on your network.

So why USB 3.0? The answer is speed. USB 2.0 drives have a real world write speed of about 9 MB. Now that’s Megabytes. We need to multiply by 8 bits to get Mbps. So in terms of network bandwidth a USB 2.0 drive will run at 72 Mbps. While that’s fine if you’re using 802.11n, it won’t keep up with 802.11ac. If you are running a media server over Gigabit Ethernet it can be a downright show stopper.

Even the cheapest USB 3.0 drives have had real world speeds 20 times faster than that, making them faster than Gigabit Ethernet. You never want your file server to be the bottleneck of your network.

So what router has all this and won’t cost an arm and a leg? If you’re looking for all this functionality at a great value I recommend the TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750. It’s got everything we need and can usually be found for about $110.

Supports WiFi 802.11ac, and is backwards compatible with N, G, B, and A.
It’s Dual Band (450Mbps at 2.4GHz and 1300Mbps at 5GHz)
It has a USB 3.0 and a USB 2.0 port
It supports 802.11ac Beamforming
4 Gigabit Ethernet Ports
800MHz dual-core CPU

As for performance, this router easily kept up with my internet connection. On the 2.4 GHz network I consistently get 45 – 50 Mbps of bandwidth in every room in the house. The furthest test point was our bedroom which has 50 feet 2 walls between the room and the router.

On the 5GHz band, my device gets internal network speeds between 275-300 Mbps when in the same room as my router. In our bedroom the network still performs at a speedy 180 Mbps.

As I said, all router makers love to put the theoretical maximums on the box. The 450Mbps and 1300Mbps speeds quoted on the box are theoretical. You will most likely find that your speeds are closer to what I show in my tests above.

This router also provides the ability to create a separate guest network. This provides an easy way to provide secure internet to your house guest, while keeping them separated from your home or office network.

Setting up this router is a breeze, has multi-language support and it comes with live 24/7 technical support.

I said the title of the article is “Best Streaming Router Around $100”, and my recommendation is priced at around $110. I know, for some, $100 might be the most they want to spend. For those folks the TP-LINK Archer C7 AC1750 will cover most the important functions.

It’s essentially the same router minus the beamforming and USB 3.0 port (it has 2 USB 2.0 ports instead). It also has a single core processor, which may take performance down a notch below the C8 under heavy loads. However it wasn’t noticeable in my experience.

It performed identically to the C8 when in proximity to the router. However the lack of beamforming was noticeable in the bedroom as I was getting speeds around 100 Mbps on my 802.11ac device.

So if you don’t care to use your router to serve media, and can live without the beamforming boost, then the TP-LINK Archer C7 AC1750 should suit you just fine.

To ensure you get the best performance I wanted to go over some of the things I’ve done in my home network to ensure peak performance. This doesn’t just apply to TP-LINK Archer C8 AC1750, but any WiFi router you install.

WiFi signals have better range and reliability when they are angled downward. This is why it’s best to install your router on the second floor or on top of a high shelf or surface on your first floor. I know many people like to install the router in the basement, but that will hinder your WiFi network performance.

It’s equally important not to block or hide your router. It impedes the signal, lowering network coverage in your home or office. I understand that most people don’t want to look at a router as it doesn’t add much to décor. But, if you put it up high on a shelf or cabinet, you get better WiFi coverage and no one can see it anyway.

This is extremely easy to do with TP-LINK routers. All you have to do is set up one Wireless network name SSID for the 5 GHz network, and another SSID for the 2.4 GHz network.

Then connect your wireless devices with 802.11ac to the 5 GHz network and all the other wireless devices to the 2.4 GHz network. Connecting all devices to the same SSID regardless of WiFi standard causes the potential to slow throughput to your more modern devices.

On our home network, we have an iPhone 6 and one laptop connected to the 5 GHz network as they both support 802.11ac. My wife’s iPhone 5c and the kids kindles are connected to the 2.4 Ghz network.

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The more devices on your WiFi network, the slower it will preform. Households today have multiple computers, tablets, phones, and printers on their network. If your household cut the cable cord and watches TV over the internet, you’re sometimes adding multiple over-the-top streaming devices to the equation.

Considering the number of devices in today’s households, it makes sense to put your stationary devices on wired Ethernet if possible. This will free up wireless bandwidth for devices that require it, like smartphones, laptops, and tablets.

I personally ensure all streaming devices like Roku 3 and Apple TV utilize an Ethernet connection. While most won’t even notice, a correctly installed wired Ethernet connection will always be more reliable than wireless.

I know what you’re thinking, “You just told you to put the router high up on the shelf, now you want me to run 4 Ethernet cables from it?”

Not at all. You can simply use 1 Ethernet port and run the Ethernet cable to a smart switch. The differences between a managed, unmanaged switch is a topic for another day. But, unless computer networking is a hobby for you, you’ll want a smart switch .

The smart switch should be located in a place in your house where you can easily run Ethernet connections to the rooms you require. I recommend the basement. It’s possible to run the smart switch to another smart switch.

For instance, let’s say you have an Xbox One, PC, and Roku in the same location. You could run the router to your smart switch in the basement. Then, you could run 1 Ethernet cable to the entertainment center. From there, you could connect the Ethernet cable to another 5 port smart switch and use the other three ports for the Xbox One, Roku, and PC. The diagram below illustrates this setup.

Be advised that you are sharing the 1 Gbps bandwidth on that single port between the switch in the basement and the 4 port switch at the entertainment center. This typically isn’t an issue, but if you’re running all three devices at full capacity, they will be sharing that 1 Gbps line back to the switch in the basement.

With this example, even at full blast you shouldn’t notice a problem. However, I would advise against daisy chaining more than 2 switches, as it can pose a throughput problem. If you need more ports, get a larger switch. Smart switches for home networks are relatively inexpensive.

There is no need to buy a $300 router when you can get the functionality you need for a third of that price. Furthermore, you can take a fraction of that $200 you saved and set up a Gigabit Ethernet network in your house.

Coupled with a properly configured WiFi network, your home network will be setup for optimal video streaming performance. Enough to be the envy of any cord-cutter. Even the guy with the $300 router.

Disclosure: Grounded Reason is supported by a small commission for purchases made through some links on this website. I only accept compensation from companies for products I support. I will not accept compensation from companies attempting to sway my review of products. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

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If you’re willing to pay extra for more features and you plan to use them, the Netgear R6400 offers an easier-to-use UI and more options than the Archer C7. It also has one of the best price-to-performance ratios of all the routers we’ve tested.

Note:This router has asevere security flawthat can let someone take control of your router if you click a malicious URL. Netgear has issued a firmware update that fixes the problem. and we’ve updated our router with the patch.

The AC1750 Netgear R6400 costs a little more than our primary pick but provides (mostly) better performance and a much better array of features. Among them are a built-in VPN server for advanced users who want to secure their remote coffee-shop browsing, a QoS feature to prioritize your network’s traffic (to get better video-streaming performance, for instance), and support for Time Machine backups (which makes this model a good choice for Apple households). The R6400 also has better parental controls and faster USB ports than the Archer C7.

In the unlikely event that both the TP-Link Archer C7 and Netgear R6400 are out of stock and you need a router right away, two previous picks should provide almost as good performance for a slightly lower price. You can read about the TP-Link Archer C8 and Netgear’s R7000 in our competition section below. But stock shortages of our top picks rarely last long, and we suggest waiting if you can.

I spent more than two years immersed in wireless-networking testing and analysis for The Wirecutter. I also tested everything from computer cases to network-attached storage in my decade-plus career as a tech journalist for Maximum PC (formerly an associate editor), PCWorld (formerly a contributing editor), Computer Shopper, PCMag, Laptop Magazine, Tom’s Hardware, PC Gamer, IGN, and HotHardware, to name a few. I was also a business analyst for Stanford University. Taking a ton of data and transforming it into recommendations is what I do best.

For this guide I relied on the expert opinions of reviewers from CNET. PCMag. PCWorld. SmallNetBuilder. and TrustedReviews. I also went through Amazon comments and best-seller lists to find reliable and popular routers. Then, for the most recent update, I spent a week testing nine routers on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands across four locations in my house. In total, I’ve spent hundreds of hours testing close to 30 different routers for our guides.

If you already have a router and you’re happy with its range and speed, you don’t need to buy a new one.

If you’re tired of being unable to use your Wi-Fi in the dead zones in your house or apartment, you need a new router. Our pick, the Archer C7, lets you access both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands, improving your performance and giving you a way to escape interference from your neighbors’ Wi-Fi networks. Unlike an older wireless-n or wireless-g router, our 802.11ac pick supports the fastest Wi-Fi connections of almost any device you can buy, and its Gigabit Ethernet ports give your wired devices plenty of bandwidth for streaming HD video—even 4K—around your home.

Recent routers like our pick have faster processors, better antennas, and more memory, which can provide better performance and longer Wi-Fi range than an older router can offer, even if you’re using older devices. You won’t see as much of an improvement if you’re merely surfing the Web or downloading files while sitting close to the router, but you will be able to maintain a better connection across longer distances—especially if you also own wireless-ac devices.

If you already have a router and you’re happy with its range and speed, you don’t need to buy a new one. If you want or need more-advanced features such as QoS, a VPN server, or support for Time Machine backups, you should get our upgrade pick. which lets you do more than our primary pick and is a lot easier to configure. Google’s OnHub offers dead-simple setup and management, if those are priorities for you, but sacrifices the power, features, and flexibility of our top picks.

Avoid expensive tri-band or MU-MIMO routers. They’re overkill for almost everyone, and you shouldn’t buy any of them—not even as a way to future-proof your network. You should get a router that fits the devices you already own or are planning to buy soon, not one that works best with devices you might buy a year or two from now. By the time you have enough devices that can make use of these advanced routers’ full capabilities, you’ll be able to buy an even better (or cheaper) router.

We’ve kept our eye on the development of mesh networking and mesh networking devices as more have become available over the past year or so, and now have a guide to this emerging category. These systems won’t be faster than our router pick in smaller homes, but if your place is larger than 2,000 square feet and you keep finding Wi-Fi dead spots, a mesh networking kit might be a better solution than our router pick and a range extender. If you’re frustrated with the setup process of typical routers, mesh systems also tend to have more user-friendly controls. But keep in mind that you’ll be paying a premium with any of these options.

Wireless-ac, or IEEE 802.11ac, is the latest mainstream Wi-Fi version. It’s the standard in most laptops, smartphones, and tablets from 2013 and later, including many products that we recommend in other guides such as current MacBooks and high-end Windows laptops plus flagship smartphones from Apple, Samsung, Motorola, LG, and HTC.

Your next gadget with Wi-Fi will have wireless-ac; so should your router. You’ll get better wireless performance and range for your wireless-ac devices than if you used a wireless-n router, and your network will be ready for any future devices you buy over the next few years. Wireless-ac could mean—at the extremes of the router’s range—the difference between a frustrating, stuttering Netflix stream and smooth, 1080p loveliness.

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A great router has to be dual-band. which means it supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals. Because so many things transmit in the 2.4 GHz range, wireless interference from other Wi-Fi routers and Bluetooth devices, and even microwaves and cordless phones, can affect your wireless performance. Jumping to the 5 GHz band (which both wireless-n and wireless-ac use) can alleviate this problem and increase your wireless performance, but that option has worse range than the 2.4 GHz band—and not every device supports it.

A router should also support at least two spatial streams (also called data streams) on each band. The vast majority of laptops, phones, and tablets support one or two streams; high-end laptops such as the MacBook Pro support three. You’ll get the best performance when your router supports at least as many streams as your devices. Our pick will give any device you own the fastest connection it can handle. 2

We’ve previously used router reviews and performance rankings from CNET. PCMag. PCWorld. SmallNetBuilder. and TrustedReviews to generate our lists of contenders. We still look at those, but we now try to test all major AC1750/AC1900 routers ourselves, too. We’re pickier about four-stream MU-MIMO routers or tri-band routers —they’re too expensive and overkill for most people right now.

Spatial streams also factor into the confusing world of router labeling. Don’t get fooled by the “AC” numbering system: A router with a higher AC number won’t necessarily perform better or have a greater range than one with a lower number.

Each router’s “class” consists of its Wi-Fi version (“n” or “ac”) plus the total data rate of all spatial streams on each band. Wireless-n routers typically have a top rate of 150 megabits per second per spatial stream on the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band, and wireless-ac routers typically have a top rate of 150 Mbps per stream on the 2.4 GHz band and 433 Mbps per stream on the 5 GHz band. (You’ll find exceptions. but routers that have slightly faster streams use networking technology that most devices don’t support—in other words, most people won’t see a speedier connection from them.)

For example, an N600 router has two wireless-n streams on the 2.4 GHz band (150+150) and two on the 5 GHz band (150+150), for a total of 600. An AC1750 router has three 2.4 GHz streams (150+150+150) and three 5 GHz wireless-ac streams (433+433+433)—add them and round up, and you get 1,750. An AC1900 router still has only three streams on each band, but it uses a proprietary technology called TurboQAM to boost the maximum speeds of its 2.4 GHz streams by about 150 Mbps. If your device doesn’t support TurboQAM. though, you won’t get the extra boost.

We’ve evaluated routers in a variety of test configurations over the past two years, but the basic testing concept has remained the same: short- and long-range tests of performance on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

Our most recent testing environment included four client-testing locations in a 2,577-square-foot, one-story house. Two spots (at 11 feet and 43 feet) were within sight of the router, and the other two (at 13 feet and 43 feet) were blocked by walls, furniture, and other objects.

We’ve labeled this top-down sketch of our house with the locations of our router and clients for our latest testing setup. The drawing isn’t perfectly to scale, but it’s a close approximation of the various rooms, closets, and walls that our routers’ signals needed to pass through.

We didn’t disable our house’s existing wireless network when testing, but we did change its broadcast channels so that it wouldn’t interfere with our router’s signals. This approach allowed us to see how the routers would handle nearby wireless networks—as you’re likely to have in an apartment complex or even a suburban neighborhood—without overwhelming them with interference.

We tested the routers using iPerf3. a network monitoring and measuring tool, to evaluate data transfers between a desktop PC (connected to each router via Gigabit Ethernet) and an Asus ZenBook UX305LA (which uses two-stream wireless-ac). We forced each router to use 20 MHz channels on the 2.4 GHz band—your router should use those instead of 40 MHz channels when it detects competing Wi-Fi networks—and we set each router’s 5 GHz network to channel 161 (or the closest we could get) to avoid interference. For the test, we started iPerf3, which then attempted to transfer as much data as possible from the test laptop to the desktop PC (via a single TCP connection ) and recorded the average transfer speed across 60 one-second intervals. We ran each test multiple times for each router, on each band, at each test location.

Because we were testing in the real world, external variables (competing signals, walls, network traffic) affected our results—just as they’ll likely affect yours. The purpose of our testing was not to choose a router that’s slightly faster than another; it was to see which routers could deliver consistently strong performance without major issues. We also used our picks for months to test their reliability, and we looked at Amazon reviews to see if a lot of people were having issues with a particular router.

The Archer C7 is one of the larger routers we’ve tested. Its glossy exterior is prone to smudges and fingerprints, too. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

The Archer C7 is faster and capable of covering a large area better than many routers that cost two to three times as much. It’s good for larger apartments and multiroom houses.

The TP-Link Archer C7 (v2) is the best router for most people because it’s a great value. We’ve tested the Archer C7 against dozens of routers at different times, using different setups, for nearly two years. Though it hasn’t been the fastest router in every test, the Archer C7’s combination of solid long-range performance and a low price has given it a clear advantage over every other router we’ve tested.

However, if you choose to buy this router, confirm that you’re getting the right version of it: The C7 v1 had a number of connection issues. You’ll want to check the model number on the bottom of the router to confirm that you have a newer v2 or v3 unit. If not, return it and make sure that wherever you bought it from gives you the right version.

We always test routers in large batches, and the Archer C7 has performed well in each of its groupings over the past two years. Here are some highlights from our previous testing:

It outperformed the T-Mobile Personal CellSpot (a modified Asus RT-AC68U), the Netgear R7000. and TP-Link’s own Archer C8 on a majority of our 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz tests using a two-stream wireless-ac MacBook Air. The Archer C7 was also the fastest on both of our long-range 5 GHz wireless-ac tests.
It outperformed the Archer C9, Netgear R7000, Asus RT-AC87U, Netgear R7500, Asus RT-AC3200, Netgear R8000, Trendnet TEW-828D, and D-Link DIR-890L/R on most of our 2.4 GHz tests (using a two-stream wireless-ac Acer S7-393-7451 laptop). The Archer C7 wasn’t the fastest on the 5 GHz band, but it still performed well at our long-range locations, reaching 61 Mbps on our toughest test (long range without a line of sight to the router). It also had the best price-to-performance ratio of all the routers in our most-recent batch of testing.
It outperformed the D-Link DIR-859 and Netgear R6400 on most of our 2.4 GHz tests (using the same Acer S7-393-7451 laptop). It wasn’t the fastest on the 5 GHz band, but it still had the best price-to-performance ratio (expressed in Mbps of bandwidth per dollar) over the two more expensive routers (as well as Netgear’s R7000, the AC1900 version of our current upgrade pick) on every test.

For our most-recent tests—the results shown in the charts below—we switched to an Asus ZenBook UX305LA with a two-stream wireless-ac Wi-Fi card. Though the Archer C7 wasn’t the fastest router on any single test, it had the best overall price-to-performance ratio of any wireless-ac router. (TP-Link’s cheaper wireless-n TL-WDR3600 had an even better ratio, but it performed worse than the Archer C7 on every test.)

The Archer C7 is compelling because it gives you a lot of wireless-ac speed, at both short and long ranges, for a fantastic price.

We were most impressed with the Archer C7’s wireless-ac performance on our most difficult test: long range, with walls and furniture between the client and router. Only the C7 and Netgear’s ultra-expensive R8500 gave us more than 35 Mbps, and some routers couldn’t even push past 10 Mbps—if they could connect at all. The Archer C7 reached 71.3 Mbps, which is more than enough for 4K video streaming and speedy file transfers.

A router’s performance can vary depending on what you’re testing it with, what firmware it’s using, and what other external factors are in play, such as your neighbors’ Wi-Fi networks. In addition, in our two years of testing we haven’t found one router that outperforms all the others on every test: Some routers excel on some tests, some do well on others, and the results for each model usually vary a bit across tests. The Archer C7 is compelling because it gives you a lot of wireless-ac speed, at both short and long ranges, for a fantastic price. Even when other routers outperform the Archer C7, that extra performance isn’t proportional to the higher cost of those models.

As for features, the Archer C7 covers the basics well. It has four Gigabit Ethernet ports (which will give you the best possible performance with most recent Ethernet-equipped devices), along with two USB 2.0 ports for sharing storage devices and printers with other networked devices. If you don’t want certain people to be able to access files on connected drives, you can even restrict access with (rudimentary) user accounts. A built-in DLNA media server lets you stream media directly from USB-connected storage to your set-top boxes, gaming consoles, and televisions.

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We wish the Archer C7 had a USB 3.0 port instead of a USB 2.0 one. Otherwise, its physical connections are pretty standard and easy to access—it even has a button that lets you turn your Wi-Fi on and off without disturbing your wired network. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

The Archer C7 supports one guest network per wireless band. 3 You can control the times these guest networks are active (for added security), and you can limit the total bandwidth that guests eat up (so they don’t kill your party’s Netflix stream, for example). The C7 also has parental controls, but they’re limited. You’re better off using some kind of software on your child’s computer to control what they can see or, at the very least, using the OpenDNS-based parental controls that Netgear has in its routers. OpenDNS-based controls are a lot easier to set up and will catch new sites without your having to blacklist specific things (or keywords) your child shouldn’t see.

Text, text, and more text. The complicated user interface for TP-Link’s Archer C7 could use icons, graphics, and a lot more hand-holding.

Our pick’s chief flaw is the poor configuration interface, especially when it comes to tweaking the router’s advanced features. (As with most routers, you access the user interface via your browser.) It’s easy to set up the router for basic use, but the rest of the Archer C7’s menus are text-heavy and confusing. Competing routers, such as our upgrade pick, are much easier to configure.

You could try installing third-party firmware such as DD-WRT or OpenWRT to get a simpler interface—and to add support for missing features such as Quality of Service and VPN—but doing so would void your warranty. Additionally, TP-Link says it will not allow you to install third-party firmware on routers manufactured after June 2, 2016. We’ll have to wait and see just how serious the company is about that.

We wish the Archer C7 came with USB 3.0 ports so that we could get faster file transfers for USB storage. Unlike other routers, the Archer C7 lacks a QoS feature for keeping high-bandwidth applications such as BitTorrent from ruining video streaming or online gaming. The C7 also doesn’t have an iTunes server, whereas a number of other models do, and it doesn’t support jumbo frames, which allow for faster file transfers between wired devices on your home network.

SmallNetBuilder ranks the Archer C7 third on its AC1750-router performance charts, just behind TP-Link’s more expensive Archer C8 (which was slower on our tests) and Asus’s RT-AC66U (slower on our tests and a lot more expensive). Reviewer Tim Higgins writes that the Archer C7 “isn’t a bad way to get your feet wet in AC class wireless networking for small to mid-sized locations.”

PCMag.com’s Samara Lynn writes that the Archer C7 is pretty sparse in features but a lot cheaper than competing routers with more. Though not blown away by the Archer C7’s test performance, Lynn does praise its range: “When testing in the 2.4GHz band, the C7’s throughput slowed by 10 percent as I moved from 5 to 30 feet away. At 5GHz, the throughput dropped only about 8 percent. This is very good; even with very high performing routers I often see drops of 15 percent and more.”

The Archer C7 is the best-selling router on Amazon. and at the moment it has a 4.1-star rating out of five, with 76 percent of 5,528 total reviewers assigning it a four- or five-star rating. TP-Link does get some low scores and bad reviews, but judging from our reading of those reviews, we don’t think they indicate any reliability issues beyond the scattered problems that buyers of any router tend to report, namely connection loss, poor signal strength, lousy range, and so on. Some of these complaints also relate to the router’s inferior v1 edition, which Amazon lumps into the general Archer C7 product listing.

Regardless of the router you’re using, you need to do a few things to maintain a secure, reliable wireless connection:

To access your router’s Web-based configuration screen, don’t use any domain names that your router’s manufacturer may have provided as a shortcut. Instead, connect a desktop or laptop to the router (wired or wireless), open a Web browser, and type in the router’s IP address—here’s how to find it .
As soon as you set your router up, change its administrator password.
Use WPA2-PSK (AES) encryption for the best speed and security on your Wi-Fi networks. (Use your router’s mixed-mode setting—AES and TKIP—if you have older devices that don’t support WPA2.)
Immediately check for any available firmware updates for your router, and recheck every few months. Updating will help ensure you get the best performance, security, and reliability. 4
Try to place your router in a central location. Don’t stash it next to a bunch of other electronics, and don’t just shove it somewhere in the basement. For routers with multiple antennas, position some vertically and some horizontally for the best potential performance —but check your router’s manual to see if the manufacturer has a specific suggestion.
Connect to your 5 GHz network instead of your 2.4 GHz one for better performance, especially if you want wireless-ac speeds (even though the 5 GHz option might cost you a little range).
To optimize your network, grab an app such as Wi-Fi Analytics (PC/Android) or WiFi Explorer (Mac) to make sure you’ve configured your Wi-Fi networks correctly. See whether competing wireless networks are present on channels 1, 6, and 11 on the 2.4 GHz band, or if any other Wi-Fi networks are on the 5 GHz band. Be sure to walk around your home or apartment to learn how the situation changes in different locations. Your router should set your Wi-Fi networks to use the least-populated channels for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, but you can set the channels manually if it doesn’t.
Your router should also know when to use 20 MHz channels or 40 MHz channels for your 2.4 GHz network. The latter will provide better performance but will be more prone to interference, so a good router won’t jump to 40 MHz if it detects competing wireless networks in range. If it does so, your connection may suffer, or you may have trouble connecting at longer ranges. If you’re having such issues, try setting your router to run at 20 MHz on the least-populated 2.4 GHz channel you can find, and your experience should improve. (Conversely, if you think your router is being too strict with its interpretation of “competing wireless networks,” you can always set it to use 40 MHz channels and see if that improves performance.)
If your laptop is having issues connecting to your router, make sure that you have the latest drivers for your laptop’s Wi-Fi card. You can usually find these on your laptop manufacturer’s website, but the Wi-Fi card’s manufacturer might have more-recent drivers. We encountered this issue once during our testing: One of our laptops, an Acer, would connect to a router’s wireless-ac network but drop speeds to almost nothing. When we updated our Acer laptop with Wi-Fi drivers straight from Intel, which were newer than the ones Acer offered, our problem went away.

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If you’re interested in some straightforward steps you can take to make your router more secure, we like this guide by @SwiftOnSecurity .

The Netgear R6400 has lots of features, plus a great user interface that’s much easier to understand than the TP-Link Archer C7’s confusing UI. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

If you’re willing to pay a little more for a router that has a lot more features, an easier-to-understand interface, and a price-to-performance ratio that’s almost as good as our pick’s, we recommend the Netgear R6400. The Archer C7 is the best value if you want simple, great Wi-Fi for a low price, but the R6400 is better if you know that you need both good wireless-ac performance and killer features.

The R6400 performed about as well as the Archer C7 on our 2.4 GHz tests, and it was faster on all our 5 GHz tests except at our hardest long-range test location (with rooms, furniture, and other objects between our laptop and the router). The R6400 also had one of the top price-to-performance ratios among the routers we tested—the routers that outperformed it aren’t worth the extra cost. (The Archer C7 posted the best price-to-performance ratio. And the Netgear R8500 outperformed the R6400 on almost every test, but its speeds aren’t better enough to be worth an extra $200.)

We wish the R6400 had consistent, excellent long-range performance, but it did meet or exceed the Archer C7’s speeds on every one of our other tests. Its performance is good for its price; it just isn’t as good as the Archer C7 in price-to-performance.

The R6400’s array of features, however, is much better. CNET’s Dong Ngo writes that the R6400’s predecessor, Netgear’s R7000, “offers quite a lot for the price,” including ReadyShare Vault backup software, iTunes streaming support, a built-in OpenVPN server, and support for Time Machine backups—none of which are available on the Archer C7, and all of which are present in the cheaper R6400. (We’ve gotten some reports from readers about Time Machine not working properly on the R6400, which we’re investigating.) Unlike the R7000, the R6400 can’t function as a wireless repeater, but most people won’t miss that feature.

We especially like the R6400’s OpenVPN server, which gives you an encrypted connection to your home router whenever you’re using public Wi-Fi (such as at your favorite coffee shop)—a function that normally requires a third-party VPN service with a monthly fee.

As of this update, the R6400 has a 4.6-star rating (out of five) on Amazon across 2,520 total reviews. Netgear offers a limited one-year hardware warranty for the router.

Apple’s AirPort Extreme looks a lot better than most routers and is easier to use, but you can get better range and more features (if you need them) for the price. Photo: David Murphy

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Although the Apple AirPort Extreme isn’t the fastest router we’ve tested, it’s still a pretty good buy for Apple users because of its unrivaled ease of use and its support for Apple-device-focused features. It looks good on the shelf, and it does a great job handling the basic features you need from a Wi-Fi network. It’s also the easiest router to pair with an existing AirPort Extreme or Express—say, to extend the network. But know that this version of Apple’s AirPort, first made available in June 2013, is likely the last router the company will make fully in-house. By November 2016, Apple had quietly reassigned its router team to other departments. Though there was no formal announcement, this move makes it almost impossible to imagine we’ll see a new version of the AirPort.

Apple’s AirPort Utility, which is baked into macOS, uses clear, plain language and graphics to help you establish a new Wi-Fi network or extend your existing AirPort network. You can also configure the router using Apple’s AirPort Utility app for iOS, which is much better than trying to navigate the Web-based configuration of the Netgear R6400—our Apple-friendly upgrade pick—on a smartphone.

Though the AirPort Extreme covers the basics about as well as the R6400, it lacks some of the R6400’s advanced features, such as OpenDNS-based parental controls, QoS, Dynamic DNS (for easier remote access to a home FTP server), OpenVPN, remote router management, and a traffic monitor to see how close you’re coming to your ISP’s monthly data cap.

It’s easy to configure macOS’s Time Machine to back up your Mac to a USB drive connected to either the AirPort Extreme or the R6400; however, the R6400’s much faster USB 3.0 port means that those backups will be quicker. Netgear’s router also comes with a separate ReadyShare Vault application that Windows users can install to automate backups.

You can configure either router as an access point —the best way to get a great Wi-Fi signal in an area that needs it. Apple’s router also can act as a Wi-Fi extender, but only for other Apple routers. Netgear’s R6400 can’t extend an existing wireless signal, but it can create a wireless bridge to connect wired devices to an existing wireless network.

Both the AirPort Extreme and the R6400 automatically check for new firmware when you initially set them up. They don’t update themselves, but they do make downloading and installing updates easy. (Apple’s AirPort Utility for macOS also lets you know when a new firmware update is available down the line.)

The AirPort Extreme supports only the HFS+ and FAT16/32 file systems for connected USB drives. This isn’t an issue for Apple-only households, but it is a big pain for Windows users because Windows doesn’t support HFS+, and FAT32 can’t store files larger than 4 GB. (Netgear’s R6400 and TP-Link’s Archer C7 both support FAT32 and NTFS.)

The AirPort Extreme also falls short in performance. We tested it using a wireless-ac Acer S7-393 laptop. In our close-range tests, the AirPort Extreme outperformed our top pick, the TP-Link Archer C7, but failed to match the speed of our upgrade pick, the Netgear R6400. At our most difficult testing location—long-range, with walls, furniture, and other objects between our client laptop and the router—we couldn’t even connect to the AirPort Extreme’s 5 GHz network. Our primary pick and upgrade pick will let you stay on your wireless-ac connection for longer and get better speeds across a greater distance.

In part because of the range issues, the AirPort Extreme had the worst average price-to-performance ratio (0.68 Mbps for every dollar spent), in contrast to the Archer C7 (1.54 Mbps per dollar) and the R6400 (1.08 Mbps per dollar).

If you don’t mind trading speed for convenience, the AirPort Extreme is an okay option for an all-Apple household. But the technology inside is about three years old. If you need great Wi-Fi range or better compatability with Windows laptops, or if you plan to use advanced features such as router-based parental controls, OpenVPN servers, or FTP servers, the Netgear R6400 is a stronger choice. It can do almost everything Apple’s router can do (and a lot that Apple’s router cannot). Though the R6400 is not as easy to configure as an AirPort Extreme (assuming you have a Mac or an iOS device), its UI is a lot better than that of most routers. And if you’re just looking for an easier UI, you’ll be better off with one of our mesh router picks .

Google’s OnHub is a lot prettier than most other routers. It buries its ports underneath its external blue shell, though, and the router gets less attractive once you plug everything in and try to smash the shell back down again. Photo: David Murphy

Google’s OnHub. the company’s first router, is an AC1900 device that’s half as fast at long distance as routers half its price. In addition, its current features are very limited compared with those of the competition—and even some of the features Google advertises don’t work well (or at all). As with Google’s Chromecast. we see a lot of potential for Google to update the OnHub and pack it full of amazing features. But those features don’t exist now, so you shouldn’t buy it now.

We tested the TP-Link OnHub; since then Google has added a second OnHub, made by Asus. The OnHub we tested was the slowest router on our easiest test—short-range, with a line of sight between the client laptop and the router—and it couldn’t give us a working 5 GHz signal on our hardest test. Though we did get a 2.4 GHz connection on that test, it was half the speed of the 5 GHz connection we were able to obtain from the Archer C7 and the Netgear R7000; it was even slower than the R7000’s 2.4 GHz connection.

The OnHub is very user-friendly: It’s easy to set up via the Google On app, it updates its firmware automatically, and it has a useful management system for letting your techie friends and family members fix your router when you can’t. However, other features that Google promotes either don’t work yet (Bluetooth 4.0, support for some smart-home protocols, a USB 3.0 connection) or don’t work at all (continuous channel optimization).

You have only one Gigabit Ethernet port on the OnHub, and if Google’s smart router loses its Internet connection, it gets dumb. At that point, the router won’t give you information about any other connected devices, you can’t edit your Wi-Fi network’s name or password, and you lose access to all of the OnHub’s advanced settings (except for changing your WAN configuration). You can’t even restart the OnHub via the Google On app. And unlike most routers, you get no Web-based UI—you need a smartphone or tablet to access the OnHub’s settings.

Note: OnHub is compatible with the forthcoming Google Wi-Fi mesh kit. so if you have an OnHub, it can work as a mesh node in that system. We haven’t tested Google Wi-Fi yet, but we will for the next round of our mesh networking coverage .

Four-stream MU-MIMO routers, tri-band routers, and routers that can do both four-stream MU-MIMO and tri-band are now available. but you probably don’t need one. Next to our picks, their range and performance aren’t sufficiently better to justify their high prices, and you’ll find very few four-stream or MU-MIMO devices that could take advantage of their new features.

Today’s AC3200 routers (also known as tri-band routers) run two different 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks at the same time, assigning clients to one or the other based on how much bandwidth each client uses. AC3200 is a big number, but these routers won’t always give you better speed and range than a strong AC1750 or AC1900 router. They’re designed for situations where 10 or more devices of varying wireless configurations are all fighting for bandwidth, such as in an especially geeky household or a coworking space. For most people with simpler needs, AC3200 routers aren’t worth the extra $150 or $200.

Four-stream AC2350 routers will be faster than our three-stream pick if you use a four-stream device or multiple devices that support MU-MIMO, but neither kind is common yet. Most of today’s routers are SU-MIMO. (With SU-MIMO, devices have to wait their turn to talk to the router; MU-MIMO routers let them all talk at once.) In comparison with SU-MIMO routers such as our primary pick, this technology should boost the wireless performance of connected clients, but there are plenty of caveats to keep in mind. For starters, a MU-MIMO router doesn’t necessarily have better range. On top of that, MU-MIMO works only if all your devices support it, and very few devices do.

At the CES 2016 trade show, we saw laptops. smartphones. and routers that support the brand-new wireless networking technology 802.11ad (formerly known as WiGig). One problem: 802.11ad boosts transfer speeds into the multigigabit range, which would be overkill even for today’s fiber Internet services (if you’re a subscriber). Another problem is that these 802.11ad networks use the 60 GHz band, which means they have a lot of trouble passing through physical objects such as walls. We also don’t know how 802.11ad will affect other important aspects of your devices, like battery life, nor how much an 802.11ad router will cost (likely a lot).

We’ve recommended T-Mobile’s Personal CellSpot—a rebranded Asus RT-AC68U with different firmware—for a few years, because it’s a powerful $200 router that the carrier’s subscribers can get for a $25 refundable deposit (which the carrier sometimes waives) or a payment of $100 outright. But these days we no longer think the CellSpot is worth getting—even for free—because T-Mobile is too lax about keeping the router updated with security updates and patches.

Specifically, at the time we published this update in April 2016, the most-recent firmware update T-Mobile had available (version TM-AC1900_3.0.0.4.376_3108) dated back to July 2015. Between July 2015 and April 2016, meanwhile, Asus released six firmware updates that corrected a variety of bugs and security issues with its version of the router. Given this negligence on T-Mobile’s part, we don’t believe the carrier will suddenly release a grand, cumulative firmware update, so we don’t think you should get the Personal CellSpot. (Thanks to Wirecutter reader Tyler N for bringing this issue to our attention.)

The nine routers we recently tested (from back, left to right): Amped Wireless TAP-R3, Linksys WRT1900ACS, TP-Link Touch P5, Netgear R8500, Amped Wireless RTA1750, TP-Link Archer C7, Arris SURFboard SBR-AC1750, Netgear R6400, TP-Link TL-WDR3600. Photo: David Murphy

The TP-Link TL-WDR3600 was our runner-up pick when we completed our last round of testing. It was a great fit for a smaller space such as a one-bedroom apartment, a small house, or a garage. It’s only 802.11n (so no wireless-ac), but it performed better at long range than other similarly priced routers we tested, and its Wi-Fi speeds were more consistent. But TP-Link has discontinued the model, and you can’t find remaining stock for cheaper than our top pick. so we can no longer recommend it.

In our most recent testing, Amped Wireless’s RTA1750 had a slightly higher price-to-performance ratio than our upgrade pick, but only when it was on sale for around $100. It’s currently much higher. More important, the RTA1750 couldn’t give us a working 5 GHz signal at our hardest long-range test point.

Arris’s SURFboard SBR-AC1750 performed as well as our primary pick on the 2.4 GHz band, but it was less than half as fast as the TP-Link Archer C7 at our toughest long-range test point. Its price-to-performance ratio also wasn’t as good as our upgrade pick’s.

The TP-Link Touch P5 matched our upgrade pick’s performance on most tests, but its price-to-performance ratio was worse than that of our primary pick and our upgrade pick.

Linksys’s WRT1900ACS costs more than twice as much as the Archer C7. In our tests, its close-range performance was great but not good enough to justify its higher price. It outperformed the Archer C7 on the 5 GHz band at long distance when our test laptop could see the router; it was 93 percent slower otherwise.

The Amped Wireless TAP-R3 costs more than our primary pick and upgrade pick, and on almost all our tests it was slower than both. Its touchscreen is useful for setting the router up, but we’d rather have better speed and range.

We found that Netgear’s R8500. an AC5300 router, had the best performance on our hardest long-range tests and the best overall 5 GHz performance. Unfortunately, it had the worst price-to-performance ratio. (If you need lots of Wi-Fi coverage, you’re better off buying two of our upgrade picks and pocketing the extra $100.)

Netgear’s R7000. an AC1900 router, was our previous upgrade pick, and it’s still a great router. It frequently ranked among the top-performing routers on our many tests, and it has great features that are easy to access via its simple user interface. Netgear’s AC1750 version, the R6400, is a slightly better value given its lower cost and similar features. (You don’t need an AC1900 router.) 5

Our previous runner-up, the TP-Link Archer C8. has a configuration interface that’s much improved over the interface of our pick, and it comes with USB 3.0 ports. But the Archer C7 was faster than the Archer C8 in most of our tests. (In speed and range, though, the Archer C8 still beats many other routers that are much more expensive.)

Asus’s RT-AC87U performed well on a number of our older tests, but its long-range performance wasn’t good enough to justify its high cost, which is almost twice that of TP-Link’s Archer C7.

Although the TP-Link Archer C9 did pretty well on our testing, we struggled to connect to it on the 5 GHz band at our toughest test location, and when we did, the C9’s speeds were very slow.

Netgear’s R8000 was twice as fast as TP-Link’s Archer C7 on our long-distance, line-of-sight, multiclient testing, but it wasn’t as good as our pick once our laptop lost sight of the router. The Archer C7 was generally better on our 2.4 GHz tests, and it’s less than half the price.

The TRENDnet TEW-828DRU. an AC3200 router, outperformed the TP-Link Archer C7 on the 5 GHz band when our laptop could see the router, but our pick was better when it couldn’t (and our pick had better 2.4 GHz performance.) Though the TEW-828DRU was generally faster than our pick on most of our 5 GHz tests, that performance difference isn’t worth the extra cost.

Netgear’s R7500 is more than twice the price of our pick, but our pick outperformed it on most of our tests. For similar features and better speeds, you’re better off with the Netgear R6400.

The D-Link DIR-890L/R. another AC3200 router, wasn’t as fast as the TP-Link Archer C7 on our 2.4 GHz tests. Even though it did outperform our pick on the 5 GHz band—doubling its speed in our long-range, line-of-sight multiclient test—this model is still incredibly expensive for the extra speed it offers. You’d get better coverage by buying two of our upgrade picks.

D-Link’s DIR-859 was anywhere from one-fourth to one-half slower than our primary pick on almost every benchmark we tested.

Budget router testing (client: 2011 MacBook Air using an Asus USB-AC56 two-stream wireless-ac adapter)

Of the seven budget routers we tested, we cut the Netgear WNR2500 after it delivered the worst close-range performance on the 2.4 GHz band. (It also has no 5 GHz Wi-Fi support at all.) We eliminated the Linksys EA6100 due to its poor price-to-performance ratio at our fourth test location.

The Linksys EA3500 performed the worst on our 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz tests at our farthest test location. The TP-Link Archer C2 did slightly better on both bands, but we saw faster results from three routers: the TP-Link TL-WDR3600. the TP-Link TL-WDR3500. and the Edimax BR-6478AC (our runner-up pick for a budget router, as it costs more than the TL-WDR3600 for performance that isn’t as good).

We ended up cutting the TL-WDR3500, as it was the only one of our three finalist routers that couldn’t deliver a working 5 GHz signal to our laptop at our longest-range test location. We preferred the newer TL-WDR3600, which had good, consistent speed on both bands. The TL-WDR3500 also doesn’t have Gigabit Ethernet ports, so it isn’t ideal for people who use wired Ethernet.

1. We tested the v2 version. TP-Link told The Wirecutter that the v3 version has “a few minor component changes” for 2.4 GHz networks but is otherwise identical to the v2—it has the same other hardware and uses the same software. The company said the performance of the v2 and v3 is “very similar.” We’re trying to obtain a v3 for testing, but judging from the information we have, you should be fine with either version. Jump back.

2. Think of the connection between your router and a device as a two-way road that’s always in use. Routers and devices that support multiple streams can pass data back and forth in multiple, simultaneous streams, which is like having multiple lanes on the road. Put simply, with multiple streams your devices and router can transfer a lot more data at once. Jump back.

3. A guest network lets friends and visitors get online without you having to give them your primary Wi-Fi password. By default, people on the guest network can’t access networked drives, printers, or computers on the main network. Jump back.

4. For example, a security advisory in mid-2015 found that 92 different routers from 26 vendors—including TP-Link’s Archer C7—were potentially affected by a vulnerability related to their USB port sharing. TP-Link published a firmware update fairly quickly to fix this exploit for our pick and many of the company’s other routers, but users had to download and install it manually. Your router won’t send you an email or otherwise alert you when a new firmware update is available. Jump back.

5. Unless you have a device that supports TurboQAM (and few do), you won’t be able to benefit from an AC1900 router’s faster 2.4 GHz speeds. Also, this TurboQAM trick boosts the speeds of only your 2.4 GHz connection, and your 5 GHz wireless-ac connection will likely remain faster anyway. Jump back.

Choosing a new router is usually not an easy process. There are often so many features on each model that knowing where to even begin can give someone a headache. But just because manufacturers tend to use big words on router packaging doesn’t mean that it has to be confusing. Thankfully there are very few true features that you need to worry about. The rest is just eye candy.

For the most part, the important things to take note of when looking for a router are throughput speeds, wireless standards and router security. Throughput speeds, obviously, indicates the overall speed of the traffic that can be passed through the router at one time. Wireless standards refer to the letter designation appended to the 802.11 signal classification (B, G, or N). The higher the letter, of course, the better the speed and range. This is for WiFi signals, of course. Wired (Ethernet) connections are generally designated by either 10/100 (standard) or 10/100/1000 (Gigabit). Again, the higher the better.

Router security should also be considered. Routers with only standard security encryption like WEP (wired equivalent privacy) do not offer the same level of privacy and security that WPA2 (WiFi protected access II).

There are many reasons why someone may need to purchase a new router. The most common reason for buying a new router is to replace an older, or faulty, one. While routers can often last for years, they can, and will, eventually need replaced. They are electronic devices, after all, and like all electronic devices, being used constantly shortens the life of the router and over time, they can start developing problems. Another reason to get a new router is to gain new features. Older routers often offer only basic connection options without any of the bells and whistles found on some newer models.

Some routers include a USB port that can be used for a number of things, depending on the routers specific firmware. Network printing (hooking a normal printer into the router to make it available to all computers on the network) and NAS (Network Access Storage, in which a hard drive or other storage device is made accessible to all network computers) are two of the most common uses.

Some router brands (Linksys is known for this) offer an easy wireless connection scheme called WPS. The idea behind this technology is that, rather than go through a bunch of steps to connect a device, a button is pressed on both the router and the device, and the router automatically makes a secure connection between them without needing to enter a lot of information manually.

Parental controls are an easy way to ensure that nothing questionable is happening on the network. A router with parental control functions can usually block individual websites or groups of websites from the entire network, as well as from specific client computers. Parental controls generally include scheduling as well, in which the router can block access during on specific times.

If you’re looking for a new router to replace your old one, or if you’re just looking to get started in home networking, check out the 5 best routers that you can purchase for less than $100.

If you’re looking for just a basic wired and wireless network, the Linksys E1200
N300 is an excellent choice. This low-cost WiFi-enabled router offers a broad coverage area via MIMO antenna technology, as well as four 10/100 ethernet ports for directly connecting devices and computers. The N300 works well as a basic router, but other than advanced security options, doesn’t offer any special features.

The Securifi Almond is a multi-purpose router, capable of performing as a standalone device or as a wireless bridge or range extender. It features a handy touch screen for router management, something practically unheard of in a router. It also has dual MIMO antennas and comes fully secure right out of the box. It only has 2 Ethernet ports, unlike most other routers that features at least 4, but if you’re looking for a WiFi router, the Securifi Almond gives other routers a run for their money.

Besides having dual band technology which helps increase the overall speed of the router, the N750
also features four gigabit ports (10/100/1000) and three separate WiFi antennas to help boost the range of the wireless signal. It also features WPS for easy wireless device setup and, unlike other routers, contains two USB ports for sharing hard drives or printers across the network.

The DIR-655, dubbed the Extreme-N Gigabit Router, has a host of features that make this an excellent router for any home or small business network, from the WiFi protected setup (WPS) to the added network security like Content filters and scheduling. It includes one USB port and a range of built-in privacy features, such as parental controls, pop-up blocking, and network-wide McAfee antivirus and antispyware protection.

The Linksys E3200 is a dual band Wireless N router that is ideal for home entertainment setups. Since the dual bands allow for simultaneous data transfer of up to 300 Mbps per channel, connecting and streaming to internet-ready devices (TVs, Blueray players, and game consoles) are a breeze. The included USB port also serves as both a NAS (network access storage) solution, as well as offering the ability to share files not only across the network, but across the internet as well.

Deciding which router is best comes down to personal preference more than anything else. While touch screen controls are great, they are not really necessary, as all routers provide browser-based management. USB ports are also great, but if you don’t intend to share files, they also aren’t necessary. Like all things electronic, the old adage remains true: one should always purchase the best, most feature-rich device that they can afford. After all, you never know when you may want to use some of those special features.

Gardenia O’Baoghille, aka “Dean,” is a freelance writer from Seattle. When she’s not busy working on a variety of writing projects, she enjoys the outdoors by hiking, kayaking and taking lots of pictures. If it’s raining though, which it does a lot of in WA, you’ll probably find her with a controller in her hand playing one of her favorite games, WoW or Final Fantasy.

Choosing a new router is usually not an easy process. There are often so many features on each model that knowing where to even begin can give someone a headache.

But just because manufacturers tend to use big words on router packaging doesn’t mean that it has to be confusing. Thankfully there are very few true features that you need to worry about. The rest is just eye candy.

If you’re looking for a new router to replace your old one, or if you’re just looking to get started in home networking, check out the 5 best routers that you can purchase for less than $100.

The days when you needed to drop several hundred dollars on a good Wi-Fi router are over. In fact, some of the best Wi-Fi routers are under $100 are those are the ones you should be buying, period. Based on customer reviews, ratings, and feedback, the TP-LINK Archer C7 is easily our choice for the best router under $100.

With a price tag that won’t break your budget and offering everything you’d want from a router, it’s no surprise that the C7 boasts one of the highest star ratings on Amazon. It is also a best-seller thanks to its affordable price, incredible range, and cutting-edge speed. If you want a good, cheap Wi-Fi router that can stand toe to toe with a $200 router, look no further. And if you’re looking to add additional range to your router, then check out our list of the best Wi-Fi extenders you should own .

One of the main reasons we chose the TP-LINK Archer C7 is for its total available bandwidth of 1.75Gps and six powerful antennas. This allows your devices to run at amazing speeds while on a smooth and stable connection. Other great features on the C7 that you’ll only see on the best Wi-Fi routers include: Dual USB ports for sharing files and media, secure Wi-Fi access via Guest Network Access, IP-based bandwidth control, and more.

And while it is missing a few things you’ll find on expensive Wi-Fi routers, most people would never even notice. We’re talking about advanced features like an iTunes server, VPN server, and Quality of Service (QoS) technology. The user interface could also be more user friendly but it isn’t a problem since the average user will only need to use it during the fast, painless setup process.

router

If you’re not interested in the C7 but still want a good Wi-Fi router under $100, we recommend our first runner-up choice: the TP-LINK N300. It’s our second pick because it can handle all the basic online tasks you’d expect a router to perform and the price is very inexpensive. Wireless N speed up of up to 300Mbps will let you browse the net, stream video, play online games, and more without a problem.

If you’re not convinced, consider that the TP-LINK N300 is one of the best selling routers on Amazon and boasts more high rated customer reviews than any other. Satisfied buyers regard it as one of the best Wi-Fi routers under $100 for its greats speeds, easy setup, IP-based bandwidth control, and other neat features you wouldn’t expect from such an affordable device.

Keep reading to see why the TP-LINK Archer C7 is one of the top Wi-Fi routers on the market that won’t leave a huge dent in your wallet. You’ll also see all there is to know about our runner-ups as well as a few other cheap Wi-Fi routers that people all over the world are ordering for their homes, office, and more.

When comparing the top Wi-Fi routers under $100 in features and performance, the C7 can’t be beat. Even if you could care a less about various features you will probably never use, the C7’s impressive range and performance alone make it a must-buy if you want a fast and reliable signal that can cover plenty of ground.

Four Gigabit ports guarantee that your speed remains as fast as possible, with the max being 1,000 Mbps. The convenience of two USB ports is also irreplaceable, especially when they support USB 2.0 technology. In terms of wireless, a whopping total of six antennas (3 external, 3 internal) make sure you receive a strong connecting at very far ranges.

The fast 2.0 speeds also come in handy if you plan to stream media via the built-in DLNA media server. This means that you’ll experience little to no lag or performance issues while streaming from a USB device to your TV, set-top-box, video game consoles. etc. User accounts are also available if you don’t want just anyone to check out your files.

The C7 also boasts some pretty sophisticated security and use features for its price. You can not only add one guest network for each wireless band but also limit how much bandwidth they use and when they can use it. The router itself also has a WPS button for adding new devices to your network as well as a switch to turn Wi-Fi off completely.

It only takes one look at other routers twice the price to see why the C7 is one of the best wireless routers under $100. But don’t take our word for it: simply check out the numerous positive reviews this device has on Amazon if you need further convincing.

450Mbps/2.4GHz + 1300Mbps/5GHz = 1.75Gbps total available bandwidth
Supports cutting-edge 802.11ac technology
Dual USB 2.0 ports for sharing media, printers, and files
Guest Network Access for extra privacy
Easier bandwidth management via IP-based bandwidth control
Physical WPS button for easy wireless security encryption
Multi-language setup assistant for easy installation
2-Year warranty + unlimited technical support

The TP-LINK Archer C7 Router is a good investment if you’re not afraid of a non-intuitive user interface and don’t mind that it lacks a few advanced features. These include an iTunes server, Quality of Service (QoS), and the latest in USB technology– USB 3.0. Even without these, the C7 still stands as one of the best Wi-Fi routers you can pick up for less than one hundred dollars.

If the C7 isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps the TP-LINK N300 Wireless Router is what you’re looking for. Not only does this great device boast an incredible number of customer reviews on Amazon but it is also listed as #1 Best Seller in Computer Routers. Thousands of people browsing for high-quality yet cheap Wi-Fi routers made the decision to pick up an N300 and here’s why.

For less than $20 you’re getting a router that’s perfect for a home office networking or family space. Speeds of 300Mbps allow you to do Skype video chats, stream audio and video, upload large files, and more without a problem. The N300 doesn’t match the speeds and range of the C7 but you have to take into account that it’s also nearly four times cheaper.

linksys_ea6900_lifestyle

What QoS does is allow you to set how much bandwidth each application can use. The benefit comes from being able to make sure Netflix or your online game session goes uninterrupted if someone on another device tries doing some that requires a lot of bandwidth. Unexpected network performance issues are a thing of the past with the N300.

This router is also very easy to get running within minutes of unboxing. A utility CD is included that helps you setup the router, modify your wireless network settings, and configure any security options you wish to have. The addition of backwards compatibility with 802.11b/g devices and two powerful 5dBi antennas help make the N300 one of the best routers under $50, let alone $100.

However, it is a cheap router and thus you can count out a few features that are normally available on devices between $100-200. So if you have your heart set on Gigabit ports, guest networking, or USb ports, you’re out of luck with this particular router. It also may not offer as good an online gaming experience as routers with more Mbps and comes with an older Internet Protocol version (the most recent is IPv6).

Up to 300Mbps of Wireless N speed
Dual 5dBi antennas for superior wireless range and stability
Utility CD for easy setup + settings and security configuration
Parental control support + IP-based bandwidth control
WPS button for quick WPA/WPA2 encrypted secure connection setup
Also supports older 802.11b/g devices
Live 24/7 Technical Support from TP-LINK
1 Year warranty

The TP-LINK TL-WR841N N300 Wireless Router earned the second spot on our list of best Wi-Fi routers under $100 for its affordability and convenience. If you need a router for individual use or a small family with a few devices, this handy device will get the job done. Unless you plan on having several people streaming shows and playing online games at the same time, the N300 is hands down one of the top routers we’d recommend to anyone.

For almost 20 years NETGEAR has provided some of the best computer products on the planet, and their routers are no exception. The NETGEAR N750 Dual Band Wi-Fi Gigabit Router shows their ability to deliver advanced Wi-Fi technology and plenty of awesome features into a product that costs half of what competing routers do.

If you plan on having a lot of devices on your network, speeds of 300 and 450 Mbps will more than do the trick. Simultaneous dual band technology allows for a max of 750 Mbps while virtually eliminating the chance of interference. This means that your Wi-Fi speeds and connections will remain fast and stable even with several devices doing bandwidth-heavy tasks at the same time.

The N750 is also perfect for homes that require a good size Wi-Fi range so no one has to sit in the corner of their room to connect to your network. Gigabit technology also ensures that your online HD gaming on PlayStation 4, Wii U, and Xbox One goes smoothly no matter where you spend your gaming sessions.

The N750 includes Quality of Service so your favorite devices always get the necessary bandwidth to run at optimum performance. Sharing features include DLNA support, Readyshare USB access via two USB 2.0 ports, Readyshare Printer support, and Time Machine. You also get great security features like parental controls, guest networking, WPA/WPA2 security, and VPN support.

Last but not least, this excellent router comes with NETGEAR’s genie App. Genie helps make installation pretty much effortless while also allowing you to keep an eye on things. Simply download the app on your iOS, Android, Mac, or PC device to connect, monitor, and control your home network.

Impressive 750 Mbps of total available bandwidth
Longer Wi-Fi range for larger homes
Simultaneous dual band for less interference
Two fast USB 2.0 ports
ReadySHARE USB and printer access
Apple Time Machine compatible
NETGEAR genie App support
Gigabit wired for online HD gaming and video
Advanced QoS support
Guest Network, VPN, and WPA/WPA2
IPv6 compatible

You can’t go wrong with NETGEAR’s N750 if you’ve got $100 to spend on a shiny new router but don’t feel the C7 is the choice for you. For under $100 you’re getting incredible Wi-Fi speeds and stability as well as a host of advanced features most other routers lack together. And like the rest on this list, the N750 has one of the best customer review ratings on Amazon. In other words, hundreds (if not thousands) of people were left satisfied with their purchase.

TP-LINK’s C5 router offers a fast and stable 802.11 ac network capable of reaching 1.2Gbps of total available bandwidth. The separate 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands work together to make sure HD stream video streaming and online gaming sessions go on interrupted. While one handles bandwidth-heavy tasks, the other takes care of simpler functions like smartphones, web browsing, etc.

Two USB 2.0 ports allow you to share files, printers, and media with different devices while the four Gigabit ethernet ports offer speeds ten times faster than the standard. Other features worth mentioning are IPv6 and guest network support along with a handy Tether app for managing Android and iOS devices .

So what is the best Wi-Fi router between the C7 and C5 and why, you ask? The main reason the C7 is higher on our list for its higher available bandwidth (1.75Gbps vs 1.2Gbps) and superior range via three external 5dBi antenna and three internal antenna. The C5 only has 2 external detachable antennas..

300 Mbps/2.4GHz + 867Mbps/5GHz = 1.2Gbps total available bandwidth
Supports the latest 802.11ac technology
Two USB 2.0 ports for sharing media, printers, and files
Guest Network Access for more privacy
IP-based bandwidth control
WPS button for instant wireless security encryption
Multi-language setup assistant for easy installation
2-Year warranty + unlimited technical support

We obviously recommend the C7 over the C5, especially since it’s usually only $10-15 more. Of course, the C5 is still a good Wi-Fi router that delivers amazing speeds and range as well as a good number of advanced features. You honestly can’t go wrong with either if you want a powerful router that can handle plenty of devices.

Another NETGEAR router worthy of this list is the NETGEAR N600 Dual Band Wi-Fi Router. Since releasing in September of 2010 it has consistently remained bestseller on Amazon and a wise purchase for people looking for an affordable yet worthwhile router upgrade. It also has one of the more impressive review ratings as well, which means almost every customer was left satisfied.

For the low price. the N600 offers fast speeds of 600Mbps– 300 + 300 Mbps between its 2.4 and 5GHz bands. The dual bands also work simultaneously to make sure your connection remains stable no matter jumps on with their smartphone or computer.

fritzbox-73901

Other notable features includes Advanced Quality of Service, ReadySHARE USB, genie App support, and two buttons for easy connections and on/off scheduling. Security is also covered via live parental controls, guest network access, and WPA/WPA2 wireless security.

600 Mbps of total available bandwidth
Great Wi-Fi range for medium and large homes
Simultaneous dual band for reliable connections
Dual USB 2.0 ports
ReadySHARE USB support
NETGEAR genie App support
Advanced QoS support
Guest Network and WPA/WPA2
Live Parental Control

Although it is cheaper, there’s a reason why the N600 can’t stand toe to toe with the N750 listed higher on this list. Simply put, the N750 has newer technology which means more features, faster speeds, and better range. That being said, the N600 is still one of the best routers under $100 and well worth your hard-earned cash.

Not everyone needs speeds of 2000 Mbps, several USB 3.0 ports, Beamforming, and other technology you’ll usually only find on routers around $200 and above. Fortunately the leading router companies know this thus have put out plenty of good Wi-Fi routers that have enough to satisfy our smartphone, video streaming, and online gaming needs.

Of course,one of the best Wi-Fi router under $100 you can buy is TP-LINK’s Archer C7. For around $90 you’re getting 1.7g Gpbs of total available bandwidth as well as the latest in 802.11ac technology. Two USB 2.0 ports, several security and sharing features, and the many other additions we’ve already mentioned are icing on the cake. You also won’t find many other routers less than $100 that also boast six total antennas: three inside and three outside.

But if the C7 isn’t for you, perhaps one of our runner-ups or other recommendations were what you were looking for. We made sure to base our selections not on price, features, and performance but customer review ratings as well. That way this is more than just our list of top Wi-fi routers under $100– it’s also a list of the bestselling routers that met the needs almost every purchaser.

Whether you just need something able to perform basic online tasks or prefer a device with great features and performance, we hope our list of top Wi-Fi routers under $100 helped.

Routers have become an integral part of our day to day lives. The reason behind using a Router is to convert a wired internet connection to a type of connection so that several individuals and devices can share the same internet on their ease. With the help of the router you can use a wired internet connection to use on a dozen of mobile devices and laptops without any problem. We are going to guide you how to buy the best Router which meets your needs and also is not a burden on your pocket. Prices of Router vary from brand to brand and doesn’t always depends on the quality. There are hundreds of different routers in the market and its really difficult for an average user on how to choose the best Router under $100. Please follow the guide properly as we are going to give you a detailed review about the Best Router Under $100 in 2016.

There are wired and wireless routers and both offer same protection and quality depending on the features.

USB ports provide file and printer sharing opportunities for router.

All routers feature ports for wired connections.

Wireless router offer connection for individuals and devices that do not have physical access to the router.

We prefer that you buy a wireless router which also comes under $100, but you can also buy any wired router under $100 too. But the best thing about Wireless router is that they offer you an additional advantage of using router that they give you internet connectivity without any physical contact with the device.

Another advantage of using Router is the ability to connect to LAN or WAN networks. LAN stands for Local Area Network and WAN is wide Area Network. LAN Connections are usually fast in speed and offers better speeds across all your devices.

The TP-Link Archer C5 AC1200 Dual Band Router is an easy networking and connectivity tool for you. It has six antennas in total with 3 external and 3 internal. This helps you achieve consistent greater speeds across longer distances and provides best coverage in your area.

This cheap router under $100 and tops our list features 2 USB ports, 4 LAN and 1 WAN port for optimal sharing. The router is an extremely powerful hub and comes with tons of feature including hub management tool which allows parental control.

The TP-Link Archer C5 Router can easily handle very heavy bandwidths such as those for streaming online, playing HD games or watching movies without any problem. TP-Link Archer C5 provides and easy step by step installation guide as well and a long two year warranty for you to relax and no care needed for that long time.

OSecurifi Almond 2015 is the new Wireless Router in our list and it has made in the 2nd spot very early. The best part about this router is that you don’t need to do computer setup to make it in running condition. It features its own very interactive touch screen for quick and easy installation. Securifi Engineers have not only created this awesomely designed router but it also offers rich features and specifications too.

The Securifi Almond 2015 Router is compatible with almost all the modems whether Fiber, DSL, or Cable. The router has the ability to increase your Wi-Fi range dramatically.

The 2015 Securifi Router model only requires about 2 minutes of time of total installation and setup time due to its touch screen panel. This router is truly an amazing deal for this low price and they cover you with a 1 year warranty which protects against any manufacturing faults or any other hardware or software problems which might occur while running in the router. Please note that Securifi provides a software update to its consumers which can be updated via touchscreen interface. So you are constantly being updated for better and improved online experience.

The Mikrotik RB750GL Mini Router is a really adorable and compact router which packs in itself a powerful bunch of features. This router is indeed one of the cheapest router we have found for the features and specs we have seen so far. So if you are tight on the budget and yet looking for something adorable and a device which is sleek and extremely powerful, we recommend you buy this Mikrotik RB750GL Mini router and it would not disappoint you.

This mini high speed router offers a total of 5 LAN or Ethernet ports for ultimate connectivity. The router allows for fast and stable home or office wired internet connection. It also comes with Router Operating system with Level 4 Certificate which is fully loaded in.

The LAN ports may be used independently or 2 to 5 converter can also be placed in switch mode providing a high line switch rate between ports. This Mikrotik router provides an optional Switch Chip Function too, which means this Router offer increased switch rate for both smaller and larger data packs.

Today, it is difficult to imagine a home or a business office without a router. Routers are very important in a multi-device setting, allowing the sharing of an internet connection for several devices at the same time. The reason for purchasing a router may then be either to tap into the convenience of owning and using one, or to replace an aged router with a router that has better functionality and incorporates the latest technological features.

For some though, there exist barriers on the pricing scale. Currently, pricing does not tell a good tale about the quality, durability, or functionality of a router. Prices are all over the place between brands. Therefore, for buyers who are on a budget and need to purchase the best router under $100, making a choice is difficult.

But it shouldn’t be a difficult choice, which is why we are here to help. In our list below, we unveil the routers that have the “best bang for buck” quality. The best cheap routers are outlined for you below.

Our top-rated list below features pace-setting devices from heavyweight brands like TP-Link as well as industry game -changers from seemingly obscure brands like Ubiquiti.

Before we move on to the real deal, let us discuss important buying considerations to note when purchasing router priced below $100.

Routers are generally of two types: wired and wireless. In the past, wired routers had a reputation for offering better protection. These days, however, this is a myth: many thanks to recent technological advancements.

Convenience has been a core reason why technology has enjoyed widespread adoption. For wireless routers. this is especially the case as physical internet access is not a prerequisite for several devices to use a shared Internet connection.

Wireless is the new thing, but for all-round functionality and bespoke performance, routers regardless of type should have ports. Ports enable support of legacy devices that do not have wireless connectivity options. Ports are also good news when wireless devices require ad-hoc wired use of the Internet owing to malfunctions or some other weird techie reason.

Don’t we love it when a device has extended practical capabilities? Like when you do not have to swipe your card at a mall, rather making payment with an NFC enabled mobile phone.

Routers can also have file and printer sharing opportunities baked in. Files could be shared wirelessly over the shared Internet connection or using a USB port. For extended printing abilities, a printer is connected to the router through a USB port. Afterwards, devices connected to the router wirelessly may then send documents for printing to the router en route to the printer.

In the networking industry, TP-Link stands tall as a premium brand, so when I discovered the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Dual Band Wireless AC Gigabit Router had launched at a sub-$100, naturally I thought this should be something. TP-Link did not disappoint with this router in the affordable segment.

I was first glued to the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Dual Band Wireless AC Gigabit Router sporting the 802.11ac standard, which until now has been an exclusive feature of the high-end router models across the industry. And, unsurprisingly, this feature gives it an edge over similarly priced models from competing brands.

Now what is the fuss about 802.11ac? Because it is the next-gen wireless standard. It is similar to what 4G is to 3G currently and what 5G will be to 4G in the near future, in cellular connectivity. You shouldn’t expect the fastest speed or performance on the standard, as can be gotten from high end models, but you can bet that the speed is decent and better than speeds from comparable models. Additionally, it has a respectable throughput, and the wireless coverage is outstanding for a model this inexpensive.

Finally, this router cuts down on the number of extra treats you get when compared to the offerings of high-end 11ac routers. But not to worry, this is to be expected from a router that costs only half the price of the high-end routers.

Overall, this router is a bargain at the price, with admirable functionality. Totally worth every dollar spent on it.

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Let’s look at the offerings of the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Dual Band Wireless AC Gigabit Router in-depth.

On a size scale, the TP-Link C7 is a fairly large router. The dimension of the device is 9.6 by 6.4 by 1.3 inches. The housing of the device is plastic with a shiny black finish. Fair to say, the C7 is not a winner in the design segment when compared with newer premium 11ac routers hitting the store shelves. However, it is not an eyesore to look out and so gets a pass as far as design goes.

Top on the spec sheet of the C7 is the presence of three 5dBi antennas that are detachable. A great addition, these antennas are among the toughest antennas of any router I have tested in my many years of testing. With the C7, gone are those sorry sights of antennas flopping over and tilting when firmly attached. The TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Dual Band Wireless AC Gigabit Router antennas stay sturdy and upright after been attached.

On the front panel, the device sports the typical LEDs found on most routers. On the rear panel are two USB 2.0 ports for external drive and printer support. Additionally, there is a Gigabit WAN port and four Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back of the device. The controls of the device are situated at the rear. There, you’d find the power switch, a toggle button to turn the wireless radios on or off, a WPS/reset button, and the antenna connections.

In addition to the three detachable external antennas, the TP-Link C7 also sports three internal antennas. In my testing, I found that the device had exceptional wireless range, thanks to these fixed internal antennas. Connection speeds for the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Dual Band Wireless AC Gigabit Router are 450Mbps and up to 1300 Mbps on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands respectively. Newer premium routers support connection speed of up to 1700 Mbps on the 5GHz band, but for the roughly 30% increase in speed, you’ll have to fork out nearly 200% the price of the TP-Link C7.

Features future-proof wireless standard, 802.11ac
Decent wireless coverage
Durable build
Good connection speeds

The Securifi Almond 2015 Long Range Touchscreen Wireless Router is a good device in the sub-$100 price segment. Touting a touchscreen, a compact form factor, increased flexibility, adopting the latest security standards, easy setup, and decent performance, are the foremost reasons why you should consider purchasing this router. However, there are notable omissions that may be deal breakers for some buyers, depending on what one needs in a router.

No support for the 802.11ac wireless standard. To be fair, at the price, this is not a MUST-HAVE feature. Still, it would have been a significant boost for the Securifi Almond to have support for 802.11ac, which is fast gaining momentum. The Almond supports the more widespread 802.11bgn standards on the 2.4GHz band.
Dual antennas. In a spec sheet battle, sporting two antennas when other models sport an array of four and sometimes six antennas get a thumb down. The direct implication is that a device with fewer antennas has lower connection speeds. On the Almond, speed is limited to 300Mbps.
Zero cloud support. Support for remote control and/or remote file and media access, is fast becoming a standard on routers. While enterprising industry bigwigs have proprietary cloud support like D-Link’s myDlink, Linksys’ Connect Cloud, and Netgear’s ReadySHARE; Securifi only permits control of the Almond when you are connected to the Almond’s network .
Limited number of Ethernet ports with yesterday’s standards. Wireless is the new deal, but wired connections will still be a mainstay for years to come. Which is why router manufacturers have received continued backlash over the years for not including more Ethernet ports (devices often came were equipped with four ports). The Almond has three ports, which is not encouraging. However, this is because of the compact size than because of a disregard for customers’ sentiments.

Furthermore, the Ethernet ports on the Almond stick to the legacy 10/100 spec rather than the now prevalent Gigabit (1000 Megabit) standard. This is a sore miss, if you need many high-speed connections .

These omissions do make the Securifi Almond 2015 Long Range Touchscreen Wireless Router a tad bit underwhelming, but there are good reasons to look beyond the spec sheet.

It is compact .
It is flexible. The Almond has dual functionality, as it is able to function as a router on one hand and as a Wi-Fi repeater (wireless bridge) on the other. As a wireless bridge, the Almond, after been paired with an existing router, extends the wireless range of an existing router by beaming the signal to parts of a home or office that are not adequately covered.
Supports latest security profiles. Support for the WEP, WPA, and WPA2 standards is basic for routers to ensure high-end security.
Supports the expanded IPv6 connectivity protocol. IPv6 support is also essential, and, thankfully, is part of the Almond’s offering.

There are two setup choices for the Almond. Whichever you choose though will lead you from start to completion within minutes. The speed is not all there is to be astounded by. I found it remarkable that there was absolutely no need for a CD, a smartphone, a tablet, another computer, or IP address(es). We are confident it will be very difficult to find a router with a quicker and more user-friendly setup baked in: certainly not at the same price range.

To ascertain the performance of the Almond, we put it to a real-word test consisting of four scenarios. The results are shown in the table below:

First off, the speeds lag behind those of premium 802.11ac routers like the D-Link DIR-868L and the Linksys EA6500. However, the speeds are on parity with mid-range 802.11n routers. Therefore, if you are looking to upgrade from an older 802.11g router, you should seriously consider this router.

As far as speed fluctuations with respect to distance (speed-distance relationship) go, it is interesting to notice limited speed variations at significant distances. For a router priced below $100. this is commendable. While there are routers that satisfy the appeal of 100Mbit connections for techies, those routers are not in the price range covered in this buying guide. For what it is worth, a 14Mbit connection speed is sufficient to stream HD video.

There are many reasons to love the Mikrotik RB750GL, and one of these is its form factor.

Here in a router priced well below $100, you find a design that rivals the designs of high-end models. The Mikrotik RB750GL mini-router sports a modern premium sleek look, in a compact design that appears to be confluence of exciting engineering prowess and art.

The Mikrotik RB750GL emphasizes the need of functionality. It boasts of 5 Ethernet/LAN ports for comprehensive connectivity. These permit fast and stable wired connectivity for use in an office or home. This mini-router is therefore well suited for a small office or home office (SOHO).

The Mikrotik RB750GL may be described as a mini-router, but that attests to its size than to its functionality. The device is neither stripped down in functions, nor are core functions sacrificed in this device. It is equipped with a Router Operating System that is certified with a fully featured Level 4 certificate.

Perhaps in a defining instance of superb functionality, the Mikrotik RB750GL exhibits versatility in the possible uses of the Ethernet ports. Users may be to use the Ethernet ports singly or in combinations (from two ports to as much as all five ports). When the Ethernet ports are used in combination, a line switch rate is developed between connected/combined ports that have mirror capability.

Furthermore, optional switch chip functionality is built into this device. This enables the device to record increased throughput (throughput refers to the information of raw data that is processed or communicated) for both smaller and larger packets.

The TP-Link Archer C5 AC1200 Dual Band Router is basically the TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Dual Band Wireless AC Gigabit Router (already featured in this guide) with a lower price tag and less features. However, the C5 rises up to the occasion in touting practical functions. It offers easy connectivity and networking.

There are six antennas on the TP-Link Archer C5 AC1200 Dual Band Router. While a group of three of the six antennas is internal, the other group of three antennas is found on the exterior of the router, much like the TP-Link C7. Like in the C7, this setup accord the C5 awesome wireless coverage and consistent high connection speeds.

In addition to the antennas are 2 USB, 1 WAN, and 4 LAN ports for optimal connection sharing and connectivity. Use of these ports offers speeds that are up to 10 times the speed of the fastest Ethernet available.

Easy management of the TP-Link Archer C5 AC1200 Dual Band Router is possible using app connections on the Android OS or iOS platforms. These app connections enable smooth management of functionalities from file and media sharing to parental control.

Convenience, peace of mind, and parental assurance are some of the immediate rewards of using the management tether app of the C5. The app permits users to ascertain the following:

Status of the router
What devices are currently connected
Privileges available to connected devices

Users who are interesting in finding a router to accommodate their high-bandwidth needs, say streaming online games or streaming HD movies, will find the TP-Link Archer C5 AC1200 Dual Band Router to be well-suited.

The TP-Link Archer C5 AC1200 Dual Band Router is compatible with virtually all tech devices using standard connectivity standards and protocols including; computers, tablets, smartphone, e-readers, and video game consoles.

The C5 is also easy to setup, with the manufacturer including a user-friendly step-by-step installation guide for all users. The TP-Link Archer C5 AC1200 Dual Band Router is also covered by a two-year warranty.

The Ubiquiti EdgeMax ERLite-3 has enjoyed some buzz at the SNB forums as a new kind in the block that could give competitors a run for their money. We can’t say these assertions are bogus, but the device works as intended and has good functionality.

This router is not the most compact on this list judging by its dimensions of 7 3/4″ X 3 1/2″ (D) X 1″ (H). It also does not offer the sleek design of the Mikrotik RB750GL (#3 ), but it isn’t a sorry sight either.

Aside that, the router comes equipped with 3 Ethernet ports. It has several ports, lights, and buttons that enable fast connectivity and decent functionality. On its bottom panel, the Ubiquiti EdgeMax ERLite-3 has screw mounting slots that enable a user to mount connectors pointing either up or down: a nifty feature for a router priced below $100.

Setup isn’t as fluid as we’d want, especially when compared to the Securifi Almond (#2 ), but it wouldn’t make you want to bang your head on a wall either.

In general, for the best router under $100, you will have to look at models that are placed higher in this list. However, for the price, the Ubiquiti EdgeMax ERLite-3 is a good router whose functionality is commendable.

Budget router testing (client: 2011 MacBook Air using an Asus USB-AC56 two-stream wireless-ac adapter)

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