Best Wi-Fi Routers 2017

Whether you enjoy rolling up your sleeves and really digging into a router's settings or just want a router that can move a lot of data to your devices, the Linksys WRT1900ACS has you covered. It blew away other dual-band routers in our testing, thanks to its use of beamforming technology to better direct wireless signals. The WRT1900ACS offers good range and plenty of ports for connecting printers and external hard drives. If you like to tinker, you can dive into the WRT1900ACS's settings and give priority to specific devices and apps or use the monitoring tools to see how your network performs. But even ordinary users can take advantage of the WRT1900AC's fast setup to get the data flowing across their Wi-Fi network.

What Owners Are Saying: Users who love the Linksys WRT1900ACS really love it, with nearly half of the Amazon reviews garnering five-star ratings. Some users report that the 5-GHz band shuts down when there’s not enough activity — a problem we didn’t run into when testing the device.

You get a surprising number of features from Netgear's R6220, without a corresponding jump in price. This budget router features a USB 2.0 port for connecting peripherals, a switch for turning off wireless transmissions when you're on vacation and parental controls that filter out objectionable websites. You'll also get good performance for the money, with the R6220 pushing through more data than most of the comparably priced routers we've tested.

What Owners Are Saying: Users reviewing the product at Amazon like the performance and range of the Netgear R6220, especially given its price tag. User also cite easy set-up as a bonus.

It looks like something out of a space-based shooting game, but that's not why we recommend the Amped Wireless RTA2600 Athena for gamers. It's because the router is extremely customizable, letting you tailor its settings to maximize your online gaming. The Athena's beamforming techniques adapt transmissions to suit its clients, and in our testing, the router was able to handle video and music streaming on multiple devices while other computers passed data back and forth. Even in a crowded Wi-Fi environment, this router won't suffer any stutters or freezes right as you're about to deliver that kill shot.

What Owners Are Saying: Half the user reviews on Amazon are five-star ratings, with the RTA2600 earning kudos for its performance and range.

Netgear scores a home run with its initial foray into the mesh-router world. A single Orbi unit is one of the most powerful routers we've seen; add an Orbi satellite, and the system easily covers a 5,000-square foot home. The secret weapon is a dedicated backchannel that handles traffic among the Orbi units, without interference from client devices. We wish the devices were a little smaller and a little cheaper, but for the moment, the Orbi is the mesh router to beat.

Netgear’s triband router sports a big price tag, but power users will find it worth every penny. The router features six wired LAN ports for delivering gigabit traffic, and you can aggregate two of those for top-speed data transfers. You’ll find a slew of customization options, and the X8’s support for open-source DD-WRT firmware lets you add features at will. The Nighthawk X8 is also able to figure out which devices or data hogs via Dynamic QoS (Quality of Service), so that you can create a priority list to re-apportion bandwidth. Throw in impressive performance, and this is a router that more than earns its keep.

What Owners Are Saying: With more than 7,000 reviews on Amazon, 70 percent of customers have given the Nighthawk X8 a 5-star rating. Both the performance and setup get rave reviews from users, though some customers have complained of software issues.

The best way to extend wireless connectivity throughout your home is through a mesh network, and the best coverage we've seen so far comes from the AmpliFi HD, which includes a router and a pair of included extenders (or mesh points, as Ubiquiti calls them). The HD version isn't cheap, but it will bathe a mid- to large-sized home in Wi-Fi. It covered a 3,500-square foot home (and more) in our testing, and setting up the entire network took us about 15 minutes. Ubiquiti offers less expensive versions with less range, but AmpliFi HD's excellent coverage area makes it hard to top when you've got a lot of real estate to cover.

What Owners are Saying: Amazon reviewers are impressed by the coverage area provided by the AmpliFi HD and generally report strong throughput throughout their homes, though one reviewer experienced mixed performance results. Most users found the AmpliFi HD system easy to set up.

Norton's first piece of hardware is a security-minded, high-end home Wi-Fi router that looks like a miniature geodesic dome. It scans your networked smart-home devices for vulnerabilities, checks network traffic for malicious activity and updates its own firmware. With the subscription price of $10 per month (first year free), you'll also get a solid set of parental controls and a 20-device license for Norton antivirus software. The Core is not a mesh router, but Norton says it will cover a 3,000-square-foot home. The Core is available for pre-order at $279.99; units start shipping in mid-August 2017.

After a long wait, Finnish antivirus firm F-Secure's Sense security router is finally available for $199. It's a full-fledged dual-band 802.11ac router, with 4x4 MIMO antennae, three gigabit Ethernet ports, one USB 3.0 port and Bluetooth LE connectivity. The companion software, for iOS, Android and Windows, will protect devices from malware and other attacks both inside and outside the home.

Samsung makes its first foray into the home networking world with the Connect Home, a combination mesh-router system and Samsung SmartThings hub. A single unit lists for $169.99, and a three-pack for $279.99. A beefier version, the Connect Home Pro, has a faster processor and more antennas and lists for $249.99. Up to five Connect Home satellites can be linked to either model.

For 2017, Eero has beefed up its mesh routers to use three bands, added optional security and parental controls and developed small "Beacons" that plug directly into wall sockets. The Beacons are limited to two bands, but a $399 package with a pair of them and an Eero router is aimed at owners of two-to-four-bedroom homes. An Eero Pro package with three full-fledged router units costs $499.