Top budget routers

Aug 4, Share Equipment Guides. Read full disclaimer. Picking the best budget router was a hard choice.

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services.

Top budget routers

We've reviewed more than 80 routers, evaluating them using a number of benchmarks as well as real-world tests to bring you what we think are the best Wi-Fi routers available today. Whether you're looking for an inexpensive and compact router or a larger one with plenty of Ethernet ports, there's something here for every budget and home. Best overall. At the back you'll find a gigabit as well as a 2. Best budget router. It has a gigabit WAN port along with four gigabit LAN ports and a button on top that lets you create a mesh network with other Reyee devices. The RG-E5 has a foot range and it delivered Mbps at 15 feet in our tests. Best for gamers. At the back there's a gigabit WAN port, a 2. Best mesh system. Best value. At the back of each unit there are two gigabit Ethernet ports but not a USB port. Best for large homes. The eero Max 7 is a Wi-Fi 7 mesh router system with a brand new design that's east to set up.

The old-fashioned way is to plug the thing in and connect it to your modem via Ethernet cable, then type its IP address into a browser's Top budget routers bar to begin the setup. And how does anyone choose between them?

It supports wireless 5GHz speeds faster up to Mbps with four gigabit Ethernet ports for wired devices. This is a dual-band router with up to Mbps on the 5GHz band and Mbps at 2. On the back, you get four gigabit Ethernet ports for your wired devices and one for your incoming connections. If you want to connect through a VPN, this router has client support, so you can link up one of the best VPN services. AiProtection classic is also included which includes some security enhancements and basic parental with content filters and the ability to set schedules for family members.

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article.

Top budget routers

Not everyone needs a router packed to the brim with features that won't be used often. And lucky for you, we've started seeing plenty of products that bring just that. So, we'll dedicate this article to the best budget routers you can find in Budget routers offer a few extra features that are not normally found in cheaper router alternatives. These features might be in terms of software capabilities or better hardware that offer good speeds and coverage. In most cases, the software part covers the basics, and those interested can flash other compatible firmware such as DD-WRT firmware , often praised for its flexibility and performance. Most budget routers offer both the 2.

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The old-fashioned way is to plug the thing in and connect it to your modem via Ethernet cable, then type its IP address into a browser's URL bar to begin the setup. Think of the modem as the box that deals with all the data packets to and from the outside world, and the router as the one that deals with all the communication inside your home or business. These are some other best budget routers that may also be right for your home or office. We then measure how much data the router can move at 50, 75 and feet, so that you can also choose the best model for smaller homes and apartments, where short-range performance may be the priority. You have no extra fees to pay. Best of all, when tested against other, similar routers from names like Asus and Netgear, the AX21 held its own with faster download speeds, better range and low latency too. Elevate your everyday with our curated analysis and be the first to know about cutting-edge gadgets. We repeat the process straight out at 10, 20, and 30 feet, with only a glass door obstructing our view of the router. Google Nest Wifi. Free cloud management Great long range. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon. The resulting network congestion that such homes experience has made us a lot pickier about what routers we accept as the best for the most people, as well as a lot more interested in features such as Wi-Fi 6 support and mesh compatibility. Most Popular. What is the fastest Wi-Fi router? For smaller homes and apartments with internet speeds of Mbps and less, an entry-level Wi-Fi 6 router like the TP-Link Archer AX21 will do a fine job handling your everyday network traffic.

Buying a Wi-Fi router doesn't have to break the bank, especially if you don't need one that supplies several hundred Mbps speeds. Budget routers are a great alternative that packs lots of features without a hit to the wallet.

Our pick. One sat in the downstairs master bedroom and simulated a 4K video streaming session. Flaws but not dealbreakers. While this sounds like an expensive upgrade, it doesn't have to be. Provides decent speeds even at a long range. The old-fashioned way is to plug the thing in and connect it to your modem via Ethernet cable, then type its IP address into a browser's URL bar to begin the setup. Upgrade your movie nights and Netflix binges with these home theater sales. Upgrading to this model is necessary only if you require the extra performance. Wi-Fi 5 routers are totally usable if you want to save some money, but Wi-Fi 6 has reached the mainstream saturation point and now gives you the best performance for a moderate amount of money. From there, I make sure to evaluate each router's features and its ease of use, as well as considerations like security standards, smart home compatibility, and overall value relative to the competition.