Best Wifi Router 2023: Buying Guide

We tested the best wifi routers on the market.
Learn more about the routers here 👇
TP-Link Archer AX21: cnet.co/41jQr2Z
Netgear R6700AX: cnet.co/3kt16Yg
Deco W7200: cnet.co/3xR7E65
Eero 6 Plus: cnet.co/3IS1JUL
Asus RT-AX86U: cnet.co/3ED3v9E
Eero Pro 6E: cnet.co/3KBxu5S
Linksys Hydra Pro 6E: cnet.co/3Zeabmy
*CNET may get a commission from these offers.
From mesh wifi to gaming to wifi-6, we tested many routers to bring you our top recommendation.
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00:00 - Best Wifi 6 Routers
01:00 - Budget Picks
01:22 - TP-Link Archer AX21
02:00 - Netgear R6700AX
02:30 - Best Mesh Wifi Routers
02:55 - Deco W7200
03:32 - Eero 6 Plus
03:59 - Best Router for Gigabit Networks
04:15 - Asus RT-AX86U
05:27 - Eero Pro 6E

[@blue-xb1cq]

Note that only the Netgear router (s) has traffic data quota controls ( time and amount). It is especially useful to prevent "overage" charges from home/cable ISPs ( they don't control data usage like celphone service providers do ).

[@richriley8031]

I’ve had many routers throughout the years.The Eero system has been the best for me and my family. Everything is very automatic and keeps wifi locked in even after a power outage.

[@kingkobra1956]

I have the eero pro 6 and it is simplicity in its self, immensely powerful, and trouble free. In my opinion there is not a better router to be bought at any price. The app is excellent and easy to use. If you want an excellent router without breaking the bank the eero pro 6 is the only logical choice.

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

Does it have multiple lan ports?

[@portman8909]

Just 1 port for your device. But you can buy a switch and use that.@@marcus_ohreallyus

[@eile4219]

I'm a tech newbie. i'm thinking about buying one instead of renting it. does it work out of the box, you just need to connect internet cable right now?

[@JC71]

We’re two months into 2023 and we already have “the best wifi routers of 2023”.🤦🏻‍♂️

[@PSYCHOV3N0M]

You're not ACTUALLY surprised are you? 😂😂😂 CNET can see the future apparently.

[@thecunninlynguist]

I got the decco ones recently, pretty nice/good/reliable

[@TheOnlyName]

I got a Netgear AC1900 router a while ago. It's been decent, apart from it randomly restarting about once or twice a day.

[@luisgranados2545]

That means it’s no good had that router for a while worked great once it started doing that I replaced it never had that issue again

[@TheOnlyName]

@@luisgranados2545 I wouldn't go so far as to say that means it's no good, when it works it's decent, the restarting is just an annoyance

[@oneheadlight8000]

@@luisgranados2545 replaced with what?

[@Jordan-rb28]

​@@luisgranados2545 please use punctuation lol

[@nrikhy2793]

Great video thanks. The newer wif6e router has the new 6ghz band. Unless the router has robust hardware an additional 6ghz band may actually make things worse. Also worth mentioning would be the number of connected devices and range.

[@bigalfantasy]

I've got the Eero Pro 6E 3 pack. It works great.

[@peat381low8]

You all need to put Plume up there. And it deserves the number 1 spot. I have 3 superpods spread evenly one in every other room. And I get 5Ghz everywhere in my house. And it’s smart. It’s the best thing other than having Access points on your ceiling and all have a wired backhaul.

[@superspartanman4480]

It has been a horrible experience.

[@WarlordMoA]

You know what makes a better WiFi router if did a show and tell of the WiFi speed.

[@HyneephAli]

Thank you for the broadcast video which router do you feel works well with a VPN?

[@LinhanNguyen-tm5pk]

Great video thanks

[@DanielPhilander]

I got two questions for anyone that can answer, might sound dumb. I pay per month for 20 mbps. I usually check the speed on my pc and it shows about 2 mbps, not mentioning other devices in the household, but, does the ethernet cable diver most data to my pc or not. Also, I dont even know how its possible but I get 200ms to 500 mx ping in my own country. I know it sounds weird but It is an everyday thing.

[@tupapisoyyo676]

It's the modem provided by isp

[@Jordan-rb28]

Daniel, not sure if you'll see this since you didn't respond to the other guy, but: you're probably misunderstanding the difference, like most people unfortunately, between *megabits* and *megabytes.* A byte is made up of 8 bits, and because bits gives a higher number, they use it (misleadingly...) in marketing to make the consumers PERCIEVE that theirs is faster than what they're currently getting. SO, to convert bits to bytes, or megabits (Mb) to megabytes (MB), you must divide by 8. If you're paying for 20 Mbps internet, you divide by 8 and come out with 2.5 MBps download speed, which is nearly exactly what you said! That is why I suspected that's where the confusion lies.

[@Jordan-rb28]

​@@tupapisoyyo676 wrong lol, why would the ISP provide him with a modem that limits his download speed below what he's paying for??

[@tupapisoyyo676]

@@Jordan-rb28 for prophit!!! Duuuhhh

[@DanielPhilander]

@@Jordan-rb28 I understand, but on their advertisements, they use Megabytes. Maybe it's just a problem., but thanks anyways.

[@Kaiser187]

Bought a Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 thinking it would be better than the one Spectrum supplied but surprising it is not. I'm getting half the speed now.

[@kingkobra1956]

Netgear is a overcomplicated piece of garbage.

[@edg3947]

Same but with nighthawk ac3200, read online it’s a certain firmware version that messed it all up.

[@Kaiser187]

@@edg3947 I'm trying to figure out my range for the speed drops. I tried at least 10 firmwares on NetGear and they are all the same as for speed. The thing is the NetGear gets full speed right near the router but the farther I go away from it the more the speed drops off. The Spectrum on the other hand is WIFI 6 and even on the other side of the house it was still getting almost near full download speeds. On the other hand the NetGear speeds were cut in half or more. Spectrum has disconnecting issues constantly, as where the NetGear is way more stable at 5Ghz. I either need a WIFI extender or just bite the bullet and pay a lot for a mesh WIFI 6 tri band system. I'm going through brick walls and need a connection that can give me the speeds I paid for.

[@hommeboy]

@@kingkobra1956 What do you recommend?

[@JayShah910]

tp link and eero are much better brands, I had the nighthawk and it was dog crap, deco is miles better, both reliabilty and usability wise @@hommeboy

[@richardjackman9183]

Can someone tell me the price of wifi router

[@apb5866]

What about security? Which has the best security features?

[@portman8909]

Eero

[@madman9639]

This might be a dumb question but do i need home internet to use it

[@JJFlores197]

If you want internet access, yes you need an active internet service from a service provider. A lot of people for some reason think that wifi is internet. It isn't. Wi-Fi is a radio communication used by devices like phones and tablets and laptops to connect to a network wirelessly. That's it. If you were to buy this router and plug it in, you will have wifi and a network and your devices can connect to it and talk to each other on the network. However, you wont' have internet access unless you buy an internet service.

[@MazharulAlam]

I'll wait till Wi-Fi 7 to upgrade. When your Xbox and midrange phone don't even have WIFI 6. You can be patient.

[@ismailatouray2851]

Am using TPlink

[@blackstarafro2]

Show us routers that do not glitch when the software is updated, and that are reliable. To many ASUS and Netgear have reliability issues with their routers.

[@tld8102]

who needs wifi 6E. will they be fine with regular wifi 6?

[@nrikhy2793]

Even wifi 5 is sufficient enough

[@chrismv102]

Really deceiving intro. Many items were over $100. Honestly this review was a puff piece. No criticism. The reviewer seemed more of an "eye clicker" rather than someone who is a tech geek.

[@p3terlos]

I don’t get it, what was deceiving? “In this video I’m going to show you the best picks under $100, mesh routers for those of you who need more coverage, and the best routers for those of you who need blazing fast gigabit internet” She then proceeded to do just that, with two picks from every category. She never said every pick would be under $100?

[@lufhkg]

paid advertising

[@kcav1255]

That’s what CNET has become. Know-nothings reading from a list compiled of companies sponsoring the channel.

[@yonallb]

Huh?

[@sandeshvantveen]

Only the budget picks section is under $100. Nothing deceiving about it imo.

[@petebuka]

Did you know that WIFI 7 IS Coming on 03-15-23. TPlink and Asus are advertising these now. It's going to be very expensive for the early adopters.

[@michelwong1]

My Wifi Router 2023 was TP Link AX5400 X60 wifi 6, 3-pack Mesh system + Nokia Modem, on a 2 yrs contract with 【1Gbps】 cover 2000sq/ft. Very V Satisfied 👍👍👍 My next move 2025 after the end of contract will be 【3GBps】using【existing Router】, Internet Provider will provide a 【NEW TYPE of modem】 for 3Gbps. Hopefully the price of TP Link Deco【BE65】BE11000 【wifi 7】will keep on falling until I decide to upgrade. 👍👍👍👍🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@irenkhaitsa]

Can it still work even In uganda

[@conyo985]

Why are routers expensive in the US? I can buy an Archer AX23 for under 50 dollars which has the AX1800 speed! For under 100 dollars I can get the Archer AX55 which has the AX3000 speed. Regional pricing is weird sometimes. I live in the Philippines by the way.

[@icyycold1094]

It's a monopoly here, we are suffering

[@HunterB23]

@conyo985 interesting, wonder if it’s a ship distance thing since you are relatively close to origin

[@Santiagosony]

No speed comparison chart? No google or ubiquiti mention? What a crappy paid review

[@keydellhost]

In my country we only have 300MBPS max speed

[@dhirendersahani2544]

Really this wifi router is so futuristic.

[@juriosz]

No google nest Wi-Fi? Shady

[@JBK63]

Most people still install one router if that! Many people use whatever their Internet supplier gives them. These higher frequencies are useless. Very low penetration and distance. Better suited if you’re going to install access points on every level. Mesh routers without a wired backhaul are a waste of time. Been buying routers for years. Have gotten very tired of Netgear and Linksys pushing out hardware with not ready for prime time firmware. Don’t forget about good old wired connections

[@microsoftsarker]

This is helpful for me

[@EnginoIsRunning]

you have to test one by one all the routers before telling us what is the best because lots of brand fake their results diocan

[@TechTusiast]

Why do all these "reviews" portray things that do not matter to customers at all? Your wifi speed does not make any difference unless the connection you get from ISP to home is faster and in that case your connection is PLENTY FAST even if you have an old WIFI system. Software/firmware updates to avoid being hacked, easy to setup properly, avoidance of unsafe protocols and features and good quality hardware is what reviews SHOULD look at, but they don't. It is like these reviews are made by people who do not know what they are doing and just read out loud the marketing material.

[@refilwemabhunga1300]

Thank you for a good info. How can I tell my wifi has been hacked and what can I do to clear that. My router keeps on disconnecting my devices for not reason and it loses signals alot.

[@CitizenRyan]

Woo star citizen camero haha

[@cinemlex]

Everything she said feels like she is just reading all of it from a website without understanding them

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

I only have a single eero

[@mfalmog]

Since when are fast routers not sexy.

[@georgeazevedo1030]

I’ve had bad luck with TP Link products. When I did research, it’s a Chinese company. CNET staff should do a better job and not recommend poorly developed products like TP Link

[@hemanth593]

Paid Review without any realtime charts

[@nrikhy27]

The best router to buy in 2023 is actually a WiFi 5 router.

[@roshanbaig2]

Huawei ?

[@Linkon777a]

Your not testing anything.... :(

[@eAtiyyah]

Udm se with U6 Pro FTW

[@-_-SpongeBob]

I don't want the best routers under $100. I WANT THE BEST ROUTERS. PLEASE don't waste my time.

[@intothebeyond8763]

Net gear has a horrible user interface. I wouldn’t recommend it unless u have someone in your family who is A+ or CCNA certified.

[@gabrielmazabuka4610]

Shame to those that design Routers, they are all ugly 😢🤮🤮🤮

[@breezebandit1636]

She is absolutely gorgeous.

[@MacGuru]

Terrible review. There are other options that are way better.

[@mr.episouls]

This buyers guide is indeed bad but please enlighten us. Whats your recommended router?

[@watsonanthony8438]

What’s her @ 😅😅 lol

[@kikihippo9199]

Bad recommendations

[@nutritious3250]

i bet shes a horrible person to fight with in real life

[@Bella-nv2yp]

Sexiest???