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5 Best Wireless Routers 2020 – For Your Home / Small Business

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Now you can enjoy super fast and unlimited internet while using some of the best wireless routers on the market. But first what is a wireless router? Well, it is on the whole a device that is able to perform functions of a router and it also contains functions of a wireless access point. These wireless routers can be used to provide access to private computer networks or internet. They only function in the wired LAN or in the WLAN or in the mixed wired/wireless network depending on the model. In this review, you get read about only the best and all its information so you don’t have a hard time making a choice!

5 Best Wireless Routers – 2020

  1. NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band Wi-Fi Gigabit Router (R7000) – Check price on Amazon******
  2. ASUS AC1900 Wireless Dual Band (5GHz + 2.4GHz) Gigabit Wi-Fi Router – Check price on Amazon
  3. Securifi Almond – (3 Minute Setup) Touchscreen WiFi Wireless Router – Check price on Amazon
  4. eero Home WiFi System – Home in WiFi – Check price on Amazon
  5. TP-Link Archer C7 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router – Check price on Amazon

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A WIRELESS ROUTER?

  • Features: one of the things you need to check out while choosing a wireless routers for your home or office are the types of features that they contain. These features should be very important and among these are the USB ports, LAN ports and then the Quality of Service (QoS). Let’s check them out;
  • USB ports: this is used for making connections to a flash drive, USB printer or the external hard drive when the router contains a built-in print server.
  • LAN ports: these ones are used to help connect the computer to the router while making use of the Ethernet cable
  • Quality of Service: this is also known as the traffic control or media prioritization. This will assist you optimize the performance of the router depending on what you are doing at a particular time. Like for instance you can be able to change the setting to work best like for streaming videos, playing games, streaming music or making Skype calls. This way it will provide those applications with a lot more bandwidth.
  • Types of wireless routers: now you will have to determine if you require a smaller or bigger model before you purchase one and it should be measured by either the range or the speed. What you should know is that the routers that use 802.11ac are considerably a lot faster than the ones that are using 802.11n especially when in a close range.  Before determining the type, you should also know that the layout and size of your home or office will also affect the router performance so you need to perform an assessment of your home or office first and this includes the building materials used, overall size and then the place where the router will be placed.  Usually the drywall, plaster and even the hollow doors greatly interfere with the performance of the router while the un insulated doors as well as floors have the ability to cause the degradation of signal but you should also know that the biggest offenders are more of the aluminum studs, solid brick and stone and the insulated walls and floors.
  • Router limits: make sure you also get to know the limits of the router before you can purchase any wireless router for your home or office. Any router that contains maximum speed will not necessarily improve on the streaming performance on the YouTube videos or Netflix. So be aware that throughout any network, the data will only move as fast as the slowest connection. Usually the slowest connection if the internet traffic is the one that is between your home and the internet service provider.
  • Security: another consideration you should look at before choosing a wireless router is the amount of security that you will require. You have to make sure that once you have the router, you secure it with a password while using the WPA2 encryption. In this case you will be required to enter the password into each of the wireless devices that you are using only once and then afterwards your device will be able to remember it. Remember that security is very important especially when you live in very close proximity with other people like for instance if you live in an apartment, crowded urban area or building. This will prevent other people without access from gaining access into your wireless device.
  • Guess network: another thing to look out for is the guest network that is designed to let you provide Wi-Fi connectivity to your guests without leaving the whole of your network susceptible. In a nutshell, you will create a separate network for your guests with a Service Set Identifier or SSID and then after make sure you also create a password that is not the same like the one of your main network credentials.

Wireless Routers Review 2020

  1. NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band Wi-Fi Gigabit Router (R7000) 

SPECS:

  • Open VPN connect app
  • 1 GHz dual core processor
  • AC1900 Wi-Fi 600 + 1300 Mbps speed
  • NETGEAR Up app
  • Nighthawk router
  • ReadySHARE
  • ReadyCLOUD USB
  • Beamforming
  • High powered amplifiers and antennas
  • 08 x 13.7 x 3.11 inches in dimensions
  • Light weight of 3 lbs
  • 1,900 MB per second

PERFORMANCE:

This NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Router is one of the latest routers from the Netgear brand and so far I can also say the best router that is constructed for the home users to date. It is built with a lot of features that makes it performance over the top above the rest. First of all, it is powered while using a dual-core processor that is able to run at 1 GHz which makes it the fastest 802.11ac router that has so far been made from Netgear and then also among the fastest on the market currently. As if that is not enough, this R 7000 also provides a few unique features that were not there in the Netgear home routers before like the built-in open VPN server that performs through supporting Broadcom TurboQAM so as to provide faster Wi-Fi speed cap that is up to 600 MB per second. This NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Router comes with a new design that makes it stay flat on the surface rather than standing vertically like the older versions and that is why it is wall-mountable. Another performance of this router is through the new Quality of Service or QoS feature that is designed to let you be able to easily manage both the upstream and the downstream. This way you will be able to prioritize the internet in a way that the real-time applications like online gaming, HD streaming and video chat will be able to get the bandwidth that they require to make certain there is an optimal user experience. The two or dual guest networks in which one is for each of the frequency bands and then the host of a customizable setting of the OpenDNS-based parental controls. This same NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Router is also constructed with two USB port in which one USB 2.0 is on the back while the other one known as the USB 3.0 is on the front and you can make us of these USB ports to host the printers and or the USB external hard drives. The antennas found on this router are actually detachable and three in number.

PROS:

  • Parental controls: this NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Router contains the parental controls on it which is designed to work with the free account of OpenDNS. This means that once you create an account, then you can be able to download as well as install the Netgear live parental controls management utility that is available for both MAC and Windows to link the router with the account. This software can then be used to manage this feature. You also get to slecet from 5 overall web-filtering levels which include the high, low, moderate, medium and then none. In this case the high means that most of the traffic will be blocked while the ‘none’ means that nothing at all will be blocked. While using the OpenDNS website, you will also now be able to sign from anywhere to manage this feature of your router at home.
  • Dual-band router: this NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Router features a dual-band router that is able to support all the other existing Wi-Fi clients available on the market in spite of their Wi-Fi standard. While on the 5GHz band when working with the 802.11ac clients, it will provide up to 1.3 GB per second Wi-Fi speed. Then on the 2.4 GHz band, this NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Router will provide up to 600 BB per second of wireless speed.
  • Easy to manage: this NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Router is very easy to manage because it comes with the improved Quality of Service (QoS) feature that is designed to let the user mange both the upstream and the downstream rather than just one of them like the upstream alone like in the other models. This way you will be able to prioritize the internet so that the real-time applications for instance video chat, HD streaming and online gaming get the bandwidth that they require to ensure an optimal experience for the user.

CONS:

  • Bulky: it is unfortunate that this NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi Router is quiet bulky as compared to the rest of the routers available and this means that it can be hard to move it from one place to the other unless of course you just mount it on the wall so it can remain there and you are saved from having to constantly move all that weight.

2.  ASUS AC1900 Wireless Dual Band (5GHz + 2.4GHz) Gigabit Wi-Fi Router

SPECS:

  • 800MHz dual-core processor
  • 3Gbps speed on the 5GHz frequency band
  • Broadcom BCM4709 Wi-Fi chipset
  • 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band
  • 256MB of DDR RAM
  • TurboQAM technology
  • An LED displayer
  • Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button
  • 4 LAN ports
  • On-off button
  • Parental Control feature

PERFORMANCE:

ASUS AC1900 Wireless Wi-Fi Router is the kind you need when you want an advanced router for your home or even your small business. This is because it boasts of a fast 800 MHz dual-core processor and that is not alone because it is able to support a new Wi-FI chip as well that provides up to 1.3 GB per second speed on the 5GHz frequency band and then again up to 600 MB per second on the 2.4 GHz band. This router is constructed with a solid build in an upright position design with no option for wall mounting and the finishing is glossy dark gray. It also has three external detachable antennas built on it. Now that is how the external looks like but when we shift to the interior it’s a different story with a new Broadcom BCM4709 Wi-Fi chipset, 256 MB of DDR RAM and then an Arm Cortex A9 dual-core 800 MHZ.  This new Broadcom BCM4709 Wi-Fi chipset contains the proprietary TurboQAM technology in it. This means that each 2.4 GHz spatial stream is able to deliver up to 200 MB per second rather than 150 MB per second. However you will have to purchase a TurboQAM compatible wireless client to assist you take total advantage over it. One of the other features that really impressed me about this router was or is the usual array of LEDs that are designed to show the statuses of the ports found on the back, the USB ports, the connection to the internet and finally the wireless networks. If you don’t like this LED displayer then you can turn it off using the button on the back. There are 4 LAN ports found at the back for the wired clients and then also 1 WAN port at the back designed to connect to an internet source for instance a broadband modem. Each of these ports is Gigabit Ethernet providing super fast internet connection for the local networks. Now that we have looked at the front and back, lets also look at the sides of this router that contains a Wi-Fi On-Off button as well as the Wi-Fi Protected Setup button that operates through starting a 2 minute window in which other Wi-Fi Protected Setup enabled clients can be able to enter the wireless network.  This WPS is disabled though by default and it can be turned on through the Web interface or the wireless section of the router.

PROS:

  • AiDisk and AiCloud: this ASUS AC1900 Wireless Wi-Fi Router contains this AiDisk and AiCloud features are also found on this router. With the AiDisk, you will be able to easily share the connected storage device content through a FTP server. This media server will enable streaming content from the connected storage device to DLNA-enabled network media streamers and iTunes. On the other hand, the AiCloud lets the users have access not only to sharing or streaming content stored on the connected external drive from the iOS as well as the Android mobile devices. Through this, every user will be able to share data stored on any computer easily in the network. However to make this feature operate, you will have to know how to set up a DynDNS account with only a few steps found on the router’s web interface.
  • Space saving: this ASUS AC1900 Wireless Wi-Fi Router is constructed with a compact design that is of an upright position with no single option that is designed for wall mounting. This means that the router will be able to occupy lesser space even despite its larger size.
  • TurboQAM technology: this ASUS AC1900 Wireless Wi-Fi Router which is basically a chip that provides 802.11aca up to 1.3 Bps. This means that with this kind of technology, each of the 2.4 GHz spatial stream is able to bring about up to 200Mbps rather than 150 Mbps.

CONS:

  • Not wall -mountable: this ASUS AC1900 Wireless Wi-Fi Router is unfortunately not wall-mountable that means that you will have to spend a proper space to place it so that it is not exposed to accidents or even the children that might play with it and pull out some of the connections from the ports.

3.  Securifi Almond – (3 Minute Setup) Touchscreen WiFi Wireless Router

SPECS:

  • Touchscreen Wizard
  • 300 mbps mimo
  • 2 antennas
  • 11bgn of wireless compartibility
  • 2 LAN ports
  • 1 WAN port
  • 3 minutes setup
  • Multi-purpose router
  • 9 x 4.8 x 4.3 inches in dimensions
  • 8 ounces in weight
  • One year limited warranty

PERFORMANCE:

Securifi Almond Touchscreen WiFi Wireless Router is probably has one of the simplest installation steps that you will come across…actually let me be more clear, it only takes three minutes to completely set it up. This router might not be the fastest on the market but of you are looking for a residential internet connection then this will be fast enough. What attracted me most to this router is the fact that it is built with a touch screen feature unlike the rest and it also contains a built-in one level speaker that is constructed to operate as an alarm more like a digital alarm clock. But then again, you can be able to have control of this router from 3 different platforms like the touch screen, the web interface through your home computer and the spate mobile app through a tablet or phone. Another thing about this router is that apart from the Wi-Fi it can also operate with other smart-home devices like security sensors through a popular wireless standard for the home automation known as the ZigBee 1.2 and then it’s also compatible with hundreds of other web connected devices. This way as a Wi-Fi one of the 3 units will operate as a router while the other 2 as extenders and thereby extending the range of the Wi-Fi network.  This means that when all of the three are used together and put at optimal distances from one another then they will create a mesh network that can cover up to 4,000 square feet with a Wi-Fi signal. This is also a multi-purpose router that you can use it either as ranger extender or wireless router or even an access point or wireless bridge. On this router you will also find parental control feature that is important in a way that it will enable you to schedule as well as manage the amount of time that the children get to spend online.

PROS:

  • Highly intuitive touch screen: this Securifi Almond Touchscreen WiFi Wireless Router is one of the very first that has been constructed with a touch screen that is highly intuitive. This means that you can access all your settings with just a single touch rather than having to press buttons like in the majority of the other routers. Through this touch screen, you are now able to setup and maintain the router easily.
  • 3 different platforms: with this Securifi Almond Touchscreen WiFi Wireless Router, you are now able to control the router from 3 different platforms like the touch screen that is found on the device, a web interface through your home computer and then the separate mobile app that you will have to access either while using your mobile phone or a tablet. If you want these different platforms to work well then you will have to use all the three so as to customize the system.
  • Voice commands: while using this Securifi Almond Touchscreen WiFi Wireless Router, you can now be able to make control of your smart device while using the voice command via the Amazon Alexa. This way when the almond pairs with the Alexa, you will be able to control home/ away modes and also scenes that you have created. Like for instance Alexa can tell Almond to activate the movie scene and so yes you will operate your devices just like you are speaking to another person in your house.
  • 3 minutes setup: this Securifi Almond Touchscreen WiFi Wireless Router is constructed to take up to 3 minutes in boot up unlike the majority of the routers that only takes 30 seconds. This is because it contains multiple restarts that are required to finish the setup process and furthermore you will complete about half an hour before you can begin using a single unit of it. The good thing about this 3 minutes setup is that when you are done, everything will be ready for you to enjoy fast internet services.

CONS:

  • Doesn’t automatically turn off all the time: this Securifi Almond Touchscreen WiFi Wireless Router doesn’t automatically turn off sometimes after it has been idle for a while. Whereas when it you it in the home screen, it will automatically go off but then when you go to the status screen and then leave it idle for a while, it will stay on forever which is not a good thing.
  1. eero Home WiFi System – Home in WiFi

SPECS:

  • TrueMesh™ technology
  • TrueMesh powered
  • Gigabit WiFi speed capability,
  • Alexa integration
  • Two network ports
  • 5 x 3.5 x 5.5 inches
  • Lightweight with only 1.5 pounds
  • 1-year limited warranty

PERFORMANCE:

Eero Home Wi-Fi System is basically the first whole home Wi-Fi system in the world. Unlike the rest of the routers we have so far looked at, this particular one comes in a set of three eeros that are able to fully cover the typical home. All of these three are able to operate in perfect unison so as to provide a hyper-fast as well as super stable Wi-Fi in every single square foot. This way you will be able to stream video, swipe right in any room and even get work done not just in one place or around the router but anywhere in the house. One of the things that caught my attention most about this eero Home Wi-Fi System   was or is the trueMesh technology which is software and a mesh routing algorithm that is at the core of the product. This makes it the future generation of the wireless mesh technology and a custom built from the ground to operate perfectly with this router. This way you will have numerous software updates of which the majority of them are obtained from data making it much faster while using the mesh technology. Another great feature of this phone is the Alexa integration along with a more polished mobile app.  On the other hand you can also use this eero box as a standalone wireless router, if not you feel free to use the system in bridge mode so as to extend your existing Wi-Fi coverage to occupy a wider area. However despite all these feature, this eero Home Wi-Fi System  still remains a low-power Wi-Fi system that is very simple to set up and thus enabling it provide fast-to-mid-tier internet speeds all over every single room in the house depending on the number of eero units that you install. This way when you take total advantage of the hardware, then you will have Wi-Fi that is very fast and resilient but at the same time will be able to intelligently adapt to your home.  Finally one main feature though is the ability to be able to pause the internet for a group of devices which is known as the Family profiles and this way you will have total control on what and when the children do over the internet.

PROS:

  • Can be paused: one of the pros to this Eero Home Wi-Fi System is the family profiles that contain the ability to allow you pause the internet for a group of devices. All you have to do is create a profile through picking a name for it like for instance ‘kids’ and then after you can add the multiple devices to that profile you created and then the app will then create a button for that. After that you can now quickly pause this profile you created through tapping on the kids button and then effectively halting the internet access for all the devices on that profile. If you want to un pause it, then you will do it manually or you can set a time for this to automatically happen.
  • Hassle free setup: this Eero Home Wi-Fi System is designed with a super simple setup process which almost makes it hassle free. Its setup is a lot easier than almost any of the gadgets that you have in your home. When you start setting it up, you will be done in minutes and then have your network perfectly up and ready to provide unlimited access.
  • Multiple access points: this is one router that you will enjoy using throughout the entire house because of its multiple access points. This way since they come in a set of three, you can be able to place each in different parts of the house so that regardless of where you are, you will still be able to gain unlimited access to the fast and reliable internet. You can do this through plugging one device into the modem and all the other eeros will require power from a standard outlet. Through the Truemesh technology, they will then be able to automatically connect to each other so as to create a single wireless mesh network that is able to cover the entire home.

CONS:

  • Contains minimal features: this Eero Home Wi-Fi System is unfortunately constructed with very few features on them. This wouldn’t have been a bad idea only that now that means you won’t be able to carry out some functions just like in the routers that contain multiple features constructed on them

5.  TP-Link Archer C7 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router 

SPECS:

  • 75Gbps total available bandwidth
  • 6 antennas
  • IP-based Bandwidth Control
  • Powerful CPU
  • 450Mbps at 2.4GHz and 1300Mbps at 5GHz
  • One-touch WPA wireless security encryption
  • Dual USB Ports
  • multi-language support
  • WPS button
  • Dimensions of 6.4 x 9.6 x 1.3 inches
  • 12 volts
  • 2-year warranty and unlimited technical support
  • Weight of 1.9 pounds

PERFORMANCE:

With this TP-Link Archer C7 Wireless Gigabit Router, all you have to do is press play and then forget about all the buffering. It has been created to allow the users get into action instantly without having to wait long enough and perhaps it’s for that reason why The New York Times hailed them as perfect for every user. My first impression about the performance of this router is through its ability to make use of 6 powerful antennas as well as an advanced wireless AC technology to create a high speed Wi-Fi that is able to reach every room in the home. When it comes to assigning devices, you can either assign the routers 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands that will let you be able to run all of your devices at a maximum speed. Like if you want a fast wired connection, then you will have to connect the devices for instance the PlayStation, Xbox, PC or even the Mac directly to the TP-Link Archer C7 Wireless Gigabit Router through the 4 gigabit Ethernet ports that is found on it. This router also allows you easily share the external hard drives and the printers across the Wi-Fi network while using the dual USB ports of the router. The powerful CPU on this router is able to deliver high speed processing and it is located at the center of this router so as to balance the demand of all your devices and keep all the Wi-Fi connections running at a blazing speed. This way you will be able to download files, game online, share media and stream movies while the powerful process faultlessly runs each Wi-Fi band , all the connections and routers hardware as well as software. On the other hand, the dual USB ports will allow you to easily and instantly connect to the printers and any other external hard drives to the printer, router and then share the photos, files and the music over a wireless excellent speed with devices that have been connected to your home network.

PROS:

  • Intuitive mobile interface: this TP-Link Archer C7 Wireless Gigabit Router is constructed with an intuitive mobile interface that is very important in a way that it will assist you set up and even mange your Wi-Fi via the TP-Link Tether app that is available for the Android and the IOS. The tether’s simple layout will allow you to instantly access the settings of the Wi-Fi like for instance the scheduling, guest privileges and finally the device management right from your smartphone device.
  • Extra bandwidth for extra streaming: this TP-Link Archer C7 Wireless Gigabit Router is able to provide the user with an additional bandwidth for an additional streaming. It does this through the dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands that are able to deliver up to 1750 Mb per second of ultra fast Wi-Fi speed. This will let all your devices be connected to network of your home at the same time. This profusion of bandwidth also means that you can stream in HD, game online and even share large fills throughout your home without ever lagging or buffering.
  • 6 antennas: majority of the wireless routers have less than 6 antennas and this puts this TP-Link Archer C7 Wireless Gigabit Router at a better advantage because it contains up to 6 antennas that will provide an incredible coverage from room to room in the home. These antennas are divided into three for the external and the other three for the internal and they perform through sending a powerful Wi-Fi signal throughout your entire home. It is also very simple to reposition the external antennas so that they are able to focus on the Wi-Fi that is towards the room where you require it the most.
  • Allows media sharing: this TP-Link Archer C7 Wireless Gigabit Router allows media sharing which is very important. It does this through the dual USB ports that allow you to instantly connect the external hard drives and printers to the router then be able to share different medias.

CONS:

  • Becomes overtime: a number of clients have complained that the only problem they have with this wireless router is that it tends to become slow after a period of time like a year or less. this means that it takes a lot of time to access the internet and even while you are at it, it will be hard to perform some activities like gaming online and so forth.

*******OUR BEST CHOICE*****

NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band Wi-Fi Gigabit Router (R7000) 

[See price on Amazon]

WHY NETGEAR 1900 GIGABIT ROUTER IS OUR BEST CHOICE?

  • An Open VPN connect app
  • Extremely fast and reliable
  • High powered amplifiers and antennas
  • Compact size of only 08 x 13.7 x 3.11 inches in dimensions
  • A ReadyCLOUD USB
  • 1 GHz dual core processor
  • AC1900 Wi-Fi 600 + 1300 Mbps speed
  • NETGEAR Up app
  • Nighthawk router
  • A ReadySHARE
  • A Beamforming
  • Light weight of 3 lbs
  • 1,900 MB per second

This marks the end of this detailed review on the ‘’Best Wireless Routers – (for your home / office). Bookmark this post for future reference.

Vanilla Farmer, Amazon Retailer & Tech Researcher. Yosaki is my personal blog but I'm working on some big tech project back doors. I will keep on posting various topics on things I have knowledge about.