Question What's the best 6E routers/access points available today?

[digitalgriffin]

It's been a year since Toms did a best of Routers. I have a netgear Nighthawk 7800 X2S AC router that is resetting several times a day now and max transmission speeds have seriously dropped (140Mbps max now on 5Ghz). I fear it's radio is nearing end of life.

Prefer WiFi 6E and NOT to blow a fortune.

 

[bill001g]

It tends to be impossible to actually test wifi in any meaningful way. If they test in the authors house that does not mean it will perform the same in your house. If you test the way the FCC does with very control tests you find all routers put out close to the maximum allowed radio power so not a very interesting article.

In general there are only 2 or 3 wifi chip makers and I don't think any directly sell a router. All the wifi function is built into the actual chips the router makers do not write any of the software that runs in the chips.

The only real difference are related to "router" features. Say parental controls or what the configuration menus for making setting changes in the wifi chips look like.

Basically all routers that use the same wifi chips will perform the same on the wifi.

So first you need to decide if you want any special features. Some router support NAS or have a backup internet connection.

After that you try to match your wifi devices to what you are looking at. Most time it is the end device that limits the connection not the router. You see lots of routers that for example brag about the speeds running 4x4 mimo. Problem is that vast majority of devices only have 2 antenna so can only run 2x2.

The price on wifi6e has really started to drop.....I guess because it is now old and wifi7 is king

 

[gggplaya]

I prefer to use a separate router with good software and hardware. One that is known to be extremely stable and refined. Then just buy the wifi access point separately and update them as needed for newer standards. I only need the latest standards in certain areas of the house, so places like my garage i just keep the older standard. So you don't need to spend much money upgrading since you don' t have to upgrade them all.