By WIRED
Whether you’re working from home, gaming online with friends, or kicking back with a movie on Netflix, you need a decent internet connection. Who wants to deal with buffering or pixelated videos? The good news is that some of our favorite mesh systems and Wi-Fi routers are on sale ahead of President’s Day. Not sure what’s right for you? Read our How to Shop for a Router guide.
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Mesh Wi-Fi Router Deals
Simple to set up and use, Amazon’s Eero range blends in and is the perfect mesh system if you prefer to set and forget. A three-pack of this tri-band Wi-Fi 6 mesh will cover a large, busy home and cope with loads of devices gracefully. With support for Thread, Matter, and Zigbee, Eero systems also reduce friction for fans of smart homes, making it easy to connect and control all sorts of smart lighting and other gadgets. Eero systems get discounted so often that you should never pay full price, but this is the lowest we have seen for a three-pack of the Pro 6.
This relatively affordable Wi-Fi 6E mesh system gives you access to the 6-GHz band alongside the familiar 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands. The 6-GHz band is relatively short range but offers lightning-fast speeds, and you can use it for wireless backhaul or to connect directly with compatible devices. Like the rest of the Deco range, the XE75 routers are white and vase-shaped. They have three gigabit ports each. The Deco app is easy to use, and TP-Link’s HomeShield service offers basic security and parental controls (a Pro subscription adds many extras for $6 per month or $55 per year).
The XE75 Pro is an updated version of the XE75 listed above, and it is identical except for one potentially important addition: a 2.5-Gbps port alongside the two gigabit ports. For folks with multi-gig internet connections (or the future possibility of them), this faster port could be crucial in taking full advantage. Everything else is the same as above with this tri-band Wi-Fi 6E mesh.
One of the best mesh systems currently available for gamers, the ROG Rapture GT6 features a customizable LED grid on the front. It is a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 system, but the single 2.4-GHz and two 5-GHz bands offer speedy and wide coverage, and most of your devices (gaming consoles, handhelds, or PCs) are likely to be Wi-Fi 6 right now. The 5-GHz results are some of the best we’ve seen, with support for wider 160-MHz channels and WPA3 for security. You also get solid security software, parental controls, and the option to use the GT6 as a VPN router for no extra cost. The black version is discounted, but only the white version has the on-page coupon for a bigger discount.
When TP-Link’s Deco BE85 (7/10, WIRED Review) landed as its first Wi-Fi 7 mesh system, we felt it was too much, too soon. The BE63 scales back some of the specs and has a more palatable price (still expensive). This tri-band Wi-Fi 7 system offers a broadly similar experience but doesn’t quite hit the same highs in terms of speed and ports. You still get four 2.5-Gbps ports in each unit, and all the delights of Wi-Fi 7, including MLO and 320-MHz channels. This is still too much for most folks and requires a multi-gig internet connection and some Wi-Fi 7 devices to take full advantage of, but early adopters and future-proofers might be tempted.
Wi-Fi Router Deals
Not sure if you need a standard router or a mesh system? We have advice that can help in this guide.
This hexagonal router from Asus is our pick for folks seeking a Wi-Fi 6E router. It’s a tri-band router offering 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz bands. It also has a 2.5-Gbps port for folks with multi-gig internet, a second 1-Gbps WAN/LAN, and a further three gigabit LANs. What we especially like about Asus routers is the level of customizability and inclusion of parental controls, security features, and VPN support (most router manufacturers require a subscription for these extras).
Folks looking for a dependable router on a limited budget should consider the Archer AX55. This dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router tops our Best Wi-Fi Routers guide because it delivers speedy, stable Wi-Fi, packs in desirable features like MU-MIMO, beamforming, and WPA3, and has a fairly generous four gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, a single gigabit WAN port, and a USB 3.0 port on the back. The free HomeShield tier is a bit basic, so you may want to subscribe to HomeShield Pro ($6 per month or $55 per year) for enhanced parental controls and real-time security.
The closely related Asus RT-AX86U is the upgrade pick in our router guide, but this model comes close to matching it. With dual-band support, you can expect top performance on the 5-GHz band. You miss out on the 2.5-Gbps port, but for folks with internet speeds of 1 Gbps or less, that won’t matter. It also has a slightly slower processor, but you do have fancy lights on the front. This gaming router is a decent option at the discounted price.
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