It's easy to access the router's parental controls, ReadySHARE settings for USB-attached storage or printers, and built-in BitTorrent downloader, although one of its most useful settings for those who already own a router-access point mode-is a little buried on the Advanced tab. We also love that the router comes with "Basic" and "Advanced" tabs in its web-based configuration screen, which helps keep router novices focused on the key settings they need to know. We appreciate that Netgear prompts you to update the router's firmware to its most recent version. Netgear does a great job walking you through the router's initial setup process, but we were a little annoyed with Netgear's many requests during the setup process, like asking users to download the accompanying Genie app and sign up for a Netgear account. We'd rather have better long-distance performance. This beast of an AC2600 router can deliver incredible speeds for all the 4x4 and MU-MIMO devices you currently own-which, for most people, is a whopping zero. Get the Asus RT-3200 from Amazon for $179 3. TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 While it's unlikely that you have a neighbor waiting to see you power up a new router and access its open network before you can, we'd still prefer Asus to provide a unique password for the router's initial wireless networks. We loved that the router prompts you to update its firmware at the conclusion of the setup procedure, but we hated that its default wireless networks are completely open-no password needed. The RT-AC3200's setup process was incredibly simple. However, we found our devices generally performed better without it. The RT-AC3200 can help you manage this with its Smart Connect feature, band steering that you have to manually enable within its web-based configuration. In practice, you'll want to split your wireless-ac devices between both 5GHz networks, as having too many devices doing too many things on a single network can impact the speeds of connected devices. The RT-AC3200 is a "tri-band router," which means it gives you a single 2.4GHz network and two 5GHz networks to pick from. It's fast and fully featured, and Asus focuses less on future-proofing the router in favor of features you can actually take advantage of right now. If you're tired of dealing with routers that only ever give you half of what you want, it's time to plunk down some cash for Asus' RT-AC3200, a tri-band router that has nearly everything you need for a higher $200 price. Get the D-Link DIR-878 from Amazon for $124.92 2. Otherwise, the DIR-878 is a great match for most users' typical needs. If you have more strenuous networking needs, like devices numbering in the double-digits that are all trying to perform bandwidth-heavy tasks at the same time, you might need a better-equipped tri-band router like Asus' RT-AC3200. Power users will find the DIR-878 a bit dull, but its eye-opening performance for its similarly surprising price makes D-Link's router a must-buy for most. At our toughest, long-range test location, the DIR-878 had the best combined read and write throughput-and nearly double the speed of the next-fastest router. The DIR-878 is the router to get if you just want great speeds for minimal fuss-and cost.Ĭompared to other routers' 5GHz or single-SSID Wi-Fi networks, the DIR-878 achieved the best combined performance across all of our test locations on our wired file transfer test. We were blown away by this AC1900 router's wireless-ac performance, especially at range. Whatever wizardry D-Link built into its DIR-878, it's practically Tolkienesque. However, you (or your family) own a lot of bandwidth-hogging devices, or you need a router that's packed with as many features as possible, the Asus tri-band RT-AC3200-or a mesh WiFi system-may be a better fit. It's fast, easy to set up, offers enough range for even a large home, and should hold up for years to come. After researching tons of routers and testing nine finalists over four weeks, we think the best for most people is the D-Link AC1900 DIR-878. It's an easy formula, right? But it can be deceptively difficult to figure out when you need a new router-and even trickier to buy the right one. The best wireless router gives you the fastest performance for your devices at the farthest possible range. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA TODAY’s newsroom and any business incentives. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need.
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