The ultimate guide to buying Mobile Broadband

June 26,

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We’ve created the ultimate guide to buying mobile broadband, including the different types of mobile broadband available, the best ways to use it, and how to choose the right deal for you.

What is mobile broadband and how does it work?

Mobile broadband is your personal internet connection. It gets you online whether you're at home or out and about. Whilst traditional fixed-line broadband is delivered through cables, mobile broadband works quite differently.

Mobile broadband requires a SIM card to work, and like your smartphone, it allows you to connect to the internet through mobile data on a specific network. Mobile broadband taps into 4G or 5G data networks to create a mini broadband hotspot.  

The biggest advantage of mobile broadband is its portability. Once you have a mobile broadband device, you can take it wherever you want, and get online wherever you can connect to a mobile network. 

The number of devices you can share your internet connection with will depend on the type of mobile broadband device you choose. It is also worth noting that you can enjoy this type of connection as a pay as you go mobile broadband option as well as pay monthly.

The different types of mobile broadband 

With Three, you can get connected using one of our devices or SIM Only plans. Discover the different types of mobile broadband we offer: 

MiFi device

A MiFi is a small, portable mobile broadband router that’s about the size of a large mobile . You can use MiFi to share a connection with multiple users while you’re on the go. Our 4G MiFi and 5G MiFi use our network to provide fast, stable Wi-Fi you can share with up to 32 devices. It’s incredibly easy to set up – just switch your router on and you’re good to go. 

Data Only SIM cards

Data Only SIM cards work exactly like SIM cards for your mobile . But as the name suggests, they only have a data allowance with no calls or texts. Simply put them in the SIM card slot of certain iPads, Tablets, Laptops and mobile broadband devices, and you’ll get online wherever you can connect to our network.

Tablets

With mobile broadband, you can connect your tablet to the internet when you’re out and about and away from Wi-Fi. Whether you want the latest iPad or a Samsung tablet, you can get connected using a Data SIM Only contract. 

What can you use mobile broadband for?

There are many ways that you can use mobile broadband to help you stay connected. Here are some of the best ways to use mobile broadband:

• As a temporary Wi-Fi solution. Mobile broadband is ideal if you’ve just moved home and haven’t got the internet yet, or if you’re a small business working in a temporary office, or if you’re living in short-term accommodation.
• To stay connected when you’re out and about. The good thing about mobile broadband is that it’s more reliable than public Wi-Fi on transport and in cafes. So, whether you’re travelling for work or leisure, you can access the internet, wherever you are.  
• To get online when travelling abroad. Mobile broadband allows you to stay connected to the ones you love, even if you’re time zones apart. With Go Roam, you can use your mobile internet hub and unlock your data allowance in over 160 destinations around the world.
• As a back-up Wi-Fi option. If your home broadband connection isn’t always reliable or often fails to support the whole home, mobile broadband can provide the perfect back-up option.
• For caravans and motorhomes. With mobile broadband, you and your family can stream your favourite shows and download games from your caravan or motorhome without a hitch.
• To get Wi-Fi on a boat. Whether you’re planning a boating adventure or have a residential mooring in a marina, mobile broadband can help you stay connected whilst on board.
• As a car Wi-Fi solution. Using mobile broadband to create an internet connection in your car makes journeys more efficient for the driver, provides more fun and entertainment for your passengers, and helps keep kids occupied. 

How to choose a mobile broadband deal

When you’re choosing a mobile broadband deal, there are several things you need to consider. We’ve broken down the following questions to help make your decision easier:

Where do you want to use it?

We always recommend using our Coverage Checker to determine whether you can get adequate coverage wherever you are.  Simply enter the postcode of where you want to use your mobile broadband and find out if 4G or 5G is available for you. You can also use our Network Status checker to see if there’s any disruptions or maintenance going on.

When it comes to mobile broadband, you need a network you can rely on. Our network already covers 99% of the UK outdoor population, meaning you can get online from almost anywhere. And we’re always investing to build a better, stronger network. 

What do you want to use it for?

If you want to share your mobile broadband with multiple devices and users, then a MiFi device will be your best option to help you stay connected.

It’s also worth noting that we have Pay As You Go Data Only SIMs for those who want a pay as you go mobile broadband for occcasional use, as well as our Pay Monthly Data Only SIMs for those who want to pay monthly for more regular use.

How much data do you think you’ll use?

If you’re looking for mobile broadband that you can share with friends, family, and colleagues, an unlimited data allowance is your best call. With our truly unlimited data, you can enjoy as much data as you’ll ever need. Endlessly stream, browse, download and share in the UK, without worrying that you’re going over your allowance.

If you only do a little bit of browsing and streaming, our smaller data allowances should be more than enough. They’re ideal for those who won’t be using their mobile broadband every day or sharing it with as many devices. 

How long do you think you’ll need it?

With our pay monthly mobile broadband, you can choose how long your contract will be. We offer both short-term rolling plans and long-term contracts, so you can find the right plan for you.

If you’re using mobile broadband as a temporary Wi-Fi solution, a shorter contract might suit you best. Or if you're looking to use mobile broadband as a more permanent solution, you’ll benefit from our 24-month data plans.

How much do you want to spend?

With our MiFi mobile broadband hub, you can choose how much you want to pay upfront and monthly. The cost will depend on your exact needs in terms of length of contract and data allowances.

All our 24-month contracts and our 12-month unlimited data plan come with no upfront cost. If you’re buying mobile broadband hub on a 1-month plan, you’ll need to pay an upfront fee.

For our Data Only SIMs, you can choose from a variety of different plan lengths and costs, so it’s easy to find something that suits your need and budget. 

If you’re ready to get connected, you can check out our mobile broadband deals online. Or if you want to learn more about MiFi devices, you can check out our recent blog post.

Top pick

The TP-Link Archer BE230 is the latest in a long line of relatively inexpensive Wi-Fi routers that have provided solid, speedy Wi-Fi signals in our test house. It proves that you don’t need to buy the most expensive router to keep all your family’s devices reliably connected to the internet 24/7.

The Wi-Fi 7–compatible TP-Link Archer BE230 offers the best combination of price, features, and performance of any current router we’ve tested. Wi-Fi 7 was more of a buzzword than an easy-to-recommend technology until now. We mentioned the Archer BE230 as a model we liked in a recent previous version of this guide, but after seeing its price drop, and comparing its test results against those of its newer peers, we can now recommend it as the top-pick router for most people.

The Archer BE230 can handle a busy network, and it’s reliable. It also has some future-proofing, notably Wi-Fi 7 and a pair of 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports. This means it’s ready for 2-gigabit internet service (2,000 megabits per second) once that becomes commonplace, and it properly supports a wired gaming PC or NAS that uses a 2.5 GbE port.

It supports (most functions of) Wi-Fi 7. This router is ready for Wi-Fi 7–connected phones and laptops, and it will therefore stay relevant longer than the five- to eight-year-old routers that some folks have in their homes now. The BE230 can also use new features, such as MLO (Multi-Link Operation), that improve connectivity if your laptop or supports them. However, the BE230 doesn’t support the 6 GHz radio band, which we discuss below.

It’s ready for multi-gig internet. Over the past couple of years, 2-gig has surpassed 1-gig as the fastest internet speed available to most US residents. The Archer BE230’s 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports can connect to 2-gig fiber service or a 2-gig cable modem. The second 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port can connect to a gaming PC or a NAS as well. As home internet speeds get faster, this router won’t be a bottleneck like those equipped with only a 1 Gigabit Ethernet connector.

Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 speed-test results (Mbps)

It delivers fast Wi-Fi at long range and close to the router. The Archer BE230 performed better than competitors at long range with the signal passing through several walls. The Acer Predator T7, for example, costs almost three times as much as the BE230, but our top pick was almost 250% faster in our long-range tests.

Browsing the web on a busy network

It's responsive, even when the network is busy. Many home networks are prone to lag and delays, making you wait for sites to even start loading. In our responsiveness test, which shows how routers handle the added stress of multiple devices accessing the network simultaneously, the Archer BE230 posted short lag times better than those of the Acer Predator T7 Mesh router, even though it’s considerably less expensive. It also bested comparably priced routers such as the TP-Link Archer BE260 and Netgear RS100. Based on these tests, we can say that the Archer BE230 won’t keep you waiting, even when multiple family members are using the Wi-Fi at the same time.

It has all the wired connections you need. The Archer BE230 provides five Ethernet ports: two 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports for connecting your cable modem, fiber terminal, or network-attached storage, plus three Gigabit Ethernet ports for other wired devices. That’s enough for you to hardwire your most demanding gear — streaming set-top boxes, TVs, and game consoles — if you keep your router close by.

The Archer BE230 also has a USB 3.0 port for connecting a shared portable hard drive or SSD. This setup can’t replace a full-featured NAS unit, but it can help you back up your laptops regularly. In contrast, less expensive routers are limited to much slower data transfers over USB 2.0 (as with the Archer AX21, for example) or lack USB connectivity entirely (like the Eero 6).

It’s easy to set up. All routers walk you through the initial setup, but TP-Link’s administration page for the Archer BE230 is neither too simple nor too complicated. TP-Link provides enough information and settings for you to customize the network for your home’s needs, or you can just use the defaults. The overall setup, whether you handle it through TP-Link’s Tether smartphone app or the administration website, is quick. Note that you have to sign up for a TP-Link Cloud account if you want to use Tether.

TP-Link’s smartphone app lets you quickly configure settings. Tether for iOS and Android allows you to customize the router’s parental controls, security, and performance. You’ll need the app to access basic parental controls such as time limits, content filtering, and bedtime settings. (I’ve written about how I used parental controls, among other tools, to stop my teen from gaming all night.) If you want to prioritize functions such as streaming over gaming or vice versa, QoS (quality of service) settings are also included and easy to adjust.

You can expand its reach with TP-Link’s OneMesh and EasyMesh Wi-Fi extenders. We recommend the compatible TP-Link RE315 if you need to add a single extender. You can also use TP-Link’s EasyMesh feature to connect multiple TP-Link routers and extenders in your home to create a DIY mesh network. However, if you have more than one dead spot in your home, you might want to upgrade to a full mesh-networking system instead.

Its warranty is longer than others. TP-Link covers this router with a two-year warranty, which matches the coverage period for our other picks. Similarly priced routers from Acer, D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, and Ubiquiti have one-year warranties.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing. Four adjustable but nonremovable antennas connected to the back and side panels make the Archer BE230 stand out visually, and not necessarily in a good way. Its antennas and its bulky chassis are guaranteed to clash visually with nearly any decor, even though its color scheme is an inoffensive, basic black. If you’re looking for a more unobtrusive router, the Eero 6 is much smaller and easier to ignore.

It doesn’t support the 6 GHz radio band. While this isn’t a drawback for most people, the Archer BE230 isn’t a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router like our upgrade pick, the TP-Link Archer BE550. Therefore, you won’t be able to get the same theoretical top speeds as with the BE550, though you’d have to be using a Wi-Fi 6E or 7 laptop in the same room as a supported router in order to take advantage of 6 GHz radio bands. In any case, the Archer BE230 tested faster than some tri-band Wi-Fi 7 routers, particularly on long-range connections.

It requires an online login for setup through TP-Link’s Tether app. The BE230 allows for setup via its built-in web interface, but if you want to use the Tether app, you have to create a TP-Link login. A lot of the functionality of the Archer BE230 and some of its settings are found only in the Tether app, so if you want to have parental controls or monitor IoT (Internet of Things, aka smart home) security, for example, you need a TP-Link Cloud online account. You can set up a burner address for this purpose if you don’t want the account connected to your primary .

While some shoppers actively look for routers that don’t have any online logins because they’re worried about companies mining their data and tracking them, more router companies are requiring online accounts for convenience, remote monitoring, and paid subscription services. If you’re concerned about such things, we suggest alternatives like our former upgrade pick, the Synology WRX560, which you can set up and administer without an online account.

Some features are locked behind optional paid subscriptions. Advanced parental-control software costs $3 per month or $18 per year. TP-Link also offers a separate $5-per-month or $36-per-year plan for Security+ network protection and IoT security. If you don’t pay, you still get some basic functionality, such as the ability to block websites and to manually toggle internet access on your kids’ devices, but advanced settings, automatic timed internet control, most protection, and reporting are disabled after the one-month free trials. That said, the Archer BE230 will continue to provide solid Wi-Fi connectivity even if you don’t sign up for the added plans.

Upgrade pick

If you have gigabit or multi-gig internet service, or if you want to be ready for the latest technology, this Wi-Fi router is worth its higher price.

If you’re splurging on a gigabit — or faster — internet service plan, the TP-Link Archer BE550 is the router you should get to make the most of the bandwidth you’re paying for. It’s also future-proofed, which could be worth the extra $100 over our top pick if you’re itching to get the latest technology in your home.

It’s faster than our top pick. The Archer BE550 was one of the top performers in our test group, handily beating our top pick, the TP-Link Archer BE230, in overall speed, 2.5 GbE connectivity, and 6 GHz support. Investing in such advanced performance will pay off if you’re one of the lucky people who have 1-gig or faster internet service, including multi-gig service. The Archer BE550 has five 2.5 GbE (Gigabit Ethernet) ports, which can connect to your cable modem or fiber network terminal, to network-attached storage, or to a PC with a 2.5 GbE adapter.

Using our laptop’s 6 GHz Wi-Fi, we measured top speeds of 1,256 Mbps in the same room as the router, faster than the Verizon Fios gigabit service we have in our test home. Speeds dropped to about 600 Mbps and 112 Mbps farther away, but these results were still faster than what we got from other Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 routers, particularly at our long-range test location, where the signal had to pass through four walls.

Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 speed-test results (Mbps)

Wi-Fi 7 is ready for the future. Though Wi-Fi 7 isn’t a must-have just yet, the Archer BE550 is ready for the improvements that Wi-Fi 7 promises. Wi-Fi 7’s additional 6 GHz Wi-Fi channel offers extra capacity and steady connections in the same room for Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 laptops, tablets, and phones. Other features, such as Multi-Link Operation (MLO) and 320 MHz–wide Wi-Fi channels, also help speed and performance on congested networks. For more details, read our article on Wi-Fi 7 and how it could improve your life.

It isn’t as hideous as other routers. While no router is beautiful, the Archer BE550’s internal antennas make it as visually tolerable as a rectangular plastic box can get. Other routers, including the TP-Link Archer BE230, the TP-Link Archer BE600, the Acer Predator Connect W6, and the MSI Radix AXE, have multiple external antennas sticking out, with some models resembling giant multi-limbed arthropods.

It supports mesh networking, if you need that. As with the Archer BE230, you can add TP-Link EasyMesh routers and extenders or OneMesh extenders to the Archer BE550 to create a mesh-connected network.

It’s ready for the fastest internet connections. In addition to support for 2.5 GbE modems, the Archer BE550 has four 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, allowing you to connect EasyMesh routers and extenders to the base router with Ethernet cables, an arrangement that’s faster than wireless mesh. As we’ve seen in our wireless mesh testing, each additional wireless “hop” reduces the speeds you can achieve; wired networking bypasses the losses incurred when you connect to a wireless network over distance and through walls.

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Flaws but not dealbreakers

Not everyone needs the extra performance. If you don’t have a gigabit or multi-gig internet plan, and if reading about the Archer BE550’s extra features makes your eyes glaze over, you’re likely to find our top pick, the TP-Link Archer BE230, or the Eero 6 more than enough for easy internet access. Even more expensive home routers exist, but they mostly offer a bit more speed or maybe an additional 5 GHz Wi-Fi channel for more connectivity in exchange for their sometimes exorbitant price tags. Unless you’re downloading and uploading humongous files, such as uncompressed high-resolution audio, over Wi-Fi every day, you’re unlikely to notice the difference between the 1,604 Mbps from the Netgear Nighthawk RS700S, for example, and the 1,256 Mbps you can get from the Archer BE550.

Best for...

The Eero 6 smoothly delivers solid internet performance even while several people are using it simultaneously. It’s slower than our top pick for heavy downloaders and gamers, but this inexpensive router is expandable and a reliable option for a small home or an apartment.

Our budget pick, the Eero 6 is the router we recommend if you want to spend around $80, or if you live in a smaller space such as an apartment or a compact home. Our top pick and upgrade pick were faster and more reliable at range than the Eero 6, but at long ranges it still outperformed some routers costing two to four times as much. It’s also the router that’s the most compact and the easiest to hide, and that can be a game-changer.

Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 speed-test results (Mbps)

It’s speedy, especially at long range. The Eero 6 was able to broadcast a strong, steady Wi-Fi 6 signal from 15 feet away as well as from 50 feet away and through four walls, reaching about 140 Mbps to 150 Mbps in both locations.

It’s cute, and you can hide it easily. The Eero 6 router measures about 4 by 4 by 2.5 inches — smaller than a 12-ounce coffee mug — and it has internal antennas. Consequently, it’s easy to hide behind non-metallic objects on a bookshelf or, say, in a wicker basket.

Its responsiveness is excellent. When we tested the Eero 6 with a full onslaught of Wi-Fi traffic, it held its own against our upgrade pick, the TP-Link Archer BE550, and our top pick, the TP-Link Archer BE230.

You can expand it with Eero extenders, Amazon Echo Dot speakers, or additional Eero routers. If you find that the Eero 6 base unit works pretty well but can’t quite reach a stubborn dead zone, you can extend its range with compatible Eero 6 extenders.

You can set it and forget it. In addition to easy setup, Eero routers automatically update on a regular basis, in contrast to some other routers, which have that as an opt-in setting. Also, Eero’s app has very few settings that you can change, so you don’t have to worry about possibly screwing things up. The app can monitor the network when you’re away from your home and alert you, and you can reboot the router remotely if any issues crop up. That last feature is a boon for people who need to set up and support Wi-Fi for relatives, including parents.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Its limited wired connections are a drawback. Whereas most other routers we reviewed have at least three Ethernet ports for wired connections in the same room as the router, the Eero 6 has only two. That isn’t an issue if your TVs, media boxes, phones, laptops, and tablets are all on Wi-Fi, but it may be a problem if you have more than one wired gaming PC.

Our other router picks offer faster top speeds. In comparison with the performance of the TP-Link Archer BE230 and Archer BE550, the Eero 6’s speed limits make it more suitable if you’re subscribed to a low- to mid-tier internet plan (under 500 Mbps), but this router is certainly sufficient for a compact home or an apartment with fewer smartphones and PCs. For many people, 140 Mbps feels fast enough, even if the household is streaming two or three 4K videos at once.

Other publications usually test Wi-Fi routers by connecting a single device to Wi-Fi at various distances, trying to get the biggest throughput number possible, and declaring the router with the biggest number and the best range the winner, at least in raw performance. The problem with this method is that it assumes that a big number for one device connected to the router divides evenly into bigger numbers for all connected devices. This is usually a valid assumption for wired networking, but it doesn’t work well for Wi-Fi.

How we tested Wi-Fi

Because we were testing in the real world, external variables—competing signals, walls, network traffic—affected our results, just as they’re likely to affect yours. The purpose of our testing was not to choose a router that was slightly faster than others; it was to see which routers could deliver consistently strong performance without encountering major issues in real-world conditions.

Instead of running just a single speed test, we used multiple laptops at different distances from the router in a 2,300-square-foot, two-story suburban home to simulate the real-world activity of a busy home network. We connected a desktop PC via Ethernet to each router as our web server and used the open-source Netburn test to check each router’s speed and responsiveness.

We used a mix of 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), and 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) laptops to simulate a home network serving 4K video streams, browsing the web, and downloading a large file (such as a game update) all at the same time.

Microsoft has recently added Wi-Fi 7 enhancements to Windows 11, including support for MLO and speedier 320 MHz “ultra-wide bandwidth.” We updated our test laptops during this testing session to take advantage of those upgrades.

Our laptops ran the following tests:

• One laptop sat in the downstairs primary bedroom and simulated a 4K video streaming session. It tried to download data at up to 30 Mbps, but we were satisfied if it could average 20 Mbps to 25 Mbps or better, which is what Disney+ recommends for 4K UHD.
• The second laptop sat in the garage and simulated a web-browsing session. Once every 20 seconds or so, it downloaded 16 files of 128 KB each simultaneously to simulate loading a modern web page; ideally pages should load in less than 750 milliseconds.
• The third laptop sat in the living room across the house, simulating a second browsing session. It also downloaded 16 128 KB files simultaneously, and on this laptop we looked for the same quick load times.
• The fourth laptop sat in a spare bedroom downstairs at close range and downloaded a very large file. For this large-file download, we didn’t care about latency—the amount of time between when the computer made a request and when the router responded to it—but we did want to see an overall throughput of 100 Mbps or better.
• The fifth laptop, dedicated to Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 testing, sat in the same room as the router. This laptop also downloaded a very large file. This test allowed us to measure each router’s best-possible speeds while also stressing high-end routers more strenuously than the other models.

We ran all of the above tests simultaneously to simulate a realistic extra-busy time on a home network—after all, those busy times are when you’re most likely to get annoyed.

This mix of tests and devices allowed us to evaluate each router’s speed (throughput), range, and ability to multitask (latency or lag). We placed one of our test laptops approximately 15 feet from the router, with one interior ceiling between router and laptop; we also performed a long-distance test at about 50 feet, with four interior and two exterior walls in the way. If Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 was available on a router, we tested it from a 5-foot distance and in line of sight so that we could find its best potential speed. We tested throughput using a real HTTP download, the same protocol you use to view websites and download files, to better expose differences in general performance.

Top speeds

We characterized a router’s speed by looking at the combination of performance when downloading a large file at both short and long range (which gearheads call throughput). A decent number of the routers were able to top 500 Mbps to 800 Mbps at close distances, with some of the best-performing routers, such as the TP-Link Archer BE550 and Netgear Nighthawk RS700S, reaching 1,200 Mbps to 1,600 Mbps in this test. Only a couple of stragglers, the TP-Link Archer AX21 and Linksys Classic Router Micro 5, fell far behind at 5 Mbps to 27 Mbps, particularly at long distances and when the signal passed through multiple walls.

Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 speed-test results (Mbps)

Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 speed-test results (Mbps)

Note that we saw these speeds on a connection between two PCs on each router’s Wi-Fi network. Your internet service plan acts as a speed limit on your connection to the internet. For example, if you’re paying for a 50 Mbps service plan, 50 Mbps is the best you can expect when you’re downloading from the internet. If you’re on a gigabit (a 1,000 Mbps connection) or multi-gig (faster than 1,000 Mbps) plan, you’re more likely to max out your connection speeds using any of our top routers.

Browsing on a busy network (measuring responsiveness)

Raw speed isn’t everything, so in addition to evaluating top speeds at various distances, we measured responsiveness on a busy network, otherwise known as latency or lag. Latency measures the time you spend between clicking a link and waiting for the next web page, streaming video, or file download to come through. We ran this test concurrently on two laptops while other laptops were downloading files and simulating a 4K video stream, further stressing the Wi-Fi network.

Browsing the web on a busy network

During our multi-client responsiveness testing, we evaluated how well each router performed when everything was working as normal, as well as how poorly it did ramping down to its worst moments. This process allowed us to determine how frequently the network became unresponsive, and how much the experience may frustrate you.

The top routers passed this test with flying colors; any of them will give you good to great responsiveness while you’re browsing, even while other family members are using the Wi-Fi at the same time.

The TP-Link Archer BE550, our upgrade pick, speedily served each client simultaneously, with a minimal wait on a busy network; the TP-Link Archer BE230, our top pick, performed similarly.  The Eero 6, our budget pick, managed to stay true and steady, with no web-browsing hiccups, during a session with 4K video streams and large file downloads happening at the same time.

At the other end of the chart, the higher numbers for the Netgear RS200, Acer Predator Connect T7, and D-Link DIR-X show that you’re likely to be sitting there waiting for a few seconds (or more) when other devices are stressing the network at the same time. If you click a link and then have to wait a few seconds (or more) for something to happen, it’s the definition of slow internet.

Typical home networks today don’t look like they did in the early s. Even without getting into the explosion of smart-home devices (everything from smart light bulbs to doorbells to washing machines now relies on a decent Wi-Fi connection), most homes these days have two or more personal Wi-Fi devices (, laptop, tablet) per person, as well as smart TVs or media streaming boxes such as Roku or Apple TV devices.

A busy evening in a typical home could have one person downloading game updates in a bedroom, a second listening to music from a smart speaker, a third watching TV in the living room, and a fourth browsing the web while sitting on the couch—and all of that traffic demands a router that can provide fast performance for lots of devices at once. The resulting network congestion that such homes experience has made us a lot pickier about what routers we accept as the best for the most people, as well as a lot more interested in features such as Wi-Fi 6 support and mesh compatibility. These features cost more, but they’re worth the expense.

What is a router?

A router is a box that connects your home network to the internet, through your cable modem or fiber internet connection. All communication on the internet, whether it’s a website, a streaming movie, a FaceTime video call, or an message, is made of data packets. The router takes the signals from your modem (see below) and determines that a streaming movie, for example, is one group of data packets and is meant to be routed to your iPad for viewing, or that another group of packets is an that you will be reading and responding to on your laptop. Most current home routers handle both wireless (Wi-Fi) and wired (Ethernet) connections.

What is the difference between a modem and a router?

As we describe in our article explaining modems versus routers, a modem is a box that connects your home network to your internet service provider (ISP). A router is a box that allows all of your wired and wireless devices to use that internet connection at once and lets them talk to one another directly. Think of the modem as the box that deals with all the data packets to and from the outside world, and the router as the one that deals with all the communication inside your home or business.

What are dual-band routers and tri-band routers, and what’s the difference between them?

Although all modern routers are at least dual-band—offering one slower but longer-range 2.4 GHz band and one faster but shorter-range 5 GHz band—taking full advantage of both bands isn’t easy. On most cheap (or old) routers, you have to create two separate network names, such as “mynetwork2.4” and “mynetwork5,” and then decide which of your devices should join which network. If you don’t give your networks different names, or SSIDs, in practice all your devices end up piling onto the one 5 GHz band, and you experience slower speeds, delays, and even dropped connections when several of them are online and busy at the same time.

Tri-band and Quad-band routers have extra 5 GHz bands or 6 GHz bands in addition to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands of a dual-band router. Each additional band allows more devices to connect and be busy at once without slowing the network down so much.

What’s the difference between a regular router and a mesh router?

A regular or standalone router is just that: It stands alone, and it sends data packets (streaming videos, music, Slack messages, and so on) from a central location in your home to all your wired (Ethernet) and wireless (Wi-Fi) devices. A mesh network consists of a system of two to four boxes—usually sold in a package—that work together to relay the Wi-Fi signal around your house or business. Those boxes might be called mesh routers, mesh extenders, satellites, or nodes, depending on the manufacturer. We advise using a mesh network if the Wi-Fi signals from a single router are too weak to reach all the corners of your home, causing dropouts.

What are Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7? And how does anyone choose between them?

Wi-Fi 6 brings improvements that help routers and mesh networks better handle the increasing number of wireless devices, using technologies such as OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access) and TWT (target wake time). However, devices must be compliant with Wi-Fi 6 to take full advantage of them.

Wi-Fi 6E, an extension of Wi-Fi 6, uses many of the same technologies but adds them to the 6 GHz radio band (PDF). As with Wi-Fi 6, you can use Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 4 devices with Wi-Fi 6E routers.

Wi-Fi 7 (aka 802.11be) is the newest of the Wi-Fi technologies. Like Wi-Fi 6E, it uses the 6 GHz radio band in addition to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio bands. Wi-Fi 7 promises to improve throughput and bandwidth by widening the radio channels (320 MHz channels), more efficiently packing those channels with data (4K QAM), allowing connections on two separate channels simultaneously (MLO), and transferring data in unused portions of an otherwise congested channel (Multi-RU puncturing). We’ve been testing Wi-Fi 7 routers with a Wi-Fi 7–upgraded laptop, and we’ve noticed some improvement while using the new technology.

In , most people should buy a Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 router. Wi-Fi 5 routers are still usable if you want to save some money, but Wi-Fi 6 has reached the mainstream saturation point and now gives you the best performance for a moderate amount of money.

Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 routers are forward-looking and may be relevant for a longer period of time, but to make the most use of either technology, you have to upgrade your laptops, tablets, and phones, as well. Look for routers that have been fully certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a group that guarantees that wireless devices work with one another and can use all the functions advertised. Note that some routers, such as the Netgear Nighthawk RS700S, haven’t fully implemented vaunted features like MLO at this writing. Our newest upgrade pick, the TP-Link Archer BE550, is the first Wi-Fi 7 router we’re recommending to early adopters.

The TP-Link Archer AX Pro was our former top pick, but the Archer BE230 has eclipsed it. Our new pick is equipped with Wi-Fi 7 technology, easier to find in more stores (the AX Pro is a Best Buy exclusive), cheaper, and more likely to be supported with updates longer than the AX Pro.

The TP-Link Archer BE600 is promising as a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router that’s just a little more expensive than the Archer BE550, our upgrade pick. The BE600 tested well and is functionally similar. It’s almost worth considering if you don’t mind seeing six external antennas sticking out of a router that’s smaller than the BE550. The BE600 also adds a 10 GbE port, so it’s slightly more future-proofed, though few PCs and even fewer internet providers will be able to connect to that port at full speed.

In addition to our upgrade pick, the TP-Link Archer BE550, we tested the Asus RT-BE96U, the Netgear Nighthawk RS700S, RS600, RS500, and RS300, and the TP-Link Archer BE800. Notably, the Nighthawk RS700S achieved some of the fastest and most lag-free results in our testing, but it costs over twice as much as our upgrade pick. The other Netgear routers in the lineup cost less (and have a corresponding reduction in capabilities) as the model numbers go down, but in our tests none of the other models distinguished themselves as the RS700S did. We dismissed the other Wi-Fi 7 routers either because they fell short on our tests or because they were priced too high.

The Asus RT-BE88U, RT-BE58U, and RT-BE86U, the Eero 7, the Netgear Nighthawk RS100 and RS200, and the TP-Link Archer BE260 and TP-Link BE400 are dual-band Wi-Fi 7 routers that omit the 6 GHz Wi-Fi channels to simplify the router’s design and introduce Wi-Fi 7 to areas of the globe where 6 GHz radio signals are more regulated. Like our top pick, the TP-Link Archer BE230, these routers cannot connect to a Wi-Fi 7 laptop at the fastest possible speeds, but they do introduce other connection-enhancing Wi-Fi 7 features, such as MLO. The RT-BE86U was a decent performer, and it can connect with other routers using Asus’s AiMesh networking, but it’s over 200% more expensive than our top pick. The Eero 7 (sold in a one-pack) was a lot less responsive than our top pick during testing; it is much better in a mesh network with multiple Eero 7 units working together.

We also tested a few gaming-oriented Wi-Fi 7 routers, the Acer Predator Connect T7, Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro, and TP-Link Archer GE800. The GT-BE98 Pro provided top-notch performance and has good, if not great, settings for gamers and tech experts, but it’s just too darn expensive unless you’re a wealthy gamer. On the other hand, the Archer GE800 produced highs and lows in its test performance, including some busy situations in which you would just be sitting there waiting for things to happen. The Connect T7 trailed in performance numbers, has a short one-year warranty, and has a somewhat confusing administration screen, though we’ll soon retest it with another Connect T7 unit as a mesh network. Of these three models, the latter two are not worth the investment, especially for gamers.

We tested several Wi-Fi 6E routers, including the Acer Predator Connect W6, the Asus RT-AXE, the Linksys Hydra Pro 6E MR, the MSI Radix AXE, the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 and Netgear RAXE500, and the TP-Link Archer AXE75, Archer AXE95, and Archer AXE300. Though most of the Wi-Fi 6E routers performed well, at this time we don’t think they’re worth buying. Wi-Fi 7 has leapfrogged Wi-Fi 6E in most respects, offering more features and increased speeds on the 6 GHz radio band.

We’ve tested dozens of routers for previous versions of this guide but dismissed them because they lacked features, cost significantly more, or lagged behind our picks in some way.

Asus models we’ve tested include the Asus RT-AX55, RT-AX (aka RT-AX58U), RT-AX82U, RT-AX86U, RT-AX86U Pro, and ROG Rapture GT-AX.

From D-Link, we’ve tried the D-Link R15, DIR-X, DIR-X, M30 and M60. Tested Linksys models include the E, E, Hydra Pro 6 MR, Hydra 6 MR20EC, MR, Linksys Classic Micro Router Pro 6, Classic Micro Router 6, and Classic Micro Router 5.

We dismissed the Netgear RAX5, RAX20, RAX40, RAX50, and RAX70. We also no longer recommend the Synology RTac, a former runner-up, and we dismissed the Synology RTax.

Finally, the TP-Link Archer A7, Archer A8, Archer AX10, Archer AX21, Archer AX55, Archer AX73, Archer AX75, Archer AX90, Archer AX Pro, Archer AX55 Pro, Archer AX, and Archer GX90 rounded out our testing of TP-Link models.

This article was edited by Signe Brewster and Caitlin McGarry.

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