Investing in a top wireless router is the best way to keep your home network stable, and secure while achieving good download speeds.

After all, it doesn't matter how fast your internet download speed is if you're filtering it through a sub-standard router.

Spotty connections, drop-outs and disruption could all result from sticking with the default router provided by your ISP, since they often lack the state of the art technology of a dedicated third-party wireless routers.

That's where this guide comes in. We've tested some of the very best routers on the market to see which offer the most impressive range, speed, reliability and value for money. Whether you're looking to stream 4K movies or play games without any lag, we have the very router for you.

Our Top Pick: Best Wi-Fi Router

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Netgear Nighthawk AX8

For Wi-Fi 6 support

It might be pricey, but this swish router will knock your socks off with its speed and power.

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Netgear Nighthawk AX8

It might be pricey, but this swish router will knock your socks off with its speed and power.

For

  • Wi-Fi 6-enabled
  • Superb speed
  • Funky design

Against

  • Funky design
  • High price

This batwing-looking piece of kit is about as advanced a router as you're likely to want, packing massive speed potential along with an all-important bit of future-proofing. That's right, it's fully compatible with Wi-Fi 6, the next big Wi-Fi standard. That's by no means essential for most users, but given that we are likely to see devices swap to it over time, it's a nice feature to have.

We admit that the Nighthawk design is a bit risky depending on your taste, but, overall, we're taken with its mixture of a bold look with seriously powerful performance. If you want Wi-Fi 6, this is the one for you.

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Asus RT-AX88U

Reliable gaming router

An amazing router for gamers who need ideal speed at all times while they're online.

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Asus RT-AX88U

An amazing router for gamers who need ideal speed at all times while they're online.

For

  • Ideal for gamers
  • Wi-Fi 6-enabled
  • Great for Ethernet

Against

  • Also pricey
  • Less bandwidth than tri-band models

This router from Asus is impressive on two counts - it packs Wi-Fi 6 into the package, but is more explicitly aimed at gamers who can't afford even minute lags and hitches in their home's connections.

To that end, it boasts massive speeds, and a really impressive eight Ethernet slots on its back, to let you wire up your various systems as well as use its bleeding-edge Wi-Fi. That sort of adaptability makes it a great fit for the ultra-enthusiastic gamer in you.

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Google Nest Wifi

Superb simplicity

A superb router that can also be the hub in a great mesh system.

For

  • Unobtrusive design
  • Great ease of use
  • Easy to expand

Against

  • Expensive to start with
  • Not a huge leap from the previous generation

Find us a pie Google hasn't got its fingers in and we'd be surprised — whole-home mesh Wi-Fi is no different. Along with most of its other efforts, Google's Nest Wifi is also predictably fantastic. It's pretty reasonably priced, although it'll still feel steep compared to the router that comes with your internet contract.

For us, the real difference is in day-to-day use. Nest Wifi has a strong signal to make sure that you get whole-home coverage, and extenders available to widen that coverage if your home needs it.

The router is unobtrusive and easy to set up, and each extender doubles up as a capable smart speaker with Google Assistant on board. It's a market-leading product as far as simplicity and benefits are concerned.

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Asus RT-AX86U 5700

Great pick

A great router that packs a punch without breaking the bank.

ASUS AX5700 WiFi 6 Gaming Router (RT-AX86U) - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, 2.5G Port, Gaming & Streaming, AiMesh Compatible, Included Lifetime Internet Security

Amazon

For

  • Wi-Fi 6-enabled
  • Looks pretty normal
  • Great speeds

Against

  • Expensive
  • Can only mount vertically

While it's not exactly a quiet look, this router from Asus is a little more "normal" looking than some of the other options on this list, which is a plus.

It also offers superb speeds and impressive range, all with a user interface that makes it really easy to set up and tweak to your exact needs.

It's got Wi-Fi 6, just as you'd hope, and therefore does have a high price to show for it, but you should find it a reliable workhorse for years to come.

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Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX 11000

Excellent alternative

It might look extra, but this is a superb router.

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Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX 11000

It might look extra, but this is a superb router.

For

  • Immense speed
  • Great range

Against

  • Huge price
  • Crazy design

Look, we're not going to lie - a lot of higher-end Wi-Fi routers will have guests in your home raising an eyebrow with their spaceship looks. That applies to the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 more than any other we've ever seen. It's pretty monstrous.

However, it backs up those Tower of Barad-dûr looks with unbelievable speeds and some pretty crazy range, all on Wi-Fi 6 to make sure it'll be great for years down the line. It's massively pricey, but you can't do much better in terms of raw performance.

How to choose a Wi-Fi router

Choosing the right Wi-Fi router can involve a lot of technical jargon you might not understand. Here are some broad questions to help guide you through your decision.

What's your budget?

This is a question that we apply to pretty much every tech purchasing decision, but it's undeniably important. Knowing how much you want to or can afford to spend is really important in ensuring you don't end up going over that budget.

Sadly, the best Wi-Fi routers out there are largely very expensive now, as a result of a push into new territory with Wi-Fi 6, but that's not to say you can't find a bargain at a lower price point if you look.

Are you an online gamer?

While every router on our list will offer great speeds and responsiveness, some are more explicitly aimed at the gamers among us, who might want extra features like ping heatmaps or low-latency options to make sure that their online gaming is never disrupted by a poor connection on their side.

This is something to look into if you are serious about your gaming, as you might find that a gaming router is the best pick. That said, in our experience, these do tend to look a little more outlandish.

Do you want to future-proof?

Wi-Fi 6 is here, bringing improved connections for those devices that support it (which isn't actually all that many yet). While it might be a little superfluous right now, you won't want to update your router every couple of years, so we'd recommend plumping for a Wi-Fi 6 router if you can afford it - it's the best way to ensure you have a router that will stand the test of time.

Does design matter to you?

We've mentioned it a couple of times, and it'll also be self-evident from the list we've compiled, but routers come in all shapes and sizes. Sadly, many of these shapes and sizes are a little bit ugly. It's fine if your access point means the router will be in a hallway or home office, but if it's going to somewhere that is visible all the time or to guests, you probably don't want some crazy spiked monster that takes up a couple of square feet.

We'd generally prioritise functionality over design for something like a router, but it's fair to say that if you want something both impressive technically and nice to look at it might take you a while to discover the right choice.