Best Router For Home Automation (2024 Update)

I wish it was cheaper but this is a great router. I get about 95MBps wireless transfer rate on Wifi 6, which is pretty close to wired gigabit performance. Signal strength seems excellent. Multiple devices simultaneously streaming Zoom, Google Meet, and remote desktop connections over VPN are no problem. The web interface is easy to use and full featured. Parental controls are robust enough to satisfy. Network access can be scheduled for each connected device, either wired or wireless. There are options for blacklisting websites that I have not played with yet. Traffic analysis is fascinating. The router can log activity for each app on each device. Very cool. The phone app is excellent and VERY fast – hard to overstate how much faster the web app is for this router than my previous Asus AC66u. I can block and unblock devices from my phone with ease. This router offers a lot of features and I've barely scratched the surface. With a quad core processor and a gig of RAM, this thing does not stumble under any kind of load I have been able to put on it. I feel like I got what I paid for and I'm good to go until Wifi 7. I'd recommend this to anyone raising a family, running multiple devices each, and all doing simultaneous remote learning and remote working thanks to COVID.Jay

I know that one of the cons for this router is that it lacks a multi gig port. With that being said, I would say a vast majority of homes won't be in a plan that provides those kinds of speeds. That will be the day that my home internet provider even gives the option for 500 mbps speeds. Although majority of my devices and gadgets at home are currently wifi 5, I have noticed a significant difference with response time. Also, streaming and gaming quality is sooo much better and has been more consistent. I am very happy with this product. If Asus comes up with a triband version of the ax88u, I will definitely consider it. Thank you B&H for the usual excellent customer service. You will always be my go to vendor for all of my electronic needs!Michael

The ASUS RT-AX88U is a very powerful wireless router. Installation was very quick and easy, and setting up a VPN on it was also very quick and easy. Besides its 1.8 GHz quad-core processor and 256 MB Flash and 1 GB of RAM, another feature that it has and I wanted in the router is a wireless on/off button, which is conveniently located on the right front of the router, next to the LED on/off button. Since I hardly ever use Wi-Fi, it makes sense to turn it off when not in use. However, if you need 24/7 Wi-Fi for IoT monitoring devices, this option would not benefit you. Another great feature is the Guest Wi-Fi, which uses its own SSID and password, and blocks access to the home network. Not only is it great for visitors, for security and privacy it's ideal for connecting game consoles and IoT devices to. With the VPN activated on it, I have not noticed any reduction in speed when I test it at speedtest.net. When it comes to security, it also has the new WPA3-Personal option available on both the main and guest networks. This router has pretty much everything one could possibly need. I am very happy with it. However, I wish more routers came with the Wireless on/off Button like the ASUS RT-AX88U has, as it makes sense to be able to turn it off when not in use. It also helps reduce electrical usage a little.xlrzv

This is the best mesh point system that I have bought. We have Xfinity internet and our router can’t give the whole house internet as we have a big house. This 3 google nest mesh point system delivers to the whole house without dead spots and switches out device’s to the closest point. I have used netgear and I would always be connected to whatever point connected to my phone when I would get home and it would stay connected to that point until I was out of range. With the Google mesh points, the router points know basically where your device is and switches automatically so you have the best internet connection with fast speeds and no interruptions. Where the netgear I had several problems with being connected and not having good speeds and or even having connection but no internet. I’m very impressed with Google and there technology on this product. Great for gaming, 4k movies/shows, smart home products like google nest mini,Alexa, eufy doorbell, smart door locks, Google nest thermostat and smart light bulbs.AlsomEthanGaming

Recently moved from a small one-bedroom apartment into a house, so the drop in WiFi signal from one end of the house to the other was surprising. Our internet speeds are 200 Mbps down/ 10 Mbps up and we receive that while in the room with the router. Moving to the other end of the home where we sleep and that signal would drop to around 30 mbps down and 8 Mbps up. After purchasing this kit, the router is still on one side of the home, we have one access point in the middle of the home in our library and another in the primary bedroom and we maintain the 200 Mbps down / 10 Mbps pretty much everywhere in and around the home. We're already a decently heavy Google household so the fact that the access points double as voice assistants is pretty handy as well. The largest con to the Nest Wifi router is the fact that it only has one ethernet port. This is fine, because an 8 port Gigabit Ethernet switch is like $25 at most. But I can see how people who aren't necessarily tech-savvy have no idea what a network switch even is. The other con is the lack of choosing what WiFi network to connect to (whether it be 5 Ghz or 2.4 GHz). For the most part, the automation works well, but there are a few times where my partners desktop will only connect to 2.4 Ghz and it leaves her with a slightly slower connection. Overall kinda minor, as it quickly adjusts, but still an inconvenience. With that being said, I still think this Mesh Router from Nest is the go-to option for those who are already a Google household. So far, the issues presented are minor at best, but I would highly recommend picking up a network switch with this router to ensure you have enough Ethernet ports available.Matt

We were looking to extend our gigabit wifi coverage and already owned the previous generation Google Wifi mesh extenders, so I figured upgrading to the Google Nest Wifi made sense as the old version had served us well. These newer ones perform as advertised: stronger coverage over a wider area thanks to the updated hardware in the current units! We upgraded to whole home security cameras, so I wanted to ensure we didn’t see any dropouts or higher battery drain due to poor wireless speed/strength, and so far I’m happy to report they are working out great. A big positive for me was the hardware microphone mute for these units. Honestly I would have preferred being able to buy these without the built-in microphone/voice assistance feature just out of privacy concerns, but being able to disable it manually on the hardware itself and see the LEDs on the bottom of the points change to Orange/Red to show the mic is disabled once you flip the switch is handy. The biggest negative I have for these was that the setup was not flawless, and even required me to reach out to support as it wasn’t anything that could be fixed through standard troubleshooting like power cycling or doing a factory reset and redoing the network setup from scratch. The other issue I had was trying to add my old google wifi units as access points since their documentation notes the old ones could still be used as long as you didn’t try to exceed their recommended “limit” of having no more than 5 access points connected to a single router. After factory resetting the older units and trying to add them to the mesh network, I noticed considerable issues with signal degradation as it seemed like it was actually introducing interference rather than boosting signal coverage in other areas of the house. The new Google Home app that lets you control/monitor your network is pretty good overall as well, aside from returning a lot of “Unnamed Device” names for the hardware found on our network – I don’t recall the old “Google Wifi” app having the same issue. Slight negatives aside, I am still quite pleased with the newer Google Nest Wifi mesh router and access points – the speeds are solid, they transmit fairly well throughout the walls and home in general, and aside from the initial setup hiccups, they’ve been performing flawlessly ever since. Overall, I’d highly recommend the Nest Mesh router/points system and since the rating system doesn’t allow it, I’d note that if possible I’d give this one 4.5 stars out of 5.Matt

I bought this to replace a Linksys EA6900, an 802.11ac dual band router with limited range on the 5G band. We needed more range on the 5G. TP-Links AX11000 certainly had better range and I thought we had a winner. Setup was quick, logical, and allowed for great detail. My network has 2 desktops connected by ethernet; one desktop and three laptops connected by wifi; and two printers (Epson WF-4830 and HP OfficeJet 8600). Installation of the TP-Links AX11000 went perfectly until we tried to use the printers. When a wifi client moved from 5G band to a 2.4G band, it lost connection to the printer. I called TP-Links tech support three times. Twice they sent me on wild goose chases. The third time they told me to call the printer tech support. I went back to MicroCenter and purchased an Ubiquity AmpliFi Alien router. Installation went perfectly. Neither the Ubiquity nor the Linksis router had the printer problem. I returned the TP-Links to MicroCenter and they were very good about the return. I like working with MicroCenter. TP-Links… not so much. I cannot recommend this product because the TP-Links support failed to help me solve the problem and in one case refused even to try.dsimerly

Can't say I'm that impressed. I've had an Asus DSL N55U modem router for over six years now. No problems. But I thought it was probably time to upgrade before it decided to fail on me. I'm not a gamer but I thought by going to a top of the range product like this TP-Link-Archer-AX11000-MU-MIMO-Gigabit-Wi-Fi-Router I'd get slightly better coverage throughout my relatively small house, and that the wifi connectivity between devices within my LAN would give me faster file transfers. But no. It's almost exactly the same as previously. The only positive I can offer is that it was extremely easy to set up. I've recently moved to Starlink and setting that up with the Asus was quite a mission, but this TP-link just did it with no problems.SimonR892

This is the best mesh point system that I have bought. We have Xfinity internet and our router can’t give the whole house internet as we have a big house. This 3 google nest mesh point system delivers to the whole house without dead spots and switches out device’s to the closest point. I have used netgear and I would always be connected to whatever point connected to my phone when I would get home and it would stay connected to that point until I was out of range. With the Google mesh points, the router points know basically where your device is and switches automatically so you have the best internet connection with fast speeds and no interruptions. Where the netgear I had several problems with being connected and not having good speeds and or even having connection but no internet. I’m very impressed with Google and there technology on this product. Great for gaming, 4k movies/shows, smart home products like google nest mini,Alexa, eufy doorbell, smart door locks, Google nest thermostat and smart light bulbs.AlsomEthanGaming

Recently moved from a small one-bedroom apartment into a house, so the drop in WiFi signal from one end of the house to the other was surprising. Our internet speeds are 200 Mbps down/ 10 Mbps up and we receive that while in the room with the router. Moving to the other end of the home where we sleep and that signal would drop to around 30 mbps down and 8 Mbps up. After purchasing this kit, the router is still on one side of the home, we have one access point in the middle of the home in our library and another in the primary bedroom and we maintain the 200 Mbps down / 10 Mbps pretty much everywhere in and around the home. We're already a decently heavy Google household so the fact that the access points double as voice assistants is pretty handy as well. The largest con to the Nest Wifi router is the fact that it only has one ethernet port. This is fine, because an 8 port Gigabit Ethernet switch is like $25 at most. But I can see how people who aren't necessarily tech-savvy have no idea what a network switch even is. The other con is the lack of choosing what WiFi network to connect to (whether it be 5 Ghz or 2.4 GHz). For the most part, the automation works well, but there are a few times where my partners desktop will only connect to 2.4 Ghz and it leaves her with a slightly slower connection. Overall kinda minor, as it quickly adjusts, but still an inconvenience. With that being said, I still think this Mesh Router from Nest is the go-to option for those who are already a Google household. So far, the issues presented are minor at best, but I would highly recommend picking up a network switch with this router to ensure you have enough Ethernet ports available.Matt

We were looking to extend our gigabit wifi coverage and already owned the previous generation Google Wifi mesh extenders, so I figured upgrading to the Google Nest Wifi made sense as the old version had served us well. These newer ones perform as advertised: stronger coverage over a wider area thanks to the updated hardware in the current units! We upgraded to whole home security cameras, so I wanted to ensure we didn’t see any dropouts or higher battery drain due to poor wireless speed/strength, and so far I’m happy to report they are working out great. A big positive for me was the hardware microphone mute for these units. Honestly I would have preferred being able to buy these without the built-in microphone/voice assistance feature just out of privacy concerns, but being able to disable it manually on the hardware itself and see the LEDs on the bottom of the points change to Orange/Red to show the mic is disabled once you flip the switch is handy. The biggest negative I have for these was that the setup was not flawless, and even required me to reach out to support as it wasn’t anything that could be fixed through standard troubleshooting like power cycling or doing a factory reset and redoing the network setup from scratch. The other issue I had was trying to add my old google wifi units as access points since their documentation notes the old ones could still be used as long as you didn’t try to exceed their recommended “limit” of having no more than 5 access points connected to a single router. After factory resetting the older units and trying to add them to the mesh network, I noticed considerable issues with signal degradation as it seemed like it was actually introducing interference rather than boosting signal coverage in other areas of the house. The new Google Home app that lets you control/monitor your network is pretty good overall as well, aside from returning a lot of “Unnamed Device” names for the hardware found on our network – I don’t recall the old “Google Wifi” app having the same issue. Slight negatives aside, I am still quite pleased with the newer Google Nest Wifi mesh router and access points – the speeds are solid, they transmit fairly well throughout the walls and home in general, and aside from the initial setup hiccups, they’ve been performing flawlessly ever since. Overall, I’d highly recommend the Nest Mesh router/points system and since the rating system doesn’t allow it, I’d note that if possible I’d give this one 4.5 stars out of 5.Matt

I've had this about 8 months, and the performance is outstanding. No drops. Coverage everywhere. Speeds of 200+ Mbps up/down anyplace in the house (even faster in some locations). Solved all sorts of connectivity issues we were having. I did have an initial hassle setting it up when the satellites would not show good backhaul status. I had to update the firmware several times, and even reverted the firmware to factory and then upgraded to the latest version to get it to work correctly. There was a firmware update dated within a day or so of me setting this up, and it appeared that the satellites were not receiving the latest version initially, and thus were incompatible with the base unit firmware. But I eventually got it sorted. In the 8 months since I've not touched the configuration at all, and it has survived a couple of power outages without problems. Highly recommended.MGotts

Bought this for a family member and wanted to set it up at my home first with the intention of using the same SSID as their old router so I can just swap out the routers when I get to their home. Unfortunately, this router pushes setup via the App and using it as the primary gateway. I wasn't willing to temporarily change my network to configure this router. I eventually just set it up at the family member's home which took away family time. Once it was finally configured, all but one device was unable to connect even though it was using the same SSID as the old router. I still haven't been able to even see the SSID on that device and its been a week. Other than that, the devices that do connect to this RAX35 have experienced a significant speed boost and increased range.zero_x3

I was so excited to rinally upgrade my router after having the same one for 6+ years. I was trying to decide between this and something comprable to it, and after reading all the reviews, I decided to go with this. To start, the packaging is atrocious. The box is flimsy and opens in all kinds of weird ways, you open the smaller package that contains the cables and they all kind of just spring out on you like it’s some kind of booby trap. But whatever, it’s just packaging. Going onto the quality of these things, the plastic is so cheap and thin that whatever light is supposed to be shining from the arch at the bottom, bleeds through different parts of the plastic and makes them look even cheaper. That being said, I still try to stay postive and go on to setting them up, thinking that they might look cheap but I’ll still get a solid signal througout my house. Trying to set them up, the app is fairly intuitive but for some reason it would keep telling me that my router wasn’t connected to internet. Checked all my cables, rebooted my modem (that was working just fine 5 minutes prior with my 6+ year old router), etc. and still nothing. I reset the router and try again, and same thing. Decided to call Spectrum, they checked that everything was fine on their end, and said that the router should connect automatically in it’s DHCP configuration. Alright, tried to call Orbi/Netgear customer service and wasn’t even able to get ahold of a human. So I tried the whole process at least 5-6 times more, and still nothing. Almost every time I would try to go through setup, the app would take me to different screens and make me do things differently which I found a bit odd. You would think the setup process would be consistent. Nevertheless, these are very cheaply made and quite honestly useless. Returned them after wasting hours trying to set them up and bought a comperable set by Linksys. The setup process was far more intuitive, and I was actually able to get Wi-Fi again. Please don’t waste your time on these. You can find others for a similar price that are better quality and actually let you make it past the welcome screen on the app.Art72

Works great! I wanted something that was affordable in a mesh router system. I have a 2000 plus sq ft octagon shaped home with lots of weird internal walls and 3 floors. I was using one wireless router previously that only provided about 2-10 mbps down to an office area. The internet connection I pay for is advertised as 50 mbps down. I chose this particular product because it has a dedicated band for talking to each other AND each unit has an ethernet connection available. Set up was easy with my mobile phone. My down speeds went to around 58 mbps after installing all 3 units. In my office, it didn't seem to make much difference if my computer was plugged in directly to the ethernet jack or just communicated wirelessly. However, my smart TV had some trouble keeping a good connection. My guess is that my Sony TV's wifi components weren't working well with the eero. Regardless, I then just put the upstairs eero nearby the TV, and plugged the TV into the eero with the ethernet jack. Bingo, works like a charm. While this system was more expensive because of the ethernet, I feel it was great insurance for problem devices. I highly recommend this older, but more affordable system. The newest systems from Eero have more up to date tech (WiFi 6), but I didn't need that yet, and didn't want to pay a premium for it. I think my wife likes the units because there are no visible antenna, and they seem to work equally well under things like chairs, or behind cabinets, to hide them. Having 3 units probably makes all the difference. I might consider upgrading my internet speed now.tron

Bought this system to get wifi outside in my portable shed office. We live rural and due to the distance from towers, we don't have the greatest speeds compared to someone living in a city. We use AT&T as a provider. I have not had any issues running multiple devices on this simultaneously. The main unit is connected to the router, one of the units is located 50+' away at the other end of our ranch home, and the last unit is 40+' away outside in my steel roof building. At the furthest distance away (office) the connection has always been stable for my wireless office equipment, online streaming, online class teaching, and even with using an X box out there. I like the control I have with this system; being able to block things from the wifi if needed (ie; teenagers. Lol) by using the eero app. On average, we run 11 devices on our wifi. We did the "override" to not have this conflict with the AT&T router, making the eero system the "master". That was a bit tricky because even though we are gadget techy, we are not IT people. Luckily, eero had very good instructions on how to do that. I would definitely recommend this product. Pricey, but good.Tanya

This product is so good at delivering on its promise we bought it for two properties. At home, even with signal boosters, we had dead zones, one of which was an extreme irritant. We brought in eero and the dead zones disappeared, replaced with strong, meshed Internet (and smiles) everywhere. Up next was a three story, concrete-block-constructed town house. The internet feed comes in on the second floor. Again we had signal boosters in place, but trying to watch streaming tv on the first or third floors was hit or miss and mostly frustrating. Eero entered, cable boxes exited, and streaming video is a pleasure to watch everywhere. New visitors don't realize there ever was an issue, but repeat guests are so amazed at the difference we often find notes telling us how delighted they are with the Internet upgrade" even though the Internet feed itself is unchanged. It's pretty easy to tell how pleased we are. eero is awesome!Excellent

This is the best purchase ever. The default NBN modem/routers that come from your provider are very bad. But you can use them as modem only (as a bridge) and pait it with this fantastic and superfast Ax10 Wifi router. I have seen my speed go up spectacularly and the connections are way more stable! Also great for wireless connecting Oculus Quest 2 to the PC (Wifi-6)!. Very happy with the purchase.bietekwiet 007

So far the router has been working flawlessly. Easy to setup. Had it up and running within 10mins. Has good wifi range. Covered my 3 bedroom house no problems at all. The one thing a hate is that it has to connect to a top level domain server every 30sec. Its to check to see it your internet is still up and running. A heat beat. Block it and the router stops running.anonymous

I bought this and it's little brother to create a wifi-to-wifi hotspot. 'worked great. 'small footprint. 'acceptable price. My only disappointment is that I didn't find a good way to quickly exit wifi-bridge mode in to a conventional mode other than hitting the factory reset button and then reloading a saved configuration. Those steps together take about 3-4minutes after one has saved an appealing configuration to load.JASON

− The 100Mbps "fast ethernet" WAN port hamstrings the router's alleged 1.2Gbps capabilities: it supports LESS THAN A TENTH of the throughput advertised in the description. − IPv6 DNS servers cannot be configured; you're forced to use the ISP's DNSv6 servers, or disable IPv6 entirely. − The entire router reboots, kicking all wireless clients off, when making any configuration changes, even those that DO NOT REQUIRE a reboot or any disruption to existing clients. − Guest SSID cannot be changed, nor can its security mode be changed from a hardcoded HTTP gateway (rendering it insuitable for legacy devices such as a Nintendo DS Lite). − The DDNS client is hardcoded to two (now-defunct) providers, rather than supporting any standardized interface.EDINGTON

Solid for the most part. Pulling about 800 mbps down with 1.2 gbps plan through xfinity. Three items of note: 1. This router/firmware does NOT have smart parental controls. Was willing to pay for subscription, but it doesn’t have it. 2. Smart Connect should be offered for guest network. Not ideal that you have to have 3 guest networks if you want all 3 bands available. 3. All of my iOS devices (iPhone and iPad) stay connected to the wifi, but lose internet about once a day. After extensive trouble shooting, realized it’s the bitdefender for armor app. Overall it’s a solid product and will keep armor subscription, but slightly annoying I have to disconnect/reconnect wifi or restart web protection within bitdefender for armor app to get internet to work again. Same problem as the following link, hopefully they get it fix soon: https://community.netgear.com/t5/NETGEAR-Armor/Losing-internet-on-iPhones-with-Armor-App-installed/td-p/2107111Joe82

I’ve used Netgear Routers, Modems and Extenders for as long as NETGEARS been makin em! Tried Lynksys, and a few others, but ALWAYS came back to NETGEAR! My point is…..inKNOW ROUTERS!. And I KNOW NetGear Routers, and Networking! Been doing it a VERY long time! Well, I bought this AX11000 WiFi 6 Router, ….WHY WiFi 6? I have NO F’n idea LOL….Thought “Bigger, more Expensive is better, I guess…..anywayyyy I get router #1….go thru installation, no problem, I like using a Computer for set up, the NightHawk app is ok if your not really “Networking or Tech Savvy” but using a Computer gives you access to MANY MANY More settings! Well, got it all up and running….saw my 2.4 & 5ghz Channels…..used same SSID & pswd so all devices hooked right up, but HERE is where the Trouble started….I have over 1000mbps coming INTO the router, so I ran the 1st (of MANY) SPeed Tests, and low & Behold with around 1100mbps coming into the router, my 2.4ghz band was only readin around 25-30 mbps D/L side, and 1.5-3mbps Upstream???…..scratch head….run speed test on 5ghz channel, now I oughta be HAULIN BUTT on this channel right?……. 90-120mbps Downstream, and 12-17mbps upstream! Double, Triple, checked all my settings, used a dozen or more different speed tests with different servers, CHANGED A BUNCH of settings, one at a time….speed test, repeat….never got more than 100-120mbps downstream on 5ghz channel, so obviously this Router is faulty ! No biggie, it’s happened before, returned it for a new one, same model got it home and set up….SAME ISSUES! Went on every BLOG I could find on the subject no come to find out this is a VERY COMMON issue with this router! Was on the phone with Nether for over an HOUR performing EXACTLY the same Troubleshooting procedures I had already performed humpteen times! LOL….TOOK OVER AN HOUR for the Netgear Tech to emit to me they have had issues with this router! Grrrrrrrr ya THINK ya could have BEGAN the conversation with that lil TidBit? Grrrrrrr Soooooo I sent the 2nd one Back and got one of my Old Trusty Ax12 /AX6000 Routers, and HOLY CRAP……Guess what? ……2.4ghz channel, 220mbps downstream, 12-18mbps upstream, and on the 5ghz Channel, ya ready?………back to my good ol 880-900mbps downstream, and 25-40mbps Upstream! I’ve found that using the following settings Maximized my Speeds by a pretty good margin from the Recommended NetGear settings: FIRST: UPDTE TO NEWEST FIRMWARE!! 1) AX ENABLED 2) Smart Connect DISABLED! (Smart Connect allows the Router to judge how much signal goes to each device. And your 5ghz channel becomes “Hidden” and you will only see the One SSID……..I like to decide which one of my devices gets how much Power! So I highly recommend leaving this box Unchecked! 3) Set Security level to WPA3 Personal or WPA2/WPA3, if you have some older devices still using WPA2, UNDER NO Circumstances should you use WEP, WPA, WPA/WPA2, 4) Hidden Network: A router can be configured to hide its network name (SSID) you’re router might incorrectly use “closed” to mean “Hidden” and “Broadcast” to men Open! Hiding the network name doesn’t conceal the Netwerk from detection or security against unauthorized access. And because of the way that Devices search for and connect to Wi-Fi networks, using a Hidden network might expose information that can be used to identify you and the hidden networks you use, such as your home Network! 5) Channel: Set to “AUTO” 6) Channel Width: set to 20 MHz for the 2.4 GHz band and set to auto for all widths (20mhz, 40mhz, & 80mhz) for the 5ghz Band. 7) DHCP: set to “Enabled” if your Router is the only DHCP Server on the Network! 8) MAC Address filtering, authentication, access control: SET TO DISABLED! when this feature is enabled, your router can be set up to allow only devices that have specified MAC addresses to join the Network! Sorry for the “Novel”, but I sure wish someone had told ME all of this stuff, …. Could’ve saved me DAYS! But, I have found that using the settings I have described above are the PERFECT Set up for ME! Every Set-up is gonna differ, but under normal conditions, these are Optimal Settings for a Netgear Router AND Extender! Hope it helps SOMEONE! LOLHarrySmooth

After working from home permanently, I opted to look into mesh systems (router is downstairs, I'm upstairs in a rowhome). I tried the Orbi first and hated the user experience. It definitely meshed, but the satellite didn't like being connected to devices closest to it (defeating the point of mesh), and the app constantly failed when trying to change settings or check the status. I finally got tired of it enough, did some more research, and grabbed the eero 6+ and have loved it since we got it. Installation was incredibly easy and the app experience is stellar. My two favorite things so far are that you can rename devices in the app to help explain those devices with random, unhelpful names to keep track of them. Additionally, my satellite in the upstairs office is actually connecting to the devices that are upstairs! This (for me) means my house devices are actually split about 50/50 and feels like I'm getting actual benefits out of the satellite. Highly recommend!Greg

Great router for the speeds – Great setup and easily manageable through the app – Great support when you have to call – Terrible router if you’re a late night gamer. The first parts speak for themselves, the later tho? This router LOVES to update. It’s literally a main feature. The physical router itself will update more than any app on your phone. AND YOU CAN’T DISABLE AUTO-UPDATES. Cannot. The good? Security, and whatever else it updates. Thanks for protecting me, I guess. The lack of 2 stars? It kicks you off the internet and makes you lose WiFi connection. If you’re a gamer, sorry, you’re kicked from the game and you take that DNF. If you’re on your phone then (my iPhone) won’t even disconnect WiFi and go to data as it’ll just keep trying WiFi since the router is still on and giving a signal but is off/restarting itself. Sure, it only takes about 1-10 minutes at 1-4am, sure. Not bad. But it’s so annoying and a continuous thing. I am never recommending these to anyone that uses internet after midnight. Too many options on the market to stay with this.Local

my router finally died on me after many years. I was very satisfied with it. When I went to Best Buy to look for a replacement I spoke to a Best Buy associate about models I was comparing. When I talked to him about signal strength and placement he told me I should consider the eero. He was absolutely correct. The signal strength I am now getting is even. The thing I love about the eero is the fact that if I need to I can move one of the the two modules anywhere I feel I need a stronger signal. But so far I havent had to do that. I have added more wifi enabled devices to the network with no problem. It has been great not having a big clunky out of place looking router be replace by an almost unnoticeable one. I am continuing my research about this system as I know their will be future enhancements made to make this system even better. For now I am totally Impressed.darrenduke

I always wanted to own my own router instead of rent one from the cable/internet company. This was my first choice and experience in doing so. I would highly recommend it. I have multiple devices, both hardwired and wireless, connected to the router at once; it has never failed. I been using it for about 2 years now and I have never even had to reboot it for any issues. I cannot recommend this router enough. HOWEVER, I would check that the router is compatible with the internet service provider you are using, there should be information out there that confirms which models are compatible. But if this router is compatible, it does a great job.Blueboots

Replaced an older Motorola with this one. The AC1900 is significantly faster and stronger within my home. The older modem was still working 100% but a "glitch" in my network provider's wiring made it appear to be failed. I decided to keep this newer one because of the more robust WIFI. Some of these things come with ridculous prices and provide no more service than this one. I just wish that this were a horizontal device. Otherwise, 5 stars.ShockwaveDiamond

We've only had this modem/router for a little over a year and it is already going out. With how much we paid for this thing, I would have thought it would last longer than 15 months. I bought a modem in 2008 that lasted 9 years. My last one lasted 3 years. This one only lasted 15 months. Are they making them less and less reliable over the years? I feel scammed by the companies who make these devices and cannot help but feel that planned obsolescence may be at play here.NRGV

Super easy to setup with tether app. Has WPA3, WiFi 6 and identifies low and high band devices automatically under one Network ID. Highly recommend. Great customer service and support from BH Photo.Kevin

This product is consider bargain. My iPhone 12 Pro speedtest was 690-762 Mbps on wireless (wifi 6). On MacBook Pro (wired) 942 Down & 930 up (Mbps). Highly recommended to anyone looking for faster internet. All test was done 2 to 6 feet away. Other level of the house was 500 – 200 (Mbps) down & 300 to 180 up (Mbps). I hope this router will last like other high end brand.James

Eliminated the $14 equipment rental with Xfinity by buying my own modem and router. Easy installation, Excellent coverage.Steven

This is an excellent entry-level router for those looking to get AX bands. Asus support software is best-in-class. The software does a great job of explaining each feature and allows users to easily configure their home network – makes the user feel empowered. This router outshines its competitors in the Netgear Nighthawk AX, and LInksys AX3—– series. This is a great unit for a small home or large apartment. It also is friendly converting older model routers as an access point (so don't get rid of that old router just yet). Would recommend for: small homes, medium size condos, large apartments; users with high-end smart phones capable of utilizing AX bands; and those looking to leverage an access point Wouldn't recommend for: Power users seeking for a little more configuration; medium to large homes; casual users or non-tech savvy individuals; and those with a lot of smart devices (get a quad+ band instead).Steven D.

Pros: Easy to setup improvement on my wifi speed around the house ability to split 2.4 and 5gh so all my lights and wifi are on 2.4 so frees up 5gh. you can add a vpn to router but haven't used this feature yet. You can set all your devices to game streaming and or surfing for best performance port forwarding easy on this router. always watch a few videos on YouTube and read the Asus web page on this device before setting up as you will know everything about it. Cons: Nothing its good buget router that performs well no more drop outs on virgin media.Wayne

Lack of direction. Terms used in the sparse instructions assume the average joe know's what they refer to. Quick setup guide didn't work for me. I ended up with a nightmare with multiple passwords and items that were working no longer were recognized. Nightmare. Total malfunction on my part I suppose but I never presented myself as a qualified installer. I'm sure many people will get plenty of frustrating evenings with this product. I'm allocating one more attempt. Should my view and opinions change I will update this review.Thumper

Setup software does not work. PLEX does not work Attaching Printer needs all sorts of obscure info Attaching NAS Volumes is a PITA Casing is made from thin plastic, very flexible, "feels" weak The "guts" of the device appertain to be fine & working. The only way, for me, to login was; as I eventually discovered; to input the devices IP address into the browser. The default error message "cannot connect with router, need to wireless" is a favorite. It pops up logging -in Trying to install PLEX Installing NAS credentials. The software does not provide a menu of folders to add but, insists one inputs the absolutely correct name for each folder [not necessarily the one the OS displays. I bought the Nighthawk Modem & Router. Could have saved a lot of money and bought a cheapie and spent the money elsewhere. The setup & user interface needs to be completely re-written with the manufacturer doing all the work and the purchaser plugging & playing (an expression, that itself, was a joke} One has to remember all the glowing reviews are done by people who set this sort of stuff up on a daily basis. Most people don't. Manufacturers still charge high prices for beta or incomplete or insufficient setup procedures. Been this way since the Home-brew Club, needs to change. YMMVklp51d8

I recently dropped cable (internet & TV) since fiber optics finally became available in my area. Since I was going to be solely relying on streaming to receive content on all of our TVs and devices now, I knew it was going to be necessary to upgrade my current AC1750 router (Linksys EA7400). This R9000 by Netgear is absolutely perfect. It's super fast and comes with tons of useful features. The Nighthawk App is far superior to the App that was provided with my current model as it allows more user-configurable options and is very easy to utilize. I saw a significant increase in WiFi range, both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels. The LAN ports allow port aggregation on ports 1 & 2 for NAS attachment and the router is configured to run PLEX media server. This router also allows for VPN connection along with providing some built-in firewall protection. Overall, I am very pleased with this router.Adam24649

It may look creepy like a spider, or just plain stupid, but it gets the job done! I purchased this a couple years ago because the built in wifi that is in my internet provider's modem is just garbage. This router is a tank. I get 2.4 signal all over my house, and even most of it is covered with the 5ghz band as well. And we have solid concrete cinder block walls behind all our drywall. No issue with signal. My internet speed is 1gigabit down and 50 megabit up. On 2.4 with solid signal I can usually get 120megbit down and the full 5 up without issues. On 5ghz I can get over 350 megabit down if I am within solid signal range. When hard wired to it, I have no issue with max speeds on all fronts. I have an android phone, and downloaded the app to control this router from it, and it is packed with great features. From the app, I can tunr on or off any of the 3 wifi attenas, I can block internet access to any device that is connected to it, and I can even limit how much time a certain device gets internet access, Another useful feature is, you can connect any device, and the assign it to a specific user, So if you have a house full of people who all have devices connected, you can make user profiles and assign the devices to the specific user that uses that device. So when little Johnny comes home to play video games while he chats on his phone, but didn't take out the trash, you can block all his devices from internet access all at once by turning off access to his profile. Just a few useful features for those with big families with several devices. These are just a few solid features of this router, It has gotten several firmware updates that have improved it's security and performance as well. Just make sure you do a full power down for at least 30 seconds and then do a full reboot. Some of the firmware updates have crippled my upload speed until I take this step, Overall, fantastic router! Been using it for over 3 years now!RockWood

I will Rather choose SECURITY. Performance is good, but not that great. When you buy something now days you should extremely look for security in a product, since there are lot of hacking these days. You should read and ask the company who sale the product about that. SECURITY FIXED in 2021 1. FTP WAN Exposure FIXED!! But need FTPS and FTP for each clients. 2. WAN DNS security FIXED!! Need a lot More Improvement SECURITY NOT FIXED since 2005 or before 1. SMB V1(Very Old) to SMB V3 2. Administrator password too SHORT. 3. Aicloud features and SECURITY NOT update Since 2005 or before. 4. OpenVPN Security should be update Regularly. 5. Do NOT mention OS Version. It always run on a old OS. A Serious security concern. 6. All UPCOMING NEW Router comes with all of these BAD thing. PERFORMANCE and UPDATES 1. Every 4-7 Month updates 2. Does Not Update its Features at all. 3. Very Good Hardware Running on a VERY Old OS. 4. USB Port Extremely SLOW. Write Speed 1.2mb/second. That is Horrible! 5. NO USB-C connectivity 6. SUPER BASIC firewall. NO Features Provided 7. Can NOT Block HTTPS. 8. All UPCOMING NEW Router comes with all of these BAD thing. 9. PRICE is TOO HIGH for all the comments provided in this review.HEREtoHELP

I've waited a while to write this review because I was having trouble deciding if I liked this router. I wish I had gone with say an Alien mesh vs this as my older Linksys EA9500 seemed to work better. Setup on the base level is stupid simple and maybe if I didn't have a large device # smarthome (50+ overall devices wireless and wired)it would have been fine, but it has been enough of a pain to get working properly that it is not worth the price of admission. I have been hoping that anyone has had the same experience as me feeling let down at first but made it work somehow so I can turn my opinion around. Pros: -well made, sturdy and beautiful (I like edgy styling) -high speed lan port -ai protection is a nice added layer of security -super high speeds for compatible devices -signal power at a distance is great Cons: -adaptive QOS dragged my speeds to a halt – no amount of deep dive tinkering made this work properly, deactivated. -aura RGB does not function as in the examples its just an on/off flashing, dimming color change led, just keep it one color. -constant smart home disconnect problems, namely with google homes and google wifi home theater. I had to modify a myriad of advanced settings and disable wifi 6 on my 2.4ghz completely to keep my googles and alexa and other housewide smart devices connected and visible on the network, no default settings worked well and the more i tinkered even if i mad no changes to the netweork the devices were on would cause the whole group to not like to respond. -only 4 ethernet ports: for this price 8 should be standard -ip reservations aren't the easiest to deal with compared to other routers I've owned.JonT

The Eero 6+ AX-3000 is a 3 pack, dual band mesh wifi 6 system that is easy to set up, fast, and provides excellent range capable of handling at least a 3000 square foot house. Set up and control of the system is done entirely through an app downloaded to your Iphone or Android phone. In my case, it was an Iphone. Set up allows you to keep the SSID and password from your previous network which had been a Velop tri band mesh system. I found this tremendously helpful since all of the 25 or so devices that I have immediately recognized the new network without additional configuration. The first of the 3 pack devices is connected to your cable modem, etc. and is configured during the initial setup. The additional 2 devices can be configured during initial set up or any time later through the app. I ended up using only 2 of the 3 pack devices since the 3rd one would have been overkill for my 2200 square foot house unless I wanted to extend the network deep into the backyard or my neighbor’s yard. As I mention, I previously had a two pack, tri band Velop mesh system. This system had served me well for several years, however, I have recently acquired several wifi 6 devices and the Velop system was not wifi 6. I have about 25 devices on my system including 4 HDTVs which I constantly stream. In actual operation, the eero system felt very quick and no buffering occurred. Range was also excellent exceeding my previous Velop system. I have 1 gigabyte per second internet coming into the house. About 20 feet from the router and in the same room as the router, I was able to achieve about 900mbps on my laptop compared to about 750mbps with the previous Velop system. A story below the router and through 3 walls, I achieved around 250mbps compared to 200mbps with the previous system. I you are a heavy user of video or other data intensive devices and want a network that is easy to set up, fast, and with great range, I highly recommend the Eero 6+ AX3000.TheHodster

It might be silly but first impressions are important and the packaging for these was very robust with tight tolerances. Just what I would expect from something in this price range. My coverage area is quite large and extends to a detached barn where my wood working studio is located. Even with very high powered single unit devices I have trouble with coverage. Not with this system I have them spaced across my property such that I get great coverage everywhere that I need. It is sort of like cell phone towers where as you move around the system calculates which node will give you the best reception and will switch you seamlessly if you move or in the unlikely even that one drops offline. This is fast too giving gigabit speeds. This is done by communication between the units on another radio frequency as not to take up network resources. My internet is not that fast but I do a lot of internal file sharing and moving and really appreciate the speed this gives my local network. I checked with customer support and they said up to 3 more units can be added to the system presumably doubling the coverage area. eero 6+ works as a smart home hub so you can control supported Thread and Zigbee devices with Alexa. Use your eero 6+ with Alexa to control lights, locks, plugs, and more. I chatted into best buy and they said this is also compatible with google home. All in all this is one of the few products I would give an extra star to if I could. Installation was easy too.yogabear

80+ old house w lots of metal lathe/plaster so very difficult to get good WIFI 70 feet to living room TV. Had an AC1200 that was fair until Spectrum rearranged things during a service call. Anyway I connected Eero to my to my existing 5AC router and got an Excellent result. LR TV was at 35 now at 147! Maintained old router for 2.4/5 ghz for other uses as wanted Eero dedicated to LR TV. Would probably have bought TP-LINK Deco X60 V1 AX3000 if I had known Eero was trying to "require" a $99/yr subscription for what most router manufacturers for provide free. But I just kept swiping away the acceptance screens without filling in anything, bypassed the authorization pages and did not enter any payment information so hopefully that will be the end of that. Except that it probably voids my warranty as I did phone them for assistance at one point and they refused to help me unless I signed up for the $99 a year plan. I hate that mesh vendors require install via a cell phone. Mine is for emergencies not daily use so I am not real good with it. I am much better with written instructions but did find a great video to watch while I did the phone thing.BrendaD

I bought this router because I have a job where I have to install 43 slab doors in a house. I'm using it with my hinge template and it keeps getting out of adjustment. I can't get it to lock in place. Even with the lock on, I can move the adjustment. I have to check the depth between each hinge routing. It even moves while I'm using it. Very frustrating. It's going to make me look like a hack because I have hinge mortises that are deeper than they are supposed to be and I'm going to have to use hinge shims.Doorguy

Wow, I cant believe I waited so long to buy this little power house. It feels great and is comfortable too use, Its my favorite router to date. Im just starting to make custom signs and this is by far the best router. If you need to do heavy work then you might look into the 618 router. The only thing I would say negative about this router (and its not that bad just my personal preference) is I would love to have an opening in the back as well. like some other routers, it would make for better clearing of sawdust and visibility. I also purchased a aftermarket base plate which had handles on the base plate for better control of fine detail. but over all this is a great little router for small and medium jobs.Louie

I bought this to use with a sign kit. I originally bought a Makita elsewhere but returned it after realizing that the Makita plunge base needed a separate adapter (not readily available) to use standard template guides. I’m happy I replaced it with the Dewalt. It accepts the standard guides, has a clear base to follow my progress, is far easier to adjust for depth, and has overall comfort for ease of use. Very happy with the initial project and looking forward to using it on other projects.Frank

Had a 4 year old D-Link router that was beginning to show its age. Wasn't getting great signals, also had a D-Ling extender for my Ring devices but still had a terrible signal with the extender about 20 ft from the furthest device. Almost made my Ring doorbell and camera useless. Got the AX6000, I work in IT and judging from past experiences, I decided to wait until Saturday to install it just in case something went wrong, which usually does. I could have done this one morning before work! Setup was flawless and only took about 15 minutes. Used the same SSID so all of my devices immediately picked up the WiFi network! I had already configured my D-Link to be an access point, installing it was simple too. Just connected it, changed the SSID to match my old extender and my devices connected! Love the 8 ports on the AX6000, I was able to dump my 4 port switch, 1 less device to think about. One device in particular was always losing connection to the WiFi, not anymore! Super fast, easy to set up and plenty of features that I will play with later. Oh the device furthest away from my network, the Ring camera, is now connecting as if it were 2 feet from the router. Now instead of taking at least a minute to connect (horrible when the alert goes off late at night) it now connects in a few seconds!cad700

I like the way the Wi-Fi section of the router works and it has eight Ethernet ports instead of the usual four. That said, there was one serious shortcoming: I was unable to get a USB drive to work as network attached storage (NAS) when attached to the USB3 port. The router saw the drive and I was able to view all of the directories and files, but it was impossible to add a new file or directory, edit an existing file, or delete a file. US-based TP-Link support quickly escalated the issue to a senior technician in China. Because of the time difference, he was available only from 9pm to 6am Eastern US time, so we never had a chat session. We did, however, exchange a lot of email messages over a two-week period. The router interface should display two controls that allow an attached USB drive to be enabled in read/write mode. The buttons appeared when the disk drive was detached, but disappeared as soon as it was connected. The disk drive had been recognized on a Netgear router, so I knew that the drive could be set up as NAS. The router's controls appeared and I was able to set up read/write access to another drive and on a thumb drive, so both the drive and the router worked — just not when connected to each other. An attempt to obtain support from the drive manufacturer (Western Digital) was a complete waste of time. Our solution was to disregard the USB3 port and connect the drive directly to the computer. This accomplishes about 90% of what I need, but I lost the ability to read or write files to the drive when the main computer is off. Not ideal, but functional The technician did everything he could think of, but was never able to make it work as desired. So I want to make it clear that the support from TP-Link was exceptional despite the failure fully resolve the problem.TechByterWW

I've found this to be a very reliable wireless router in the 3+ months that I've had it. It's been very consistent and it is faster than our old one. That being said, we've run into a few glitches I'm happy to pass on…. This is capable of using either 2.4 or 5ghz as you would expect, but the default setting had it switching automatically when needed between the two, which resulted in it primarily staying on the 5ghz… However, anytime I tried to set up a smart device that required 2.4, the setup would rarely be successful as things would inevitably switch to the wrong band and lose connection. Eventually I realized I could split things into two separate signals and have been much happier since. Another issue we've had and been unable to resolve is the lack of ability to Cast to our smart TV. This worked previously, and now only works when using YouTube, and even that occasionally has to be reconnected. Airplay still will usually work, but overall the whole thing is iffy and a constant frustration. The wifi coverage has been better throughout the house than with the old router, we are two stories, about 1500sq ft. I like the look of the router and I think the app is REALLY nice, and has a lot of features that I probably haven't even discovered how to use yet.Mike

Ok, so this review may sound a little confusing, because although I am having issues with my smart home devices on the 2.4ghz band of the 86S, the wired and Wi-Fi 6 performance, at least for me, makes up for it. This is my second go at WiFi 6. My first attempt was with a ASUS 11000 and it was awful. The router would reboot randomly, etc. But this is not a review for that. With this router, for a little over 3 weeks after installing, my smart home had no complaints. Then this past Monday, I started having smart home devices fall off of the network. I would restart the smart home device, and it would not reconnect. I had to restart the router to resolve the problem, at least until the next time it happened. After 2 days of troubleshooting (as luck would have it, I was on Christmas vacation), I wasn’t able to determine a root cause. I tried separating the 2.4 & 5ghz band thinking it was some kind of handshake issue, but that didn’t work. 2.4ghz devices still dropped off the network once a day or so. I set the router that I had replaced with this device back up as a 2.4ghz Wi-Fi hotspot by itself, and moved all of my smart home devices back to it. No issues since late Wednesday afternoon. Wi-Fi 6 and LAN reliability and performance are both superb, but 2.4ghz backward compatible? I am not so sure. 802.11ac and ax work great, but any standard before that so far hasn’t been able to maintain and stable connection.Teqjax

I needed to update my old router and Wifi setup. I researched extensively for months. Looked at single units and mesh systems of all the major players. I have a 3,200 sqf house. My upstairs and downstairs each have an ethernet port. I wanted to have a wired backhaul setup. I did checkout many 3 band systems but some people still had an issue when using ethernet for backhaul. So I figured I would save some money and bought 2 rt-ax86s' (on sale) and use the Asus mesh software. The mesh is working great after 3 months. No drops, covers the entire house. The core processor never strains, have over 40 connected devices, works like a charm. I have 800mbs service. My ethernet desktop has consistent speed of 800 to 950 mbps. Wifi 6 phone is at 400 to 550 mbps and wifi 5 tablets at 300mbps to 400mbps. The 2 units make a perfect wifi mesh for me. I separate the 2 wifi bands. I highly recommend this wifi router.captnemo

Easy setup with my AT&T NVG510 Modem router. Works well for my needs. The 5Ghz band covers most of the house a 1 story 4 bedroom approximate 2100sqft. The Router is setup in the front of the house and the 5Ghz band is week in the back bedroom. The 2.4Ghz band covers the whole house very well and strong signal. For the cost I can not complain. As I learned more about Routers I rather have a router with more antennas and removable antennas that can be changed out if needed for higher dBm. I would have purchased a router with the latest 802.11ax rather than then the 802.11ac. I am pleased with this purchase. I have not had any dropped signals or anything like that. I do advise with any new hardware you add to your pc always go to manufactures website and download the latest Firmware to update. Never use a disc that some hardware's ship with.JOHN

I really like this router, of course there is some sacrifices by the price you pay, namely the wired ports are 10/100M and the USB is 2.0, but this is clearly stated in the specs section (at least in newegg) so no surprises there unless you don't pay attention. Setting up was relatively easy , tested the USB sharing capabilities, simple but really good so far. Range is good and stable for a small to medium apartment/office but be aware of obstacles and location of the router for using the 5GHz band. Great for a budget initiation to the ac1200 world with some simple but useful media server/usb sharing capabilities. Edited because, recently, after a little "shifting" at the office, we are using the Printer share capabilities. So far works great with an all-in-one HP printer. Only a little extra step for using the scanner (you have to "capture" the printer using their app, this happens automatically for printing) and the app itself is very simple (great for not eating your OS resources). The bad side is that such app is for Windows and Mac only (so far). and since seems like a proprietary comm protocol between the app and the router to simulate the USB-Network bridge, there is no manual configuration nor app/driver for linux 🙁Diego F.

TP-Link continues to make some of the best home routers. If a family or friend comes looking for a router, they are who I steer them towards. Their routers are inexpensive, have good range, easy to use, and most importantly, they are very stable. My parents have been running a basic wireless N 300 mbps version for almost two years now and I’ve not heard a word about them needing to reboot it, and it only took about 45 seconds to set up. I even remoted into theirs a few weeks ago to set a dhcp reservation for a wireless printer, and that was also a quick task. This model, like the others I have used is more of the same, with one exception: 100 mbps wired ethernet ports. In today’s age, it’s woefully inadequate. I regularly get 400+ mbps out of my AC access points in my house, limiting a router that has N and AC to 100 mbps seems silly. I know it’s built to a price, and I appreciate it for that, but the extra $5 to make the wired ports gigabit would have been totally worthwhile. My ISP has guaranteed that all customers will have access to 1gbps service within 1.5 years (cable provider), if you bought this router today, you’d have to be very sure that you don’t need more than the 100 mbps in the near future, or you need to go up to the next TP link in the line (but it should be a TP link unless you are looking to separate the router/switch/access point roles). For me? This will go on the shelf as a spare, and I’ve re-activated the wireless on my Ubiquiti access points, and re-installed my Ubiquiti edgerouter as my firewall. I missed my band steering/vlans/gigabit ports too much!Dustin H.