Hey, What’s the Wifi Password??? Admit it! No matter how spooky the guy next to you is or how unwelcoming the cafe manager is, the 21st-century question to break the ice is “Hey, What’s the Wifi Password?” While the latter part of the sentence is almost exclusive to the 21st century, it still strikes a chord, doesn’t it? Wifi does play a crucial role in today’s everyday life. Be it to check your official emails, update your instapage or ping your mom to tell you’re okay (I know, right?!).
But with the populations of smartphones becoming almost equal to that of humans, data throughput or data rates are falling. Network congestion and device cluttering make none of the devices connected to a hotspot capable of making the most of it. Fast devices need to wait in queue for the slower ones to finish their tasks before taking advantage of the connection. This is where routers come in. To begin with, ROUTERS ARE NOT MODEMS! In fact, you can think of them like your personal little super modems that give you wireless internet connections but also optimize multiple clients and give each device in the connected network the best of the ISP’s services. So if you are looking for a device that can connect to more than one PC, multiple wireless networks and build you a network of connected devices, than a router is what you need. Here are the best 8 Wireless routers in the market today; from the budget buys to the luxurious choices, this list has them all.
Asus RT AC-88U
When you go for the Asus RT AC-88U from your conventional home modem, it is like upgrading from a bicycle to a spaceship. The Wi-Fi Router comes with 8 Gigabit LAN ports while most competing products just offer 4 ports. The router operates in the dual band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and is MU-MIMO-enabled. This means the router optimizes its clients to deliver the best speeds for all devices. The ASUS RT AC- 88U is ideal for heavy users who don’t mind spending some money to get the best option in the market.
TP- Link Archer C9
The TP-Link Archer C9 is what you would call an economic choice for the average user. If what you are looking for is a decent router which helps get the best for your home or mini-office network without putting a dent in your savings, the Archer C9 is a great choice. The router works on both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi bands and has 4 LAN ports and a WAN port. Though the Archer C9 is not equipped with MU-MIMO, the difference is hardly felt since the router well optimizes the dual band for client devices.
Asus RT AC-5300
I am not an Asus loyalist, but I cannot deny that the brand has an impressive arsenal of routers. The AC-5300 is a router that means business. Equipped with 4 LAN ports and a WAN port, the router is mainly made for wireless networking. The router has 8 directive antennas and has 3 bands of operation. The AC-5300 is best suited for office applications which have 3 to 4 desktop PCs that cannot do without a physical cable and a number of wireless clients like laptops, smartphones, and tablets.
Linksys EA-9500
The Linksys EA 9500 is a router built to give the Asus RT AC-5300 a run for its money. The Linksys has better interfacing capabilities with 8 LAN ports and a WAN port. It is also a tri-band router and is MU-MIMO-enabled which means wireless clients get the best of the ISP. Most of the client devices have not evolved to squeeze the best out of this router. But if you are ready to invest for a better tomorrow, then the EA-9500 is worth a shot.
Netgear NightHawk X8
The NightHawk X8 from Netgear is the brand’s high-end router which has a parallel market to its Asus and Linksys counterparts. The NightHawk X8 however, comes between the AC-5300 and EA-9500 in terms of experience. One of the biggest advantages is the consistent throughput even over large wireless ranges and blazing speeds in the 5 GHz bands. The router is ideal for offices which need multiple wired and wireless connections with no performance inhibitions.
D-Link DIR 890 L
It would be a great injustice to miss out on the D-Link DIR 890 L when almost all reliable tri-band routers have a place in the list. The DIR 890 L was initially mocked for its UFO design. Critics, however, stopped as soon as they started when the DIR 890 L also started performing like a UFO. The router has one of the most consistent speeds in the market overall its wireless bands. It also has a great processor in its heart and has 512 MB RAM and 128 MB flash storage.
Linksys WRT 1900 ACS
The AC 1900 technology is rock-star famous when it comes to dual band routers. The AC 1900 not only offers high throughputs at both the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band but also offers consistency. The router has 4 Gigabit LAN ports and 1 WAN port. It also has USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports for peripheral interfacing. It is ideal for home networks.
Netgear Nighthawk C7000
The NightHawk series from Netgear gives the best routers in both dual-band and tri-band markets. The C7000 uses AC 1900 technology to pump every piece of circuitry in the router to ooze surreal speeds. It has 4 Gigabit LAN ports and the standard USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports. The best part though is the inbuilt modem in the router. This not only scrubs the need for a WAN port but also minimizes cost as a separate modem need not be purchased.
