Top picks for standard and mesh Wi-Fi 6 routers for all budgets

TP-Link Archer AX10

$109

The Archer AX10 is the cheapest Wi-Fi 6 router on the market.

The catch: It offers the bare minimum in terms of Wi-Fi speeds – up to 1.2Gbps for its 5GHz band and up to 300Mbps for its 2.4GHz band. It means there is no room for improvement, even when client devices become faster in the future.

Another downside is the lack of a USB port.

Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000

$575

The best thing about Asus’ gaming-centric Wi-Fi 6 router is its access to WTFast, a service that offers dedicated Internet routes to overseas game servers.

This private network ensures that gamers will experience less lag in online games hosted in places such as the United States or Europe.

It has a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port that offers faster data transfers than the standard 1Gbps version.

Netgear Nighthawk AX8 8 Stream WiFi6 router (RAX80)

$459 

With a unique design that looks like an Imperial shuttle from the Star Wars movies, the RAX80 is almost certainly a conversation starter.

The router has a generous number of ports – five Gigabit ports and two USB ports. It is also no slouch when it comes to its Wi-Fi 6 credentials, with support for the 160MHz channel that lets it offer speeds of up to 2.4Gbps to compatible clients. 

TP-Link Deco X20

$339 (three-pack)

If you are looking for a mesh Wi-Fi 6 system, the TP-Link Deco X20 is the most affordable option.

Although the X20 lacks a dedicated wireless backhaul that improves performance for distant clients, it is one of the top performers in The Straits Times’ testing at close range.

Also impressive is the ease of setting up the X20 with its user-friendly smartphone app. 

Netgear Nighthawk Mesh WiFi 6 system (MK63)

$459 (three-pack) from Tuesday

Another mainstream Wi-Fi 6 mesh system is the Netgear Nighthawk MK63, which consists of a main router and two satellite units.

The router has two Gigabit Ethernet ports (one to connect to the fibre modem), while the satellite has only a single Ethernet port. None of the units has a USB port.

Linksys Velop MX5300

$569

The Linksys Velop MX5300 is ideal for those who are willing to pay for its premium features.

For starters, it has five Gigabit ports and a USB port. Plus, built into the router, but currently dormant, is a smart hub that can be enabled in a future update to control smart home devices.

Its wireless performance, especially for devices at the edges of the home network, is excellent, with significantly faster download speeds than its competitors in The Straits Times’ test.

Vincent Chang

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