For small businesses and remote workers, connectivity is key. Here are some of the best values in wireless routers.
The Asus AC2900 dual-band Wi-Fi router (RT-AC86U) is a solid option for work-from-home professionals and mom-and-pop brick-and-mortar shops. As noted on our sister site CNET, it boasts blazing speeds on 5GHz and is heavily customizable.
The D-Link AC5300 Ultra Wi-Fi Router (DIR-895L/R) is expensive ($380), but it’s designed to handle the load of multiple devices and can work for 4K streaming–which is good for creatives. It also features tri-band wireless and looks really cool.
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The Synology RT2600ac has great range and can also work as a network storage server, as noted in its CNET review.
This option from TP-LINK supports the 802.11ac standard, and can offer 1300Mbps connection on 5Ghz. The AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router is also budget-friendly, at $90.
For the extremely budget-conscious, the D-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Router (DIR-842) will only set you back about $60, and features dual active firewalls (NAT/SPI) and Gigabit ethernet support.
The TP-Link Talon AD7200 Multi-Band Wi-Fi Router has three bands (60GHz, 5GHz and 2.4GHz) and supports 802.11ad Wi-Fi.
Although it’s a few years old, the Asus RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Wireless Gigabit Router is a solid option, with built-in malware protection and the ability to work as a VPN/NAS server, according to its CNET review.
The TRENDnet AC2600 MU-MIMO WiFi Router features pre-encrypted Wi-Fi and four separate Gigabit ports, making it a solid option for those who work from home.
The Zyxel Armor Z2 excels in easy setup and use. The router features four gigabit LAN ports and one gigabit WAN port.
The first 802.11ad router from Netgear, the R9000 Nighthawk X10 AD7200 has a built-in Plex server, six Gigabit LAN ports, and one 10Gbps LAN port. It costs roughly $500 retail and is a little complicated to set up.
Conner is a former Senior Editor for TechRepublic. He is now a Senior Research Analyst at 451 Research.
