Best 10 Wireless Routers in 2018

With mobile devices and technologies rising and demand for high-quality video streaming increasing, old routers will be overwhelmed by the demands. This will lead to web pages loading slowly, dropped connections, stuttering video streaming, sub-par online gaming and much more.

Using the right wireless router can help resolve those such problems. Rather than spending lots of effort and time comparing and researching different products, let’s take a glance at the top 10 best wireless routers in 2018 as shown in the below list.

10. D-Link Dual-Band Gigabit Router

Starting off our list is the D-Link AC Smartbeam 1750 Mbps wireless. This low-cost portable router operates on 2.4GHz and 5GHZ frequencies which are more than adequate for most needs. With speeds ranging from 450Mbps and 1300Mbps, the device is compatible with a/b/g/n devices and allows you to manage your network via the D-Link Cloud Management. Other notable features include Quick Router Setup app, 4 Gigabit Ports connectivity (wired) Intelligent Browser Wizard and advanced WPA2 Encryption security. Be aware that this device may be overwhelmed in networks relying on external hard drives that exceed 500GB for instance 1 TB.

9. ASUS Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router

The ASUS RT-AC66R relies on 5th generation 802.11ac chip set that has become standard in top products. It operates on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands that offer super-fast speeds of up to 1.75 Gbps. Courtesy of its strong signal, the portable router will still be effective even in limiting situation such as the basement .This is further improved by the Gigabit Ethernet ports that make it easy to expand the network. To optimize the coverage, the router uses AiRadar technology that relies on high-gain antennas that can be detached when not in use. It also features 2 USB-ports for connecting to a printer or external storage.

8. Linksys EA6900 Wi-Fi Wireless Router

The Linksys EA6900 is a favorite for those on a low budget but still looking for a superior product. It features Smart Wi-FI, Dual Band AC1900, and Gigabit Ethernet which make it a complete and versatile device for home and office use. It operates on two frequencies, 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHZ and attains speeds of AC867Mbps and N300 Mbps. For a seamless streaming experience, the wireless router also features Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0 port. A key complaint about the Linksys EA6900 is you will need to reset it occasionally to get a strong signal.

7. D-Link AC3200 Ultra Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router

In addition to super-fast speeds, the D-Link AC3200 Ultra is ranked as among the top 10 wireless routers because of its small, light and compact nature. Weighing less than 1.5 pounds and small size, the device can easily be placed anywhere. Unlike most of its rivals that operate on dual bands, this routers operates on three bands (two 5 GHZ and one 2.4 GHZ). Its 1 GHz Dual-Core processor fully-supports a 802.11 b/g/n/ac network and can attain speeds of 600 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 1300 Mbps on the two 5.0 GHZ bringing the total to 3200 Mbps.

6. ASUS (RT-AC68U) Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit Router

The ASUS RT-AC68U router is the upgraded version of the Asus RT-AC66Uwhich was quite popular. Following in the roots of its successful predecessor, the RT-AC68U is designed for large spaces or for many devices running concurrently. Featuring groundbreaking Broadcom TurboQAM technology, the router’s N data has increased by 33%.Other features include 1 Gigabit WAN port, 1 USB 3.0 port, 4 Gigabit LAN port and a USB 2.0 port that is ideal for Hard Drive sharing as well as printing. The wireless router can at times pickup noise from the broadband which affects the SNR and hence it may interfere with the receiver’s sensitivity.

5. NETGEAR Wireless Router

Boasting of newly-improved Beamforming technology and Wi-Fi performance, the NETGEAR Wireless Router delivers speeds of up to 1750Mbps. The router features R6300 Dual Band that is less prone to signal interference or distortion that may be caused by microwaves, cordless phones, or other wireless routers. Setting up the router is made easy and less stressful thanks to the NETGEAR Genie App which also helps in managing a network. You may need to be prepared to pay a high price for this router.

4. Linksys WRT AC1900 Dual-Band+ Wi-Fi Wireless Router

Regarded as one of the best DD-WRT supported routers, The Linksys WRT 1900AC is famed for its looks, performance, portability and reliability. Its design is based on the WRT series that have dominated the market for a long time. Computing enthusiasts and geeks love this router for its many features that include 1 Gigabit WAN ports, 4 Gigabit LAN ports, east Combo port,1 USB 3.0 port and 1 USB 2.0.To provide top performance, it comes with 4 detachable external antennas, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor , DDR3 RAM of 256MB and 128MB flash memory.

3. ASUS RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Wireless Gigabit Router

The ASUS RT-AC3200 takes the pole position in regard to the best portable wireless routers. It’s among the very few products that use the highly-advanced Tri-Band technology that promise uninterrupted high speed connectivity. The wireless Gigabit router is robustly-built for different types of networks including VPN servers and can easily connect to several internet sources.With data rate of 3200 Mbps and operating on Ultra-fast 802.11 ac technology, the router offers the best online gaming experience, 4K/UHD video playback, and large file-sharing. Other invaluable features include ASUS AiCloud 2.0, ASUSWRT, AiProtection, Tri-band Smart Connect and 3G/4G dongle support among others.

2. Netgear Nighthawk Dual Band Wi-Fi Gigabit Router (R7000)

The Netgear Nighthawk R7000 proudly holds the 7th position in the 10 best portable wireless routers in 2018. PC Mag described the router as being very-well built while PC World praises it for its excellent performance. It runs on a 1 GHz Dual- Core processor, RAM of 256 MB, and Flash storage o 1288 MB of Flash Storage. The dual-band portable router offers speeds of up to 1300 Mbps when using wireless AC while on wireless N it achieves maximum speed of 600 Mbps. This gives it a total of 1900Mbps and makes it among the fastest in the market.

1. Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station

The Apple AirPort Extreme is among the newest “kids on the block” and is rated as one of the 10 best portable wireless routers in 2018 for many reasons. Firstly, it is among the smallest, slimmest, and lightest products but delivers high speeds of 1300 Mbps (AC) and 450 Mbps (N). Second, courtesy of Beamforming technology and six antennas, which emits very strong Wi-Fi signal. Last but not least, it works with iOS and Mac and can achieve data rates of up to 1.3 Gbps. 1 Gigabit WAN Port, 1 USB Port, 3 Gigabit LAN ports, and AC-Power in are some other features.

The above list showcases the best wireless routers in the market. They are small, light and portable, are based on the latest technologies, work with multiple networks and devices, and deliver super-fast speeds. What’s more, the connectivity is quite stable within a large area and is less-prone to inference from signals generated by other devices.