Archduk3

Awesome to see the new router category. I would love to see the Synology RT6600ax make its way to your testing bench.

I’m curious why the eero is best for large homes? There are many if not all routers that support mesh.

I’m interested in the Netduma R3 gaming router, particularly its software. They advertise that it can manage network traffic and prioritize applications for a smoother online gaming experience. Just wondering if you guys have plans to review it any time soon?

Jul 23, 2024 11:01 AM By Alan85

2

I’m interested in the Netduma R3 gaming router, particularly its software. They advertise that it can manage network traffic and prioritize applications for a smoother online gaming experience. Just wondering if you guys have plans to review it any time soon?

Unfortunately, our current methodology doesn’t support gaming routers, so until that changes, we can’t consider buying and testing it.

Could you test ASUS RT-BE88U? (there’s no voting for next routers yet :( It seems like its better than your #1 TP-Link at similar price - at least here in EU)

Would love to see how these compare to the really basic routers that come for free from your ISP when you take out a new broadband package. I’ve never really had any issues with the Now Broadband Hub Two that came with my NowTV broadband, other than a lack of certain features due to a limited firmware. I’ve sometimes been curious if there would really be much to gain from actually spending money on a router.

By the end of the year it should be Wi-Fi 7 or bust. Most people only buy a router when there’s breaks or they move to a larger or different type of home. This means people have routers way beyond when they become security risks and they also become bottlenecks to connected devices. If that’s your case, buy a highly rated model with the newest technology you can afford.

Wi-Fi 7 routers are still a bit immature, and companies haven’t fully updated their lineups yet. That should be different by the end of the year.

Remember that along with faster peak speeds, WiFi 6E and 7 bring a new, EMPTY spectrum with tons of speed available, better handling of more simultaneously connections, and better security (newer connection encryption protocols). WiFi 5 is completely obsolete and should not even be considered.

Not mentioned in the article is security. I look at this from 2 angles.

1. I do not trust Chinese electronics companies. No, i don’t specifically think they’ve created backdoors for the CCP to track your porn preferences (though it wouldn’t surprise me); they have a HORRENDOUS track record of caring about security, leaving obvious, hardening 101 holes in everything from routers to “smart” lights. Yes, way worse than non-Chinese companies.
2. Consumer routers are ROUTINELY exploited by state-sponsored cyber gangs and controlled remotely in botnets commandeered to attack, ransom, and compromise state and economic enemies. This happens in a way where the owners have no idea (Internet services continue working even if sometimes very slow (i can hear the “Comcast sucks!!!” comments from here).

Point #2 can at least somewhat be mitigated by keeping your router’s firmware up to date, but #1 means they don’t have the proclivity to do so.

I’ll end my string of consciousness by saying not to purchase TP-Link products (Chinese)- instead buy the latest, well reviewed non-Chinese brand router models, and always always always keep your firmware updated.

~15 year network administrator that recently oversaw $1 million network upgrade project, including enterprise access points.

Jul 23, 2024 01:47 AM By tentes

180

I’m curious why the eero is best for large homes? There are many if not all routers that support mesh.

Hi tentes,

Apart from the eero Max 7, the eero Pro 6E is the highest-scoring router for multi-level homes that we tested. While it’s true that almost all of the standalone routers we tested are compatible with some form of mesh networking, we didn’t test that functionality because we had to limit and control our variables.

Apart from its performance, the eero is easy to use and very easily expandable since it’s specifically designed to work as a mesh system, making it our pick for large homes where you might need to add a third access point if you still have deadzones.

Thank you for the question! Feel free to comment if you have any more thoughts or questions.

Did you know that everything is made in china. Especially electronics.

You haven’t tested enough routers yet. The eero max WiFi 7 mesh is the most bloatware/adware infested solution of all manufacturers. Since Amazon acquired eero, they have continually charged extra for software while they store and use data for targeted marketing.

I’d suggest that the WiFi 7 solutions from ASUS (ZenWiFi), Netgear (Orbi), and TP-Link (Deco) are all better than Amazon (eero). Some are significantly less expensive depending on the bandwidth capacity (TP-Link), while others like ASUS are also expensive yet without requiring annual or monthly subscriptions for antivirus/VPN/anti-malware software. ASUS includes all of these areas as part of the purchase price for their system.

My personal bias is in favor of ASUS router solutions. Yet I have used Netgear, TP-Link, and LInksys as well. They all have strengths and weaknesses that may fit a particular use case.

I have a hard time seeing eero as the best router in any class, be it WiFi 6, 6E, or 7. This list is incomplete at best and misleading at worst. Keep testing!!!

Aug 12, 2024 07:00 PM By Criketopia

9

You haven’t tested enough routers yet. The eero max WiFi 7 mesh is the most bloatware/adware infested solution of all manufacturers. Since Amazon acquired eero, they have continually charged extra for software while they store and use data for targeted marketing. I’d suggest that the WiFi 7 solutions from ASUS (ZenWiFi), Netgear (Orbi), and TP-Link (Deco) are all better than Amazon (eero). Some are significantly less expensive depending on the bandwidth capacity (TP-Link), while others like ASUS are also expensive yet without requiring annual or monthly subscriptions for antivirus/VPN/anti-malware software. ASUS includes all of these areas as part of the purchase price for their system. My personal bias is in favor of ASUS router solutions. Yet I have used Netgear, TP-Link, and LInksys as well. They all have strengths and weaknesses that may fit a particular use case.
I have a hard time seeing eero as the best router in any class, be it WiFi 6, 6E, or 7. This list is incomplete at best and misleading at worst. Keep testing!!!

Hi Criketopia,

Thank you for the feedback and for taking the time to reach out! We’re planning on testing more routers in the future. Do you have any specific models in mind that you’d like to see us test?

As for the eero routers, I hear you, and we’ve had the same concerns as you and discussed them at length at the office. We ended up deciding to recommend the Pro 6E because we believe that for most people, its performance, ease of use, and price outweigh the annoyances of having to cough up a subscription fee for parental controls and being forced to agree to eero’s privacy policy. But with that in mind, I’ll make those concerns more clear in the text so folks can get a better idea of the big picture so they can make an even more informed decision!

Thanks again for reaching out! We really value your feedback.

Are there any plans to expand router reviews to include more information than simply the range and speed of a router? Other product reviews on this site are very comprehensive in covering all aspects of a product, but the router reviews are very limited in scope, and thus limited in usefulness.

What about parental control features? Can I create static-time or frequency based access limitations? What about the router settings interface? How well does the router identify connected devices in the client list? Does it correctly identify the names of devices or does it only show IP address? Can I set conditional data limits for specific client devices? Can I specify which websites can be accessed by individual devices at specific times? How well does the router perform with VPN services? Which ones is it compatible/incompatible with? Does the router have built-in anti-virus? Can I access the router settings remotely? Is there an app, and if so how good is it?

Sep 26, 2024 11:50 PM By brilder

1

Are there any plans to expand router reviews to include more information than simply the range and speed of a router? Other product reviews on this site are very comprehensive in covering all aspects of a product, but the router reviews are very limited in scope, and thus limited in usefulness. What about parental control features? Can I create static-time or frequency based access limitations? What about the router settings interface? How well does the router identify connected devices in the client list? Does it correctly identify the names of devices or does it only show IP address? Can I set conditional data limits for specific client devices? Can I specify which websites can be accessed by individual devices at specific times? How well does the router perform with VPN services? Which ones is it compatible/incompatible with? Does the router have built-in anti-virus? Can I access the router settings remotely? Is there an app, and if so how good is it?

Hi brilder,

We do have plans to add more tests to Routers. At the moment no test have been decided for the future but we are in the early stages of defining what the next step is. As we do this we will consider all the feedback we’ve received so far and prioritize the next step based on the tests that were most requested or those that we find might provide the biggest help for users when shopping a router.

Every point you suggested here will be considered when we closer to locking the next test list.

Thank you very much for the suggestions, most of them have been requested often so there’s a good chance they will be prioritized.

I’m having a super hard time figuring out how your selection criteria works

The BE3600 is $119 - a WiFi 7 router with two 2.5 gps ports - a way better value than anything you’ve listed here - your budget option is $80 and both your upper and mid range routers are ~$200

On another note, do you consider privacy at all when making your selection? If you’re not careful in setting up the amazon option, it phones home and shares your internet browsing info (or at least some)

Just curious if you’re planning on reviewing more routers - might be a good idea to hold off in any official recommendations until then

Jan 19, 2025 03:39 AM By gsa113

5

I’m having a super hard time figuring out how your selection criteria works The BE3600 is $119 - a WiFi 7 router with two 2.5 gps ports - a way better value than anything you’ve listed here - your budget option is $80 and both your upper and mid range routers are ~$200 On another note, do you consider privacy at all when making your selection? If you’re not careful in setting up the amazon option, it phones home and shares your internet browsing info (or at least some) Just curious if you’re planning on reviewing more routers - might be a good idea to hold off in any official recommendations until then

Hey gsa113, that’s a great question and I’m happy to answer as best as I can!

We haven’t tested the TP-Link BE3600 (Archer BE230) just yet, but we’re planning on testing it soon. The specs and price look really promising, and if it performs well, we’ll absolutely consider putting it on the list. That said, it doesn’t have a 6GHz band, which very likely leaves performance on the table.

As for a router’s privacy; we don’t evaluate it in an official capacity, but we try our best to keep our ear to the ground and listen to the community if any privacy violations are happening. If we see that any company is mishandling user data in a way that the community deems unacceptable, we’ll certainly pull any recommendations for that product, and make that information as clear as possible in the review. Frankly, most router manufacturers collect data from their users in some capacity as per their privacy policies.

If you want to see a table of every router we’ve reviewed, you can check it out here. Also, if you want to vote on which router you’d like to see us review next, you can do that here.