For example, the whole thing can be controlled through your phone or web client if you prefer, and it even has a built-in network protection suite from Trend Micro.
On the bright side, the RT-AC66U B1 has some pretty great administrative controls that are both easy-to-use and pretty granular. Sadly, it is missing out on MI-MIMO technology, so you might get some performance and latency hits if you’re planning to connect several devices. What’s probably helping with the speed is the supported beamforming, which boosts performance. What’s interesting is that the RT-AC66U B1 doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6, so it’s all running on Wi-Fi 5 with great performance, although you’ll likely have to stick to the 5GHz band to see it. While 2.4Ghz isn’t great, coming in at around 100Mbps at roughly 30 feet, 5GHz does a much better job, being able to reach a whopping 500Mbps at about 30 feet. Starting with the most important, performance is pretty good for such a budget router. Well, the good thing is that the ASUS RT-AC66U B1 has a ton of great features packed in while still coming in at under $100. When looking at budget options, we have to make choices as to what features we want to give up in exchange for getting a lower price. Finally, it also has support for MU-MIMO, which means you can connect to several devices simultaneously without experiencing weird latency or lag. The AX55 also has support for Wi-Fi 6, which lets it reach such high speeds, even at a range of 40 feet. Unfortunately, you do lose the external memory slot that the AX50 came with, but it’s definitely worth what you get in return.Īs for general connectivity, you have the same four-gigabit ethernet ports in the back, four nice big antennas with beamforming, and a USB 3.0 port. Other additions are denial-of-service (DoS) protection through Homeshield as well as DNS relay.
You also get OneMesh support, which means that you can pair it with routers and Wi-Fi extenders that support TP-Link’s standard. The most important new addition is the support for WPA3, which is excellent for security.
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An upgrade over the AX50, the Archer AX3000 offers OneMesh support and better stability over an already great budget router.įirst, in terms of real-world speed, 5GHz can hit 500Mbps at around 40 feet, whereas 2.4GHz is likely to only get you around 100Mbps at the same distance. Interestingly, though, the AX55 swaps out the internal Intel chip for a Qualcomm one, which, while operating within a smaller frequency, manages to be much more stable as a result.Īs for features, you’ll find everything in the previous iteration and then some. If you’ve read our best Wi-Fi router article, you won’t be surprised to see the TP-Link Archer AX3000 (AX55) topping this list, as it is our budget pick there. ✗ Interface and 2.4Ghz performance isn't great ✓ Small and easy to place around the house ✓ Better stability & consistency compared to the previous model It's not always easy to find an affordable Mesh router, but the Deco X20 does a good job of keeping the price down while jamming a bunch of great features, the least of which being Wi-Fi 6. It's hard to complain when you're getting a Wi-Fi 6 router for only $80, and while it is missing a USB port, it still has excellent 5Ghz performance and stability.
The words 'Budget' and 'Gaming' don't often intermingle, but in the case of the DIR-882, you get a feature-packed router with excellent gaming performance for a pretty reasonable price. It's not often that you find a good router for less than $100, but the ASUS RT-AC66U B1 manages to stuff in both excellent 5Ghz performance and a great set of features and control suite. An upgraded version of the beloved AX50, the PT-Link AX55 offers a new Qualcomm chip to provide better stability and the addition of OneMesh and WPA3 support.