The Best Computer Routers under $500
NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX80 8-Stream AX6000 Wi-Fi 6 Router
★ Top Choice
BUY NOW
From $394.98
Features
- LOADED WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY: Designed with a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core processor, 4 amplified antennas, Beamforming+, MU-MIMO, Dynamic QoS, Smart Connect, OFDMA, Amazon Alexa Voice Control, and more.
- WIRED ETHERNET PORTS: Plug in computers, game consoles, streaming players, and other nearby wired devices with 5 x 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
- SAFE & SECURE: Supports WPA2 wireless security protocols. Includes Guest WiFi access, DoS, Firewall, VPN, and more.
- SMART PARENTAL CONTROLS: The Nighthawk app lets you manage device internet access and filter websites.
- USB CONNECTIONS: Share a storage drive with any connected device, and create a personal cloud storage to access from anywhere, using the 2 x 3.0 USB ports.
- 8 SIMULTANEOUS STREAMS: Provides more capacity so more devices can use WiFi at the same time.
- COMPATIBILITY: Works with existing WiFi devices and new WiFi 6 devices like iPhone 11, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S10.
Pros
- ⊕ Sleek design.
- ⊕ 8K streaming.
- ⊕ Wi-Fi 6 support.
- ⊕ Wi-Fi 6 Support.
- ⊕ Easy to install.
Cons
- ⊖ Pricey.
- ⊖ Expensive.
- ⊖ Expensive.
- ⊖ Lacks parental controls.
- ⊖ Lacks anti-malware tools.
Best Technology
The 10 Best Wireless Routers of 2020 - lifewire.com
NETGEAR Nighthawk XR700
♥ Runner Up
BUY NOW
From $419.99
Features
- Amp up your WiFi with cutting edge AD7200 Quad stream router that delivers speeds up to 7.2 Gbps.
- Optimized to give you the lowest ping on Fortnight, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, OverWatch, PubG, CS:Go, and more.
- Monitor your network and game ping in real time so you can see who’s hogging the bandwidth by device and application.
- Minimize ping and maximize performance with six 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports for lag free, wired connectivity and 1.7 GHz quad core processor network efficiency.
- Put your gaming traffic in a designated express lane with advanced Quality of Service, bypassing network congestion and reducing lag spikes, jumps and jitters.
- Make every millisecond count by using geo filtering to connect to the closest servers and players so you can respond and dominate.
- Protect your network identity by connecting to a secure gaming VPN server.
Pros
- ⊕ Easy to install.
- ⊕ Port aggregation.
- ⊕ Numerous I/O ports.
- ⊕ 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port.
- ⊕ Solid throughput performance.
Cons
- ⊖ Expensive.
- ⊖ Large footprint.
- ⊖ Large size and price.
- ⊖ Middling MU-MIMO performance.
Specs
- Number of Wired LAN Ports (Excluding WAN Port): 6.
- Number of Antennas: 4.
- Number of Bands: 3.
- Supports DD-WRT: no.
- MU-MIMO: yes.
- AC Speed: AD7200.
- Wireless Specification: 802.11ac.
- Wireless Networking Security: WPA, WPA2, WPA2-Enterprise, WPS.
Best for Gamers
The Best Gaming Routers for 2020 - pcmag.com
NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX200
Best Splurge
BUY NOW
From $499.99
Features
- 12 SIMULTANEOUS STREAMS Provides more capacity so more devices can use WiFi at the same time.
- WIRED ETHERNET PORTS Plug in computers game consoles streaming players and other nearby wired devices with 4 x 1G and 1 x 2 5G Ethernet ports System Requirements - Microsoft Windows 7 8 10 Vista XP 2000 Mac OS UNIX or Linux Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 or higher Microsoft Edge Google Chrome 55 or higher Firefox 45 or higher Safari 10 or higher.
- LOADED WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY Designed with a 64-bit 1 8GHz quad-core processor 8 amplified antennas Beamforming+ MU-MIMO Dynamic QoS Smart Connect OFDMA Alexa Voice Controls and more.
- COMPATIBILITY Works with existing WiFi devices and new WiFi 6 devices like iPhone 11 Galaxy Note 10 Galaxy S10.
- SAFE & SECURE Supports WPA2 wireless security protocols Includes Guest WiFi access DoS Firewall VPN and more.
- USB CONNECTIONS Share a storage drive with any connected device and create a personal cloud storage to access from anywhere using the 2 x 3 0 USB ports.
- SMART PARENTAL CONTROLS The Nighthawk app lets you manage device internet access and filter websites.
Pros
- ⊕ 5GbE port.
- ⊕ Wi-Fi 6 Support.
- ⊕ Easy to install.
- ⊕ Advanced Wireless Features.
- ⊕ Tri-Band Wi-Fi with 12 streams.
Cons
- ⊖ Expensive.
- ⊖ Expensive.
- ⊖ Very expensive.
- ⊖ No malware protection.
- ⊖ Limited parental controls.