Top Routers 2023

ExpressVPN's dedication to privacy is impressive, and its far-flung fleet of servers impresses. Anyone who doesn't need that worldwide access may find its price steep, though.

The Linksys EA7500 Max-Stream AC1900 MU-MIMO Gigabit Router delivers speedy dual-band and MU-MIMO performance, and offers a solid array of ports and management settings.

The Netgear Nighthawk X4S Smart Wi-Fi Router (R7800) delivers strong 5GHz and MU-MIMO throughput, and offers lots of management options in a user-friendly Web console.

Netgear's R6220 combines good 802.11ac performance, useful parental controls and excellent software for an affordable price.

The Asus RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Router is a behemoth of a device that sports a futuristic design and six adjustable antennas. It's a solid 5GHz performer and is loaded with features, but its file-transfer performance could be better, and it's expensive.

The Linksys AC3200 Tri-Band Smart Wi-Fi Router delivers the fastest 5GHz throughput we've seen to date. It has a top-notch interface and can be managed via a Web interface or smartphone app, but that luxury doesn't come cheap.

The Asus RT-AC87 Dual-band Wireless-AC2400 Gigabit Router is the first 4x4 wireless router on the market. It's an exciting excellent device, but until there are compatible adapters, there's not much to set it apart from Asus's last 802.11ac router.

The Linksys EA6900 AC1900 Smart Wi-Fi Router is a high-performance?and high-priced?router that's easy to manage. It's a good fit for multi-device home networks with lots of movie and TV streaming, Skype use, and online gaming.

Excellent throughput and range at the 5GHz band, lots of features (including full VPN)?plus a cool name?all make the Nighthawk one of the best routers we've seen from Netgear in a while, despite a few annoyances.

With the new AirPort design and the inclusion of 802.11ac, it's plain to see that Apple is taking steps forward with its networking devices. Cupertino's latest AirPort Extreme is not on the bleeding edge, as far as speeds and feeds go, but it is beautiful and "just works" out of the box.