The best WiFi routers for every home

Good WiFi is one of life’s essentials. Like running water, central heating, and a next gen gaming console — you just couldn’t live without it. As life becomes smarter and better connected, the need for WiFi connectivity increases. This is where having a quality WiFi router (or wireless router) in the home becomes important.

WiFi routers are easy to install and they can instantly provide improved WiFi coverage throughout your home with lightning-fast connection speeds. Sounds pretty good, right?

But how do you go about picking the right model for you? Which WiFi router you choose will depend on a number of factors, including the size of your coverage area, the number of connected devices, and the types of devices connecting to the router. Here’s a quick guide to help you find the right device for your home.

What is a WiFi router?

Quite simply, it’s a little contraption that sits in the corner of a room and beams out data from your broadband line to your devices, allowing them to connect to the internet. Wireless routers usually have Ethernet ports, which allow you to connect PCs, TVs, and other devices directly to the internet.

How does a WiFi router work?

The WiFi router converts broadband data into radio bands, which are then picked up by your devices. These radio bands are like different lanes, which keep data separate to stop it getting clogged up. Different devices need different bandwidths — some more than others — so the higher number of bands, the more efficient the router is. You can choose from single, dual, or tri-band.

Single vs. dual-band — which is best?

A single-band router has just one 2.4 GHz frequency band. These are usually cheaper, connect easily to devices, and are good for penetrating obstacles such as doors and walls. But they have lower speeds than multi-band routers and won’t come with up-to-date features. These are probably best if your internet needs are minimal. Dual-band routers are pricier but also promise better speeds and performance. Dual-band routers are now pretty much the standard so modern devices will be well served.

What is the best WiFi router for large households?

If there are lots of people in your home — like a big family with lots of devices per person — a tri-band router will be the best choice. These have one 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz channels. These routers are equipped to handle multiple Gigabit speeds — up to 2166 Mbps on each 5 GHz band.

How do you choose a router for gaming?

If you have lots of devices and a router that’s not up to the task, you’ll experience lag issues when you’re playing your console. You need a router that can handle multiple devices. Look for a gaming router that offers prioritisation for your gaming systems and applications. If you live in a home with multiple gamers, you might also want to get a router that allows you to control how much bandwidth everyone in your household gets. Some also have a modified management console to adjust bandwidth priorities easily depending on your needs. And make sure your gaming router is at least 2GHz so you can use the 5G one for faster speeds. A tri-band router is even better because then you could reserve one 5GHz for just gaming.

What is the best WiFi router?

We have done a lot of the hard work to make your selection process as easy as possible. Whether you’re looking for a single band WiFi router or a full-fledged dual band (or even tri-band) model to handle an entire family’s streaming and gaming needs, we've got you covered.

These are six of the best WiFi routers for 2022.