Wireless Routers Are Hot Again. Here Are WIRED’s Favorites

Everyone decided to reinvent the router this year. It makes sense: With all the connected laptops, TVs, fridges, and toothbrushes in your home nowadays, stable and robust Wi-Fi is increasingly important. Most of these revamped routers share similar aesthetics (modern minimalism), technology (mesh), and ease of use (dead simple). But a few key differences set them apart. Here’s what you need to know to pick the right surfing buddy for your needs.

01

Google Wi-Fi

Google’s sleek mesh router system is brand-new and getting great reviews. A single unit plugged into your modem provides 1,500 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage; adding a couple more offers up to 4,500 square feet of solid signal. Setup is simple, with a slick app to guide you through the best placement. The app pauses kids’ access at bedtime, and Google Home and Alexa provide voice control to the entire system. Single units run $130, while a three-pack costs $300.

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Google

Google’s sleek mesh router system is brand-new and getting great reviews. A single unit plugged into your modem provides 1,500 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage; adding a couple more offers up to 4,500 square feet of solid signal. Setup is simple, with a slick app to guide you through the best placement. The app pauses kids’ access at bedtime, and Google Home and Alexa provide voice control to the entire system. Single units run $130, while a three-pack costs $300.

02

Eero

Eero started the router redesign craze, and it remains among the best mesh-networking options. But it’s pricey, running $200 for one unit or $500 for three. The features, range, and performance are akin to Google’s router: The smarts to optimize a home network, modular expansion, Alexa integration, and a handy app to pause and manage access. Compared to Google’s clone, Eero may offer a bit better performance as you get further from a base unit. If you live in a palatial crib, that may be worth the added dough.

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Eero

Eero started the router redesign craze, and it remains among the best mesh-networking options. But it’s pricey, running $200 for one unit or $500 for three. The features, range, and performance are akin to Google’s router: The smarts to optimize a home network, modular expansion, Alexa integration, and a handy app to pause and manage access. Compared to Google’s clone, Eero may offer a bit better performance as you get further from a base unit. If you live in a palatial crib, that may be worth the added dough.

03

Luma

Luma does mesh too, but the marquee features of this Alexa-enabled system are its security and parental controls. Cloud-based security software detects malware on any connected device, be it a laptop, smart lightbulb, or a security cam. Then Luma quarantines the threat. In addition to pausing your kids’ web access at bedtime, the Luma’s curated lists of G-, PG-, and PG-13-rated websites keep them out of the darker corners of the internet. You get one for $150 and three for $300.

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Luma

Luma does mesh too, but the marquee features of this Alexa-enabled system are its security and parental controls. Cloud-based security software detects malware on any connected device, be it a laptop, smart lightbulb, or a security cam. Then Luma quarantines the threat. In addition to pausing your kids’ web access at bedtime, the Luma’s curated lists of G-, PG-, and PG-13-rated websites keep them out of the darker corners of the internet. You get one for $150 and three for $300.

04

Roqos Core

The most distinctive thing about the Roqos Core (besides the colors) is the subscription plan . The router costs just $19, and $17 a month provides frequent updates to its open-source platform. And this is more than a router. This unique router isn’t made for mesh networking, but it’s a quad-core computer in itself.  The open-source platform provides enterprise-level security to prevent malware from infecting any networked hardware. It also provides parental controls. If you decide to cancel the subscription, the Core keeps working, but you don’t get any updates.

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Roqos

The most distinctive thing about the Roqos Core (besides the colors) is the subscription plan . The router costs just $19, and $17 a month provides frequent updates to its open-source platform. And this is more than a router. This unique router isn’t made for mesh networking, but it’s a quad-core computer in itself.  The open-source platform provides enterprise-level security to prevent malware from infecting any networked hardware. It also provides parental controls. If you decide to cancel the subscription, the Core keeps working, but you don’t get any updates.

05

Portal

The Portal router looks like a big worry stone, but you’ll never worry about lousy Wi-Fi speeds. It uses dynamic frequency selection, a spectrum typically reserved for radar systems and military communication. There isn’t a lot of traffic there, so forget about congested networks and molasses-slow speeds. Portal recently announced an update that makes its routers mesh-capable. They cost $200 apiece.

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Portal

The Portal router looks like a big worry stone, but you’ll never worry about lousy Wi-Fi speeds. It uses dynamic frequency selection, a spectrum typically reserved for radar systems and military communication. There isn’t a lot of traffic there, so forget about congested networks and molasses-slow speeds. Portal recently announced an update that makes its routers mesh-capable. They cost $200 apiece.

06

Plume Wi-Fi

Most of these routers are designed to be showpieces, but Plume pods are wallflowers. They plug into electrical outlets like air fresheners. Each is a small Wi-Fi extender, and only one requires a jacked-in Ethernet connection. Simply plug others in around the house and they create a mesh network. Don’t expect the speed, features, or range of something like Eero or Google Wi-Fi, but Plume offers an inexpensive and easy way of boosting Wi-Fi in your back room or backyard. Seventy bucks buys you a single pod, and $180 gets three. Or drop $330 on a six-pack.

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Plume

Most of these routers are designed to be showpieces, but Plume pods are wallflowers. They plug into electrical outlets like air fresheners. Each is a small Wi-Fi extender, and only one requires a jacked-in Ethernet connection. Simply plug others in around the house and they create a mesh network. Don’t expect the speed, features, or range of something like Eero or Google Wi-Fi, but Plume offers an inexpensive and easy way of boosting Wi-Fi in your back room or backyard. Seventy bucks buys you a single pod, and $180 gets three. Or drop $330 on a six-pack.

07

OnHub

Just because Google released new routers doesn’t mean you can’t still get the $200 OnHub. You can choose from a few variations—and some fetching $30 covers for the TP-Link version—and all of these dead-simple routers work with Google Wi-Fi. You can build a mesh network with both OnHub and Google Wi-Fi units and control them all with the same Google Wi-Fi app.

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OnHub

Just because Google released new routers doesn’t mean you can’t still get the $200 OnHub. You can choose from a few variations—and some fetching $30 covers for the TP-Link version—and all of these dead-simple routers work with Google Wi-Fi. You can build a mesh network with both OnHub and Google Wi-Fi units and control them all with the same Google Wi-Fi app.

08

Netgear Orbi

The excellent Orbi is a bigger router, providing faster speeds and wider mesh range than similar products. At $250 for one and $400 for two, it’s on the pricier side. Update: Netgear says the security vulnerability that affected several of its routers didn’t affect Orbi, and the company has issued a patch for the rest of its devices.
 

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Netgear

The excellent Orbi is a bigger router, providing faster speeds and wider mesh range than similar products. At $250 for one and $400 for two, it’s on the pricier side. Update: Netgear says the security vulnerability that affected several of its routers didn’t affect Orbi, and the company has issued a patch for the rest of its devices.
 

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