If you have an internet connection, then you also have a router. A modern router is not only the heart of your home network, but also provides the wireless coverage at home. The router that you get from your internet provider is certainly not always the most ideal device in terms of wireless. What should you look out for if you want to buy a new router?
- 1. Netgear Orbi RBK50
- 2. TP-Link Deco M4
- 3. TP-Link Deco M9
- 4. Netgear Orbi RBK23
- 5. ASUS AiMesh AX6100
- 6. Synology MR2200AC
- 7. AVM Fritz! Box 7530
- 8. TP-Link Deco M5
- 9. D-Link Covr 1203
- 10. Linksys Velop
- What do you need?
- Fast, faster, fastest?
- Mesh: simply perfect coverage
- Adjust and optimize
- Extra security
- Is a faster router better?
- What is a WiFi mesh system?
- How many mesh points do I need?
- What is Wi-fi 5? And what is Wi-fi 6?
- How do I put a router behind router?
- How can I set up my router?
- What do numbers like AC1900 or AC5400 mean?
- What is dual band and what is tri band?
- Where do you put a router?
Top 10 routers (February 2020)
1. Netgear Orbi RBK50
The best mesh router 10 Score 100 
+ User friendly
+ Excellent performance
+ Excellent range
- High price
With the Orbi RBK50, Netgear was the first to launch a WiFi mesh system, but it did very well immediately. Netgear's first Orbi is still the best WiFi mesh system you can buy. That is because the RBK50 is still the only AC3000 system on the Dutch market. The range is excellent and the performance is impressive. The RBK50 is, due to the impressive technology (per node), the most expensive system that you can buy. Do you want to know more? Read our review here.
2.
TP-Link Deco M4
Cheap and good 9 Score 90 
+ Value for money
+ Good coverage and performance
+ User friendly
- AC1300: limited capacity
The new TP-Link Deco M4 is by far the cheapest mesh system on the market, but together with its "brother" Deco M5 is among the best performing products in their class. The system scores where it counts: the installation is user-friendly and suitable for the largest layman, and that also applies to the app. Read our review here.
3. TP-Link Deco M9
Mesh with zigbee
10 Score 100
+ Coverage, capacity and performance
+ User friendly
+ Zigbee and bluetooth
- No
With the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus, a triband solution, TP-Link also tries to attract the more intensive user. And with success, because on average this is the fastest AC2200 mesh system. Only the AC3000 solutions are faster. The Deco M9 Plus has an access point mode, wired backhaul, extensive security options (antivirus, firewall), guest network and also slightly more advanced issues such as port forwarding. The settings are done via an app; a web interface is missing, although at most real prosumers will miss it. The average consumer will certainly appreciate the extensive options for parents and the extra security layer including the antivirus and firewall. Read our review here.
4. Netgear Orbi RBK23
Competitively priced powerhouse 10 Score 100
+ User friendly
+ Performance and reach
+ Competitive pricing
- No
With the Orbi RBK50, Netgear has the best Wi-Fi mesh system, but Netgear also impresses with the RBK23 in the slower AC2200 class. This set consists of three separate turrets, but one size smaller, with the only consequence that the satellites now have two instead of four LAN ports. Under type RBK20 this set is also available with a router and one satellite. The performance is excellent in the AC2200 class, but that also applies, for example, to the technically comparable TP-Link Deco M9 Plus. Do you want to know more about the RBK23? Read our review here.
5. ASUS AiMesh AX6100
First mesh with Wifi 6 9 Score 90
+ Wifi 6 super-fast
+ Extensive firmware
- Only one WiFi6 radio
- Mesh range
Connoisseurs of ASUS products know where the manufacturer excels: when it comes to truly innovative products. The ASUS AiMesh AX6100 WiFi System (consisting of 2x RT-AX92U, if you want to expand) deserves the title innovative without any doubt. It is namely the first mesh system with 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6. In short: potentially extremely fast. But is the AX6100 immediately a natural choice for mesh? We are questioning that, because only one of the two 5GHz radios supports Wi-Fi 6. If the AX6100 uses that faster Wi-Fi 6 radio as a backhaul, then your client is still limited to Wi-Fi 5 speeds at another access point.
6. Synology MR2200AC
For nas fans 9 Score 90
+ Opportunities and management
+ Good performance
- Price
- Experience required
Synology's MR2200AC is a WiFi mesh system that you can buy per piece. This ensures a somewhat higher price if you need two or three. A copy is also possible, because the MR2200AC is more than other mesh systems a traditional router full of possibilities. If you have a nas from Synology, then everything immediately feels familiar. You can add all kinds of functions via apps. A great router or WiFi mesh system for Synology nas owners.
7. AVM Fritz! Box 7530
Modem and router 8 Score 80 
+ Extensive options
+ Dect support
+ Super vectoring (if available)
- As a router not competitive on price
Are you looking for a fast ADSL / VDSL modem router with a DECT telephone service? Then the selection is limited. With the AVM FRITZ! Box 7530, AVM brings that combination to the market for a modest price. If we focus on router functionality, the FRITZ! Box 7530 also appears to be a fairly standard 2x2 AC1200 class model. Two stream WiFi AC as we also found in the FRITZ! Box 4040, which costs around 90 euros, is a great basis for most uses. It is the extensive FRITZ! OS software that forms the basis of every AVM device where we look for the added value. The kicker in this case, however, is the extensive DECT functionality for VOIP services, with which the 7530 doubles as a telephone exchange. Read our review here.
8. TP-Link Deco M5
Affordable, but with antivirus 9 Score 90
+ Price
+ Good coverage and performance
+ User friendly
- AC1300: limited capacity
TP-Links Deco M5 stands out for its competitive price. For relatively little money you get three nodes with which you can provide your entire house with a wireless network. In terms of speed, the Deco with its AC1300 hardware does not belong to the top as expected, but the Deco does score better than we would expect based on the specifications. As a bonus, you can also connect the nodes wired. TP-Link also has Trend Micro built-in security, which means that the Deco M5 is worth considering. You can read more in our comparative test of WiFi mesh systems. Read our review here.
9. D-Link Covr-1203
The easiest installation 8 Score 80
+ The simplest installation
+ Neat performance and range
+ Charming compact design
- Competition faster and cheaper
D-Link seems to be the only manufacturer who understood that they had to do something to compete harder with TP-Link. D-Links system is even easier to install than TP-Links system. Where you have to connect the satellites with all other brands, the Covr does that automatically. The kind of details make the difference. The appearance is also striking: the rose gold finish is likely to have a higher acceptance factor for some ladies.Read our review here.
10. Linksys Velop
Lots of functionality 8 Score 80
+ Good performance
+ Good options
+ Beautiful design
- Too expensive
Linksys has not sat still: few systems have improved as much as the Velop tri-band. Last year, that system performed reasonably well, but it also left clear points. For example, the first painfully slow installation procedure can now be done properly. From a functional point of view, it has now also become a practically complete prosumer router and in this year's test the performance was even better than last year. The price of the Velop tri-band has fallen, but that also applies to the competition. The price difference with the also excellent Orbi RBK23 is difficult to justify despite the good performance. Read our review here.
Tips for your router
The router is the center of your home network and controls the connection between your home network and the internet. At home, the router is usually combined with a WiFi access point, we also call this a wireless router.
You often get a wireless router from your internet provider that also includes a modem, a modem router. You can use your internet provider's router as the basis for your home network, but you are usually limited in your options.
If you want control over all settings, you need your own router. Sometimes you can replace the router of your internet provider, but usually this is not possible because of the modem functionality and you connect your own router to the modem router of the internet provider.
What do you need?
Routers are available in all sorts of variants. So do not just buy the first router that you encounter in a store, because there is a good chance that the device does not optimally match your wishes and requirements.
Therefore, draw up a wish list that your router must meet. The specifications are of course important: they largely determine what the router can do. You can make an important first screening based on the speed of the network connections. Ensure that the router is equipped with gigabit network ports (1000 Mbit / s). Although routers with slower fast Ethernet ports (100 Mbit / s) are becoming a rare appearance, you will still find them.
Some routers have one or more USB ports in addition to the network connections. You can use that to share an external hard drive with your network, so you can use the router as a simple nas. Next, the wireless standard that supports the router is important. A few years ago 802.11n was the current standard and you can still buy such routers. However, it is better to buy an 802.11ac router.
Fast, faster, fastest?
You are not there with that choice for an 802.11ac router, because ac routers are divided into different speed classes. Where we started with AC1750 and AC1900 routers, you can now buy AC5400 routers. In principle, a higher number means more speed, but that does not mean that you simply have to buy the fastest router.
Certainly because the fastest routers are a lot more expensive than, for example, AC1900 routers that are also just for sale. Depending on your purpose of use, the question is whether you really notice the speed difference. After all, it is not the case that an AC5300 router in practice is more than twice as fast as an AC1900 router. In fact: you probably don't even notice the difference with a limited number of clients.
A number such as AC5300 expresses the total speed of the router to which the speed of all radios are added together. Do you want to know the exact difference between, for example, AC1900 and AC5300? We have dissected all numbers. Most routers have two or three radios while your client only connects to one radio at a time. The "fastest" routers are therefore especially useful if you want to use many devices at the same time. For most users, an AC1900 router is fast enough.
Mesh: simply perfect coverage
More and more often, one wireless router is not enough to have wireless coverage anywhere in the home. A new type of router, the so-called WiFi mesh system, offers a solution.
Instead of having one router, you will receive several WiFi access points when you purchase a WiFi mesh system. Just like any other router, you connect the main router with a cable to your modem (router) from your internet provider. The additional WiFi access points connect wirelessly to the main router and extend the wireless coverage.
You usually buy a WiFi mesh system in a package with two or three WiFi access points that you can use to cover your entire house.
Adjust and optimize
Once you have found the perfect router, you naturally want to get everything out of your device. You optimize your router via the web interface where you can adjust a large number of settings.
By the way, you can also set up (partly) more and more routers using an app for your smartphone. Some WiFi mesh systems, including TP-Links Deco M5 and Google Wifi, can even be configured only with an app. You can optimize the wireless settings in the web interface. Not only do you set your own network name, you can also change the channel used if it turns out that the router itself does not choose the most optimal channel.
Extra security
Your router is literally the center of your network. At the same time, for example, the emergence of smarthome devices means that more and more devices are hanging in the home network of which you do not immediately know what information is shared.
Router manufacturers take advantage of this by building security options in their routers. TP-Link and ASUS choose to collaborate with antivirus manufacturer Trend Micro. In addition, the reverse also happens: traditional security manufacturers such as Norton and F-Secure bring their products in the form of their own router to the home network. Whichever router is chosen: safety and supervision will become one of the most important themes in the router area in the coming period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a faster router better?
Better usually means better coverage. In that case the answer is no. Wi-Fi routers contain radios that must comply with legal requirements in terms of transmission power. A more expensive and therefore faster router usually contains more radios compared to a cheaper one. This means that more devices can be connected to the router at a high speed at the same time. However, it does not mean that the range of the router is increasing. After all, the individual radios still have to meet the legal requirements. A more expensive router is therefore especially interesting if you want to be able to use a lot of devices (ten or more) in one place in your house. However, if you have coverage problems, for example in the attic, you will need to find a solution that uses multiple Wi-Fi access points such as a Wi-Fi mesh system, repeater, powerline adapter with Wi-Fi or a wired access point.
What is a WiFi mesh system?
Not very fast, but coverage is increasingly the most important WiFi problem nowadays. You cannot solve a coverage problem with one more expensive or faster router, you need several access points throughout your house. A Wi-Fi mesh system is a wireless router that is supported by included Wi-Fi access points. Those access points, also called nodes, are connected wirelessly to the router. This allows you to provide a covering wireless network throughout your house without having to pull cables. Wi-Fi mesh systems come in different price ranges depending on the radio configuration. The cheapest systems are AC1200 / AC1300 systems where the mutual communication between the nodes takes place via the same radios as the communication with the clients. More expensive systems have a separate radio for communication with the nodes and can be recognized by the AC2200 or AC3000 typing. If you only want to surf a bit or you don't have a large family, then a cheaper system is enough. If you have higher demands on your WiFi, then you better opt for a more expensive system.
How many mesh points do I need?
Wifi mesh systems are sold in sets of two or three nodes. But how many do you need? Manufacturers often promise a certain number of square meters per node, but these American manufacturers usually do not start from the Dutch housing construction. In terms of square meters, a typical Dutch house is usually not very impressive, but the use of floors and reinforced concrete means that multiple nodes are needed anyway. A good rule of thumb in a house is one node per floor. Multiple nodes are also useful in a larger apartment, by spreading them smartly you can achieve excellent coverage. In practice it appears that the most powerful system on the market, the Netgear Orbi RBK50, performs well in the standard set consisting of two nodes. With the cheaper AC1200 / AC1300 systems it is better to immediately choose a set with three nodes. You can purchase extra nodes afterwards with all systems, but these are relatively expensive compared to what you pay for the starter set.
What is Wi-fi 6? And what is Wi-fi 5?
Wifi has been available since the end of the 1990s and since then new generations have regularly appeared, which has considerably increased the speed of WiFi. Until recently, the different generations of WiFi were known by a number with letters. For example, 802.11n was succeeded by the current 802.11ac that will soon be succeeded by 802.11ax. The current WiFi standard was also called AC instead of 802.11ac. The Wi-Fi Alliance that manages the Wi-Fi standard did not find it clear enough and came up with something new. In addition to the already existing designations such as 802.11ac, Wi-Fi has recently been used, followed by a number. The current 802.11ac is the same as Wi-Fi 5. The fast-appearing 802.11ax becomes Wi-Fi 6 while Wi-Fi 4 refers to the older 802.11n technology.
How do I put a router behind router?
Usually you get a router from your internet provider and often it is not possible to replace that device with your own router. If you still want to have your own router, for example for more control over your network or better wireless coverage, then you will have to connect this router to the router of your internet provider. There are two ways to connect a router to another router. With the first method you connect the wan or internet port of your own router to the lan port of the router of your internet provider. Your own router then works as a router. You do need to connect all your devices to your new own router to prevent you from having two networks that prevents devices from communicating with each other. Because your router is connected behind another router, it does not have a direct connection to the internet, which may cause you problems if you want to open ports, for example. To prevent problems as much as possible, you can add your own router to the dmz (demilitarized zone) of the router of your internet provider. Even better is the router of your internet provider to set as a modem, this is also called bridge mode. However, this is often not possible.
There is a second method to connect your own router to a router from your internet provider. That is by setting your own router as a Wi-Fi access point. This method is therefore only suitable if you want to use your own router to improve your WiFi. You continue to use your internet provider's router to manage your network. All routers can be set as an access point by switching off the built-in dhcp server and giving the device a fixed IP address. You then connect a network cable to a normal network connection that you connect to a normal network connection on the other router. Some routers have an official access point mode that configures the router as an access point. You can then use the wan port of the route to connect it to a lan port of the router of your internet provider.
How can I set up my router?
After you connect a router, the device will usually function immediately. However, you will have to dive into the settings, because you probably want to choose the name of your wireless network (ssid) and password yourself. Use the web interface of your router to set up your router. This web interface is usually accessible by entering the IP address 192.168.1.1 in your browser, but sometimes a different IP address is used. On the page that opens you can log in to your router with a username and password. If you have not set this yourself, you will find the correct data on a sticker on your router. You can also set up more and more routers with an app. Such an app is useful, for example, to quickly switch on the guest network if you have guests.
What do numbers like AC1900, AC3200 or AC5400 mean?
Manufacturers organize their wireless router in speed classes such as AC1900, AC3200 or even AC5400. We logically associate routers with a higher number with better performance. These numbers have to do with the radio configuration in a router. As a simplified rule of thumb you can say that a higher number offers more radio capacity. However, most users have no problem with the capacity of their wireless router (how many devices can be used at the same time), but with the range of the wireless network (where you still have good coverage at home). In most cases, an AC1900 router certainly offers enough capacity, while you will also get away with an even cheaper AC1200 router. If you want more coverage, you need multiple access points.
What is dual band and what is tri band?
Wifi works on two different frequency bands: the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Dual band means that a router contains both a 2.4 GHz and a 5 GHz radio. Nowadays both radios can be used simultaneously, in the past this was not always the case. Logically, a tri-band router also contains three radios. However, no third frequency band is used, instead a second 5 GHz radio is used that operates on a different channel than the first 5 GHz radio. This allows more devices to be connected at a high speed to the fast 5GHz band at the same time. A tri-band router is therefore for power users with a lot of WiFi equipment.
Where do you put a router?
Nowadays we often use the 5GHz band that offers more bandwidth and speed, but has a smaller range. For good coverage, your router or access point must therefore be positioned as centrally as possible. The commonly used meter cupboard is usually not such a good place for that. If you have one router, try hanging it in the stairwell between the ground floor and first floor. Or put your router in your living room. After all, if you are looking for the best performance, then you must be able to see the router or access point. A modern router is therefore designed to be in the spotlight, something that you can see in the standing nodes of many WiFi mesh systems, for example. If you want a good and fast network all over the house, nowadays that is no longer possible with one device. The fast 5 GHz band has too small a range for this, while the 2.4 GHz band with more range is used so much nowadays that it is clogged, which means that coverage and speed via 2.4 GHz are disappointing. The real solution is working with multiple access points. This is possible with a WiFi mesh system, repeaters or powerline adapters with WiFi.
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