Top Eight Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Routers 2020
At the center of all, smart homes are a network or Wi-Fi router. It is the heart of your smart home that pumps network to your entire home. To keep your body and mind healthy, you need a healthy heart that is pumping blood to your organs constantly. Similarly, your smart home needs a good Wi-Fi router that is providing a network connection to your smart home devices 24/7 non-stop. Remember that even your smart cameras need internet connection stability, or else you will not have the footage from the camera. This means having a good router that provides a stable connection is of utmost importance.
It is natural to want the best in the market that is within your budget. But in a market that is so saturated, full go good and bad products, it becomes a hard job to find out the product that suits your needs. To make your life easier, we have tested and tried hundreds of network and Wi-Fi routers. After testing them all, we have made a list of the best network and Wi-Fi routers. Here you will find the top works with Alexa network and Wi-Fi. Before we jump on to the list, here is a buying guide of the best Smart Home Wi-Fi routers.
Top 8 Best Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Routers: Our Picks and Recommendations
- Best Overall : NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S Smart Home Wi-Fi Router
- Best Dual Band : TP-Link AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi Router
- Best Ethernet : Netgear Orbi RBK40 Smart Home Router
- Best Coverage : TP-Link Deco Mesh Network and Wi-Fi system
- Best Gateway : LiftMaster 828LM Smart Home Internet Gateway
- Best Mesh : Tenda Nova Mesh Wi-Fi System
- Best Tri-Band : Linksys Velop Smart Home Mesh Wi-Fi System
- Best 2nd Generation : Eero Pro Smart Home Wi-Fi System
Things to Consider Before Buying Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Routers
Here are the few things we looked into while selecting the best Wi-Fi Routers in the market right now.
- 4 GHz or 5 GHz
Currently, there are two frequencies. Wi-Fi routers use to transmit signals for network connection. The 5 GHz routers offer faster network speeds but are bad at penetrating obstacles like walls and other things. The 2.4 GHz routers are better at penetrating obstacles. The best routers in the market offer both frequencies.
- Dual-band or tri-band
These are the transmitters that send the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals from the routers. A tri-band router sends two 5 GHz signals and one 2.4 GHz signal, and the dual-band routers send one signal of each frequency. As you might have guessed, tri-band routers are much more expensive than dual-band ones.
- LAN Ports
How many LAN ports you want on a router is up to you, but there is more to LAN ports than just their number. There are two types of Ethernet ports, ‘Fast Ethernet’ and ‘Gigabit Ethernet.’ The fast ethernet port allows speeds of 10/100 Mbps while gigabit ethernet allows speeds up to 1000 Mbps.
Top Eight Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Routers Reviews
Best Overall Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Router
NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S Smart Home Wi-Fi Router
Highlighted Features
- The router is very fast and reliable.
- It has a maximum speed of up to 1,733 Mbps.
- It has both the 5 GHz band and the 2.4 GHz band.
- It covers a radius of 2500 square feet.
- It can connect to 45 devices at once.
The NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S Smart Home Wi-Fi Router is a fast and reliable gaming router. People who are not into gaming can buy it too, considering the high-end specifications it has. The maximum speed that this router allows is an overstatement because there are few devices that can actually utilize its maximum speed. This is the best overall smart home network and Wi-Fi Router on our list.
The NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S Smart Home Wi-Fi Router covers up to 2500 square feet radius around it with a top speed. It can connect with a total of 45 devices, and each of those devices can stream reliably.
NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S Smart Home Wi-Fi Router promises a speed up to 1733 Mbps from the 5 GHz band and a speed up to 800 Mbps from the 2.4 GHz band. You can reliably stream videos, music, play games, and connect all your smart home devices on it altogether.
Best Dual Band Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Router
TP-Link AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi Router
Highlighted Features
- It has both the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands.
- The 2.4 GHz band provides speed up to 450 Mbps.
- The 5 GHz band provides speed up to 1300 Mbps.
- The router covers a radius of 2100 square feet.
- It has 4 gigabit LAN ports.
The TP-Link AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi Router is the best dual-band smart router on our list. It has both the 5 GHz band and the 2.4 GHz band on a single set up. The 5 GHz band provides very high speed on short ranges, and the 2.4 GHz band provides decent speed over long ranges.
The TP-Link AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi Router provides a maximum speed of 1750 Mbps. The 5 GHz band provides a speed of 1300 Mbps, and the 2.4 GHz band provides a speed of 450 Mbps. Combining both bands, you can get up to 1750 Mbps when close to the router.
The TP-Link AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi Router has three external antennas that cover a wide radius of up to 2100 square feet. It also has 4 Gigabit LAN ports that provide a steady speed of 1000 Mbps to each device connected to LAN ports. This makes it ideal for gaming services, as well.
Best Ethernet Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Router
Netgear Orbi RBK40 Smart Home Router
Highlighted Features
- It is a tri-band router.
- It is two 5 GHz bands and one 2.4 GHz band.
- Two routers come in the package.
- Both the routers combined has a range of 4000 square feet.
- It has a Smart Parental Control feature.
Most of the tri-band Wi-Fi routers in the market are too expensive for average consumers nowadays. The Netgear Orbi RBK40 Smart Home Router makes itself more available to the everyday consumer by being more compact and affordable than its older brother, the Netgear Orbi RBK50 Smart Home Router, which is way too expensive. The Netgear Orbi RBK40 Smart Home Router is the best ethernet smart home network and Wi-Fi router on our list.
The Netgear Orbi RBK40 Smart Home Router comes in packages of multiple devices. Per router offers a range of 2000 square feet. This means the package of two routers will cover a range of 4000 feet when placed correctly.
The Netgear Orbi RBK40 Smart Home Router offers parents with Smart Parental Control, which is a feature provided by Circle with Disney. It helps parents filter content they do not want their kids to be exposed to and also manage their screen time.
Best Coverage Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Router
TP-Link Deco Mesh Network and Wi-Fi system
Highlighted Features
- It is a Mesh Network and Wi-Fi system.
- The whole system consists of three routers.
- The Wi-Fi system covers a range of 5,500 square feet.
- It leaves no spots for dead zones and buffering.
- It can connect with up to 100+ devices.
Outside the city, where homes are a bit larger than the cramped apartments in the city, people have larger homes. For these larger homes, a Wi-Fi router with extensive coverage is needed, and it needs to be budget-friendly as well. The TP-Link Deco Mesh Network and Wi-Fi system is the best coverage smart home network and Wi-Fi Router on our list.
The TP-Link Deco Mesh Network and Wi-Fi system cover a radius of 5,500 square feet. The system comes with a Deco Wi-Fi Mesh consisting of three routers that allow this huge coverage. Three routers ensure there are no dead zones and no buffering where ever you choose to utilize the Wi-Fi network. It can connect with up to 100+ devices get your whole smart home up and running.
Best Gateway Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Router
LiftMaster 828LM Smart Home Internet Gateway
Highlighted Features
- The device is very compact and easy to set up and run.
- It has a user-friendly smartphone app that is easy to use.
- It can connect the non-smart devices you own to the internet.
- You can connect your garage door to the device.
- You can remotely open and close the garage door after it is connected.
The LiftMaster 828LM Smart Home Internet Gateway is a device that allows you to connect the not so smart devices of your home to the internet. Just as the name suggests, it is a device that acts as a gateway to connect to the internet. It is the best gateway smart home network and Wi-Fi router on our list.
The LiftMaster 828LM Smart Home Internet Gateway can be connected with the garage door of your home and also with other devices like lights and fans. After you connect these devices to the internet using the gateway, you can control them using the smartphone app the device provides. You can open and close the garage door, turn on or off the lights and fans, and much more.
Best Mesh Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Router
Tenda Nova Mesh Wi-Fi System
Highlighted Features
- The system consists of three devices.
- It has one router and two range extenders.
- Each device has a range of 1,250 square feet that adds up to 3,750 square feet.
- It can connect with 60 devices at once.
- It has an app that provides parent-friendly features.
The Tenda Nova Mesh Wi-Fi System has a Mesh Wi-Fi set up that consists of one router and two range extenders. Working together, these three devices creates the best Mesh Wi-Fi system that covers your entire home efficiently. This is the best mesh smart home network and Wi-Fi router on our list.
The three devices in the Tenda Nova Mesh Wi-Fi System produces a network coverage of 1,250 square feet each. That means it produces a total of 3,750 square feet of network coverage that receives an internet connection.
The Tenda Nova Mesh Wi-Fi System can be connected to a total of 60 devices to ensure all the smart devices you own has a network connection. It has the Tenda App that gives you control over the router and access to parent-friendly features like the Wi-Fi timeout option.
Best Tri-Band Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Router
Linksys Velop Smart Home Mesh Wi-Fi System
Highlighted Features
- It has a tri-band router.
- The system consists of three devices.
- The system covers a radius of up to 6,000 square feet.
- It consists of two 5 GHz bands and one 2.4 GHz band.
- The speed of the three bands is 867+867+400 Mbps.
Tri-band routers are always more expensive than other routers, but if you have the budget for it, tri-band routers are the best ones you can get. However, even in the market of tri-band routers, there are good routers, and there are bad routers. After a lot of screening process, we found out that the Linksys Velop Smart Home Mesh Wi-Fi System is the best tri-band smart home network and a Wi-Fi router.
The Linksys Velop Smart Home Mesh Wi-Fi System contains three devices that makes it ideal for homes with 5+ bedrooms. The three devices combined to provide a range of 6,000 square feet with no dead zone or areas for buffering.
The tri-band consists of two 5 GHz bands and one 2.4 GHz band. The 5 GHz bands provide a network speed of 867 Mbps, and the 2.4 GHz band produces a network speed of 400 Mbps.
Best 2nd Generation Smart Home Network and Wi-Fi Router
Eero Pro Smart Home Wi-Fi System
Highlighted Features
- The system contains three devices.
- It consists of one eero Pro and two eero boosters.
- It is a second-generation Wi-Fi system.
- It is compatible with first-generation devices.
- It provides a stable and dependable network coverage.
The Eero Pro Mesh Wi-Fi System comes with one eero pro and two eero Beacon. These devices replace their traditional counterparts that are the router and extender or boosters. The Eero Pro Smart Home Wi-Fi System is the best 2nd generation smart home Network and Wi-Fi router on our list.
The Eero Pro Smart Home Wi-Fi System is two times faster than the 1st generation routers. It is also compatible with the 1st generation device, so you do not need to worry about that. The range of extenders is very easy to set up. You can get the whole set up and running very easily.
The Eero Pro Smart Home Wi-Fi System provides very dependable Wi-Fi coverage. In the age of smart devices, a dependable and constant supply of network connection is required to keep the devices running.
Bottom Line
These are the best smart home network and Wi-Fi router out there right now. You can buy the one that meets your needs and budget. We understand that your budget is the best factor when choosing the best in the market. That is why we have considered their prices as well when choosing the best smart Wi-Fi routers 2020.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Question: Which is the best budget smart router?
Answer: The TP-Link AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi Router is the best budget smart router for you.
Question: Which router has the best speed?
Answer: The NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S Smart Home Wi-Fi Router has the best speed. It is our best overall smart router.
Question: Which router has the best range?
Answer: The TP-Link Deco Mesh Network and Wi-Fi system have the best range among the routers.
