When it comes to wireless networking, Wi-Fi 6 is well worth looking out for – it's almost as good as the slightly newer Wi-Fi 6E, and we won't be seeing Wi-Fi 7 for a while yet. If it's got Wi-Fi 6 on the box then you know you'll be getting speedy Wi-Fi.
The best Wi-Fi 6 or 6E routers in 2023 are able to give your home network a substantial upgrade in terms of both data transfer speeds, and the area that's covered by your Wi-Fi network: you can say goodbye to those Wi-Fi dead zones.
While upload and download speeds will still primarily be determined by the broadband deal that you're signed up to, you can get more devices connected at faster rates with an upgrade (very handy in crowded smart home setups).
Here we'll guide you to the best Wi-Fi 6 routers on the market right now, explaining the specs and the best features in each case. Even if you've never picked out a router before, we can guide you towards the options you need to be thinking about.
While all the routers listed here are top-tier devices, they might not be right for everyone – if you want to know what some of the alternatives are, make sure you also check out our best mesh networking guide and our best wireless routers guide.
Best Wi-Fi 6 routers 2023: The top 3
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The best Wi-Fi 6 router for most people is the Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6. Difficult to beat in terms of the coverage (two packs or three packs are available) and the speeds that it can provide around your property.
The best premium Wi-Fi 6 router is the TP-Link Deco X90. An impressive package that will give you all the speed and coverage you need, even if the hardware itself isn't much to look at.
The best affordable Wi-Fi 6 router is the Linksys Hydra Pro 6. You don't necessarily have to pay top dollar for top-tier performance, which is where the Linksys earns its place in our list.
The Netgear Orbi series has consistently impressed us when it comes to home networking upgrades, and the Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6 is no different: it's on the large side, but it's difficult to beat in terms of the coverage and the speeds that it can provide around your property. The kit is straightforward to set up and easy to manage via the included Netgear Orbi app.
You can pick from both a two-pack and a three-pack, with the extra satellite(s) improving the reach of your wireless network. Each unit has eight powerful antennas crammed inside it, and Netgear says you can cover up to 372 square metres with glorious high-speed Wi-Fi with the two-pack. If you've got a bigger home, then you can invest in more satellite units.
The hardware promises speeds of up to 6 Gbps across the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, with another 5GHz band used as a backhaul to keep the satellites communicating with the main router. What's more, there's capacity for up to 100 devices, so even the most complex of smart homes should be able to stay online and functional with this Wi-Fi 6 router installed.
Full credit to TP-Link for what it's managed to do with the TP-Link Deco X90: we already knew that the manufacturer had expertise in networking gear, but this Wi-Fi 6 router is one of the best boxes they've ever put out. If you need something to boost wireless internet speeds all around the home and eliminate dead zones, then this could well be it.
You can buy this Wi-Fi 6 router in a two-pack or a three-pack and pick up extra satellite units individually, giving you the flexibility to cover whatever size property you have. Once you have these boxes set up – which doesn't take long at all – you can then take advantage of speeds up to 6.6 Gbps and capacity that's able to cope with as many as 200 devices.
It's an impressive package and one that will give you all the speed and coverage you need, even if the hardware itself isn't much to look at. It's also worth bearing in mind that this is one of the more expensive options on the Wi-Fi 6 router scene at the moment, and if you want all of the security extras available then you'll need to sign up for a subscription too.
You don't necessarily have to pay top dollar for the most expensive, very best Wi-Fi 6 router around, because not all properties need the maximum possible speeds or every single feature... and in that spirit we present to you the Linksys Hydra Pro 6, a device that still brings you top-tier performance but at a price point that's a bit more manageable.
Linksys has been in the networking hardware business for years, so you know exactly what you're getting in terms of reliability and usefulness. With coverage for up to 251 square metres and maximum speeds of 6.4 Gbps for you to take advantage of, it's only going to be the biggest and most gadget-packed homes that push the limits of this particular router.
While we don't know the current Wi-Fi setup you've got going on at your home, the chances are that the Linksys Hydra Pro 6 is going to give you a substantial upgrade in terms of speed and coverage. On top of that, the whole package is straightforward to install, configure and operate, so you can largely leave the router alone to run itself.
Best Wi-Fi 6 router 2023: The best of the rest
Take a peek at the specs box above and you'll see the Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6E (RBKE963) is an astonishing bit of networking kit. With support for the very latest Wi-Fi 6E standard, it'll cover a huge amount of room with very speedy Wi-Fi indeed, and it's packed with technology for managing the demands of up to 200 different devices that can be connected simultaneously.
So why wouldn't you buy this for your next networking upgrade? Well, it's ridiculously expensive, as cutting edge tech tends to be when it's all brand new. You can get yourself a decent second-hand motor vehicle for the same price as this router (and two satellites), and we understand that that's a hard sell no matter how many Wi-Fi dead zones you have in your home.
Perhaps it's better to think about the Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6E as an aspirational product that other Wi-Fi 6 routers can aim to get close to over the next couple of years – as opposed to something you're actually going to buy today. If you do have the budget to be able to afford it though, we can safely say that this is the ultimate in Wi-Fi 6 networking right now.
The Asus DSL-AX82U is stuffed full of networking features that are going to appeal to gamers – including specialised gaming modes and even its own RGB lighting system – though it does of course work perfectly fine for non-gaming needs too. We like the unusual looks of this router as well, including the customisable lighting system on the front.
In terms of raw performance you're looking at fantastic maximum speeds of 5.4 Gbps across two bands, and very respectable figures in terms of Wi-Fi coverage and the number of devices that the router is able to support simultaneously. Add in the price of this unit, which is less than several of its competitors, and you've got an appealing all-round deal.
Asus has deployed some artificial intelligence algorithms under the hood here to make sure that all your gadgets get served with reliable Wi-Fi and low-latency connections, whether you're watching movies on your television set or loading up a mobile game on your phone. You might be surprised at what a difference the Asus DSL-AX82U can make.
There aren't many Wi-Fi 6 routers that can get close to the Netgear Nighthawk RAX200 at the moment – and we're talking in terms of both performance and price, so be aware of that when you're doing your shopping. This is a router to consider if you want the ultimate in Wi-Fi 6 networking at the moment, and you've got the funds to be able to afford it too.
Netgear doesn't actually say how many devices the Nighthawk RAX200 can support, but it's going to be a lot. You're not going to have to worry about connecting up multiple laptops, phones, smart home devices and other gear to your network, because this router can take it. The fact that it looks cool and futuristic is another added bonus as well.
For consoles and other devices you want to wire up directly, there are four Ethernet ports to take advantage of on the router. It shouldn't take you long at all to get the Netgear Nighthawk RAX200 up and running at your home, and then all of the various features and your connected devices can be managed through the accompanying mobile app.
We'll admit that the Amazon Eero 6 router and accompanying nodes won't win any prizes in terms of the fastest speeds or the top performance, but that's reflected in the affordable price of this hardware – and we think that for most home users, it's going to have enough about it to be more than satisfactory.
As you would expect from an Eero device, this is an absolute breeze to set up, even if you've never done any kind of networking configuration in your life before. Amazon certainly knows what it's doing when it comes to making its hardware straightforward to get up and running (see also the Amazon Fire tablets).
If you use the Eero 6 with its accompanying nodes, you can get Wi-Fi into every corner of your property, and your devices will be able to switch between the router and the satellites seamlessly. This is how home networking should be done, and if with support for up to 75 devices, you're well covered for a host of gadgets.
Let's get the bad part out of the way first: the Asus ZenWifi Pro ET12 is going to cost you a significant amount of cash. The price is high enough that you might question the wisdom of investing in a router like this, but we think that the unit has enough about it to justify the high level of investment.
Like some of the other entries on this list, this can be used as part of a mesh system, so you're guaranteed a comprehensive and speedy blanket of Wi-Fi all around your house. You can see from the specs list and the sheer size of the unit that you've got the very best wireless internet technology that money can buy here.
Just because the router scores highly in the performance stakes doesn't mean that it's difficult to set up either – even if you've got no networking experience, the accompanying app is straightforward to follow, and will keep you right up to date with everything that's happening on your Wi-Fi at all times.
