What is the most powerful high performance Wi-Fi modem router

The choice to buy a new Wi-Fi router for your home internet connection may not be so easy for those who know little about computer networks, given that the router is often treated as if it were the old modem (i.e. as long as it works and off you go after you).

In fact, apparently the router is a very simple device to look at, a small box that you just need to connect to the electrical socket and the telephone socket (modem-router models) or to a modem (router-only models) to start browsing. Although this is objectively true, buy the best router on the market will allow you to have features that cannot be found on the models offered by operators.

In the following guide we will show you what features a powerful Wi-Fi modem must havethe differences between the various models and finally a list of ready-to-use devices that we can purchase without problems.

READ ALSO: Guide to LAN and internet connections

1) Modem and router characteristics

We have already explained what is a router for which, to summarize in simple terms, is the device that distributes the Internet signal to numerous devices such as the computer, smartphone or others through the use of (customizable) rules and filters.

It is necessary to understand the difference between modems and routers, given that both types are available on the market:

• A simple router cannot handle the Internet signal on its own, as it is provided by the telephone socket, then it must be connected to a modem (or to the device provided by the operator for browsing) via an Ethernet cable. Once connected via cable to the modem, it will be able to manage all connected devices and provide Internet connectivity by acting as an intermediary with the modem. This type of router can be connected to any type of line (ADSL, FTTC and FTTH optical fibre), just use the suitable modem (the one included in the various Internet offers is also fine for this purpose).
• A modem router has everything you need to surf the Internet right away, given that it integrates a port compatible with the telephone cable. The modem component will manage the Internet signal, while the router component will manage the rules and permissions for connected wireless devices. Currently it is possible to use modem routers only for ADSL and FTTC connections (with some limitations), while for FTTH fiber optics it is always necessary to use the modem or devices provided by the operator in order to navigate correctly.

If we personally choose the router to have at home (instead of using the one provided by the operator) we will obtain the following privileges:

• a stable Wi-Fi signal that keeps connections always alive and without sudden drops;
• the possibility of keep multiple computers and phones connected to the network and the Internet without there being any drop in speed or performance;
• have More options for security, configuration and customization.

These features might seem useless but if we compare the performance of a good commercial router with those offered by operators we will find many differences and we will hardly focus on the models that operators want to “force” us to use.

2) How to choose a powerful modem or route

Before seeing the most powerful router models, let’s summarize the home router buying guide making some considerations.

Surf the Internet ultra-fast

Who needs surf the Internet from the mobile phone and the computer without particular needs, you can also spend a little and buy a router for 50 Euros or even less.

However, if you want a router that has options to improve network security, that has dual band and less possibility of interference from the outside (if you live in a neighborhood with many Wi-Fi networks), if you want to activate parental controls, to connect printers and external storage drives for sharing data over the network from a USB port to the router, then it is worth spending a little extra money.

Anyone who connects to the Internet from a FTTH fiber optic network can cascade a good router to obtain all the desired functions without giving up the device provided by the manufacturer (essential for managing the fiber optic signal); we talked about this in the guide above how to connect a new router to the modem without changing the network.

In particular, it is now advisable to buy a router with bandwidth 5 GHz to avoid interference with neighbors’ Wi-Fialso equipped with al Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E.

It should also be noted that some routers are also capable of supporting LTE or 5G internet sticks on their USB port, to share the portable connection.

Strong Wi-Fi signal

The Wi-Fi signal of a router may not cover the entire house, especially if placed near a wall or if the house has two or three floors with thick walls. Luckily there are Wi-Fi repeaters to extend signal reception.

The Wi-Fi signal is no longer powerful because there are 3 or 6 antennas on the router and not even if the antennas are internal or external, given that the propagation of the electromagnetic field is the same for any type of Dual Band modem (only the radius changes coverage based on the frequency used).

To learn more we can read the guide to differences between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks.

Device connection speed

The speed of a router it does not increase the speed of the Internet so we must not think that by spending more, the internet will be faster, at most the internal connections between devices will be faster (if we want to transfer some files between PC and notebook for example).

At the same time, however, a good router is convenient for having a fluid view of streaming films using devices such as the Chromecast attached to the TV or if you use a computer as a multimedia server that transmits streaming to other PCs, given that we can use the services QoS or priority to favor one device over another, as we could see in the ai guide to the new Wi-Fi network protocols..

3) Buying guide

After this wave of information the time has come to see together best Wi-Fi routers to buy onlineusing Amazon and its guarantee to save money and be sure that, in case of problems, we can always change modem or router with a different model.

The best modem with Wi-Fi 6 technology are the following:

• AVM FRITZ!Box 7510: Wi-Fi 6 modem router with 600 MBit/s (2.4 GHz), ADSL/VDLS support up to 300 MBit/s, Mesh network support, Base for DECT, Media Server technology and interface in Italian.
• TP-Link Archer VX1810v: VDSL/ADSL modem router with AX1800Mbps Dual Band WiFi 6 network, VDSL2 35b profile, VoIP call support, 4 Gigabit Ports, DSL port, compatible with VDSL2/ADSL2+/ADSL2/ADSL and equipped with USB port.
• AVM Box 7530: modem router with Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band up to 2,400 Mbit, VDSL support up to 300 Mbit, support for Mesh networks, Base Dect, Media Server connectivity and Italian interface.
• ASUS DSL-AX82U AX5400: gaming modem router with 802.11ax network, ASUS Aura RGB system, AiProtection Pro system, AiMesh and Gear Accelerator technology, Adaptive QoS support, advanced Port Forwarding, USB 3.0 port and parental control.

If instead we wish to purchase a router WI-Fi 6 we can take a look at the following models:

• Tenda RX2 Pro AX1500: router with Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band Gigabit, 1201Mbps/5GHz and 300Mbps/2.4GHz speed, 4 Gigabit Ports, 5 high gain antennas, Beamforming system, MU-MIMO technology and WPA3 security support.
• TP-Link Archer AX53: router with Wi-Fi 6 Dual-Band AX3000, speed 2402Mbps on 5 GHz and 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, WPA3 security support, TP-Link HomeShield technology, OneMesh technology and compatibility with Alexa voice commands.
• ASUS TUF-AX3000 V2: extendable gaming router with Mobile Tethering, Dual Band Wi-Fi connection, Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax technology, Game Mode, AiProtection Pro system, Adaptive QoS system and advanced Port Forwarding.
• NETGEAR Router WiFi 6 RAX10: complete router capable of managing 4 simultaneous flows, WI-Fi 6 network support with AX1800 speed (up to 1.8 Gbps), coverage of up to 100 square meters, quick configuration with any operator and integrated network security system.
• AVM FRITZ!Box 4060: professional tri-band router with Wi-Fi 6 network support, including Fritz!Repeater 1200 AX International, maximum network speed 6,000 Mbit, 2.5 Gbps WAN port, 3 Gigabit LAN ports, one USB port, Access Point mode, Mesh system, Base Dect, Media Server support and interface in Italian.

Who instead seeks gods router Wi-Fi Mesh to expand the network (with an already available modem) I recommend taking a look at the following models:

• Tenda Nova MX12-3: Mesh system with AX3000 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System, wide Wi-Fi coverage with three components (up to 650 square meters), 1.7 GHz Quad-Core CPU, Gigabit LAN ports and Amaozn Alexa support.
• TP-Link Deco X20: Mesh system with Wi-Fi 6, Dual Band AX1800, Router and Access Point modes, 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 3 components with Coverage Up to 540 square meters and compatibility with Alexa.
• Amazon Eero Pro 6: Mesh system made by Amazon with 3 elements, Wi-Fi 6 network, coverage of up to 420 square meters, optimized for 4K video streaming, functions as a Zigbee connection system (home automation) and provides total compatibility with Alexa and Alexa devices with Amazon Alexa voice commands.
• NETGEAR Orbi Mesh WiFi 6: AX5400 triband Mesh system, router connection with 2 satellites, coverage of up to 525 square meters, connection of up to 75 devices and Wi-Fi 6 speeds of up to 5.4 Gbps.

For further information we can read the guide to best portable travel routers.

Conclusions

To be on the safe side and avoid messes and modems to configure we can very well daisy-chain a Wi-Fi router or Mesh Wi-Fi systemtherefore leaving the operator’s modem and turning off its Wi-Fi (we will only use that of the most powerful router).

Geek users can instead remove the Internet provider’s modem altogether and configure powerful modems directly to use the home line, as seen in the guides on how to use the FRITZ!Box modem on an FTTH fiber optic network and on the configuration for ONT and fiber optic connection parameters.