Why you should trust us

I have written about consumer electronics for more than 15 years and have tested a slew of smart-home devices, from remotes and security cameras to AV receivers and speakers. As a former editor for Electronic House and Big Picture Big Sound, I have written buying guides for multiple consumer-electronics products, in addition to tech articles for Wired, Woman’s Day, GeekMom, Men’s Health, USA Today, and others.

Who this is for

If you have a smartphone and an empty outlet in your house, you can control, schedule, and automate something easily with a smart plug. You don’t need programming skills or an installer on speed dial to set up smart outlets, and they’re immediately useful with very little fuss. Putting even just one smart switch into your home can ensure that you’ll never enter a dark house; add a few more to control items such as household fans, speakers, slow cookers, and air conditioners.

Some smart outlets communicate via Wi-Fi, while others use Bluetooth or another wireless signal. All the Wi-Fi–enabled smart plugs we found operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency range. Although 5 GHz Wi-Fi is faster, these devices don’t benefit from the extra speed of 5 GHz, and 2.4 GHz offers longer range. (All modern Wi-Fi routers support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.)

How we picked

We searched the Web and online stores for smart plugs, looking for reviews and roundups. We came up with a list of models that we then narrowed down based on the most important features you should expect from such a device:

• Scheduling: All smart outlets allow you to schedule devices to go on and off at specific times of the day or week. We gave bonus points to outlets that offered additional customization, including individual days and triggers such as sunrise and sunset, temperature, and more.
• Smart-home integration: Every smart plug offers some level of smart-home support. The bare minimum should be voice-control integration through Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (Siri), and/or Google Assistant. Some also offer compatibility with whole-house systems through Samsung SmartThings, Wink, Works with Nest, and IFTTT (If This Then That).
• Wireless technology: Wi-Fi–enabled smart outlets are typically the easier and more affordable option, as they don’t need other devices to function, and you can find models for indoors and outdoors. Bluetooth smart outlets, in contrast, require you to be within Bluetooth range to control them, unless they support Apple HomeKit, in which case you can control them when you’re away from the house if you have a HomeKit gateway (an Apple TV, a HomePod, or a stay-at-home iPad).
• To hub or not to hub: Smart plugs should be easy—you usually don’t need a separate box (a hub or gateway) if you just want to turn a light on and off. But a hub-based system may offer features (such as HomeKit compatibility) or functions that make it a worthwhile exception.
• Additional features: Some smart plugs have other interesting features, such as energy monitoring, which can be a nice perk if you’re wondering how much juice your air conditioner, fan, or table lamp is consuming.

Smart switches are an easy way to add remote control to any electronic device. Photo: Rachel Cericola

The average price for a smart outlet is about $30—you shouldn’t need to pay more than that unless a particular outlet offers a certain advantage you want, such as an extra outlet or compatibility with a specific system.

How we tested

For each smart outlet in our test group, we downloaded the appropriate app to an iPhone 7, an iPad, and a Samsung Galaxy S6. Most of the switches connected to Wi-Fi easily and were simple to operate from inside our 1,250-square-foot house. For smart switches that offer control from afar, we played around with the settings while at the grocery store (2 miles away), the gym (10 miles away), and other houses (up to 50 miles away). To keep things interesting, we plugged a variety of items into each test switch, including (at different times) two table lamps, two fans, a white-noise machine, a radio, and even a flat iron. All of the plugs operated well, except where noted in the Competition section.

When possible, we paired switches to an Amazon Echo Dot, an Echo Plus, HomeKit (via an Apple TV), Nest devices, IFTTT, and each other.

Wirecutter takes security and privacy issues seriously and investigates as much as possible how the companies we recommend deal with customer data. As part of our vetting process, we have confirmed all of the security and data privacy practices behind our product picks. We’ll report any issues we think you should consider before buying.

Our pick: Wemo Mini

Photo: Rachel Cericola

After more than two years, we’ve found the Wemo Mini to be consistently reliable, unobtrusive in a wall socket, and an affordable way to get started with smart-home devices. It’s the best-performing Wi-Fi smart plug that’s compatible with all three major voice-control platforms: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant. The Wemo iOS and Android apps provide remote control, scheduling, and grouping for an infinite number of Wemo devices, including the Wemo Mini, the Wemo Insight, and Wemo in-wall light switches.

Belkin shrank its Wemo switch into a package (right) that’s smaller and more convenient than its last model (left). Photo: Rachel Cericola

The Wemo Mini is compact enough to fit into one socket in a duplex outlet without blocking the second one, and its wide, thin shape allows you to place it in either the top or bottom socket without blocking the use of other bulky plugs—some larger competitors fit in only one and block the other. You can even stack two Minis in the same duplex outlet.

The Wemo Mini can also operate higher-draw appliances with motors or heating elements—such as air conditioners and coffee makers—making it more versatile than some of the other smart outlets we tested. For people who don’t want to deal with elaborate smart-home setups but still want to start cooling their apartment off before they get home, a Wemo can do the job whereas a Lutron smart plug can’t.

The switch easily connects to Wi-Fi without needing a hub, username, or password (see the Flaws but not dealbreakers section for more information about that). It performed reliably throughout more than two years of testing, providing on/off control from inside and outside the house whenever called upon. (Other smart plugs would occasionally disconnect from our network or respond slowly to commands.) We even created repeatable schedules and rules, which consistently turned lamps and fans on and off automatically at set times of the day.

The Wemo app allows basic on/off control plus rules and schedules.

The Wemo Android and iOS apps are almost identical, offering on/off controls, rules, groups, and timers. Unlike many smart plugs, the Wemo Mini accepts settings to go on and off at certain times (but allows for separate rules for each), as well as to trigger based on local sunrise and sunset times. Both app versions can combine all Wemo devices and other compatible smart-home products on one screen, and each app makes everything easy to find and use. The apps even include a photo of every Wemo device or let you use your own photo for each (your lamp, your fan, and the like). The Mini is also one of the few models on our list with options for an Away mode, which can randomly turn devices on and off during a predetermined time period.

One of the other ways the Wemo Mini stands out is in its wide compatibility with other smart-home devices. In addition to integrating with fellow Wemo devices, the Mini is the most reliable Wi-Fi plug we tested that works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Nest, and IFTTT. The Mini used to require a bridge to make it compatible with HomeKit, but that necessity was eliminated with a firmware update, downloaded via the Wemo app. We found Alexa and HomeKit to be easy to use with the Mini; it linked quickly and responded consistently to on/off commands and automations. For example, we created an automation so that whenever we said “Alexa, dinnertime,” the Mini would trigger a table lamp and the Lutron Caséta (our in-wall light switch pick) would flip an outside light off. We also grouped the Mini with a separate light so that we could control both by saying “Alexa, turn on the living room.”

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Wemo is the only smart plug brand we are aware of that does not allow device owners to have a username and password to restrict access to its devices. While this does make setup faster and easier, it also means that if you don’t require a password for your home network, or if you use the default password (which can be searched for easily online), then anyone passing by your home can access your network and control your Wemo devices. If you plan to purchase Wemo (or really, any smart-home device), make sure your router is protected by a strong, unique password that is not used with any other accounts.

The slightly larger Wemo Insight switch includes an energy use monitor in the app. We’d like to see those features for the Mini, but we can live without them.

Best for lamps and whole-home lighting: Lutron Caséta Smart Lighting Lamp Dimmer

Photo: Rachel Cericola

The Lutron Caséta Smart Lighting Lamp Dimmer is the only model we’ve found that includes two outlets and dimming capabilities. It’s ideal if you’re looking to go beyond a simple plug or two and want to add smart lighting throughout your house. However, it’s also the only model on our list that requires a central hub, which adds to the cost of a system.

For the money, Lutron gives you a rock-solid system that ties your lights together and can link with other devices, such as thermostats, shades, and cameras. Lutron’s Caséta system is compatible with more smart-home partners than any other plug on our list: It supports Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Ecobee, IFTTT, Nest, Samsung SmartThings, Sonos, Wink, and much more. We easily tied the lamp dimmer in with Alexa and HomeKit so we could turn the outlet on and off, as well as set specific lighting levels, using voice commands. We also created a scene that would turn a HomeKit-enabled air conditioner to 67 degrees whenever the Lutron lamp dimmer was turned on.

Unlike the Wemo outlet, the Lutron model is designed specifically for dimmable lamps—a limitation emblazoned right above each outlet and confirmed to us by a Lutron representative. In other words, your fans, air conditioners, radios, and curling irons are not welcome here. This Lutron plug is not rated for motor inrush current (those few milliseconds of “whoosh” when you turn on an air conditioner, for instance), which could damage it. And frankly, it wouldn’t fit some of those devices anyway, since both outlets are missing the ground prong. It’s specifically rated for lamps, but if one of those isn’t dimmable, the plug will just turn it on or off.

The dimmer itself is easy to use and offers dimming capabilities for two outlets, but you can’t control the two outlets independently—they turn on and off together. This is okay if you’re using the plug to control holiday lights that need to turn on at the same time, for example, but you can’t set two connected lamps to different levels of brightness.

The Lutron smartphone app allows for different schedules every day of the week (or the same one every day), based on time or sunrise and sunset. You can also create scenes that can trigger multiple devices, as well as Smart Away, which can turn on the plug-in dimmer randomly between the hours of 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. to make it look like you’re home when you’re away.

As we mentioned above, to use this plug-in dimmer, you need the Lutron Caséta Smart Bridge, a hub that plugs into your router. This device adds to the overall cost, but you can purchase a starter kit that includes the Smart Bridge, two plug-in outlets, and a wireless remote to control the entire setup. (The plug-in dimmer and hub also work with our top in-wall light-dimmer pick.) Lutron says one Smart Bridge covers a 2,500-square-foot area, and the lamp dimmer acts as a range extender.

Although we didn’t have connection issues with any of our picks, the Lutron plug sets itself apart with Clear Connect technology, which operates at a lower radio frequency than most smart-home devices. This can make it more reliable, since it’s virtually free from interference, an issue that’s common with Wi-Fi devices.

For an outlet outside: iClever IC-BS06

Photo: Rachel Cericola

If you’re looking to extend your smart home to the outdoors, the iClever IC-BS06 smart plug is the way to go. While most outdoor plugs max out at 133 degrees, this weatherproof device can stay on the job in even the most forbidding conditions, with an operating temperature of –4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. It has two outlets that you can control independently, and it’s compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT (but not Apple’s HomeKit or Siri). Control it manually or by voice within the outlet’s own smartphone app, or set on/off triggers based on time, local weather, and more.

Although the device itself has only a simple toggle button that turns both outlets on or off together, within the app you can control each outlet independently and name them so you can use voice commands for each via Alexa or Google Assistant. For example, in our testing we named them “fan” and “radio”; both responded correctly to Alexa voice commands. iClever also gives you in-app voice control, which is a nice touch, but it can only be used to turn the entire receptacle on and off.

The iClever IC-BS06 uses the Smart Life app, which has some similarities to the apps for Geeni, Monoprice, Top Greener, and Aukey. Otherwise, the app is easy to use, allowing for scheduling as well as for scenes based on local weather, humidity, temperature, or air quality, plus sunrise and sunset, and the status of other iClever devices.

Power strip pick: TP-Link HS300 Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip

Photo: Sarah Kobos

Sometimes you want more than one thing automated. The TP-Link HS300 Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip stretches your smart-home capabilities more than any device we tested, with six independently controlled outlets and three USB ports. It’s also the only power strip to include energy monitoring on each of those smart outlets, as well as an Away mode, and support for Alexa, Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana, IFTTT, and Nest.

Available for iOS and Android, the Kasa app lays out each outlet as if it’s a separate device. This makes on/off access easy from the Devices screen. Each plug can be renamed, so you don’t have to remember what is plugged in where. This option also makes it easy to call out voice commands like, “Alexa, turn off the table lamp.”

Touching on each device in the app brings up another on/off option, as well as scheduling and timer features. Toggling on Away mode triggers devices randomly during set periods, so it appears as if someone is home. Energy Usage provides a peek at real-time power consumption, as well as daily, weekly, and monthly averages in hours and kilowatt-hours.

The HS300 was the only smart power strip we reviewed that includes manual controls on the actual device for each of the six outlets. With the longest cord (38 inches) of any of the power strip models we tested, the HS300 can be tucked into a corner out of sight. The HS300 also includes limited surge protection, though not enough to offer much functional value. Specifically, it’s rated to reduce power spikes to 500 volts when exposed to a 6,000-volt surge in testing, which means it will clamp down high-voltage surges to that level and limit the damage to any connected devices. For our surge protector guide, the models we consider are generally rated to lower such surges to 330 volts in the same situation. And in our own tests using 5,000-volt surges, our top picks were able to reduce that even further, to 200 volts.

Budget pick: Monoprice Stitch Wireless Smart Mini Plug

Photo: Sarah Kobos

The Monoprice Stitch Wireless Smart Mini Plug is one of the lowest priced models on our list, but it’s much smaller than any of the other models we tested, so it can fit into practically any outlet, whether it’s wedged behind the couch, shelves, or any other obstructed areas. It currently only supports Alexa and Google Assistant (sorry, HomeKit users), but it does provide energy monitoring, a rare feature at this price.

Monoprice doesn’t advertise IFTTT compatibility, but the icon is in the app, so we tested it out. We were able to create applets using the Smart Life skill that would trigger the plug on and off based on our Ring camera and Wemo Mini, as well as send emails based on the status. Tuya, Smart Life’s parent company, has created apps for Aukey, Geeni, iClever, and Top Greener, so you may notice the look is similar, as are some of the functions, such as the ability to set triggers based on local temperature, humidity, and weather conditions.

To access the Stitch Mini’s energy-monitoring feature, click on the Statistics tab, which will bring up real-time readings for Current (milliamps), Power (watts), Voltage, and total energy use in kilowatt-hours. It lists monthly totals for 12 consecutive months. While we don’t think this capability is an essential option for most people, it’s pretty impressive that it’s included at this price.

What to look forward to

The Wyze Plug is one of the cheapest plugs we’ve seen with Alexa, Google, and IFTTT support. This simply designed smart plug costs about $20 for a two-pack.

Samsung’s SmartThings Wifi Smart Plug doesn’t require pairing with the SmartThings Hub, and it’s also compatible with Alexa, Bixby, and Google.

The Ezlo PlugHub Energy is a plug-in wall unit with a built-in Z-Wave hub, so it can control smart bulbs, smart locks, sensors, and more.

The Eve Power Strip houses three HomeKit-enabled smart outlets in a sleek aluminum frame.

The Satechi Dual Smart Outlet has two HomeKit-compatible smart outlets with energy-monitoring features.

The D-Link DSP-W118 Indoor Wi-Fi Smart Plug is compact, with support for Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. The DSP-W320 Outdoor Wi-Fi Smart Plug has two outlets that you can control independently through the app or compatible voice-control platforms.

The competition

A previous top pick, the Belkin Wemo Insight is still a solid smart plug. Like the Wemo Mini, it’s easy to use and equipped with a lot of smart-home perks, including support for Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (via the Wemo Bridge), Google Assistant, Nest, and IFTTT. Although the Insight adds energy monitoring, the device itself is not as compact as the Wemo Mini (you can’t stack two Insights in a standard double wall receptacle), it typically costs a little more, and it needs the Wemo Bridge to work with HomeKit. Since most people don’t need to monitor the energy use of every lamp and fan, we think the Wemo Mini is more useful overall.

The iDevices Switch is a previous runner-up and still an aesthetic standout thanks to a side outlet and a customizable LED night-light that you can turn on or off remotely and tweak to match your room’s color scheme. In addition, it includes energy monitoring and support for Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, but over long-term use, we’ve experienced a handful of connectivity issues.

The iClever IC-BS08 is almost identical to our previous budget pick, the IC-BS11, except it does not have an integrated night-light. It’s competitively priced and compact, though not as compact as our new pick, and it doesn’t include the energy-monitoring features.

The Aukey SH-PA1 Smart Plug is typically sold in packs of two for around the same price as the Wemo Mini. Each plug is small enough that you can squeeze two onto any wall outlet. The SH-PA1 lacks HomeKit support but works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT, and it features scheduling based on local weather conditions, sunrise and sunset, and more. It worked fine in our testing, but we felt more confident in the Wemo Mini’s long track record of reliability.

TP-Link has three indoor smart plugs, the HS105, HS110, and HS107. The HS105 is a standout because of its size: Also known as the Mini, this model measures 2.61 by 1.49 by 1.57 inches. (The Wemo Mini is slightly larger at 3.8 by 1.4 by 2.4 inches.) The HS110 is bulky but adds energy monitoring so you can track whatever you’ve plugged into it. The HS107 has two outlets that can be controlled individually or monitored for usage via the Kasa app or voice control. None of the models have HomeKit support, but they do work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, Nest, and IFTTT, and allow for schedules, timers, scenes, and an Away mode. This year, the company added the Kasa Smart Outdoor Plug (KP400), which has two outlets that can be independently controlled. It works well but is more expensive and has a smaller operating range than our outdoor pick.

The ConnectSense Smart Outlet2 costs about the same as two standard smart plugs because it has two sockets, both of which can be individually controlled through Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or the ConnectSense iOS/Android apps. It works well, but the app could use some streamlining—as could the actual device. It’s extremely bulky and will cover an entire receptacle.

Geeni has more smart plugs than any other brand on our list, including the Geeni Spot, Geeni Switch + Charge, Geeni Outdoor Smart Plug, Merkury Innovations Smart Plug, Geeni Spot Glo, Geeni Switch Duo, and Geeni Surge. All of them lack HomeKit support, have a basic app, and share the Smart Life Alexa/Google skill with five other companies on our list (so you can’t mix and match them). Otherwise, they worked well, but it should be noted that the outdoor model has a limited operating temperature (14 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit), and the surge protector is more of a smart power strip, with a rating of 460 joules and 800 volts.

The Amazon Smart Plug is the only Alexa-enabled plug that doesn’t require a separate app for control and firmware updates. It has one of the easiest setups, with just a few clicks and without enabling any skills. Once it’s set up though, it doesn’t have anything to make it a true standout. It’s designed to work only with Alexa and do all of the same things every other Alexa-enabled device can do. Also, it doesn’t include any extra features, such as an away mode, countdown timers, or power monitoring.

Leviton’s DW3HL-1BW is specifically designed for dimmable lights. Despite its high price and girth, it does not include energy monitoring. Recently, the company added the DW15P Mini, which looks a little more like our top pick. Although all three don’t include HomeKit support, they are solid plugs that will work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Nest, and IFTTT.

The Jasco myTouchSmart WiFi Smart Plug performed well, but it’s limited to Alexa and Google Assistant. Also, we didn’t love that you’re limited to creating a maximum of five schedules, and there needs to be an on and off for each of those. The outdoor version of the plug was similar, but what really knocked it out of the running is that it costs more than our outdoor pick but has only one outlet.

The Monoprice Stitch has scheduling, energy monitoring, and support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. However, the bulky design confines it to the top socket in a receptacle, and it doesn’t feature as many scheduling options as some of the other entries on our list. Monoprice’s Stitch Wireless Smart Power Strip doesn’t have as many options as others, doesn’t have manual controls for each outlet, and comes with an incredibly short cord (19 inches).

Top Greener released two smart plugs this year. The TGWF115PQM is a smaller model, with the TGWF115APM designed to handle heavy-duty loads up to 15A. The thing is that there are several other models on the list that can do that in a smaller design—and at a cheaper price. Both models were consistent in performance and include energy monitoring but lack options for sunrise and sunset settings and rely on the aforementioned Smart Life skill for use with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The Currant Smart Outlet is a double plug with outlets that can be controlled independently in the app or by voice via Alexa and Google Assistant. It has Bluetooth support for when your Wi-Fi is down and a “learning” feature that will make suggestions in the app on how you can save money, based on your habits and local utility. It also has a reversible backplate, so you can have the outlets on the right or left side of the device. We had some connectivity issues during testing and question the usefulness of some of the extras. Between that and the newness of the company, we want to do some long-term testing on this model before making any recommendations.

Samsung is shutting down ARTIK services as of August 30, 2019, so if you have Legrand’s WWP20 Smart Plug-In Dimmer or the WWP10 Smart Plug-In Switch, you need to create a new Legrand cloud account. None of your settings or schedules should be affected. Otherwise, both models support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but they are more expensive and bulkier than the average smart plug. We also found the app to be more complicated than it should be for a smart plug.

The iHome iSP100 Outdoor Smart Plug has more smart-home possibilities than our main outdoor pick from iClever, with support for Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Nest, and Wink. But we had a handful of connectivity problems during testing, and the iSP100 doesn’t have that second outlet or as wide a range of operating temperatures, making the iClever model the better buy.

The Etekcity Voltson comes in multipacks with a price tag that’s impressive, considering that each one has energy monitoring, scheduling, and the option to create an away mode. It also works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, although we had a handful of connectivity issues and problems with voice commands delivering “clicks” and no actual on/off functionality in about a quarter of our tests.

The Elgato Eve Energy has options for timers, scheduling, energy monitoring, and integration, but it relies on Bluetooth and Apple HomeKit, which means you can control it from outside the house only if you have an Apple TV, a HomePod, or an iPad at home. It also works only with iOS devices, with the latest version of the app restricted to those running iOS 11.3 or later.

The Sylvania Smart+ HomeKit Smart Plug is another Bluetooth/HomeKit exclusive. However, the real dealbreaker on this bulky model was that we experienced several delays and false app readings during our testing. Also, it doesn’t have a separate app for control, which seems like a great idea, until you realize you still need to download the Sylvania Smart Home app so you can manually check for firmware updates.

Like our top pick, the Koogeek P1 Smart Plug works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. It even adds in energy monitoring. During testing, we often had to wait for devices to load in the app, and scheduling is more confusing than it should be. We also had a few connection problems and customer support is nonexistent.

The PureGear PureSwitch similarly works only with Apple HomeKit. It doesn’t have energy monitoring or a built-in USB port, but the high cost, the confusing app, and this model’s spotty connectivity during our testing keeps us from recommending it.

The GE Bluetooth Smart Switch (Plug-In) is a great little option if you’re specifically looking to control devices from within your house, but because it’s a Bluetooth plug, you can’t control it from the office, the beach, or any other remote location. It uses the Avi-on app, which performed fine on both iOS and Android devices for us, and it includes options for timers and scheduling, as well as energy-usage monitoring. But this GE model works only with other devices within the GE/Jasco family.

This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

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Photo: Rozette Rago

After testing 10 routers over 120 hours, we’ve determined that the best router for wirelessly connecting your laptops, your smart devices, and anything else your daily life depends on is the TP-Link Archer A20. It was faster than anything else we tested at both close and long range, it’s reliable, and it shrugs off the stress of handling multiple wireless devices simultaneously.

The TP-Link Archer A20 tri-band 802.11ac router passed all of our performance tests with top marks. If you don’t have a huge or complicated house that needs a mesh-networking kit, the Archer A20 is the best choice to replace an older router or one that doesn’t have the range, speed, or reliability you need now. The Archer A20 has features such as a quad-core processor and band steering over its three channels (two 5 GHz and one 2.4 GHz), which can help you connect your household’s growing collection of wireless devices while avoiding dropped connections and slowdown.

The Synology RT2600ac is a bit pricier than our pick, and it finished our performance tests in a dead heat with the Asus Blue Cave and Asus RT-AC86U for second place. It has a dual-core processor, rather than a quad-core, and it lacks a third wireless radio, which means it may reach its limits earlier than the Archer A20. You can extend the RT2600ac into a mesh network with the add-on Synology MR2200ac router; purchasing a mesh-router kit is often less expensive than buying two separate routers to create a mesh network, though, and many mesh kits have extra features, such as dedicated wireless bands, that help them perform better.

TP Link’s Archer A7 router is relatively inexpensive, and it’s a great choice for small homes or one- or two-bedroom apartments. TP-Link has improved the Archer A7 since we tested it in 2018, adding band steering (here called Smart Connect) and TP-Link OneMesh support via firmware updates. The A7 lacks beamforming and MU-MIMO, two high-end features that can improve speeds but aren’t vitally important, but still performs well at shorter distances. On our toughest test it outperformed two higher-priced competitors, though the Archer A20 and other top performers still beat it overall. It’s typically less than half the price of the Archer A20, and we think it’s the best router you can buy for less than $100.

Why you should trust us

Before joining Wirecutter, Joel Santo Domingo tested and wrote about PCs, networking, and personal tech at PCMag.com, Lifewire, HotHardware, and PC Magazine for more than 17 years. Prior to writing for a living, Joel was an IT tech and system administrator for small, medium-size, and large companies.

Metaphorically, Joel has been a wire cutter for at least two decades: Testing wireless home networking has been a part of his life for the past 20-plus years through all versions of Wi-Fi, back to the wireless phone extension he tacked onto the back of his Apple PowerBook. He did that so he could connect to the Internet from his desk, his couch, and his bed seamlessly (a rarity for the time).

Who this is for

If you’re happy with your Wi-Fi, you don’t need a new router—it’s as simple as that. If you’re having problems with range, speed, or reliability, though, it might be time for an upgrade. An older router that doesn’t support 802.11ac (also known as Wi-Fi 5), has a weak CPU, or lacks Gigabit Ethernet ports can hold you back significantly.

This guide covers standalone Wi-Fi routers. Any of our picks will easily outperform any router you got from your Internet service provider, or any router more than a few years old. These routers are a good fit for apartments or small to medium-size houses with three or four people on the network. If you have more people or a large house—more than 2,300 square feet or more than one floor—you should probably look at our mesh-networking guide instead. A good rule of thumb is that if you’ve considered adding a wireless extender or an extra access point in your house, get a mesh system instead.

What you shouldn’t do is blindly buy either the cheapest router or the most expensive router you can find. Quality doesn’t necessarily scale with price, and a router with a bigger number on it may not actually solve your Wi-Fi problems.

What you need to know about wireless routers in 2019

Photo: Rozette Rago

A typical home network in 2019 doesn’t look like it did a few years ago. Without even getting into the explosion of smart-home devices (everything from smart light bulbs to doorbells to washing machines now expects a decent Wi-Fi connection), most homes these days have two or more personal Wi-Fi devices (phone, laptop, tablet) per person, as well as smart TVs or a streaming media box such as a Roku or an Amazon Fire TV. A busy evening in a typical home could have one person downloading game updates in a bedroom, a second listening to music from a smart speaker, a third watching TV in the living room, and a fourth browsing the Web sitting on the couch—and all of that traffic demands a router that can provide fast performance for lots of devices at once. That development has made us a lot pickier about what routers we accept as the best for the most people, and a lot more interested in features such as band steering and a third wireless band. These features cost more, but they’re worth the expense.

Although all modern routers are at least dual-band—offering one slower but longer-range 2.4 GHz band and one faster but shorter-range 5 GHz band—it’s not easy to take full advantage of both bands. On most cheap (or old) routers, you have to make two separate network names—such as “mynetwork2.4” and “mynetwork5″—and then decide which of your devices should join which network. If you don’t give your networks different names (SSIDs), in practice all your devices end up piling onto one 5 GHz band, and you experience slower speeds, delays, and even dropped connections when several of them are online and busy at the same time.

Band steering—specifically load-balancing band steering—lets you use a single network name for all your Wi-Fi bands and allows the router to decide which devices go on 2.4 GHz and which ones go on 5 GHz based on where they are in your house and how much bandwidth they’re using. Band steering is essential for mesh networks, which have multiple access points and multiple bands to deal with, but the feature is important even in standalone routers, because if you aren’t using all the radios in your router, you aren’t getting all the performance you paid for.

We tested this feature very carefully—unfortunately, some routers that are theoretically capable of band steering merely wind up connecting your devices to the “strongest” signal, cramming everything onto a single 5 GHz band again. Our picks are smarter than that.

Tri-band routers have an extra 5 GHz band in addition to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands of a dual-band router. This third band allows more devices to connect and be busy at once without slowing the network down so much. Load-balancing band steering becomes even more important with tri-band routers—that extra radio won’t do you any good if none of your devices are connected to it. We used to recommend against spending the extra money on a tri-band router, but busier networks with more smart devices in more congested areas can definitely benefit, and the feature doesn’t cost as much as it used to.

All 802.11ac routers come with an AC speed rating meant to tell you how fast the router is, formatted as “AC1900” or “AC2600,” for example. The bad news is that AC speed ratings are really, really bogus. In the real world, AC2300, AC1900, and AC1750 all mean pretty much the same thing: a dual-band router with one 2.4 GHz radio and one 5 GHz radio, each supporting up to three spatial streams—concurrent connections that the router can combine to increase the throughput available to your device, similar to adding lanes to a highway. A rating of AC2600 indicates a dual-band router with four spatial streams each, and a rating of AC3200 means a tri-band router with three spatial streams each.

When you see a router advertised as 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4, those pairs of numbers refer to the number of transmitters and receivers the radio has, with which the router can communicate over the spatial streams. The kicker here is that the phones, laptops, game consoles, and other devices you’re using are almost always 1×1 or 2×2 (so they support either one or two spatial streams, respectively), and the speed of the connection is determined by the device with the fewest spatial streams. A 2×2 laptop wouldn’t get any more throughput from a 4×4 router than it would from a 2×2 router, though it would still get twice as much as a 1×1 laptop.

What about using those extra streams to connect to another device at the same time? For the most part, that’s a no-go. You might have a 2×2 laptop, a 2×2 phone, and a 4×4 router—but unless all three of them support a technology called MU-MIMO, the router can talk to only one of them at once, using only two streams. With MU-MIMO, the router could talk to the phone using two streams and to the laptop using the other two, simultaneously. Right now, routers with MU-MIMO support are common but not ubiquitous; client devices with MU-MIMO are rarer than hen’s teeth. So having MU-MIMO support—and more than three spatial streams—in your router is nice for future compatibility, but it isn’t really a killer feature right now.

In October 2018, the Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry organization responsible for certifying that Wi-Fi devices work together, announced that it was rebranding Wi-Fi 802.11n as “Wi-Fi 4,” 802.11ac as “Wi-Fi 5,” and 802.11ax as “Wi-Fi 6.” We hope the new terminology will help simplify explanations.

The first 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6 routers are available right now. Much as with the current MU-MIMO situation, many of that Wi-Fi version’s best features won’t work properly unless all (or at least most) of the devices within range of the router also support 802.11ax. Support for 802.11ax in most computers, phones, tablets, and smart devices is still rare and will probably stay that way for another year or two—so if you’re in need of a router, go ahead and buy one of our current picks now instead of trying to hold out for 802.11ax.

How we picked

We researched dual- and tri-band routers from each of the major router manufacturers, including Asus, D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, and TP-Link. We also looked for routers from less well-known manufacturers with strong reviews from tech reviewers or potentially interesting features that set them apart.

We considered six criteria:

• Price: You can buy a great router for $150 to $200, and a good one for $80 to $100. Routers priced higher usually add features that aren’t necessary for most homes, such as gaming enhancements, extra Ethernet ports, or 802.11ax support (which most devices can’t use yet). Once you pass $200, especially if you have dead spots in your home’s current Wi-Fi network, you should consider a mesh-networking kit instead.
• Good throughput: You need this on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. If you have a connection, it should be fast enough to download files quickly and stream videos smoothly.
• Good range: This also applies to both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. You should be able to connect to a well-placed router from anywhere in an apartment or a small house.
• Band steering: This feature helps you make use of all available bands. All 802.11ac routers come with at least two wireless radios, and the router should be able to use all of them without requiring you to manually connect your devices to separate networks.
• A fast processor: A router with a speedy processor can handle more connected devices and offer improved performance. No matter how good your radios are, the slow single-core processors found in most cheap routers can still drag things down.
• RAM: Along with a good multi-core processor, 512 MB RAM helps the router deal with multiple clients simultaneously. For budget routers, which typically need to handle fewer devices, 256 MB or even 128 MB is still fine.

Most routers also offer some other features such as VPN connections, USB ports to share printers or external drives, and limited parental filtering. We looked at those, but we didn’t make them the main focus of our testing—we were more concerned about the quality of the Internet access a router provided, because that’s what most people will notice day to day. MU-MIMO is nice for future-proofing but by no means essential. An extra 5 GHz radio (tri-band) is good for people with lots of devices.

In addition, we used customer reviews on Amazon and Newegg, plus professional router reviews and performance rankings from CNET, Dong Knows Tech, PCMag, PCWorld, SmallNetBuilder, and Trusted Reviews, to generate our list of contenders. After identifying everything that met all of our criteria, we thoroughly tested the most promising routers ourselves.

How we tested

Testing for most Wi-Fi router reviews consists mostly of connecting a single device to Wi-Fi at various distances, trying to get the biggest throughput number possible, and declaring the router with the biggest number and the best range the winner, at least in terms of raw performance. The problem with this method is that it assumes that a big number for one device divides evenly into bigger numbers for all devices. This is usually a valid assumption for wired networking, but it doesn’t work well for Wi-Fi.

Instead of testing for the maximum throughput from a single laptop, we used four laptops, spaced around 2,300 square feet of a two-story suburban home, to simulate the real-world activity of a busy home network. Because these tests simulated real-world traffic, they did a better job of modeling real-world performance compared with a tool like iPerf, an artificial testing tool that moves data from one machine to another as fast as possible.

Our four laptops ran the following tests:

• One sat in the downstairs master bedroom and simulated a 4K video streaming session. It tried to download data at up to 30 Mbps, but we were satisfied if it could average 25 Mbps or better, which is what Netflix recommends for 4K.
• The second sat in the garage and simulated a Web-browsing session. Once every 20 seconds or so, it downloaded sixteen 128 KB files simultaneously to simulate loading a modern Web page; ideally pages should load in less than 750 milliseconds.
• The third laptop sat in the living room across the house, simulating a second browsing session. It also downloaded sixteen 128 KB files simultaneously, and on this machine we looked for the same quick load times.
• The last laptop sat in a spare bedroom downstairs at close range and downloaded a very large file. We didn’t care about latency—the amount of time between when the computer made a request and when the router responded to it—for our large file download, but we did want to see an overall throughput of 100 Mbps or better.

We’ve labeled this top-down sketch of our test house with the locations of our router and clients for our latest testing setup. The drawing isn’t perfectly to scale, but it is a close approximation of the various rooms, closets, and walls that our routers’ signals needed to pass through. Click for a full-resolution version. Illustration: Sarah MacReading

We ran all these tests at the same time for a full five minutes to simulate a realistic extra-busy time on a home network. Although your network probably isn’t always that busy, it is that busy often enough—and those busy times are when you’re most likely to get annoyed, so they’re what we were modeling in our tests.

These tests simultaneously evaluated range, throughput, and the router’s ability to multitask. We also made sure to enable each router’s load-balancing band-steering feature, when applicable, to make sure that the routers would properly distribute our client laptops across all available bands to improve performance. We didn’t touch most of the other settings—you should be able to connect to the Wi-Fi and have it work without constantly fiddling with things.

To test the router’s best possible speeds at close range, we placed one of our test laptops approximately 15 feet from the router, with one interior wall (or ceiling) between router and laptop; we also performed a long-distance maximum-throughput test at about 50 feet, with four interior and two exterior walls in the way. We tested throughput using a real HTTP download, the same protocol you use to view websites and download files, to better expose differences in CPU speed and general routing performance.

We used a mix of MU-MIMO–compatible and older 802.11ac USB Wi-Fi adapters to simulate a home network serving different clients. For example, many recent Mac and Windows laptops as well as top-of-the-line phones such as the iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy S10 have MU-MIMO-compliant wireless adapters, while budget smartphones or smart speakers are unlikely to support MU-MIMO.

Because we were testing in the real world, external variables (competing signals, walls, network traffic) affected our results, just as they’re likely to affect yours. The purpose of our testing was not to choose a router that was slightly faster than another; it was to see which routers could deliver consistently strong performance without major issues in real-world conditions.

Our pick: TP-Link Archer A20

Photo: Rozette Rago

The TP-Link Archer A20 is our pick because it was the fastest router we tested with the best range, it’s reasonably priced, and it has features that others lack, such as a quad-core processor and tri-band radios. Those features improve performance by helping the router handle more connections simultaneously, with results that definitely came through in our tests. The TP-Link Archer A20 falls under the $200 sweet spot for standalone routers. Although routers certainly can cost more, we think those models’ extra features (such as optimizations for gaming PCs and 802.11ax compatibility) aren’t worth the extra cash for most folks.

The Archer A20 is a tri-band router, which means it offers two 5 GHz channels for speedy communication at shorter ranges and one 2.4 GHz channel for slower connections at longer range; most routers in this price range offer only one 5 GHz band. The Archer A20 also has a 1.8 GHz Broadcom quad-core processor and 512 MB of RAM to help it deal with the traffic from all your devices. Budget routers like the TP-Link Archer A7 make do with a single-core processor and 128 MB; those specs are certainly sufficient for handling a half-dozen devices in a small apartment, but you need the extra power of a model like the Archer A20 to maintain more simultaneous connections without getting bogged down.

We’ll get into this topic more in the testing section below, but the Archer A20 was the top performer in our multi-client test, which measures how a browsing session is affected by other devices downloading files or streaming videos simultaneously. The Archer A20’s quad-core processor, its 512 MB of RAM, its second 5 GHz wireless band, and its Smart Connect band-steering feature helped it cope with all of our network traffic. We left the router’s configuration as close to out-of-the-box as we could, though we had to enable Smart Connect manually. This chart shows how long our test laptop took to simulate loading a Web page while three other laptops around the house were busy doing other things like downloading files or streaming video.

This test measured how long it took to fetch a Web page, with the X-axis of the chart noting what percentage of requests were fulfilled in that amount of time. A value of 1,000 ms at 50 percent means that half of all requests had one second or less of latency. As you can see, the Archer A20 remained far under the 750 ms threshold throughout our test sequence, just breaking the line only at the 100th percentile. You likely wouldn’t perceive any browsing slowdowns, even while the other clients were hammering the router with streaming, downloading, and other browsing requests. Out of the 10 routers we tested for this guide, the Archer A20 was the fastest and most consistent.

The Archer A20’s band steering was able to keep all our laptops connected to the two 5 GHz bands without slowdowns, even for our long-range clients in the garage and master bedroom. That’s good, because it frees the 2.4 GHz channel for other devices that don’t have 5 GHz radios.

The TP-Link Archer A20’s three radio lights and other status LEDs. Photo: Rozette Rago

The Archer A20 looks like a box with a set of six antennas that swing up out of the router’s body (we tested it with the antennas deployed). It has the usual set of four Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, along with a single marked WAN port that you connect to your cable modem or fiber gateway. It has one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port on the back so you can connect a USB hard drive or SSD for media streaming or file sharing. The router can also act as a Time Machine backup device with external storage.

The Archer A20 has four LAN Ethernet jacks and one WAN Internet jack. A USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.0 port are present for adding storage or other accessories. Photo: Rozette Rago

A feature called link aggregation (aka port bonding) lets you achieve Internet speeds up to 2 gigabits by using two connections at the same time. You can connect the main WAN port and LAN port 1 on the back of the router to a cable modem that also supports link aggregation, such as our upgrade pick, the Motorola MB8600. Although very few ISPs support faster-than-gigabit Internet now, this feature offers a way to future-proof if you know that such speeds are something you’re interested in (though most people don’t need a connection that fast). You can also link two of the Archer A20’s LAN ports together to increase bandwidth for networked storage devices that support link aggregation, such as the Synology DiskStation DS418play. Both situations make more sense if you’re running a business from your home.

With the antennas folded down, the Archer A20 could look like a book on a shelf. Photo: Rozette Rago

The TP-Link Archer A20 comes with a two-year warranty, double the length of the protection that comes with the Netgear R7000P, our previous top pick. Routers usually come with one to three years of coverage, though most manufacturers give you two years.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

When you first set up the Archer A20, its Smart Connect band-steering feature is off by default, and the router gives you three discrete (one 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz) wireless networks instead. It’s a quick fix—you simply have to switch Smart Connect on at the Wireless Settings admin screen to merge the SSIDs and networks—but it’s an extra step that is easy to miss.

Smart Connect is just a toggle away, but you have to set it up manually.

Although the router isn’t very tall (1.5 inches with the antennas stowed), the base is an 8-by-8-inch square, which could be an issue if you are replacing a taller router that didn’t take up so much horizontal desk space. For example, the Synology MR2200ac is a relatively svelte 6 by 7.7 by 2.6 inches (HWD), and the now-discontinued Apple AirPort Extreme was even slimmer at 6.6 by 3.9 by 3.9 inches (HWD).

We recommend installing a whole-home mesh kit if you’re replacing a router and extenders in a larger home, but you can buy a mesh extender for the Synology RT2600ac and TP-Link Archer A7 if you need more coverage (though we haven’t tested those to see how they stack up to actual mesh kits yet). The Archer A20 isn’t compatible with mesh extenders yet, but TP-Link is planning to add OneMesh compatibility in a firmware update. That delay shouldn’t be a problem unless you know you’ll need a mesh network from day one—and in that case we recommend you buy a mesh-networking kit outright.

Runner-up: Synology RT2600ac

Photo: Michael Hession

The Synology RT2600ac router is easy to set up and extremely configurable. It was also speedy on our throughput tests, and it offered excellent performance when serving multiple clients. It’s typically more expensive than the Archer A20, and because it lacks a second 5 GHz radio, it may reach its limits earlier if your household owns a lot of wireless devices or if the 2.4 GHz band in your area is congested, but it still performed well on our tests. You may not be familiar with Synology, but the RT2600ac has been available for a couple of years, and it builds upon the company’s expertise with network-attached storage units and other network devices. The RT2600ac has received good reviews from sites such as Dong Knows Tech, CNET, PCMag, and SmallNetBuilder.

The RT2600ac’s status LEDs. Photo: Michael Hession

This Synology router ended up alongside two other dual-band routers (the Asus Blue Cave and Asus RT-AC86U) at the top of our performance charts. Like the Archer A20, each of these routers was able to handle the traffic our multi-client test generated and to give us a smooth browsing experience. And the Synology was able to keep a strong connection to our long-distance testing site, transferring data at a speedy 166 Mbps throughput (by comparison, the budget TP-Link Archer A7 was able to manage throughput of only 27 Mbps to the garage).

Like most routers, the RT2600ac includes one USB port, one WAN port, and four Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back. Photo: Michael Hession

Smart Connect (aka band steering) worked out of the box, so we didn’t have to search the administration interface to enable it as we did on the TP-Link routers. It chose bands intelligently, shifting the two farthest laptops (in the master bedroom and in the garage) to the 2.4 GHz band automatically during our multi-client tests. When we ran our single-client maximum-throughput test, the client in the garage automatically jumped back onto the 5 GHz channel. If you’re tech savvy, you can tweak the Smart Connect thresholds to determine exactly when clients will connect to the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz channel, but we didn’t need to do that to get good performance during this round of testing.

You can set the RT2600ac to shift wireless devices between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels automatically depending on their signal strength or network usage.

The RT2600ac comes with a 1.7 GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor and 512 MB of RAM. That’s two fewer cores than in the Archer A20’s CPU, but a dual-band router can’t deal with as many clients overall, so the dual-core CPU is fine.

We found setup quick and easy using Synology’s SRM (Synology router management) operating system, which is based on the company’s operating system for NAS boxes. The TP-Link Archer A20’s setup was similar to that of other routers we’ve configured in the past: The process is straightforward when the setup wizard is guiding you, but you can easily get confused when trying to find a specific setting after that initial setup. In contrast, Synology’s SRM looks and reacts like a Windows-based operating system, so you’ll find settings grouped logically. If you have our pick for the best NAS for home users, the Synology DiskStation DS218+, you’re probably familiar with the interface. It runs in a browser tab, and it gives you windowed panes to navigate between settings.

Synology’s wireless settings are all in one place: no “basic” and “advanced” settings here.

The interface gives each function its own window, which helped us focus on the task we needed to do. Once we got used to the interface, it made more sense to look for various wireless-channel settings in the Wi-Fi Connect control panel. Compare that experience with the TP-Link interface, where you have to remember that the SSID and password are available under the Wireless Settings section in the Basic settings pane but that the security level is two levels deep (under Advanced Setup, and then Wireless Settings) in the Advanced settings pane. The windows also let you keep comparable info open at the same time, so you can check how a setting change affects your clients’ connections without having to slog back through more tabs and menus.

Other advanced features include easy-to-set-up dual WAN failover protection. That is, if your main ISP connection goes down, you can plug your smartphone or a USB 4G modem into the router, and it will use the mobile Internet connection as a backup. Or you can connect a second cable modem or DSL line to LAN port 1, and if the main Internet connection goes down, the router will automatically switch to the backup (and back again to the main line once it’s up).

Setting up a second Internet connection and checking its status is easy—just look at the graphical interface.

The RT2600ac can act as a base station for one or more Synology MR2200ac routers acting as wired or wireless mesh extenders. Although these can extend an existing network to underserved parts of your house after you purchase a standalone router, we still recommend buying a tri-band mesh router kit if you know you will need to cover a large area or have indoor obstacles that block Wi-Fi, such as masonry.

Like the TP-Link routers, the Synology RT2600ac comes with a two-year warranty.

Budget pick: TP-Link Archer A7

Photo: Michael Hession

The TP-Link Archer A7 prompted us to reverse our past theory that you have to forgo vital features to find a router for under $100. While the top picks in this guide outperformed the Archer A7 overall, tested alongside our contenders the Archer A7 held its own and surpassed several routers costing double the price or more.

The Archer A7’s activity LEDs. Photo: Michael Hession

A recent firmware upgrade added band steering (Smart Connect) to the Archer A7, along with OneMesh support. The latter will extend your network with the help of add-on routers or mesh Wi-Fi extenders, but Smart Connect is the more significant upgrade since it will automatically assign devices to the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz wireless band based on which one will deliver better performance. We don’t think the A7 would be as robust as the tri-band Archer A20 for a larger home with dozens of devices—it has one fewer wireless radio, less RAM, and a weaker processor—but this router is certainly sufficient for a starter home or an apartment with fewer smartphones and PCs.

The Archer A7 includes the typical WAN port and four Gigabit Ethernet ports, though its USB port is limited to USB 2.0 speeds. Photo: Michael Hession

The Archer A7 has a 750 MHz single-core Qualcomm processor and 128 MB of RAM, which fall pretty far short of the quad-core processor and 512 MB of RAM in the Archer A20, but its performance in our tests certainly showed that it is a capable router.

During our testing, the Archer A7 connected the long-range client in the garage on the 2.4 GHz channel while retaining the others on the 5 GHz channel, economically splitting the load so that the download and 4K streams didn’t interfere with the two clients browsing the Web. The budget CPU and low memory showed their limitations when the measurements were in the 95th to 99th percentile. This test result is a pretty good indicator of what living with this router would be like in real life: One of every 20 or so page loads will be noticeably slower than average, in this case taking a little over one and a half seconds to three seconds. That’s longer than the 0.42–second result we observed at the 95th percentile for the Archer A20—but the Archer A7 is less than half the price.

Tested throughput at close range in the spare bedroom was pretty good, and this model ran neck and neck with the Linksys MR8300 and the Synology MR2200ac. Throughput at longer range in the garage was quite a bit lower due to the 2.4 GHz connection. That said, the garage client was still able to view a 4K video stream smoothly.

The Archer A7’s interface is very similar to that of the Archer A20, though it has only one 5 GHz band.

The Archer A7 is compatible with TP-Link’s OneMesh routers and mesh extenders. You can use the latter to quickly connect dead zones in your home. However, since it uses the same wireless radios as every other device on your network, it’s not as adaptable as a mesh-networking kit that lets you use either wired backhaul or dedicated wireless radios. That said, it’s notable that you even have that option in a budget router. We’re planning on testing TP-Link’s OneMesh alongside dedicated mesh-networking kits in our next update.

The Archer A7 also comes with a two-year warranty, on a par with the coverage for the Archer A20 and Synology RT2600ac.

An overview of the test results

The TP-Link Archer A20 was our most robust and consistent router when we stress-tested with multiple clients simultaneously. The other top performers came very close to the Archer A20, up until the 90th to 95th percentile.

What this graph shows is how many milliseconds it took to simulate loading a Web page during our multi-client tests. On the left side of the graph is the 50th-percentile result—the result in the middle of the range. We also took a sample at the 75th, 90th, 95th, and 100th percentile—the last being the worst results we got from each device. Keep in mind that while the laptop in this test was loading Web pages, three others were (simulating) downloading a big file, streaming 4K video, and browsing a second website—this was a busy little network, at a busy time.

Although the TP-Link Archer A20 was the clear winner, the Synology RT2600ac, Asus RT-AC86U, and TP-Link Archer A10 were effectively in lockstep. They provided a smooth browsing experience up to the 95th percentile; this means one of every 20 or so page loads will be noticeably slower than average. But even then, the hiccup will last only about a second, barely enough time for you to react and start wondering if there is a problem.

The other half of the group told a different story. The Asus Blue Cave and the Netgear R7000P, our former top pick, as well as the TP-Link Archer A7, our budget pick, did all right up until the 75th percentile but showed a bit more of a spike after the 90th percentile (though still sticking under the 2,000 ms threshold, where things would really go off the rails).

Disappointing results were especially noticeable for the Linksys MR8300 and the D-Link DIR-2680: The MR8300 started off on shaky ground and rapidly moved into poor performance after the 75th percentile, while the DIR-2680 began in poor territory and just went off the charts after that. The MR8300 band-steered all four of our clients to its 5 GHz radio rather than splitting them between bands, and its single-client throughput tests (explained below) demonstrated poor performance at long distance. The Synology MR2200ac coped better on the test by shifting the browsing client to its 2.4 GHz radio, but its long-range throughput was the slowest of anything we tested—if one device on your network is struggling to communicate with the router, it can drag down the performance of everything else. The results we got from these routers illustrate why we use multi-client tests for our router guides—if you were to go by only the single-device close-range throughput numbers below, you might think the DIR-2680 was a decent performer. However, our browsing-latency test shows that in a worst-case scenario—when lots of household members are actively using your Wi-Fi at the same time—the DIR-2680 will show you a dreaded spinning pinwheel more often than the other routers here.

This is a stacked bar graph of the mean latency results from each of our four test clients—adding all those numbers together gives you an idea of how each router might perform when lots of devices on your network are busy. Latency measures how long it takes your inputs to reach the other end of the connection—the time between your clicking a link and the page loading. Unresponsive Web browsing is the first thing most people notice going wrong, so we’ve sorted our results by the length of that bar here.

The TP-Link Archer A20 was clearly the winner in this test, with the Synology RT2600ac, Asus RT-AC86U, and Asus Blue Cave stacked in a group below that. Surprisingly, the TP-Link Archer A7 came next, outpacing multiple more-expensive routers, followed by the Netgear R7000P, our pick in the previous version of this guide. Again coming in last place, the D-Link DIR-2680 labored during our multi-client tests.

We checked how each router performed at short range to the spare bedroom and at long range to the garage by beaming a large file repeatedly to our clients on their own. The majority of the routers were able to top 200 Mbps at close distances, with the best-performing routers pushing 230 Mbps. Only a couple of stragglers (the TP-Link Archer A7 and the Linksys MR8300) fell a bit behind at 180 Mbps, which is still a speedy throughput score.

At long distance, half of the routers kept our garage client on the 5 GHz channel, and the other half switched it to the slower but longer-range 2.4 GHz channel. Most but not all of the routers that switched to 5 GHz stayed above 166 Mbps, while the top three kept a 200 Mbps throughput measurement. The Linksys MR8300 stayed on 5 GHz but was able to download at only 59 Mbps. One nice thing to report is that all of our competitors were able to download at 25 Mbps or better at long range. According to Netflix, 25 Mbps is the minimum comfortable throughput threshold for 4K video.

Router setup and network maintenance

Regardless of the router you’re using, you need to do a few things to maintain a secure, reliable wireless connection:

• To access your router’s Web-based configuration screen, don’t use any domain names that your router’s manufacturer may have provided as a shortcut—such domain names have been known to get hijacked and can open you up to attack. Instead, connect a desktop or laptop to the router (wired or wireless), open a Web browser, and type in the router’s IP address; here’s how to find it.
• As soon as you set up your router, change its administrator password.
• Use WPA2-PSK (AES) encryption for the best speed and security on your Wi-Fi networks. (Use your router’s mixed-mode setting—AES and TKIP—only if you have older devices that don’t support WPA2.) WPA3 is a newer security standard that purports to be more secure, but very few WPA3-compatible routers and devices are available so far. WPA3 is backward-compatible with WPA2, so you’re fine if your router has it.
• Immediately check for any available firmware updates for your router, and recheck every few months. Updating will help ensure that you get the best performance, security, and reliability. Our picks (the TP-Link Archer A20, Synology RT2600ac, and TP-Link Archer A7) will alert you to new firmware updates when you open the Web-based administration page, but you usually have to open that page regularly to check. If you’re interested in some straightforward steps you can take to make your router more secure, we like this guide by SwiftOnSecurity.
• Try to place your router in a central location in your home. Don’t stash it next to a bunch of other electronics, and don’t just shove it somewhere in the basement. Don’t waste your time wiggling the antennas around—they’re omnidirectional. You can’t get more than a 1 or 2 dBM gain—or loss—from a different antenna position, and that isn’t enough to fix any problems you might be having.
• Don’t just connect everything to your 5 GHz radio “because it’s faster.” Yes, 5 GHz is faster than 2.4 GHz—at short range, at least. But the more devices you’ve got crammed onto a single radio, the more problems you’ll encounter. Note that tri-band routers have two 5 GHz radios. You can connect critical devices such as a streaming set-top box or a gaming PC to its own 5 GHz radio manually. If you don’t have or aren’t using band steering, be sure to manually connect your devices to all the bands your router offers.
• To optimize your network, grab an app such as Wi-Fi Analytics (PC/Android), WiFiAnalyzer (Android, open source) or WiFi Explorer (Mac) to make sure you’ve configured your Wi-Fi networks correctly. See whether competing wireless networks are present on channels 1, 6, and 11 on the 2.4 GHz band, or if any other Wi-Fi networks are on the 5 GHz band. If you’re having frequent problems with lots of signal bars but slow speeds, try changing to a different Wi-Fi channel—but don’t get too hung up on which channel seems to have the most networks visible. Active Wi-Fi use is what causes congestion: One neighbor network with kids home and playing all day might give you more trouble than three neighbor networks with little or no activity.
• If your laptop is having issues connecting to your router, make sure that you have the latest drivers for your laptop’s Wi-Fi card. You can usually find these on your laptop manufacturer’s website, but the Wi-Fi card’s manufacturer might have more-recent drivers. We encountered this issue once during our previous testing: One of our laptops, an Acer, would connect to a router’s wireless-ac network but drop the speeds to almost nothing. When we updated our Acer laptop with Wi-Fi drivers straight from Intel, which were newer than the ones Acer offered, our problem went away.

What to look forward to

Netgear has introduced a new gaming router, the Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR300, which is available for $200. It’s an 802.11ac router with four Gigabit Ethernet ports, a dual-core 1 GHz processor, and dual-band Wi-Fi. We skipped it this go-around because it doesn’t yet support band steering (Smart Connect). We’ll likely test it in our next update once that issue has been resolved.

Netgear also released a new 802.11ax router, the Nighthawk AX4 RAX40. It’s a dual-band router with four Ethernet ports and an 800 MHz Intel dual-core processor. It’s priced around $200, and like the XR300 it doesn’t support band steering right now—when (and if) it does, we’ll take a look.

D-Link released a set of 802.11ac Exo-branded routers and Wi-Fi mesh extenders at the CES 2019 trade show. They weren’t available during our test period for this guide, but we’ll look out for them for our next standalone Wi-Fi router and Wi-Fi extender guide updates.

THE COMPETITION

Our previous pick: Netgear R7000P Nighthawk

The Netgear R7000P Nighthawk was our pick during the last iteration of this guide, but its ranking has dropped a few notches. Its performance put it in the middle of the pack compared with the new routers we tested, and it has a shorter (one-year) warranty. The Archer A20’s price is usually $10 to $20 higher than that of the R7000P, but we’d pick the Archer A20 for its extra performance, two-year warranty, and future-proofing features like link aggregation.

Everything else

TP-Link sells a variant of the Archer A20 called the Archer C4000. The company confirmed to us that the hardware was “almost identical” but that “the available firmware features on each model may vary.” Most people should stick with the Archer A20, since we haven’t tested the C4000.

The Asus RT-AC86U and TP-Link Archer A10 were notable competitors; they matched the Synology RT2600ac in performance so closely that you’d have to take a magnifying glass to the graphs of their results to see the difference. All three trailed the Archer A20 in speed and tri-band support, but we enjoyed the RT2600ac’s ease of use, its admin interface, and its advanced features, such as the ability to tweak its band steering; these factors pushed the RT2600ac ahead of both the RT-AC86U and Archer A10.

The Asus Blue Cave showed promise because of its design, AiMesh compatibility, and good reviews. It performed just as well as the Netgear R7000P and TP-Link Archer A7, landing in the middle of the pack, but it didn’t distinguish itself beyond its easy-to-live-with exterior and middling price.

You can configure the Synology MR2200ac as a standalone router, but this model is more notable because you can use it as a mesh extender along with the RT2600ac. The MR2200ac has only one Ethernet port, though you can use it to extend a wired network. It uses the same excellent Synology SRM router OS as the RT2600ac, too. However, it finished in the bottom tier of our performance tests. We’re definitely going to look at the MR2200ac again when we update our mesh-networking and Wi-Fi extender guides, but we suggest skipping it as a standalone router.

The Linksys MR8300 and D-Link DIR-2680 wound up at the bottom of our performance charts. Both suffered lower throughput in our long-range tests, and both were less able to handle the browsing traffic when all four of our clients were tagging the router at the same time. The MR8300 is notable for being compatible with Linksys’s Velop mesh system and for using a mobile app as its primary interface. The DIR-2680 has internal antennas, which make it look less like a robot, and it includes McAfee-branded Internet security, but ultimately it trailed the other models here on our tests.

We considered routers from Motorola, specifically the MR1900, MR1700, and MR2600. The MR1900 will be discontinued soon, while the latter two routers lack band steering and are both more expensive than the TP-Link Archer A7.

We also thought about the TP-Link Archer A5 and Archer A6, since both rank among the least expensive 802.11ac routers with a typical price tag under $50. However, both also lack band steering, which is available in enough inexpensive routers now that we consider the feature to be a must-have.

Previously tested

We tested 14 standalone wireless routers for previous iterations of our guide. Most of these routers are still available, though some have been replaced by newer models; we didn’t retest these routers in 2019, but we stand by our dismissals.

The TP-Link Archer C7 was our main pick for several years due to a combination of an extremely low price, a long range, and high throughput. Our new budget pick, the Archer A7, is the continuation of the C7 line under a new name. The C7 does a good job within its limitations, but more modern routers outperform it, particularly if you don’t want to manage multiple network names.

The Asus RT-AC3200 is a tri-band router at a flagship dual-band router price, with great range and coverage plus really good device- and traffic-analysis capabilities in its UI. Unfortunately, its band steering was broken when we first tested it, and it’s still broken; it claims to steer across all three bands, but in our testing it never once connected a device on 2.4 GHz.

Netgear’s R7800 is an older model that doesn’t support band steering.

TP-Link’s Archer C5400 is a tri-band router offering MU-MIMO support and 4×4 radios. Unfortunately, what it doesn’t offer is band steering, which makes those three radios inconvenient to use. The C5400 also had lackluster long-range 5 GHz performance in our tests.

Netgear’s R6700 was updated to the R6700v2 in early 2017, but it’s not the upgrade you might expect. The revised version has a MIPS CPU instead of the older model’s more-powerful ARM processor, and the R6700v2’s MediaTek radios are tweaky and unreliable.

Apple officially discontinued the AirPort Extreme in spring 2018. When this device was current, it was a decent but not great home router; now that it’s unsupported, we don’t think it’s worth buying at any price.

The Amped Wireless Titan offers really good short-range 5 GHz performance. However, in our tests its longer-range 5 GHz performance was quite poor, and its 2.4 GHz performance was mediocre; it also lacks band steering.

Linksys’s EA8300 is a tri-band router with band steering. When we tested the EA8300 in 2017, its version of band steering crammed all of our devices onto the first 5 GHz radio, as though the router had no band steering at all.

The Securifi Almond+ was easy to set up from its built-in touchscreen. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi performance from the Almond+ was mediocre at best and particularly underwhelming at long range.

The TP-Link Archer C9 performed poorly on our tests. The C9 also suffers from a weird, awkward standing-on-end design, and TP-Link sells five separate hardware revisions, making it hard to tell what you’re going to get (or how long the company will support it, if you buy one).

We thought the D-Link DIR-878 dual-band router showed potential with MU-MIMO support, band steering, and beamforming. Like the Netgear R6700v2, however, it uses MediaTek radios, and so far we haven’t seen anything with a MediaTek Wi-Fi chipset that performs reliably.

D-Link’s DIR-867 is a lower-cost version of the DIR-878. Under the hood, it uses the exact same CPU and Wi-Fi chipsets as its larger counterpart, but—oddly—it tends to perform slightly better. “Better” isn’t the same thing as “well,” though, and we cannot recommend either router.

The Ignition Labs Portal makes bold claims about performing leaps and bounds better than competing routers by making use of restricted DFS frequencies. The theory is, if your environment is swamped with lots of devices, using other frequencies will bypass congestion and make your experience better. Unfortunately, those frequencies are restricted for a reason: They’re used by military radar, air-traffic controllers, and similar high-priority devices. Even though it’s legal to use those frequencies in civilian devices, you have to respect those “big boy” devices’ priority and cease transmission entirely if you can sniff even a hint of them in operation. This limitation led to very poor results for the Portal in our testing.

The less said about D-Link’s DIR-842, the better. The DIR-842 was completely unable to connect to our test clients at long range. Its throughput was also poor at our short-range test site.

Jim Salter contributed to previous versions of this article.

This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

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Those who want a more substantial upgrade can pay $130 for the AX3000 (below). It boosts the peak speed to 2.4Gbps (574Mbps on 2.4GHz) and adds a USB port for your sharing needs. There’s also a slight computational boost through a leap to an unspecified Intel dual-core chip.

Both routers will reach Walmart sometime next week. You can certainly find more powerful WiFi 6 routers, and those might be better if you’re transferring large files or have a busy household with multiple people hopping online. However, that’s not really the point here. These are more entry points into WiFi 6 for those who want compatible gear but aren’t particularly demanding.

Motorola Moto G7

Street price: $240; deal price: $200

Available for $2oo from $240, this is still a nice drop on a very affordable Android phone. We like the Motorola Moto G7 as a cost-effective, well-rounded option that conveniently works with all major networks – If you’re a Sprint or Verizon user on a budget, this phone could be a good fit. This model includes pre-loaded Amazon apps.

The Motorola Moto G7 is the runner-up pick in our guide to the best budget Android phones. Ryan Whitwam wrote, “The Motorola Moto G7 puts a big display in a phone that’s still comfortable to hold, and it works on all major US carriers, including Sprint and Verizon. Motorola’s version of Android is clean and fast, but Motorola’s updates are slow to arrive when they arrive at all. The glass and plastic body is also more fragile than the Nokia 6.1’s all-aluminum frame. It’s currently priced at $300, much higher than the Nokia 6.1, but it’s not any faster and it lacks NFC for contactless payments.”

iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 Dash & Windshield Mount

Street price: $25; deal price: $20

Matching the previous all-time low we’ve seen for this dash and windshield mount, the iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 is back down to $20. Unlikely to drop lower anytime soon, this deal is a good chance to pick up a reliable car phone mount. Like the other mounts in iOttie’s iTap magnetic line, this model includes a paper-thin magnet to affix to your phone or interior of your phone case that allows the phone to secure to the mount portion of this device.

We consider the iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 Dash & Windshield mount to be the best dash-mounted or windshield-mounted model available, making it the top pick in our guide to the best car phone mount. Wirecutter Associate Staff Writer Thom Dunn and Wirecutter Senior Staff Writer Nick Guy wrote, “The iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 gives you the best combination of convenience, phone security, and flexibility for holding your phone in a vehicle and providing easy access. The iTap Magnetic 2 is available with three different bases: a dashboard/windshield mount, vent mount, and a CD-slot mount, which means that everyone should be able to find a model that works with their specific car and seating setup.”

Nekteck 5-Port 111W USB Wall Charger

Street price: $50; deal price: $43

Discounted to $43, this is a nice drop on this powerhouse USB wall charger with a USB-C port capable of charging a 15-inch MacBook Pro or Nintendo Switch. This drop is the first deal we’ve posted on this wall charger, making it a good chance to pick one up if you’re interested. With an 87W USB-C and 4 12W USB-A ports, you can charge a laptop, a tablet, and even your phone from the same outlet.

Our pick for desktop charging stations, we like the Nekteck 5-Port 111W USB Wall Charger for those looking for a charger capable of charging multiple devices at your desk in our guide to the best USB-C Macbook and laptop chargers. Wirecutter Senior Staff Writer Nick Guy wrote, “Nekteck’s 5-Port 111W USB Wall Charger can handle powering a 15-inch MacBook Pro at full speed, plus it has four USB-A ports for charging phones, e-readers, Bluetooth headphones, or anything else you keep at your desk. It is USB-IF certified and still costs far less than Apple’s standalone 87W USB-C Power Adapter, which offers just a single charging port.”

TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch HS200 3-Pack

Street price: $80; deal price: $60 with on-page coupon

Clip the on-page coupon to bring this 3-pack down to $60, a solid discount on our recommended smart switches. This deal matches the best price-per-switch we’ve seen in the past, so if you’re looking to enter the smart switch game, this multi-pack is a great start. These smart switches offer timers, an away mode, and integration with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana, IFTTT, and Nest.

As our budget pick in our guide to the best in-wall smart light switch and dimmer, the TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch HS200 gets the job done with a simple app. Wirecutter Staff Writer Rachel Cericola wrote, “Like our runner-up, the TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch HS200 needs a neutral wire, but it’s a reliable, single-pole switch with all of the standard features, including remote control and scheduling. It also offers timers, an away mode, and integration with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana, IFTTT, and Nest.”

Because great deals don’t just happen on Thursday, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday. Also, deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go here.

GRILL ALL THE THINGS

If you’re having friends over, a good host always provides some eats. And when it comes to entertaining in the backyard, that usually involves a grill. There’s a literal truckload of options to choose from, and you can snag a solid setup for under $100 if you’re on a budget. However, if you’re looking to impress with your grill game, these selections should do just that.

Traeger Ironwood 650

Traeger got a head start on barbecue season back in the spring when it introduced three new WiFi-enabled pellet grills. The Ironwood Series is the middle ground between the more affordable Pro Series and the pricier (and more equipped) Timberline range. Though the Timberline has some extra features, they aren’t essential for most people, and you can cook some insane food without them — while saving a few hundred dollars in the process. (More money for brisket!) These grills aren’t just for smoking either. With a temperature range up to 500 degrees, you can use them as your regular grill for burgers, brats or even pizza. You can even bake dessert on these things.

Most importantly, the Ironwood Series offers Traeger’s so-called Wi-Fire technology which allows you to monitor and control your grill remotely over WiFi. For low-and-slow barbecue cooks that take 8-to-12 hours, this is a game changer. The app also houses a wealth of recipes, which you can send to the grill in a few taps. With its latest models, Traeger introduced a D2 Direct Drive system that powers the grill. The tech offers features like Turbo Temp that make the machines run more efficiently, come to temperature quickly and recover faster when you open the lid to check on things.

I’m still using the Ironwood 650 months after my review and it continues to be a barbecue workhorse. If you need more room to work, the Ironwood 885 gives you more grill space for an additional $200.

Buy Ironwood 650 – $1,200

Weber iGrill Mini

I get it: A lot of you probably already have a grill you like. However, I’ve found that Weber’s iGrill Mini is a revelation for cooking to the proper temperature consistently. Sure, you can use an instant-read thermometer, but that requires repeatedly poking your food, and even then it can be hard to know when to check based on the outside. With the iGrill Mini, you set a probe at the beginning and that’s it. No poking, and no guesswork.

Select your type of meat, specific cut and desired temperature/doneness in the Weber app. The software and iGrill Mini does the rest. Like the iGrill 3, the app alerts you when your food is nearly ready so you can pull it off at the perfect moment. I used to overcook steaks all the time; I was truly terrible at it. I’ve been using the iGrill Mini for a few years now, and I haven’t cooked a New York strip past medium since. I’ve also used it a lot for low-and-slow cooks like pork shoulders, and it does very well for longer smoke sessions too. The Mini only has one probe though, so if you need more, you’ll have to splurge for another iGrill model.

Buy iGrill Mini on Amazon – $25

HOLD MY BEER

It’s summertime. It’s, as the kids say, hot AF. You’re going to need a drink while you’re enjoying the backyard. These selections will keep the liquids cool while you imbibe so you aren’t running to the fridge every 10 minutes for a refill.

Otterbox Venture 45 Cooler

An Otterbox… cooler? Yep! The company that protects your phone from drops and general damage is in the cooler game, taking on the likes of Coleman and Yeti. With its Venture coolers, the company promises up to 14 days of ice retention — four days more than the popular Yeti claims. Just to be thorough, I put that rating to the test with a Venture 45 full of ice in my shaded, but non-air-conditioned, garage. In the end, there was still ice in this thing six days later, and that’s after nearly a week of outside temps in the low-to-mid 90s. I’m confident the 14-day rating would be not problem with milder ambient temps.

Otterbox also offers a range of accessories for the Venture 45 to help you make the most of it. A pricey set of wheels ($249.99) will keep you from having to carry a heavy load. There’s also a side table, drybox and separator options you can tack on as additional purchases. The Venture 45 comes with a bottle opener and dry storage tray, so you do get some useful items without handing over more cash.

Buy Venture 45 Cooler on – $300

Miir Howler/Growler (32 or 64oz)

Most breweries (and bottle shops with draft) fill growlers, and a stainless steel option not only cuts down on waste, but it will also keep your beer cold for a while. My go-to is the Miir Howler. It’s a 32-ounce growler that’s double-wall vacuum-insulated to keep your cold liquids cold and your hot ones hot. I like the smaller size because it’s easier to carry, and I rarely have a need for 64 ounces of beer (in one container). In addition to having beer for a small get-together, this is super easy to take along to someone else’s house as needed. If you do need more capacity, Miir does makes a 64-ounce version for $49.

I’ve been using one of these for several months now, for both beer and as a water bottle for outdoor activities. It does a good job of keeping things cold for a few hours, and most importantly, it does so without a cooler or ice. Even during a day in the sun when temps were in the high 80s, the Howler retained ice and kept water cold enough to be effective at cooling me down.

Buy Miir Growlers on Amazon – $42.95+

MUSIC

At the very least, backyard entertainment must include some tunes. Sure, you could drag your indoor setup out on the deck, but there are plenty of options that are much more durable, and that don’t require risking your everyday gear. Plus, you won’t need to stay in WiFi range in order to keep the music going without a cable. And these are a lot more portable.

Denon Envaya Pocket

This Bluetooth speaker is small enough you can take it on nearly every outdoor adventure, even if you’re only headed out back. The Denon Envaya Pocket DSB-50BT is a solid alternative to the UE Boom series we also really like, and it has some similar features. Most notably, you can pair two of them together for stereo sound. The Envaya Pocket is also IP67-rated dust- and waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about breaking it when it meets the elements.

Denon promises up to 10 hours of battery life, which will last well after your guests have worn out their welcome. There’s a 3.5mm audio jack should you need it and on-board controls if you leave your phone elsewhere. A battery indicator lets you know about how much juice you have left and a built-in mic gives you access to Siri without having to reach for your iPhone. Sadly, you will still have to reach for the speaker.

Buy Denon Envaya Pocket on Amazon – $99

DemerBox DB2

There are rugged speakers, and then there’s the DemerBox DB2. This audio accessory looks like a Pelican protective case (and it even doubles as one too). Speaking of dry, the DB2 comes with a port plug that makes it fully waterproof. This means your phone, keys, wallet and more can stay safe when you’re at the pool or beach — in addition to any cookout when there’s a threat of rain.

The DB2 lasts over 40 hours between charges, which makes it a solid option for a weekend of camping, on top of being a great backyard companion. The speaker can blast tunes via Bluetooth or wired with a 3.5mm aux cable. And if you decide to store your phone inside, there’s a volume control on the outside so you don’t have to pop the DemerBox open to make an adjustment. You can also pair up to six of these together, if one isn’t loud enough (it probably is!).

Buy DemerBox – $279+

FUN & GAMES

Spending time in the backyard usually involves more than just food and drink. You’re going to need something to pass the time while the burgers cook or a post-dinner activity so you can properly relax. We’ve got you covered for both.

Spikeball Kit

Cornhole and ladder golf are fun, but it’s time to change it up. Spikeball is all the rage these days, and rightfully so. It’s great for the backyard and beyond, and it’s way more entertaining than tossing some bean bags. This standard kit is for 2-on-2 play, so it’s perfect for a small group or rotating teams at a larger gathering.

If you’re unfamiliar, in Spikeball, your team (pair, in this case) has three touches to return a serve or play by spiking the ball on the net. There’s no set position once the ball is served, so you can move around however you need to in order to keep things going. When the ball hits the rim or ground, bounces more than once or you fail to spike in three touches, the opposing team gets a point. What I like most about it is, kind of like volleyball, you can get as competitive or casual as you want. If you want to keep things chill you can, but if you want to go hard, you can certainly do that too.

Buy Spikeball on Amazon – $60

Epson Home Cinema 2100 projector

When the weather is nice after dark, an outdoor projector will help you enjoy being in the backyard without missing the big game or a good opportunity for a movie. Epson’s Home Cinema 2100 is well-equipped for just that, offering 2500 lumens of brightness and 1080p resolution. In fact, you can expect full HD resolution at a distance of up to 11 feet. That’s a 132-inch diagonal picture.

The projector has two HDMI ports for connecting whatever device you want to play or stream from, which includes a Chromecast, Roku or Apple TV (if you’re close enough to your router to get good WiFi signal). There is a built-in speaker, but you’ll probably want to use the stereo mini output to hook this up to something that will provide better (and louder) sound. And if you’d prefer to use a computer, there’s a VGA connection as well — projectors are also used for work, after all.

You’ll still need a screen or sheet to project onto, but this is the biggest piece of gear you’ll need for an outdoor cinema when the sun goes down.

Buy Epson Home Cinema 2100 on Amazon – $667

SET THE MOOD

The party doesn’t stop when the sun goes down, so you need a lighting solution that looks good but can also be controlled as part of your smart-home setup. Options for connected outdoor lights are lacking without a second piece of gear, but we’ve got the best options for something that looks good and won’t break the bank.

Brightown Edison String Lights

There are seemingly endless options for outdoor string lights, literally in all shapes and sizes. The Edison bulbs will likely work well in most backyards. They don’t look as cheap as some of the others, and they’re not crazy expensive. Brightown is a company I came across on Amazon, mostly due to the reviews. And while some items you find that way can be duds, these lights hold up well.

Buy Edison String Lights on Amazon – $44

TP-Link Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug

Connectivity isn’t a standard feature for outdoor string lights, so you’ll need some type of smart plug to do the job. TP-Link’s Kasa Outdoor Plug offers WiFi connectivity so you can control the ambiance without having to step outside and physically plug the things in. It has two outlets, both of which are IP64-rated against dust and water splashes — plus there are caps to keep them covered when not in use.

This Kasa plug works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Cortana, so you can control your outdoor lights with your voice as well. There’s a companion app from TP-Link too, which enables grouping with other smart devices and more. Of course, you can use this smart plug with other items besides string lights, which makes it a solid purchase for your backyard whether you need illumination or not.

Buy Kasa Smart Plug on Amazon – $33

Why you should trust us

Before joining Wirecutter, Joel Santo Domingo tested and wrote about PCs, networking products, and personal tech at PCMag.com and PC Magazine for more than 17 years. Prior to writing for a living, Joel was an IT tech and system administrator for small, medium, and large companies.

Testing wireless home networking has been a part of Joel’s life for the past 20-odd years through all versions of Wi-Fi, back to the wireless phone extension he tacked on the back of his Apple PowerBook. He did this so he could dial in to the Internet from his desk, his couch, andhis bed (a rarity for the late 1990s).

Who this is for

If your PC came with built-in Wi-Fi, most folks will be happy without buying an external dongle; usually the computer will feel slow and become obsolete before the Wi-Fi radio does. But for desktop PCs without built-in Wi-Fi, a USB Wi-Fi adapter takes seconds to install and set up, no screwdrivers needed. It’s a lot easier than the alternatives—installing an internal Wi-Fi network card or running Ethernet cable through your home.

Though they’re mainly useful for desktops, USB Wi-Fi adapters are also a way to upgrade an older laptop to 802.11ac or replace an internal card that’s no longer working without opening up your laptop. There are also limited cases when your laptop’s internal antennas are just awful. In those cases, an external Wi-Fi adapter can make a weak connection usable.

How we picked

Photo: Rozette Rago

We looked for 802.11ac (also known as Wi-Fi 5) USB Wi-Fi adapters from the major manufacturers as well as others that appeared often in online searches and on shopping sites. We immediately disqualified 802.11n-only adapters, as that standard is almost 10 years old.

We chose each adapter using the following criteria:

• Good throughput: Think of the tasks you do the most where you’re waiting and watching a spinning pinwheel. You need throughput to download updates and stream videos at the quality you’re paying for. We started by looking at each adapter’s AC rating: while those numbers are generally pretty misleading, they do tell you each adapter’s maximum theoretical throughput. For example, an AC1200 adapter is rated to provide 300 Mbps (megabits per second) on the 2.4 GHz band and 867 Mbps on the 5 GHz bands, but no adapter can achieve that. We tested each adapter to see how it could do in a real home. Our test measures in megabytes per second (MB/s), and 12 MB/s translates into 96 Mbps, which is about as fast as the average broadband Internet connection, so we looked for that threshold on our tests.
• Good range: A good Wi-Fi adapter should be able to maintain a strong connection and reasonably quick file transfer speeds even when it’s several rooms away from your router.
• Good price: This factor is very important—you shouldn’t have to pay more than $35-$65 for a USB adapter. Paying more doesn’t necessarily mean better performance; the pricier adapters didn’t win all of our tests. If you’re paying more, you might as well consider upgrading your standalone router, running an Ethernet cable to the PC, or installing a new mesh network in your home.
• Good compact case and sturdy build quality: Both will help you enjoy using your USB adapter. Smaller adapters won’t snag on cords or pop loose if inadvertently catch them on your arm, but they tend to have smaller antennas and weaker radios.
• Beamforming and MU-MIMO: As the number of Wi-Fi devices grow, router and adapter manufacturers have to come up with ways to compensate for all those signals crossing through your living space. Beamforming aims the Wi-Fi signal to and from the router to your adapter, like how a spotlight is a more focused beam of light than the diffused illumination that comes off a naked light bulb. MU-MIMO (multiple user, multiple input/multiple output) lets the router and compatible devices communicate with each other simultaneously so devices don’t need to wait their turn to communicate with the router. Though they didn’t make a difference in our tests, these technologies will help you in the future as more devices adopt them, and they should ease network congestion in the long run.
• A good warranty: All the adapters we tested had at least a one-year warranty, but two-year warranties are also common.
• Multiple-OS support: All of the adapters we tested work with the latest version of Windows 10, but we noted when adapters claimed support for Linux, macOS, and earlier versions of Windows.
• Ease of setup: Most if not all of these USB adapters should automatically use Windows 10 to install the correct driver and work. We noted if any extra steps were needed to get the adapter installed.

We looked at reviews from trusted sources like PCMag, SmallNetBuilder, and Tom’s Hardware, but reviews for individual USB Wi-Fi adapters aren’t very common—some of those reviews date back to the early days of 802.11ac adapters circa 2015. Quite a few sticks have been released since those reviews were last updated, and older drivers have certainly been revised since then. We acquired 20 adapters, including older and new models from Asus, D-Link, Edimax, Linksys, Netgear, Trendnet, and TP-Link.

How we tested

We plugged each USB adapter into the USB 3.1 Gen 1 (aka USB 3.0) port of a Dell XPS 15 Touch, one of our favorite 15-inch laptops for photo and video editing. We mostly relied on Windows Update to load an appropriate driver, since we found that the drivers it automatically installed were as new or newer than what was available from most manufacturers’ websites. If the driver wasn’t automatically loaded, we noted this and downloaded the driver from another source or online, as we had to do with the D-Link DWA-171 adapter. We ran all of our tests on its PCIe solid-state drive and USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, which were fast enough to avoid bottlenecking the adapters we tested.

We connected a desktop PC via Ethernet to a Netgear R7000P Nighthawk Wi-Fi router as our file server, linked each Wi-Fi USB adapter to the router, and used Windows 10’s built-in Robocopy file-copying tool to read and write two datasets: a 32 GB music folder with 6,154 MP3 files and a folder with two large files (an 8.1 GB MKV file and a 7.07 GB Linux ISO file). This is a significant amount of data, but we did this for two reasons. Both tests together could take over an hour, which allowed us to gauge if an adapter was prone to dropping connections during heavy use. For example, the Edimax EW-7822ULC and the Linksys WUSB6100M dropped off the network while transferring the music files at the long-range testing location.

Our tests also allowed us to weed out weaker competitors that took too much time to complete the test. The Dell XPS 15 laptop’s internal Wi-Fi took 37 minutes to copy the music and 14.5 minutes for the large file folder; we looked for adapters that could transfer the music folder in 45 minutes or less and the large files in no longer than 25 minutes. Two-thirds of the adapters washed out because they couldn’t complete the tests in time. And we also disqualified any adapter that didn’t complete the test because it dropped the connection midway through the transfer.

The R7000P was placed in the family room on the first floor of the 2,300 square-foot home, where the Internet enters the house. We placed the Dell XPS 15 laptop at two testing points within the home. The close-range test location was within line of sight of the router, 17 feet away. The long-range testing location is in a basement corner bathroom on the other side of the home, with the underground foundation of the house on two sides of the room. The signal to the bathroom has to pass through the floor and several walls. We measured the throughput for copying both folders at both locations and used that data to determine our picks.

Our pick: TP-Link Archer T4U V3

Photo: Rozette Rago

The TP-Link Archer T4U is the best USB Wi-Fi adapter for most people. It typically sells for under $35, placed second in the overall throughput tests just behind our upgrade pick, the Netgear Nighthawk A7000, and (as with all our picks) we had no problems with dropped connections during testing. While it has a AC1300 rating (400 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 867 Mbps on the 5 GHz band), the Archer T4U was able to perform better than the Asus USB-AC68 and D-Link DWA-192, which both have a supposedly faster AC1900 rating (600 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 1,300 Mbps on 5GHz).

The TP-Link Archer T4U is a long, flat stick with a flexible antenna. Photo: Rozette Rago

It was able to maintain excellent transfer speeds in both testing areas, something that most of the other Wi-Fi adapters couldn’t match. The Archer T4U was able to transfer our 32 GB music test folder at 19.4 MB/s and the 15 GB large files folder at 28 MB/s, both at the close-range testing point. When we moved the laptop and the Archer T4U adapter to our long-range testing point, performance hardly dropped to 17.3 MB/s for the music files and 26.4 MB/s for the large files. 13 of the 20 adapters we tested could not complete the file transfers at the far testing location before our time limit ran out: 45 minutes for the music folder and 25 minutes for the disk image and movie folder. The T4U did it in 31 minutes and 9.5 minutes, respectively.

Higher values indicate better performance. *Model failed 32 GB music (Far) test.

Build quality is good: the adapter has a sturdy case and antenna hinge. Beamforming and MU-MIMO are both supported by the Archer T4U, and Windows automatically loaded an up-to-date driver within seconds after we plugged the adapter into the laptop. TP-Link’s USB adapters come with a two-year warranty, which is double the length of most of the other manufacturer warranties, including those of Asus, Linksys, and Netgear. The Archer T4U has some of the best driver support among the Wi-Fi adapters; it will work with computers running macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The Archer T4U is a fairly bulky stick, measuring 3.64 by 1.24 by 0.55 inches (LWH), with an external antenna that swings up and out to 180 degrees relative to our test laptop’s keyboard. You can use the adapter with the antenna closed, but we tested it vertically at 90 degrees, like the other adapters with external antennas. It comes with a USB extension cradle, so you can place the adapter in a more convenient location.

Budget pick: TP-Link Archer T2U Plus

Photo: Rozette Rago

The TP-Link Archer T2U Plus is a compact USB Wi-Fi adapter with a 6-inch antenna permanently attached to its end. It’s not as fast at long range as the Archer T4U, but it should be your go-to if you want to save as much money as possible but still need a solid wireless connection throughout your home. It has an AC600 rating (200 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, 433 Mbps on 5 GHz) and doesn’t support beamforming or MU-MIMO, but it was the only adapter in the $20 price range to complete our testing at the long-range test location; the other five USB adapters that completed all our tests cost between $30 and $80.

The Archer T2U is shorter and slimmer than the T4U, but its antenna is longer. Photo: Rozette Rago

At short distance, the T2U’s throughput was faster than the Archer T4U’s on the music folder test (25 MB/s) and competitive on the large file folder (27.3 MB/s). However, throughput dropped significantly in the long-distance tests; both the music folder test (14.7 MB/s) and the large file folder test (15.7 MB/s) ran at about half the speed of the Archer T4U. That said, it completed both tests under our time limit and is certainly sufficient for web browsing and streaming media.

The adapter has a thinner, lighter case than the Archer T4U, though you’ll need clearance for the long antenna. Its articulated connection to the adapter’s case feels robust. The Archer T2U Plus also has an excellent two-year warranty and works with macOS and Windows.

Upgrade pick: Netgear Nighthawk A7000

Photo: Rozette Rago

If your daily routine includes multiple large file transfers, or if you’re paying for a broadband data plan with a 100 Mbps or higher limit, the Netgear Nighthawk A7000 is worth the upgrade. It has an AC1900 rating (600 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 1,300 Mbps on 5 GHz), a bump up from the Archer T4U’s AC1300 rating. It costs roughly double the price of the Archer T4U, but it was the throughput winner across the board, beating all USB Wi-Fi adapters as well as the internal wireless adapter in the Dell XPS 15.

At close distance, the A7000 took less than 15 minutes to transfer the music folder (36.3 MB/s) and just under three minutes for the large files folder (84.7 MB/s). Transfer rates slowed a bit in our long-range test location, but the Nighthawk adapter beat the rest of the field handily (24.7 MB/s music, 40.8 MB/s large files). Overall, it’s more than twice as fast as the Archer T4U. If you need to move a lot of files locally to a NAS or between computers, or if you’re downloading movies from the Internet, the A7000 more than justifies its higher price tag.

The Nighthawk A7000’s large size may make it an awkward fit for some computers; Netgear includes an extension cable and a stand so you can find a more convenient place for it on your desk. Photo: Rozette Rago

The A7000 is significantly larger than the Archer T4U, measuring 4.7 by 1.8 by 0.87 inches (LWH), but it needs that chunky chassis for multiple radios, a swing-out antenna, and room for cooling vents. It supports beamforming and MU-MIMO, and it comes with an external USB cradle so you can reposition it on your desk. It only has a one-year warranty, and while that’s sufficient for most people, the TP-Link adapters do offer a two-year warranty for a lower price. The A7000 is Mac- and Windows–compatible.

What to look forward to

New routers supporting the new 802.11ax protocol (also known as Wi-Fi 6) have been announced, along with internal 802.11ax adapters for laptops. However, like all new networking technologies, it will take some time before routers and devices become common enough and cheap enough to make the upgrade worth it. Plus, it will be even longer before 802.11ax is a common technology found in home routers, business routers, laptops, phones, and ultimately USB Wi-Fi adapters. You’ll need them all working together to justify the expense of upgrading your old network. We’ll be testing the new technology when it’s ready.

The competition

Like the Nighthawk A7000, the Asus AC-68 is a large expensive stick with a pair of pop-out antennas. While its performance at the long distance testing point was adequate, the A7000 trounced the AC-68’s throughput results, and the Asus adapter is significantly more expensive.

The D-Link DWA-192 tested well for PCMag and Tom’s Hardware, but those tests happened in the early days of 802.11ac and many newer adapters have come out since then. It performed well on our tests, but it is expensive, and its external ball-shaped housing isn’t as portable as our picks.

The Netgear A6210 completed all of the tests within time limits, but it was the slowest adapter we tested that did so. The A6210’s price is double that of the T2U Plus, sealing its fate in last place.

The D-Link DWA-171 completed three of the long-range transfer tests, but it took longer than 45 minutes to copy the music files folder in the bathroom. One oddity was that the DWA-171 didn’t automatically load Windows 10 drivers when plugged in. It has a built-in thumb drive with an installer for the drivers, which is a lot more inconvenient as we couldn’t use the adapter until we installed the driver manually. We checked Windows Update after getting online, and it loaded an up-to-date driver.

The rest of the adapters we tested failed our long-range tests, whether they were mini/nano–sized (the type of USB adapter that sticks out less than an inch or so and can be left plugged into the laptop when you store it in a bag) or larger sticks with room for better antennas and radios. The mini/nano–sized adapters that took too long to complete the tests included the Asus USB-AC53 Nano, Edimax EW-7822UTC, Edimax EW-7822ULC, Linksys WUSB6100M, TP-Link Archer T2U, TP-Link Archer T2U Nano, TP-Link Archer T3U, and the Trendnet TEW-808UBM. The larger sticks that took too long were the Asus USB-AC56, Edimax EW-7833UAC, Linksys WUSB6400M, and the TP-Link Archer T9UH. The Trendnet TEW-809UB was the largest and most notable adapter to not pass the tests: it is a large external block with four external antennas, and it costs even more than the Nighthawk A7000.

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Aside from being cheaper than offerings from Amazon-owned Eero, Samsung, and Google, TP Link is also promising ease-of-use. Knowing it will probably attract newbies at this entry-level price point, it says set-up is a breeze using the Deco app for iOS or Android — which can help you find the best place to put Deco nodes throughout your pad. The system can also overcome network hiccups by automatically reconfiguring itself if one Deco node drops out, hopefully giving you an uninterrupted WiFi connection.

The low cost means it lacks some of the eye-catching perks offered by pricier counterparts, like the AI-based networking optimization on Samsung’s $248 SmartThings system. But you do get adaptive path selection (keeping the access points on the fastest data stream), Alexa and IFTTT compatibility, and built-in parental controls. The TP-Link Deco M4 Mesh WiFi System is available online at Amazon and other major retailers.