The Best Long-Range Routers of 2024

Best Overall

Linksys Velop MX12600

$401 at Amazon $325 at Walmart $500 at Apple

Although mesh Wi-Fi systems provide fantastic coverage, they can get pricey. So, while you're not going to find an excellent mesh system on the cheap, Linksys' Velop MX12600 comes close, giving you three mesh units for about the same price that most others charge for only two. 

Linksys isn't cutting any corners on performance despite the more affordable price. This Velop Wi-Fi 6 system provides the best range of any mesh system in its class, with three units able to handle homes of up to 8,100 square feet. Thanks to Linksys' mobile app, it's also a cinch to set up.

Like most mesh Wi-Fi systems, you'll drop the Velop units in critical areas around your home to give you the best coverage where you need it. You also get plenty of wired ports on each unit for hooking up devices that don't have Wi-Fi, and even a USB port so you can conveniently pop in a flash drive with your favorite photos so everyone in your home can access them.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: WPA3, Guest Wi-Fi Secure Access | Standard/Speed: AX4200 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4 (per unit)}

Best Budget

TP-Link Archer C80

$68 at Walmart $70 at Target $94 at Staples

Picking out an affordable router that delivers excellent range can be tricky, but fortunately, there’s TP-Link’s Archer C80, a rare gem that will give you solid coverage around a large home with a price tag that won’t be too hard on your wallet. 

While the Archer C80 doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the more expensive routers on our list, it delivers where it counts, punching out a surprisingly powerful signal to reach the far corners of your home.

This router packs a surprising amount of performance-boosting technology for a router in its price range. While this means TP-Link had to cut a few corners on some of the advanced features, it still manages to handle the important things like basic parental controls and a quick and easy setup through its mobile app. 

The only downside is that it struggles with streaming and gaming on multiple devices. So, if you have a busy family, this probably isn’t the router for you.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: WPA2, Guest Wi-Fi Secure Access | Standard/Speed: AC1900 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}

Best Mesh

Netgear Orbi Home Wi-Fi System

$209 at Walmart

As a mesh Wi-Fi system, the Orbi is all about giving you the best performance and coverage by letting you place multiple “satellite” units around your home in the places where you need the best signal. If you’re like most families, you’ll probably want one in the living room or rec room for smooth Netflix streaming on your smart TV and lag-free gaming on your Xbox or PS5. 

Need even more coverage? You can buy additional Orbi satellite units to spread a wider net of coverage throughout your home. This one is straightforward to set up and provides excellent features like sophisticated parental controls and lots of room for connecting your wired devices.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: NETGEAR Armor, WPA2, Guest Wi-Fi Secure Access | Standard/Speed: AC2200 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports:4 (per unit)}

Best for Gaming

Asus GT-AX11000

$250 at Amazon $525 at Walmart $529 at Newegg.com

Yes, this router looks like a beast, but it also has the performance to match, with the power of a desktop computer packed inside. This allows it to handle all the demands of gaming traffic, delivering a lag-free performance that means you won't see everything freezing up just as you're about to make that critical shot. And there's still power and range to spare for everyone else in your home, with the eight antennas covering a three-story, five-bedroom home. 

Like other Asus routers, this one has features, but it tucks them away for those who want to get up and running with the basics quickly. As a gaming router, however, it also has many special tricks to give you the fastest performance, and while you can read all the details in our full review, suffice it to say this is a router that will genuinely help you up your game.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: AiProtection, WPA3, Guest Wi-Fi Secure Access | Standard/Speed: AX11000 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 5}

Best Splurge

Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6 System

$288 at Amazon $415 at Walmart $400 at Dell

We’re already big fans of Netgear’s Orbi—one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems you can buy—and now there’s a version with the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology that pulls out all the stops to give you incredible performance throughout your home. It doesn’t come cheap, and if we’re being honest, it’s probably more than you need right now, but this one is more about investing for the future.

This offers the same great coverage as the classic Orbi system but significantly boosts the speed and the number of devices it can handle. You’ll get the best performance from newer Wi-Fi 6 devices, but it also takes the much more common Wi-Fi 5 devices. This means you get excellent performance today that will get even better as you upgrade to the latest smartphones, tablets, and laptops, nearly all of which come with Wi-Fi 6 built-in.

It’s also ready for the fastest multi-gigabit internet plans, as it’s built from the ground up to deliver raw speed to wired and wireless devices throughout your home. Our testing showed that even a single Wi-Fi 6 Orbi station could cover a moderately sized home well enough, so a standard two-pack means you’ll likely never have to worry about dead zones.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: NETGEAR Armor, WPA3, Guest Wi-Fi Secure Access | Standard/Speed: AX6000 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4 (per unit)}

Best Parental Controls

TP-Link Archer AX6000

$170 at Amazon $190 at Walmart $240 at B&H Photo Video

TP-Link's Archer AX6000 may be a less attractive router on our list, but it checks all the right boxes. It supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology, has solid performance, and has a range boost feature to ensure you can get online even when you're out in your backyard. 

What makes the Archer AX6000 stand out is the free lifetime access to the company's HomeCare security suite. While many other router makers charge you a monthly subscription fee if you want to access their best parental controls and other security features, TP-Link is throwing these in for the router's price, and it's not skimping on them either.

You can block websites by age categories, set up time limits for internet access, and see which websites your kids visit and how much time they spend there.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: HomeCare, WPA3, Guest Wi-Fi Secure Access | Standard/Speed: AX6000 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 8}

Best Design

Netgear Nighthawk RAX120

$199 at Amazon $450 at Adorama.com $399 at B&H Photo Video

Unlike the Orbi, Netgear isn’t going for subtle here—the RAX120 is part of the company’s flagship Wi-Fi 6 router lineup, and Netgear is making it clear this is a powerful, futuristic router.

Unlike the spidery look of traditional long-range routers, the RAX120 hides its eight antennas inside those sweeping wings for a much classier look, but they’re still ready to punch out a strong signal that can cover your entire home.

An impressive set of wired ports around the back gives you plenty of room for wired devices, and there’s even a high-speed one should you need that for gaming or connecting other high-performance systems. Netgear also offers some of the best security and parental controls available, although sadly, you’ll have to pay an extra subscription fee to take advantage.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: NETGEAR Armor, WPA3, Guest Wi-Fi Secure Access | Standard/Speed: AX6000 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 5}

Best Coverage

Ubiquiti Amplifi HD

$426 at Walmart $449 at Staples $455 at Quill.com

Ubiquiti’s Amplifi HD focused on doing one thing and doing it very well, and that’s getting the maximum range possible from a mesh Wi-Fi system. It provides an unparalleled range for those who need to cover a sprawling estate, although it’s essential to remember that it won’t win any speed records. Ubiquiti may be able to bend the laws of physics a bit here, but it can’t break them outright, and one of those laws is the farther a wireless signal goes, the weaker it gets.

In practical terms, the Amplifi HD can deliver up to 20,000 square feet of wireless coverage. This is enough for casual web surfing and checking your messages from longer distances. Still, it provides a connection long after most other routers have given up.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: WPA2, Guest Wi-Fi Secure Access | Standard/Speed: AC1750 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}