Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers (802.11ax) in 2024 [Fastest AX Routers]

The wait is over and finally, we can enjoy the benefits of the latest and greatest in Wi-Fi technology. Wi-Fi 6 (also known as 802.11ax) promises to be the fastest and most efficient Wi-Fi standard yet. It is truly a game changer. 

In this guide to the best Wi-Fi 6 routers, we’ll show you the fastest Wi-Fi 6 routers on the market, as well as how you can make the most of this new technology.

Well, Wi-Fi 6 routers are successors to 802.11ac. Wi-Fi 6, commonly known as AX Wi-Fi is going to be on your list once you get to know about it.

Wi-Fi 6 promises to provide faster speeds than 802.11ac or commonly known as AC Wi-Fi. The new Wi-Fi comes with additional features, Wi-Fi 6 routers offers speeds up to 10 Gbps with devices that support 802.11ax standard. Wi-Fi 6 comes with multiple 1 Gbps Ethernet ports, better security, MIMO, and even better hardware. It promises a more excellent range, faster speeds, a significant reduction in connection dropouts, and battery consumption of the connected devices.

Our Picks Of Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers

1. Best Overall: Netgear Nighthawk Ax12
2. Best For HD Streaming: TP-Link AX3000
3. Best Mesh Networking: Netgear Orbi
4. Best Gaming Router: TP-Link AX6000
5. Fastest WiFi Router: NETGEAR Nighthawk
6. Best Wi-Fi 6 Mesh router: Linksys Velop
7. Best 4k video streaming Router: ARRIS SURFboard
8. Best Online Gameplay: Asus RT-AX88U
9. Best WiFi Router for Home: Asus ROG Rapture

Okay, so here is a list of some of the best Wi-Fi 6 compatible routers to future-proof your network. You have to pay a bit more, but it’s worth it, with all the new features coming in. So, let’s hop in and see some of the models that are Wi-Fi 6 compatible.

1. NETGEAR Nighthawk AX12

Best Wi-Fi 6 Router For Large Home

The NETGEAR Nighthawk AX12 is loaded with a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core processor and eight amplified antennas to provide speeds up to 11Gbps for smooth streaming and gaming. It’s Tri-band technology provides the third band to communicate with more devices.

Moreover, twelve simultaneous Wi-Fi streams provide six times more the capacity of previous Wi-Fi devices.  More streams mean more bandwidth for your devices, and more bandwidth means a high-paced internet connection.

The RAX200 features OFDMA technology that makes bandwidth more resourceful. It maximizes the efficiency of the amount of data sent, received and minimizes congestion. The RAX200 comes with eight high-powered antennas that ensure to provide reliable Wi-Fi signals coverage. You’ll get the same speeds in every corner of your house. It supports one 2.5G WAN or LAN port, four 1G Ethernet ports, and two USB 3.0 ports. 

The NETGEAR RAX200 offers strong Wi-Fi signals up to 2500 sq. Ft through its eight high-powered antennas covered under the wings, supported by MU-MIMO, Smart Connect, Dynamic QoS, and Alexa Voice Control. The Nighthawk app lets you set up your router within minutes. It also enables filter websites; test your internet speed, remote access to your network, and even pause your network.

2. TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 AX3000

Best Wi-Fi 6 Router For Gaming

The AX3000 is a Wi-Fi 6 4-stream dual-band router that provides speeds up to 3Gbps for buttery and smooth gameplay or streaming. The high-paced dual-band router provides thrice the speeds than previous AC routers. Powered by Wi-Fi 6, the AX3000 lets you connect several devices with faster speeds and no congestion. It is ideal for online gamers and Ultra-HD streaming.

The OFDMA technology and beamforming four antennas work collectively to provide reliable signals to all the smart devices present in your home. The TWT or Target Wake Time communicates with your devices about data transfers, increasing sleep time, and battery life. The TP-Link Tether app lets you set up your Wi-Fi quickly and enables you to access its settings for parental controls and much more.

Parental Controls can control everything about your network. It can filter websites and even set a time limit that each device can spend online. You can also pause your Wi-Fi during dinner or game nights. You can also access reports of devices to see how much time they spend on a particular website.

3. NETGEAR Orbi

Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System

The Orbi RBK852 is a Tri-band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 system promising faster speeds and more capacity of connected devices. It has four times more capacity than previous Wi-Fi and offers speeds up to 6Gbps. The twenty simultaneous Wi-Fi 6 streams let you experience smooth and buttery gameplay and streaming even when all your devices are connected. The additional third band frees up the traffic from other bands to provide maximum speeds.

The RBK852 Mesh system provides Wi-Fi coverage of up to 5000 sq ft and up to 60 devices at the same time. This powerful Mesh system lets you stay connected from every corner of your house. It supports wired connectivity with five 1Gigabit Ethernet ports that are configurable up to 2.5 Gbps with compatible cables.

Furthermore, the RBK852 packs MU-MIMO, Smart Connect, and beamforming technologies to get you the most out of your router. You can easily set up your router with the Orbi app. The Orbi app also enables you to test your speed, customize your settings, and take full control of your Wi-Fi from anywhere.

4. TP-Link Archer AX6000

Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers For Streaming

The TP-Link Archer AX6000 is a dual-band Wi-Fi with OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 1024QAM, and 160MHz channel that promises faster speeds, more capacity, and better efficiency. It offers to speed up to 5952 Mbps, 1148 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz, and 4804 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. Powered by OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology, the AX6000 offers four times more capacity than previous AC Wi-Fi.

The eight high-powered antennas with beamforming technology send powerful Wi-Fi signals directly to your devices in every corner of your house. The AX6000 is powered by a powerful 1.8GHz 64-bit quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM to deliver a high-paced and lag-free gaming experience. It can process every demanding task without any delay.

The TP-Link archer supports connectivity through eight Gigabit Ethernet ports, USB-A, USB-C 3.0 to transfer data at scorching speeds.  A 2.5 Gbps WAN port compatible with DOCSIS 3.1 makes sure to deliver lightning-speed internet access. 

You can easily set up your router in minutes with the help of the Tether app. The Tether app enables you to take full control of your Wi-Fi. The AX6000 comes with real-time antivirus to guard your network from malware and stay up to date.

5. NETGEAR Nighthawk AX8

8-Stream WiFi 6 Router

The Nighthawk RAX80 is an eight-stream Wi-Fi 6 router that provides faster speeds and four times more capacity. The RAX80 offers speeds up to 6Gbps, and its eight streams provide four times more capacity than previous AC Wi-Fi. It can connect up to thirty devices for HD streaming and lag-free online gaming. The number of streams increases the bandwidth for your devices and high-paced data transfer.

The RAX80 features OFDMA technology that makes Wi-Fi bandwidth more efficient and less congested. Loaded with 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core processor, MU-MIMO, Smart Connect, and its beamforming four high-powered antennas deliver strong signals to every corner of your house with no loss in performance.

RAX80 can connect consoles and computers through its five 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports. WAN port aggregation with a Gigabit Ethernet port to deliver more than 1Gigabit of internet speed.

Set up your Wi-Fi easily with the Nighthawk app and get more out of your Wi-Fi. The Nighthawk app lets you test your internet speed, internet pausing, filtering websites, and remote access to your network.

6. Linksys Velop

Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Router in 2024

The Linksys Velop Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Router delivers speeds up to 5.3Gbps with twelve simultaneous streams. The company’s Intelligent Mesh Technology joint with Wi-Fi makes sure to deliver speeds up to 5.3Gbps to up to fifty devices in a 3,000 sq ft of area. Powered by OFDMA and twelve streams-connectivity increases efficiency and delivers four times more speed and capacity than AC routers.

The Velop Wi-Fi 6 router supports wired connectivity through its USB 3.0 port and four MX10 Gigabit Ethernet ports. The MX10 offers ten times faster connection than ordinary Ethernet ports.  You can easily set up and control your router through the Linksys app. This app enables you to fully control your network featuring parental controls, device prioritization, and guest access.

7. ARRIS SURFboard Mesh AX7800

Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers For Home

The ARRIS SURFboard is a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 Mesh system with eight streams providing speeds up to 4.8Gbps. It is compatible with backward devices and includes coverage up to 6000 sq ft of an area, which is four times more than previous Wi-Fi 5. The SURFboard is capable of playing multiple and simultaneous 4k video streaming.

Powered by Next-Gen Tri-band Wi-Fi 6 technology that offers an efficient network with true gigabit speed without congesting the traffic. The Mesh system can be set up within minutes through the SURFboard app available on both iOS and Android. The SURFboard Mesh WI-Fi system is a two-unit pack that is capable of providing the speeds you’re paying for.

8. Asus RT-AX88U AX6000

Wireless 802.11Ax Router

The ASUS RT-AX88U is a dual-band W-FI 6 router providing 160MHz bandwidth, 1024-QAM, and total speed of up to 6Gbps. 1148Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 4804bps on the 5GHz band. Powered by OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology, the RT-AX88U offers four times faster speed and capacity in congested households. The AX88U’s Adaptive QoS prioritizes your gaming device for a buttery and lag-free online gameplay.

The RT-AX88U supports wired connectivity through its eight Gigabit LAN ports, making it ideal for supporting more clients at the same time. You can easily connect multiple devices for a high-paced internet connection through the LAN ports. It also features AiProtectionPro, fueled by Trend Micro, that automatically keeps your router up to date with security updates to keep you safe.

Pros

• 8 LAN Gbps Port
• Robust QoS settings
• Malware and Virus Protection
• AiMesh compatibility for Mesh Network System
• Fast Support for Network Attached Storage (NAS)
• Link Aggregation and Dual-WAN feature

Cons

• Expensive
• Missing 10 Gbps port

9. Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000

Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers For Gaming

The ASUS AX11000 is the fastest Wi-FI 6 router with twelve streams to provide speeds up to a blistering 11000Mbps. The AX11000 can take your gaming experience up a notch by dedicating a 5Hz band for gaming only. A single dedicated 5Hz band lets you avoid all other devices on your network so you can enjoy smooth and lag-free gaming. The AX11000 is packed with a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core processor to handle everything you throw at it smoothly.

The AX11000 also supports ASUS AiMesh that lets you create a whole-home network using multiple routers offering seamless roaming networks. The ASUS AX11000 also provides triple-level game acceleration like GameFirst V, Game Boost, and Gamers Private Network to take your gaming experience up a notch.

The AX11000 offers connectivity through a2.5G WAN or LAN port for 2.5 times faster data transfers. You can easily control every available feature through the ROG-themed Gaming Center interface. You can also switch to different servers with low ping through the GamesRadar feature.

10. Asus RT-AX92U AX6100

Best Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Router

The Asus AX6100 is one of the best Wi-Fi Mesh router featuring Wi-Fi 6 or 802.11ax Wi-Fi standard to provide a reliable and secure connection. The Wi-Fi 6 standard promises more speed and better security than its predecessors. The AX6100 works best with Wi-Fi 6 compatible devices; furthermore, it also offers Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5 connections to provide a reliable connection to every device in your home.

The RT-AX92U works with any compatible routers to convert your Wi-Fi into a mesh Wi-Fi system. The AiMesh routers communicate with each other to keep an eye on the signal strength to your device. If your signal strength is weak, it automatically switches it to another source for a seamless connection. The RT-AX92U supports OFDMA technology to simultaneously transmit bundled signals for a smoother and lag-free Wi-Fi experience.

The RT-AX92U offers AiProtection powered by Trend Micro to protect you and your family from virus attacks and data thefts. It automatically checks for security updates to keep itself up to date. It features robust parental controls to let you easily handle your network on your terms.

Features of AX Routers

The newly released and upgraded Wi-Fi standard, also known as Wi-Fi 6 is the fastest Wi-Fi right now. The Wi-Fi 6 routers or AX routers provide speeds up to 9.6Gbps with four times more capacity for devices and almost no congestion.

The AX router also packs 1024-QAM that is 25% faster than its predecessor. It also doubles the Wi-Fi channel width from 80MHz to 160MHz, which offers more bandwidth creating an ultra-fast connection from the router to your device.

Furthermore, AX routers feature OFDMA technology for a more efficient connection; it sends multiple data packets to several devices at a time to improve the efficiency of your network. The 8×8 MU-MIMO technology offers more than eight streams for your devices, providing you with enough bandwidth for a lightning-fast connection, whether you’re downloading, uploading or streaming.

Faq’s About WiFi 6 Routers

What is Wi-Fi 6?

Wi-Fi 6 is the latest version of Wi-Fi, replacing the older versions of Wi-Fi 5. Wi-Fi 6 is also known as AX Wi-Fi or 802.11ax Wi-Fi. The newly upgraded Wi-Fi standard is replacing the older versions like 802.11ac and 802.11n Wi-Fi. It is the latest and best version of Wi-Fi right now.

It promises faster speeds, better security options, less congestion, and less battery drainage for connected devices. The Wi-Fi 6 promises speed up to 9.6Gbps, which is almost three times faster than its predecessor.

How does a Wi-Fi 6 router work?

Wi-Fi 6 offers speeds up to 9.6Gbps, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your download speeds will fire up or your internet will be faster across your home. The offered speeds are theoretical, that means your internet speed is likely going to be much lower.

Instead, the latest generation Wi-Fi will offer better performance and fast data transfer rates. The new upgraded Wi-Fi is going to connect several devices with no congestion. The 802.11ax Wi-Fi standard allows several devices to connect with no obstruction and annoying connection dropouts.

However, you can expect faster speeds if you have a fast internet connection, and the new Wi-Fi 6 router is going to replace your old and out-dated router.

Should you upgrade to a Wi-Fi 6 wireless router?

It entirely depends on you, if your current router is working fine, then there’s no need to upgrade to a Wi-Fi 6 router. Most of the devices in your home still may not support the speeds of Wi-Fi 6; they’ll connect and work with it but not to its full extent.

The AC routers are still working fine with monthly firmware and security updates to provide you with better performance. In our opinion, its better not to rush out right now and wait till you upgrade all the gadgets in your home.

Will My Older Phone Work with Wi-Fi 6?

Yes, Wi-FI 6 routers are backward compatible, which means that you can connect your older phones to the new Wi-Fi 6 router. You won’t get all the benefits from your Wi-Fi 6 router, but you can still connect and use it.

Will My Wi-Fi 6 Phone Work with My Old Router?

Yes, your Wi-Fi 6 compatible phone can connect and work with your out-dated router. The problem is that you won’t get all the benefits you can get by connecting to a Wi-Fi 6 router. It may connect to your older router, but the performance of your phone won’t exceed the limits of your out-dated router.

Do I Need a Wi-Fi 6 Router?

It ultimately depends on you, if you want to utilize all the benefits that come with the new Wi-Fi 6 routers and then go for it. But make sure that you have Wi-Fi 6 compatible devices in your home to get all the benefits from your router. If most of your devices are not compatible with Wi-Fi 6 and your current router is working fine, then you don’t need to buy a new router.

What Devices will have Wi-Fi 6?

The first device to feature Wi-Fi 6 till now is the Samsung Galaxy S10. We can expect Smartphones from major brands like Samsung, Apple, and Google to release Smartphones with Wi-Fi compatibility soon. Qualcomm has also released its Wi-Fi 6 chip that supports in-car hotspot with efficient Wi-Fi connectivity and better performance.

Moreover, most of the Wi-Fi router manufacturers have already released their Wi-Fi 6 routers in the market.

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Wrapping Up!

To sum it up, Wi-Fi 6 standard promises faster speeds, better security, and connectivity to a handful of devices with better performance and less congestion. It is better than its predecessors, just like the Wi-Fi 5 had over Wi-Fi 4 standard. Now the main thing is whether you should buy the new Wi-Fi 6 router or not?

If your current AC router is working fine, then you should not rush and wait till the prices drop. Even if you buy the best Wi-Fi 6 router, most of the devices in your home are not compatible with AX standard.

Although your devices will connect and work with the AX router, you won’t get all the benefits from it. When most of the devices in your house are Wi-Fi 6 compatible, then it is a good idea to upgrade your router to utilize all the benefits that come with it.