What’s up guys? Today we are going to review the top 5 Budget Wi-Fi routers in 2022. Through extensive research and testing, I’ve put together a list of options that will meet the needs of different types of buyers, so whether it’s price performance or its particular use, we’ve got you covered. For more information on the products, I’ve included links with the reviews. Now let’s get started.
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5. TP-LINK ARCHER A6
We’ll kick things off today with the TP-Link Archer A6, which packs an irresistibly low price and fetches the title of the best ultra-cheap budget Wi-Fi router that can be found on the market in 2022. TP-Link Archer A6 AC1200 is a solid router that delivers the goods at a surprisingly low cost. We are looking at a dual frequency gigabit router, featuring some nice upgrades and handy features. It includes dual 2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz segments, as well as minimal beam shaping which is a major improvement. The A6 sports a set of four antennas, two on the back and the other two on the side. They rotate easily for better positioning, but cannot be moved. This is a bit of an unusual feature with this unit, as the ability to remove and replace antennas is pretty standard even on budget devices. Both the port and the power button are located on the back of the device in a fairly standard line, while the led indicator can be found at the top of the front edge. This positioning method is suitable for the work surface, allowing the indicator light to be clearly visible when installed on the wall. This router comes fully assembled, making it easier and faster to set up than most. TP-Link Archer A6 is a dual frequency router. If you have a lot of devices, the overall bandwidth is a bit light but still enough for most users. Also, the A6 is equipped with at least one WAN port and four LAN ports. There is no USB port so you can’t use this router to host a USB device connected to the internet, which is totally expected for a budget router. This Wi-Fi router provides speeds of 900 megabytes per second for 5 gigahertz, as well as 300 megabytes per second for 2.4 gigahertz; which is perfect for 4k streaming, all while reducing buffering. For the listed price, we are beyond impressed.
4. NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK R6700
If you’re looking for the top bang for the buck, we say look no further than the Netgear Nighthawk R6700, also known as the best value budget Wi-Fi router available on the market in 2022. Compatible with 802.11 AC, the Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 provides speeds of up to 450 megabytes per second in the 2.4 gigahertz band and up to 1300 megabytes per second in the 5 gigahertz band. Designed to cover an area of up to 140m2, the Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 router particularly stands out by its ability to support 25 different devices, while ensuring perfect connection stability and optimal flow. Nighthawk also offers an incredibly easy setup using the company’s smartphone app. Furthermore, parents can find a variety of parental controls and options for creating guest networks, as well as updating the router to the latest firmware for the latest security and performance. Compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google’s voice command assistant, the Netgear Nighthawk R670 has a dual-core processor that powers hardware to help maintain stable performance. Three high-end performance external antennas can be targeted to specific locations to improve signal strength and range. After all, no other Netgear or other router offers such performance for such a low price. Clearly, whether you just want to surf the internet, watch streaming movies or series, even in ultra-high definition at 4k or 8k, or plan to play video games online, the Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 router will deliver the needed power. The device also has a USB 3.0 port that allows you to connect external hard drives or USB keys to share content with devices connected to the network. The Netgear R6700 router supports the Beamforming Plus function, which allows you to increase the range of your wi-fi network by concentrating the signal instead of sending it in all directions. You’ll be able to easily and quickly enjoy your multimedia content such as movies, music, and photos in high resolution. Its high-performance antennas and signal amplifier guarantee wide coverage for all your home mobile devices. For the listed price, you can’t beat this guy.
3. ASUS RT-AC66U B1
The next product we would like to highlight is the Asus RT-AC66U B1, the best choice for power users on the market in 2022. We are looking at the long-awaited update of the popular Asus RT-AC66U model, the first router that the manufacturer launched with AC Wi-Fi technology a few years ago. This model has been updated from top to bottom, starting from the heart with a new CPU and Wi-Fi chipset, passing through a USB 3.0 port that also contains firmware specifically designed to get most out of this new hardware. This model already includes compatibility with fiber optic operators using the 802.1Q standard. This equipment includes a simultaneous dual band with AC1750 Wi-Fi. We can achieve speeds of up to 450 megabytes per second in the 2.4 gigahertz band, thanks to three antennas in the 3×3 MIMO configuration that use 3-stream technology to achieve this speed. As for the 5 gigahertz band, it can achieve speeds of up to 1300 megabytes per second. This router includes all the features of Wi-Fi AC, such as 800-megahertz channel width and Beam Forming. The three external antennas are two band so they broadcast in two frequency bands at the same time. The external antennas cannot be removed but this in no way affects the device and its delivery of excellent wireless performance. Finally, this model includes a WPS Wi-Fi protected setup for quick connection to a Wi-Fi access point at the touch of a button, as well as support for multiple guest Wi-Fi networks. At the hardware level, this router supports turbo qualm in the 2.4 gigahertz band, which means we can achieve speeds of up to 600 megabytes per second instead of up to 450 megabytes per second. With the Asus RT-AC66U B1, you get a multitude of manageable settings and built-in protection against viruses, all for a very affordable price. Good stuff, a thumbs up from here.
2. TP-LINK ARCHER AX50
Up next we say check out the TP-Link Archer AX50, also known as the best Wi-Fi 6 budget router that can be found on the market in 2022. Inside this device, we find a dual core Intel anyone GRX-350 processor. It offers a 5 gigahertz 802.11 AC network capable of reaching 2402 megabits per second, and a 2.4 gigahertz 802.11 AC network capable of 574 megabytes per second. Compared to the Archer AX10, it doubles the speed without increasing the price too much. On the back, we find a set of four fixed folding antennas compatible with beam shaping for better signal emission. On the other side, we find one gigabyte ethernet WAN port and four gigabyte ethernet LAN ports, respectively; capable of reaching one gigabyte per second, allowing aggregation of connections between the two to achieve a 2gbe connection with an equally compatible device. For an internet connection via a WAN connection, we can choose static or dynamic IP connections, as well as Pppoe. Also, this model has a USB 3.0 port so it allows for example, to connect a printer or hard drive to a network. The software that accompanies the TP-Link Archer AX50 offers a very simple and intuitive interface already seen in other models of the brand, which offers a basic version from which parameters such as internet connection, current router configuration, and clients can be monitored. In addition, it has an even simpler and faster menu for quick configuration available to any type of user. There are also parental controls, an increasingly interesting feature for parents who want to limit their children’s connection to the internet, either to specific content or according to time intervals. All in all, the TP-Link Archer AX50 is the perfect router for those looking for Wi-Fi 6, allowing you to easily use an optical connection of 600 megabytes per second without having to resort to cable. It is true that moving away will cause a drop in speed is in all wireless connections but inside the house, we can easily exceed 600 megabytes per second individually, while with a few connections we can make better use of these theoretical maximum of 2400 megabytes per second, wow.
1. TP-LINK ARCHER A7
And finally, after all the overall reviews, opinions, and experiences; we can freely conclude that the TP-Link Archer A7 is the best overall budget wi-fi router that can be found on the market in 2022. We are looking at a two-band gigabit wireless router that offers connections at 450 megabytes per second, 2.4 gigahertz, and 1300 megabytes per second, 5 gigahertz along with a wired gigabyte connection. It also has a USB 2.0 port for easy sharing of files and media files, with a network of remote devices via an ftp server and several smart features such as control via Alexa and ifttt. On the hardware side, the Archer A7 is an attractive unit in glossy black with three antennas. The screw holes on the bottom allow the unit to be attached to a wall or other vertical surface. Although no screws are provided nor is the template provided for the spacing between the screws, the quick setup wizard guides you through configuring the router as well as later on the router settings page via your web browser. Once configured, the router also provides QR codes that can be saved as images that you can print, so your friends or family can easily connect to your Wi-Fi network. tThe router can also be managed via the tether TP-Link app for Apple and Android devices. With Alexa, you can prioritize your internet connection for devices like your laptop. Turn off the router lights or instruct Alexa to read the guest network password. The USB flash drive function is also a great addition, just plug in the USB device and configure the settings. You can choose sharing options such as access via a network neighborhood ftp LAN or the internet. Inside the Archer A7 dual band router runs a QUALCOMM Atheros KCA 9563 Wi-Fi chip, with a 750-megahertz processor with 128 megabytes of RAM. There’s 16 megabytes of flash memory for firmware storage and device configuration. Overall, this fella delivers a top-notch performance, high quality, all wrapped up in the best possible price quality ratio.
