Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers for 2025

• Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers for 2025
• What's the best overall Wi-Fi 6 router of 2025?
• Wi-Fi 6 technical deep dive
• How to choose the right Wi-Fi 6 router
• How we test Wi-Fi 6 routers
• Other Wi-Fi 6 routers we tested
• Upgrading to Wi-Fi 6: What you need to know
• Wi-Fi 6 router FAQ

It’s a great time to buy a Wi-Fi 6 router. Just a few years ago, Wi-Fi 6 was the latest and greatest in wireless technology. It’s since been dethroned by Wi-Fi 7, which gives you access to the newly opened 6GHz band, but Wi-Fi 6 routers still offer more than enough speed for most homes. They’ve also come down significantly in price, with many standalone routers available for less than $100, as well as mesh systems, gaming routers, range extenders and more. Some Wi-Fi routers do the job better than others, and that's where we come in, with comprehensive, hands-on tests to help identify the best picks for your money.

What's the best overall Wi-Fi 6 router of 2025?

The ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX6000 isn’t just the best Wi-Fi 6 router -- it’s the best Wi-Fi router period. It sped through our tests and was the only wireless router to receive a Top 5 score in data throughput on both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. And with impressive signal strength for a standalone router, you’ll get excellent performance no matter where you are in your home.

What We Updated: May 2025

We overhauled our testing process for Wi-Fi routers in 2025, and as a result, we have almost entirely new picks. The following routers were removed from our recommendations: Netgear R6700AX, TP-Link Archer AX21, Asus RT-AX86U, Netgear Orbi AX6000 and Eero 6 Plus.

ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX6000

Best Wi-Fi 6 router overall

(and for gaming)

Pros: 
-World-class performance on both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands 
-Only one router had a lower jitter score on the 5GHz band (perfect if you want to prioritize work or gaming)
-Endlessly customizable settings for gaming
-Six gigabit Ethernet ports
-You can add another Asus router to create a mesh system

Cons:
-Designed for gamers (and it looks like it)
-Signal was easily blocked by walls on the 2.4GHz band

Why I like it:

This thing just works. The test results jumped off the screen: It was the only wireless router to score top five on both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands in our throughput tests, which measure how fast a router can transmit data to a device wirelessly. The 5GHz band was particularly impressive. We established a baseline of 939 megabits per second through a wired connection on 5GHz; when we moved the GT-AX6000 50 feet away, it barely budged at 927Mbps. For comparison, the Netgear NightHawk RS700 -- a router that costs more than twice as much -- only got 80Mbps from that distance. It also clocked a near-zero 0.03 jitter score on the 5GHz band. In other words, the time it takes for an action to register on the screen is nearly instantaneous. That’s the kind of performance that’s worth paying a little extra for. 

Who is it for: 

The GT-AX6000 is clearly marketed toward gamers, but it’s a great choice for anyone, regardless of gaming habits. It comes with a ton of nice bells and whistles for gamers -- WAN and LAN aggregation, game console prioritization, simple port forwarding -- but that doesn’t mean you have to use them. This router checked every box. It has the latest WPA3 network security standard, automatic firmware updates and parental controls that let you filter websites and apps on specific devices. 

Who shouldn't buy it:

If you only have a handful of devices connected to the internet at a time, you probably don’t need to shell out $220 for a high-performing router. I also wasn’t crazy about this router’s design. All the red lights made me feel like I was mainlining Mountain Dew Code Red. There are some clever ways to hide a wireless router without blocking its signal, like stashing it in a crate or wicker basket, but I wouldn’t hold it against anyone who thought this was too much aesthetically. 

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TP-Link Deco X55 Pro

Best budget Wi-Fi 6 router

Pros:
-Routinely outperforms routers that cost three times as much
-Top 10 throughput scores on both bands
-You can control the router with Alexa or Google Assistant devices
-Ability to add other TP-Link Deco routers to create a mesh system

Cons:
-Three US departments are currently weighing a ban on TP-Link routers due to ties to Chinese cyberattacks
-Jitter and packet loss scores were middle of the pack

Editor's Note: We think you should be aware that TP-Link routers are under investigation by the US government over security concerns and could be banned in the states this year, according to multiple news reports. CNET reported on the potential ban, too, but in the absence of documented evidence to support the allegations, we chose to continue recommending TP-Link as one of our best router choices. In fact, you can read more about why I still use a TP-Link router here.

Why I like it: While it's marketed as a mesh system, the Deco X55 Pro works well as a standalone router, too. If you don't want to spend more than $100, I haven't seen any Wi-Fi 6 routers that come close to the speeds from the Deco X55 Pro. It ranked eighth on the 2.4GHz band and an eye-popping second on 5GHz. The only faster router on 5GHz was the $480 Eero Max 7. Though the range on 5GHz was essentially limited to the room the router was in, that's still incredible performance for a $90 router. 

Who it's for: This router is best for people living in smaller homes or apartments who don't need a lot of customizable features. It's a true "set it and forget it" kind of router. If you're engaging in only low-bandwidth activities, like streaming TV or browsing social media, you probably won't have any issues in a larger home, either. 

Who shouldn't buy it: People with multistory homes might have some issues in rooms far from the router. Also, online gamers should look elsewhere: The Deco X55 Pro had below-average packet loss scores on both bands, which could result in some frozen or glitchy screens. 

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Asus RT-AX86U Pro

Best Wi-Fi 6 router for larger homes

Pros: 
-Impressive range for a single router
-Excellent throughput performance, even at longer distances
-Incredibly low jitter scores on both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands
-You can add another Asus router to create a mesh system
-Four 1Gbps LAN ports with a dedicated "gaming port"

Cons:
-Packet loss was relatively high, especially on the 5GHz band 

Why I like it: It all comes down to range. The Asus RT-AX86U Pro outperformed nearly every other wireless router we tested. Speeds barely dropped off when we moved further away from the router -- 906Mbps on the 5GHz band from 50 feet away, compared to a baseline of 939Mbps with a wired connection. It also comes with every network security feature we looked for: WPA3 certification, automatic firmware updates and adjustable parental controls.

Who it's for: Anyone living in a larger home with multiple floors. Short of a full-fledged mesh system that uses multiple routers, this device performed as well as any I've seen when it comes to signals traveling through walls and across vast spaces. If your home is more than 2,500 square feet, you might still need a mesh system or Wi-Fi extender to completely eliminate dead zones, but the Asus RT-AX86U Pro has such strong throughput performance to begin with, you might not even notice the drop-off across rooms. 

Who shouldn't buy it: Even though it's marketed toward gamers, I'd steer them to our picks for best router overall or best gaming router. That's because the RT-AX86U Pro had higher packet loss scores than I would've liked, falling in the bottom third of Wi-Fi routers we tested. It was still in the range that's considered acceptable for most people, but gamers might notice a frozen screen or moments of high lag on the 5GHz band.

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Pros: 
-Incredible value for a Wi-Fi 6 mesh system
-Uses three wireless bands: one 2.4GHz and two 5GHz
-Works with Alexa voice control
-Easy setup, with satellites that join the mesh as soon as you plug them in
-Two gigabit Ethernet ports per router

Cons:
-Bulky, somewhat bland-looking design
-Incoming wired speeds capped at 1Gbps
-Not the fastest pick for a gigabit network

Editor's Note: We think you should be aware that TP-Link routers are under investigation by the US government over security concerns and could be banned in the US this year, according to multiple news reports. You can read more about why I still use a TP-Link router here. 

Why I like it: The TP-Link Deco W7200 cruised through our speed tests to earn a spot as one of the top-rated mesh routers of the year. What's great about the Deco W7200, along with its full support for Wi-Fi 6, is that it's a tri-band model with the usual 2.4 and 5GHz bands plus an additional 5GHz band that the system uses as a dedicated wireless backhaul connection between the main router and its satellites. That dedicated backhaul is the key to unlocking the best mesh performance because it keeps those system transmissions separate from your regular network traffic. Tri-band mesh routers like those will usually cost you $300 or more, but the Deco W7200 gets you there for well under $200.

Who is it for: With multiple devices working like a team of routers to spread a faster, more reliable signal across a larger area than a single router can, the TP-Link Deco W7200 is a fantastic pick for large homes -- and one that won't set you back very much.

Who shouldn't buy it: I wouldn’t recommend the Deco W7200 if you’re paying for gig speeds from your internet provider. Wired speeds are capped at 1Gbps, and we got average download speeds of 403Mbps and average upload speeds of 379Mbps. If you’re paying for premium speeds, it’s probably worth spending a little more on a mesh system like the pricier Netgear Orbi AX6000.

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Wi-Fi 6 technical deep dive

Wi-Fi 6 means your router uses the sixth generation of wireless standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a worldwide association of technical professionals. 

When it debuted in 2019, Wi-Fi 6 represented a major leap forward in wireless networking. That was primarily due to the speed increase from Wi-Fi 5. Wi-Fi 6 routers could theoretically handle data throughput of 9.6Gbps, compared to 5.4Gbps with Wi-Fi 5 routers. The most important improvement from Wi-Fi 6 was that it introduced the 2.4GHz band, where Wi-Fi 5 routers relied exclusively on 5GHz. Wi-Fi 6 routers also doubled the size of the bands, increasing from 80MHz to 160MHz. Think of it like a highway: Wi-Fi 6 not only added an entirely new lane, it also doubled the size. All of that meant that data could travel much more efficiently.

Fast forward a few years and Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 routers added another new band to the table, the newly opened 6GHz band, which was capable of even faster speeds. 

But having a Wi-Fi 6 router won’t necessarily get you a faster Wi-Fi connection on its own -- you’ll also need a Wi-Fi 6 device that works with it. At this point, almost any device you’ve purchased in the past few years will be Wi-Fi 6-compatible. And even if it’s not, it will still work with your Wi-Fi 6 router -- you just won’t necessarily be able to take advantage of the newer features.

In addition to the 2.4GHz band, Wi-Fi 6 routers made a number of technical improvements that resulted in better performance. Here are the key features to know.

1024-QAM 

Wi-Fi 6 routers use 1024 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, compared to 256-QAM from Wi-Fi 5 routers. QAM refers to how much binary code your router can send with each transmission. 256-QAM means the router can send eight digits of binary at once, while 1024-QAM can send 10 digits. That results in a 25% increase in the amount of data it can transmit at once. Wi-Fi 7 routers upped the ante again here, with 4096-QAM, a 20% data rate increase over Wi-Fi 6.

OFDMA 

A feature that was new to Wi-Fi 6, OFDMA stands for orthogonal frequency division multiple access. This gives your router the ability to serve multiple clients at once within a single channel. Wi-Fi 6 routers can divide whatever channel it's using to send its signals on the 2.4 or 5GHz frequency band into smaller frequency allocations called resource units, or RUs.

Target Wake Time 

This feature helps your router schedule when it should request information from devices like temperature sensors or a smart locks. Wi-Fi 6 allows the router to put these devices on a schedule to keep them from colliding with another incoming signal and creating congestion. 

"The difference between waking up 100 times per second, which in large part was the default up until now, and waking up once a second... That's a huge, huge amount of battery life," Cisco Meraki SVP and General Manager Todd Nightingale told CNET in a previous interview. "And what that means is that Wi-Fi networks can start to become the de facto network that serves everything in a very, very power-conscious way." 

How to choose the right Wi-Fi 6 router

There are three main things to consider first as you're dialing in on a new router: the speed of your home's internet plan, the size of your home, and the number of Wi-Fi devices under your roof that need a reliable connection. If you're living in a small- to medium-sized home with internet speeds of 500Mbps or less, and you just need a reliable signal for your phone, laptop and streaming device, then a simple pick like the TP-Link Deco X55 Pro should offer plenty of bandwidth and range to suit your needs. 

If you've got a house filled with smart home devices, multiple family members who each regularly use your Wi-Fi with a variety of gadgets, or if you've just upgraded your internet plan to add gigabit speeds, you should probably consider a router with greater bandwidth potential. The tried-and-true ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX6000 is the one I'd probably recommend first because it's been a regular standout through multiple rounds of CNET tests, including full rounds of tests on three separate networks at three separate locations.

If you're living in a larger home -- especially a multistory home -- then it's worth considering stepping up to a mesh router like the TP-Link Deco W7200. Those multiple mesh devices will help ensure a better, more reliable signal throughout the entirety of your home. You could also consider splurging on a mesh powerhouse like the Netgear Orbi AX6000, but at $450, it's probably overkill for most homes.

How we test Wi-Fi 6 routers

CNET uses custom-made scripts to carry out our testing and data analysis. We focus on three main measurements when testing routers: speed, reliability and distance. We want to know how well a router will translate the internet coming in from your provider to a wireless connection, and we want to know how far it can do it -- even with obstacles like walls and floors in the way. To capture all three of these, we conduct two types of tests: data throughput and signal strength measurements. 

CNET’s testing is unique because we remove the internet provider from the equation entirely. Even the most reliable internet connections are fairly erratic: factors like time of day, network congestion and even the condition of your neighborhood’s broadband infrastructure can all affect your internet speed. To make sure these variables didn’t skew our analysis of each router, we set up a separate server to measure the raw throughput of data from the router to a device, bypassing the need for an internet connection entirely.  

Learn more: How We Test Wi-Fi Routers

Data throughput tests

Here I am running a throughput test at close distance from the router.

Adam Breeden/CNET

To see how fast a router will perform in real-world conditions, we measure its throughput, or the volume of data that a router actually transmits during a period of time. All Wi-Fi signals travel through 2.5GHz and 5GHz radio frequencies -- that’s why most routers you’ll see are referred to as “dual-band.” (Tri-band routers use an extra set of channels in the 6GHz band.) 

To start, we conduct a wired measurement on the 2.5GHz, 5GHz and, when available, 6GHz bands to establish a baseline. This is as fast as throughput can get for the router over each band, so it’s a good point of comparison for our wireless tests. From there, we take five different wireless throughput measurements, 60 seconds each, mimicking a household with five devices connected to the router with different throughput needs. These wireless measurements are taken from three different distances from the router: 7 feet, 25 feet and 50 feet. 

As any online gamer or remote worker can tell you, speed isn’t the only factor in evaluating routers. Just as important is jitter, which measures the variations in latency, or the time it takes for data to arrive at its destination. When you’re in a video meeting and there’s a delay in audio or someone’s video freezes, jitter is the culprit. We felt jitter was a better measure than latency when evaluating a router, as average latency can show up in testing as low, even when an internet connection is glitchy.  

These tests also captured packet loss, which tells us whether any data failed to reach its destination during the test. You’ll often see packet loss as a frozen video screen or a garbled voice during a video call. With both packet loss and jitter, a lower score is better. 

Signal strength

CNET Labs technician Samantha De Leon makes her way around the facility's 61 marked locations to test each router's signal strength.

Adam Breeden/CNET

The second step in our testing is to measure each router’s wireless signal strength and broadcasting capability. To capture this, we used NetSpot, a wireless site survey and analysis tool. This test also shows how well a router handles interference from other objects and networks you’d find in your home, like TVs or your neighbor’s Wi-Fi. CNET’s labs have many electronics being tested around the facility, and it shares walls with other businesses, so there’s plenty of interference for a router to work through. 

We taped targets in 61 locations around CNET’s 12,500-square-foot testing facility to see how well each router transmitted data through obstacles like walls and electronics. As expected, the 2.4GHz band had better range than the 5GHz band, which sends a stronger signal at a closer range. 

The ASUS RT-AX86U Pro, our pick for the best Wi-Fi 6 router for larger homes, had excellent range on the 2.4GHz band, pictured above.

Samantha De Leon/CNET

In the signal strength maps, the numbers refer to decibels relative to a milliwatt (dBm), and they indicate how strong the Wi-Fi signal is at a given location. A value like -55 dBm is considered strong enough and typically correlates with high throughput. Here’s how to interpret the numbers on signal strength maps:

• -15 dBm -- Extremely strong (almost on top of the router)
• -30 dBm -- Excellent signal
• -45 dBm -- Very good signal
• -60 dBm -- Good, supports most tasks
• -75 dBm -- Weak, may see drops in speed/stability
• < -80 dBm -- Very poor, likely unstable or unusable

In the example above, the Asus RT-AX86U Pro never dipped below -55dBm -- even when it was on the other side of the 12,500 square foot lab. That’s incredible range for a standalone Wi-Fi 6 router. 

Other Wi-Fi 6 routers we tested

We evaluated a total of 17 Wi-Fi 6 routers in our most recent round of testing. While not all of them made our top picks, several are still worth considering. Here are a few that barely missed the cut:

Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro: A rare triband Wi-Fi 6 router, the GT-AX11000 Pro adds in a second 5GHz band to open up even more bandwidth. That didn’t show up in the test results, where this router ranked 12th out of 17 Wi-Fi 6 routers for throughput on 5GHz. It was second on 2GHz, but with a price tag over $250, I prefer the more well-rounded (and cheaper) ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX6000. 

D-Link Aquila M30: This Wi-Fi 6 router stands out for its unique antenna design and low price. It’s currently available on Amazon for $90, but I’ve seen it on sale for much lower. It’s fairly middle of the pack everywhere else: throughput, signal strength and packet loss were all acceptable, but nothing you can’t get from our budget pick, the TP-Link Deco X55 Pro. The one area it was exceptional? Jitter on the 5GHz band, where it recorded a stunningly low 0.03ms. If you want a cheap Wi-Fi 6 router for gaming, you could do a lot worse.

Synology WRX50: This was actually the fastest Wi-Fi 6 router we tested on the 2.4GHz band, earning a throughput score of 127Mbps. It’s everywhere else that it lagged behind. It was the 11th fastest Wi-Fi 6 router on the 5GHz band, and its packet loss scores were close to the bottom. That might be forgivable for a budget router, but at $230, the WRX50 is definitely not that.

TP-Link Archer AX21: I’ve seen this picked as a good budget option on other sites, and at $60, it was the cheapest Wi-Fi 6 router we tested. The bad news is that it performed like it. Its throughput scores were towards the bottom on both 2.4 and 5GHz, but some households might not notice the difference. The AX21 got 700Mbps on 5GHz -- far more horsepower than most homes need -- and its signal strength was impressive, too. I still think it’s worth paying $20 more for the TP-Link Deco X55 Pro, but if you’re looking for the absolute cheapest Wi-Fi 6 router you can find that still works, the AX21 is a worthy option. 

TP-Link Archer AX55: The AX55 ($72) is a popular pick on other “Best Wi-Fi Routers” pages, and I was anxious to see where it landed in our tests. Ultimately, it was with a thud. The dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router ranked in the bottom third for throughput on both bands, and its jitter scores were acceptable, but certainly not a strength. About the only thing the AX55 had going for it was decent signal strength. TP-Link’s Archer AX21 ($60) and Deco X55 Pro ($80) both offer much better all-around performance. 

Upgrading to Wi-Fi 6: What you need to know

If you’re still using a Wi-Fi 5 router, it’s definitely worth upgrading to Wi-Fi 6 (and maybe even Wi-Fi 7) at this point. There have been significant improvements with the newer generations, and any device you’ve bought in the last five years likely uses Wi-Fi 6.

Wi-Fi 6 added in an entirely new wireless band, 2.4GHz, which helps boost the router’s signal strength. If your Wi-Fi is cutting out in rooms that are far away from your Wi-Fi 5 router, a Wi-Fi 6 router might take care of those dead zones. That said, larger homes will probably still require a mesh system to fully blanket your home in coverage. 

Wi-Fi 6 also includes support for new Wi-Fi features that help devices pass data back and forth faster and more efficiently. One of the key upgrades is 1024-QAM, which stands for quadrature amplitude modulation, or the trick your router uses to send radio waves that other devices can read as a series of ones and zeroes -- the binary code that makes up everything you see, read and experience online. 1024-QAM allows your router to send out 10 digits of binary code with each transmission, compared to eight digits of binary from Wi-Fi 5 routers that use 256-QAM. That's one of the key reasons why Wi-Fi 6 offers top speeds that are roughly 30% faster than before.

Other features of note include OFDMA, or orthogonal frequency division multiple access, which improves network efficiency by allowing your router to send data to multiple clients within a single channel at once. Think of that like a pizza delivery driver dropping off multiple pizzas to multiple customers in one trip to save gas. There's also Target Wake Time, which lets the router schedule devices that need to periodically check in so that they don't cause interference with one another. It isn't specifically tied to Wi-Fi 6, most next-gen routers will support WPA3, the latest standard for Wi-Fi security.

Wi-Fi 6 router FAQ

If you have questions about the ins and outs of Wi-Fi 6, be sure to check out CNET’s full explainer on the standard and what makes it better than the Wi-Fi of yore. In the meantime, I'll post answers to any commonly asked questions below.