The Best Tested and Reviewed Mesh Wi-Fi Routers of 2024

Eero is an Amazon company, and its routers come with Alexa support. Enable the Ero skill and you can pause the internet with a voice command through your Echo device, which is handy when your child won’t get off the computer to eat dinner. Supports Eero 6 routers matter And the Thread and Zigbee can pull double duty as smart-home hubs the way Echo devices can, letting you connect directly to some smart lighting, smart locks, and other Zigbee devices.

There are two other tricks that make the Eero 6 system interesting. If you have an Echo (4th Gen), Echo Dot (4th or 5th Gen), or Echo Dot (4th or 5th Gen) smart speaker with watch, it can Act as a Wi-Fi extenderOffering an additional 1,000 square feet of coverage at speeds of up to 100 Mbps for up to 10 devices. Eero is also an offer Internet backup option, so you can add multiple backup networks (Wi-Fi or Hot Spots) to keep you online when your main wired network goes down.

Eero’s simplicity will appeal to anyone who hates digging into settings, but there is a cost. You won’t find any Service quality attributes For priority activities, and you cannot separate the bands. One final con with the basic Aero system I tested was the relatively slow transfer speed, though this wasn’t an issue for the higher-end systems.

Currently, there are four ero systems on the market to consider, all offering a broadly similar experience. The first two are dual-band systems (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). People with internet connections up to 500 Mbps can go with regular Eero 6. If you have a fast connection, up to 1 Gbps, and your home is smaller than 4,500 square feet, then Eero 6+ ($300) Sorting system. People with larger features or higher than average needs (many devices and people using the Internet at the same time) should be considered Eero Pro 6E ($550) (7/10, Wired recommends), a tri-band system that supports 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz bands. Eero Pro 6 has been discontinued.

D Try up to 7 ($1,700) (7/10, Wired review) is its top-of-the-line, Wi-Fi 7 option, boasting four Ethernet ports, two rated at 10 Gbps and two at 2.5 Gbps, but that will be overkill for most people right now. You can dig deeper into the differences between us Ero Buying Guide. But whichever model you choose, keep an eye out for frequent discounts. All Eero systems are compatible with each other, making it easy to expand your network.

best value

Affordable and compact, the ZenWiFi XD5 is a solid alternative to our top picks for more limited needs or budgets. Refreshingly, you don’t need to create an account to set up and use this mesh network. Each of the three units has two Gigabit Ethernet ports and can be wall-mounted. Basic security (AiProtection Classic) and parental control come at no extra cost, and there’s support for AiMesh, so you can mix and match other Asus routers.

Performance was smooth and reliable during my testing, with some impressively fast results for the price. I downloaded a 30-GB game in less than eight minutes. Although it is a dual-band system, there is support for 160-MHz channels in the 5-GHz band. Asus says a 3-pack can cover up to 5,000 square feet, but speeds slow down as you move away from the router. To squeeze the best performance out of the XD5, or any mesh system, connect main routers and nodes to it Ethernet For wired backhaul.