Choosing to buy a new WiFi router for home internet connection may not be so easy for those who know little about computer networks, since often the router is treated as if it were the old modem (that is, it just works and goes on) . Apparently, in fact, the router is a very simple device to look at, a box that only needs to be connected to the electrical socket and to the telephone socket (modem-router models) or to a modem (router-only models) to start surfing. Although this is objectively true, buying the best router on the market will allow you to have features that cannot be found on the models offered by the operators. Find out in this guide what features a good WiFi router must have, the differences between the various models and finally a list of ready-to-use devices that we can buy without problems.
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What is a router
We have already explained what a router is used for and if you want to summarize it in simple terms, it is the device that distributes the Internet signal to numerous devices such as computers, smartphones or others through the use of rules and filters (customizable). Simple routers must be connected to the modem in order to navigate but, as is almost always the case, it can be itself a modem (modem-router), i.e. the device receives the Internet signal from the telephone cable and can manage it through its router component . You have to understand the difference well, since both types of routers are available on the market:
- A simple router is not able to manage the Internet signal autonomously as it is provided by the telephone socket, therefore it must be connected to a modem (or to the device supplied by the operator to navigate) via an Ethernet cable. Once connected by cable to the modem, it will be able to manage all connected devices and provide Internet connectivity by using the modem as a link. This type of router can be connected with any type of line (ADSL, FTTC and Fiber Optic FTTH), just use the suitable modem (for the purpose, the one included in the various Internet offers is fine too).
- A modem router has everything you need to surf the Internet immediately, as it integrates a port compatible with the telephone cable. The modem component will handle the Internet signal, while the router component will manage the rules and permissions for the connected wireless devices. Currently it is possible to use modem routers only for ADSL and FTTC connections (with some limitations), while for FTTH optical fiber it is always necessary to use the modem or devices supplied by the operator in order to navigate correctly.
Characteristics of a good home router
If we personally choose the router to have at home (instead of using the one provided by the operator) we will obtain the following privileges:
- a stable WiFi signal that keeps the connections always alive and without sudden drops;
- the ability to keep multiple computers and phones connected to the network and the Internet without any drop in speed or performance;
- have more options for configuration and customization .
These things might seem useless but if we compare the performance of a good commercial router with those offered by operators we will find many differences and we will hardly focus on the models that operators want to "force" us to use.
Before recommending the most reliable router models that you can buy today, let's summarize the home router buying guide by making a few considerations.
1) Those who need to surf the Internet from their mobile phone and computer without special needs, can also spend little and buy a router for 50 Euros or less.
However, wanting a router that has options to improve network security, that has dual bandwidth and less possibility of interference with the outside (if you live in a neighborhood with many WiFi networks), if you want to activate parental controls, to connect from a USB port to the router, printers and external storage units for sharing data on the network, then it is worth spending some extra money.
In particular, it is now advisable to buy a router with a 5 GHz band to avoid interference with the neighbors' WiFi .
It should also be noted that some routers are also capable of supporting 3G / 4G internet sticks on their USB port, to share the portable connection.
2) The WiFi signal of a router may not cover the whole house, especially if placed near a wall or if the house has two or three floors with thick walls.
Luckily there are WiFi repeaters to extend the signal reception .
I also want to say that the WiFi signal is no longer powerful because there are 3 or 6 antennas on the router and not even if the antennas are internal or external.
3) The speed of a router does not increase the speed of the Internet so we must not think that by spending more, the internet will be faster, at best the internal connections between the devices will be faster (if we want to transfer some files between PC and notebook for example ).
At the same time, however, a good router is convenient for having a fluid view of streaming movies using devices such as the Chromecast attached to the TV or if you use a computer as a multimedia server that streams to other PCs, since we can use the services QoS or priority to favor one device over another, as we could better see in the guide an 802.11ac or 802.11n router ">
The TP-Link TL-WR940N is an inexpensive router model for those who are unpretentious, with Wi-Fi 450 Mbps at 2.4 GHz, 5 Fast Ethernet ports, 3 antennas, dedicated Wireless button and shutdown and WPS button.
We can view this router from here -> TP-Link TL-WR940N (18 €).
2) TP-Link Archer C60
A more advanced model than the previous one, this TP-Link Archer C60 boasts a Dual band AC1350 Wi-Fi (450 Mbps 2.4 GHz and 867 Mbps 5 GHz), 5 fixed antennas, parental control system and guest network and Tether app for IOS / Android.
We can view this router from here -> TP-Link Archer C60 (31 €).
3) ASUS RT-AX57U v2
If we want a router model suitable for exploiting the fiber, we can focus on the Asus RT-AC1200GPLUS, which has AC1200 Dual Band Wireless Gigabit, MIMO technology, 4 fixed 5dBi External Antennas, USB 2.0 with 3G-4G LTE Support and AiRadar technology.
We can view this router from here -> ASUS RT-AX57U v2 (70 €).
4) AVM FRITZ! Box 4040
We are looking for a fully configurable router "> AVM FRITZ! Box 4040 (€ 74).
5) Nighthawk R7000P
We are looking for maximum power for fiber optics and online games "> Nighthawk R7000P (143 €).
Modem router models
1) Netgear D1500
An inexpensive model to connect immediately with any ADSL connection is the Asus DSL-N12E, which has ADSL2 + modem, N300 Mbps wireless, 4 Fast Ethernet LAN ports and 2 directional external antennas.
We can view this router from here -> Netgear D1500 (20 €).
2) TP-Link Archer VR400
If we have the FTTC line as the first mid-range model we recommend viewing the TP-Link Archer VR400, which boasts the ADLSL / VDSL modem, Dual Band Wi-Fi, 3G / 4G support (via USB), 3 LAN ports, 1 port WAN, USB 2.0 and App Tether support for Android and iOS.
We can view this router from here -> TP-Link Archer VR400 (44 €).
3) Netgear D6400-100PES
The first high-end modem router we can focus on is the Netgear D6400-100PES, which has a Dual Core processor, 4 Gigabit ports, 1 WAN port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, VDSL / ADSL modem, Dual Band 300+ Wi-Fi 1300 Mbps and internal MIMO antennas.
We can view this router from here -> Netgear D6400-100PES (89 €).
4) Netgear Nighthawk X4S D7800
If we want to make the most of the FTTC connection we can view a high-end modem router like the Netgear Nighthawk X4S D7800, which has WiFi AC2600 Dual Band, Beamforming +, automatic DSL detector, 4 adjustable external antennas, priority system for gaming devices and streaming, ReadyCloud system and management via app.
We can view this router from here -> Netgear Nighthawk X4S D7800 (202 €).
5) AVM FRITZ! Box 7490
The most powerful modem router that can be placed in the home is the AVM FRITZ! Box 7490, a real monster that features Wireless AC 1750, ADSL2 + and VDSL support, integrated analogue telephony, VoIP technology support, Base Dect, switchboard and answering machine functionality, 4 Gigabit LAN ports, 2 USB 3.0 and QoS system to set the priority of individual devices.
We can view this router from here -> AVM FRITZ! Box 7490 (€ 160).
To deepen the discussion on routers, we can read the guides below.
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