The best routers with MESH support

Huawei was one of the key developers of the Wi-Fi 6 standard, so it is not surprising that it was one of the first to launch a pack of new generation routers on the market. Moreover, while other manufacturers looked at the new protocol with caution and limited themselves to producing rather expensive and niche models, Huawei immediately went to the people. So the new AX3 Dual Core is a terribly stylish and very fast router with Wi-Fi 6 and support for seamless MESH systems. And they only ask $70 for it. Are you already interested? We really do.

Routers are rarely seen by their clothes. Rather, this is a product from the “plug it in, put it on the table and forget it” category. But not at this time. Huawei has produced one of the most stylish and unusual routers in our memory. Wide and flat antennas are connected to the flat and thin case made of matte plastic, which stick out like horns when open, and fit snugly to the case when folded. Aesthetically, this is something very close to the golden days of Apple. By the way, the plastic does not collect fingerprints at all and, as far as can be judged from a week-long test, is scratch-resistant.

On other fronts, AX3 Dual Core is not inferior to competitors with a price tag twice as high. Its theoretical throughput speed reaches almost 3000 Mbps (574 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band and 2402 Mbps in the 5 GHz band), which in itself is very cool. It supports MU-MIMO and Beamforming, like any self-respecting mid-range router. But there's more to come. Firstly, it supports MESH networks, when several identical routers create a seamless coverage in a room without separation into a master and slave router. Secondly, there is the Dynamic Narrow Bandwidth feature, which can enhance signal transmission in the 2 MHz narrowband mode, improving signal penetration through walls and floors. Thirdly, the delights of Wi-Fi 6 such as a dedicated 160 Hz band and OFDMA technology, which provides high throughput and more efficient network operation. Well, the new processor will support the simultaneous connection of 128 devices. For complete happiness, there would also be a USB port here, and it would be generally unclear why even look in the direction of other routers.

In the shelf of household routers of the AX3200 class, the wireless router model of the same name from the Chinese company Xiaomi seems to be very attractive in terms of price and functionality. It is simply called Router AX3200.

The device is assembled in a rectangular case with a “striped” back, in the center of which a small Xiaomi logo proudly displays. Six antennas protrude from the rear and side ends of the router case to create the widest possible area of high-quality coverage. The router distributes the Internet in two bands: 2.4 GHz with a throughput of up to 800 Mbit/s and 5 GHz with a speed of up to 2402 Mbit/s. A trio of gigabit LAN ports are also available to the user. Total theoretical speeds of up to 3200 Mbps are made possible by 1024-QAM modulation and MU-MIMO 4x4 multi-channel data transmission.

OFDMA technology improves the efficiency of transmitting information to multiple connected devices. Another useful feature in the model’s assets is Beamforming “directional beam” technology, which determines the position of client devices within the deployed network. If the power of the router is not enough to cover the entire serviced perimeter, you can use the router to scale the coverage area as one of the links in seamless MESH networks.

In total, up to 128 client devices can work in the router’s Wi-Fi network. The model copes well with the assigned tasks both in a relaxed home atmosphere and in a relatively small office. The wireless router impresses with its increased data exchange speeds, Wi-Fi 6 support, easy setup and stable coverage.

The affordable Tenda TX9 router supports Mesh seamless wireless network technology, which neutralizes “dead zones” in large private homes and offices. All you need to do is synchronize your compatible devices. The software offers a basic set of functions that will be enough for most users - WPA3 security, automatic IP address assignment (DHCP), and bandwidth control. A built-in firewall will also come in handy, which will prevent unauthorized access to publicly accessible data. Using the mobile application, you can track all the important information about your device from anywhere in the world.

The router is capable of creating a powerful, scalable signal over long distances thanks to Beamforming technology and increased bandwidth up to 160 MHz. 4 antennas with 6 dBi preamplification distribute and receive data in two bands - 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. This allows you to distribute the load between consumers and reduce the amount of interference. At the same time, the connection speed can reach 2402 Mbit/s for a frequency of 5 GHz, guaranteeing comfortable web surfing, fast downloading of movies and file sharing on the local network.

The Asus range of network equipment has a suitable offer for any wallet thickness. Take, for example, the RT-AX53U model for home - an inexpensive dual-band router with support for the Wi-Fi 6 generation of wireless communications.

The device belongs to the AX1800 class models - the router provides theoretical throughput of up to 576 Mbit/s in the 2.4 GHz band and up to 1201 Mbit/s when using a 5 GHz carrier frequency. It supports the creation of up to three independent guest networks in each band. The network cable is connected to the router via a gigabit LAN connector. Also in the interface shelf of the model there is a trio of WAN ports with a throughput of 1 Gbit/s.

The presence of a USB 2.0 port allows you to use modems, printers and external HDDs with the router. So, if there is no Internet from the provider, you can “start” the device using a 3G/LTE modem. The operating status of the router is displayed by LED indicators on the top panel of the case. At night they flash too brightly, but, fortunately, the indication can be turned off in the settings. Control of the Asus RT-AX53U is based on the web interface or the ASUS Router mobile application.

The model includes support for MU-MIMO and Beamforming technologies to improve the performance of wireless networks, and implements Firewall, NAT, DHCP, FTP, file and print server functions. In addition, Dual WAN technology allows for effective backup and network load balancing. The router gets a special plus for the pre-installed cyber protection service AiProtection Classic, which checks settings from a security point of view, blocks access to malicious resources, detects and blocks infected devices on the local network. Overall, the Asus RT-AX53U gives the impression of a good, balanced product without obvious flaws.

Asus RT-AX1800U is a rather interesting and at the same time affordable AX1800 class router with rich capabilities for building sixth-generation home Wi-Fi networks. It is equipped with a USB class 2.0 port to which you can connect an external drive, flash drive or mobile modem with a SIM card. Connecting to the network using a cable allows you to transfer information at a speed of 1 Gbit/s. Built-in Wi-Fi receiver supports cross-bred dual-channel connection. Plus, the router is compatible with Asus' seamless AiMesh technology and can combine with other mesh routers from the company to create a wireless network with a large coverage area.

To transmit data over the air, the Asus RT-AX1800U uses four external antennas: a pair for the 2.4 GHz band and a pair for the 5 GHz band. In the first case, we have a throughput of 574 Mbit/s, in the second the speed rises to 1201 Mbit/s, which in total provides a throughput of around 1800 Mbit/s. During the tests, the router showed itself to be as adequate and predictable as possible: speed drops when transmitting a Wi-Fi signal through several walls are quite standard, the mesh network is quite easy to set up and does not get capricious, MU-MIMO and OFDMA are a great help in distributing streams between a bunch of people connected to it smartphones, TV, laptop, tablet and other smaller gadgets.

In terms of software and bells and whistles, this model has pretty much all of the big stuff on the show, including the ability to create guest networks, VPN, Amazon Alexa support, built-in cloud data sharing, and a suite of Trend Micro-powered AiProtection services. The latter allows you to check the router’s security settings, block access to malicious resources, search for and block infected gadgets connected to the network, etc. At the same time, the Asus RT-AX1800U does not have any obvious disadvantages that would make you want to poke it with a stick. For complete happiness, I would have liked a dedicated 160 Hz band and a more modern USB port, but overall it turned out quite well.