The Best Budget Wi-Fi Routers for 2022

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The daily commute to the office might be a distant memory, but more time at home means your personal Wi-Fi is now your work Wi-Fi, too. That presents problems for some, since carrying essential work-related traffic with bulletproof reliability can be a difficult chore for that aging router that’s been collecting dust under your TV. If your router is wheezing while shouldering your work-at-home data load in addition to its normal gaming and entertainment fare, it’s time to start looking for something more modern. And if today’s economy is stretching the limits of your wallet as much as your bandwidth, you’re likely looking for something inexpensive. Enter this bevy of network bargains.

Higher-end wireless routers employ the latest Wi-Fi technologies to deliver blazing data rates and advanced features, but they often cost upward of $300. You’re looking for a speed boost, but you might not need the latest and priciest to get it. If you live in a small home or apartment and have only a handful of devices connecting to your network, you can save a bundle with a budget-class router and still enjoy solid throughput performance and even some of today’s more advanced features. Our top budget picks are below, followed by advice on what to look for (and what to expect) from an under-$150 Wi-Fi router.

You Can Trust Our Reviews

TP-Link Archer AX50 (AX3000) Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi 6 Router

Best Budget Wi-Fi Router for Most Buyers

Why We Picked It

The TP-Link Archer AX50 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router that offers a solid mix of features and performance at a reasonable price. It turned in relatively high scores on our throughput tests, and showed excellent range on our signal strength tests. The router comes with four LAN ports, and supports link aggregation for high-speed connectivity.

Who It’s For

The AX50 is well-suited to budget-conscious users looking to upgrade a network with Wi-Fi 6 technology. It’s very easy to install and comes with a free lifetime subscription to TP-Link’s parental control software, which lets you create user profiles to filter out adult content and block undesirable websites.

PROS

  • Easy to install
  • Solid throughput and signal strength performance
  • Strong parental controls
  • Anti-malware protection
  • Link aggregation

CONS

  • Doesn’t support WPA3
  • Middling file-transfer performance

Read Our TP-Link Archer AX50 (AX3000) Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi 6 Router Review

Reyee RG-E5

Best Budget Wi-Fi Router Emphasizing Performance

Why We Picked It

The Reyee RG-E5 delivered some of the highest throughput scores we’ve seen from a midrange sub-$200 router. In fact, its showing on our 5GHz performance tests rivals that of routers that cost twice as much. You don’t get many extra features with this router, but it had no trouble blanketing our test home with strong Wi-Fi signals. It’s also mesh-ready, with optional add-on nodes.

Who It’s For

The RG-E5 is a good bet if you’re looking to bring Wi-Fi 6 connectivity to your home network for under $150. It’s easy to install and a top performer in its class. It also offers basic parental controls that allow you to block websites, schedule access times, and turn off internet access with the touch of a button. It doesn’t support 160MHz channels or WPA3 encryption, but that’s not uncommon for routers in this price range, and its fast throughput makes up for it.

PROS

  • Reasonably priced
  • Easy to install
  • Excellent throughput performance
  • Strong signal performance

CONS

  • No USB ports
  • Lacks multi-gig WAN/LAN
  • Does not support WPA3
  • Lacks 160MHz channel bandwidth

Read Our Reyee RG-E5 Review

ZTE AX3000 Pro

Best Performance-Minded Wi-Fi 6 Router for the Very Tightest Budgets

Why We Picked It

Looking for Wi-Fi 6 on the cheap, along with a smattering of key features, including USB connectivity and security software support? You’ll want to look at the TP-Link model above.  But if all you want to do is upgrade your network with speedy Wi-Fi 6 on the cheap, look no further. This ZTE router delivered some of the fastest 5GHz throughput we’ve seen from an under-$100 device, and its 2.4GHz performance was not too shabby, either. It’s not often that you get this level of performance, as well as 160MHz channels and WAN aggregation, in a budget router.

Who It’s For

This is a model for shoppers on extremely tight budgets who are nonetheless looking for peak performance from a Wi-Fi 6 model. It’s also got a snappy-looking chassis that should work well with most modern decor.

PROS

  • Low price
  • Easy to install
  • Strong throughput performance
  • 160MHz channels and WAN link aggregation

CONS

  • No USB ports
  • No multi-gig ports
  • No network security software

Read Our ZTE AX3000 Pro Review

Asus RT-AC66U B1 Dual-Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Router

Best Budget Wi-Fi Router for Built-In Malware Protection

Why We Picked It

The Asus RT-AC66U is a reasonably priced dual-band Wi-Fi 5 router whose performance, robust features, and affordability earn it an Editors’ Choice award. It may not offer the latest and greatest Wi-Fi technology, but it performed quite well on our throughput tests and was a snap to install. We especially like the included Trend Micro malware protection, which can block malicious sites for all devices on your network.

Who It’s For

If you’re not ready to embrace Wi-Fi 6 technology, there are still plenty of perfectly good Wi-Fi 5 routers out there, and the Asus RT-AC66U is one of them. For $109.99, you get solid dual-band performance, strong parental control and anti-malware software, four LAN ports, and a pair of USB ports. Its file transfer performance could be better, but the RT-AC66U is still a great bargain.

PROS

  • Affordable.
  • Speedy throughput performance.
  • Easy to install.
  • Four LAN ports.
  • Robust parental controls and malware protection.

CONS

  • Middling file transfer performance.
  • Non-removable antennas.

Read Our Asus RT-AC66U B1 Dual-Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Router Review

TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (V2)

Best Budget Wi-Fi Router for Network Tweaking

Why We Picked It

The TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 churned out some of the fastest throughput scores we’ve seen from a sub-$100 Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) router. Its web-based management console could be more user-friendly, but it offers lots of settings for people who like to customize their networks. Plus, the router itself is easy to install. Throw in a nice assortment of I/O ports, and you’ve got an excellent budget router.

Who It’s For

The Archer C7 AC1750 is a smart choice for budget-conscious users who don’t necessarily require Wi-Fi 6 technology but demand fast throughput performance and extensive network customization options. Its four LAN ports and two USB ports are more than you’ll find on similarly priced routers, and it comes with parental controls that allow you to create network access schedules and limit access to specific websites.

PROS

  • Affordable price.
  • Very fast throughput performance.
  • Easy to install.
  • Lots of management settings.

CONS

  • Clunky user interface.
  • Middling file-transfer speeds.
  • Only USB 2.0 ports.

Read Our TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (V2) Review

Vilo Mesh Wi-Fi System

Best Overall Budget Wi-Fi Mesh System

Why We Picked It

The Vilo Mesh certainly isn’t the fastest mesh system out there, but it’s easy to install and brings Wi-Fi to every corner of your home for significantly less money than any other three-piece mesh network. The Vilo Mesh comes with three identical nodes that provide coverage for homes of up to 4,500 square feet. There are trade-offs for the low price, of course: It doesn’t use Wi-Fi 6 technology, and it doesn’t deliver stellar throughput performance.

Who It’s For

Think you can’t cover your entire large home with serviceable Wi-Fi for less than $100? The Vilo Mesh Wi-Fi System is here to prove you wrong. That said, if you’re willing to stretch your budget, or prioritize performance over the quantity of mesh nodes and coverage area, you’ll want to check out our guide to the best Wi-Fi mesh systems overall.

PROS

  • Very affordable
  • Easy to install and manage
  • Basic parental controls

CONS

  • Uses older technology
  • Lacks malware protection and QoS settings
  • Middling throughput performance
  • No USB ports

Read Our Vilo Mesh Wi-Fi System Review

TP-Link Archer AX10 (AX1500) Wi-Fi 6 Router

Best Budget Wi-Fi 6 Router

Why We Picked It

The Archer AX10 isn’t the fastest router out there, and it doesn’t offer much in the way of features, but at $79.99 it’s one of the most affordable Wi-Fi 6 routers we’ve tested. It delivered fast 5GHz performance in testing and installed in minutes.

Who It’s For

The Archer AX10 is great for anyone looking to jump on the Wi-Fi 6 bandwagon without spending a bundle. For under $80, the dual-band AX10 gets you strong 5GHz performance and a handful of useful utilities. They include parental control software that lets you create user profiles, block access to websites, and set time limits with school night and bedtime scheduling. It also offers basic settings that let you give bandwidth priority to specific devices.

PROS

  • Affordable
  • Good 5GHz throughput and signal range in testing

CONS

  • Doesn’t support 160MHz channel width
  • No anti-malware tools
  • Lacks USB and multi-gig LAN ports
  • So-so 2.4GHz performance in testing

Read Our TP-Link Archer AX10 (AX1500) Wi-Fi 6 Router Review

TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Router MU-MIMO Gigabit Router (Archer A6)

Best Budget Wi-Fi Router for Small Homes

Why We Picked It

The $49.99 TP-Link Archer A6 earns high marks for its very affordable price and impressive 5GHz throughput performance. Its 2.4GHz performance was less impressive, but the A6 is one of the least expensive Wi-Fi 5 routers out there to offer multiple LAN ports and support for MU-MIMO simultaneous data streaming.

Who It’s For

For just under $50, the TP-Link Archer A6 is an affordable choice for users looking to bring MU-MIMO streaming to an aging 802.11ac network in an apartment or small home. You can use the A6 as the sole router for a small home network, but you can also add it to any TP-Link OneMesh router to create a mesh network for a larger home. If you’re looking for faster performance and built-in parental controls and anti-malware tools, the Asus RT-AC66U B1 Dual-Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Router is a better choice.

PROS

  • Affordably priced.
  • Easy to install.
  • Supports MU-MIMO streaming.
  • Solid 5GHz performance.

CONS

  • Middling 2.4GHz performance.
  • No USB ports.
  • Non-removable antennas.

Read Our TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Router MU-MIMO Gigabit Router (Archer A6) Review

D-Link EXO Mesh AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 (DIR-X1560)

Best Budget Wi-Fi Router With Optional Mesh Nodes

Why We Picked It

The D-Link DIR-X1560 delivered solid 5GHz throughput performance in our tests, but its 2.4GHz performance was not quite up to par. Still, for under $100 you get a dual-band router with Wi-Fi 6 technology, four LAN ports, and mesh capabilities that let you use it as a base station or a satellite node in a whole-home Wi-Fi system.

Who It’s For

If you’re looking to build an inexpensive Wi-Fi 6 network or want to turn your existing network into a mesh system, the D-Link DIR-X1560 will get the job done. It’s a snap to install and manage using either the web-based console or the mobile app, and it offers basic parental controls with website blocking and network access scheduling. Just don’t expect the speedy performance, USB connectivity, and malware protection that you’ll get with our Editors’ Choice pick for budget routers, the TP-Link Archer AX50.

PROS

  • Affordable
  • Good 5GHz performance
  • Easy to install
  • Mesh capable
  • Voice control

CONS

  • Lackluster 2.4GHz performance
  • No USB or multi-gig LAN ports
  • No anti-malware protection
  • Meager parental controls. Lacks 160MHz support

Read Our D-Link EXO Mesh AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 (DIR-X1560) Review

Buying Guide: The Best Budget Wi-Fi Routers for 2022

These days, you’ll find that most budget routers use Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) technology, although there are still a few Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) routers hanging around, so it’s worth checking. The latter are single-band routers that operate on the 2.4GHz spectrum and offer very limited throughput speeds. That’s not necessarily the kiss of death, but they probably won’t pair well with today’s PCs, mobile devices, and smart home devices, most of which are looking for at least a Wi-Fi 5 connection. They’re also ill-equipped for multimedia tasks such as video streaming and online gaming.

Wi-Fi 5 routers, on the other hand, are dual-band devices that let you connect using both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands. They have several other improvements, too, especially MU-MIMO technology, which transmits data simultaneously (rather than sequentially) to compatible client devices. Another cool feature to look for is beamforming, which sends wireless signals directly to clients rather than over a broad spectrum. If you see automatic band-steering on your router’s spec sheet, that means the router can select the most efficient radio band based on the current network traffic, band availability, and signal strength.

If you’re wondering which band you’re most likely to use, then know that the 2.4GHz radio band is best suited for long-range transmissions but is subject to interference from other household devices such as microwave ovens and cordless phones. The 5GHz band provides significantly more bandwidth than the 2.4GHz band and is ideal for video streaming, online gaming, and large file downloads, but it has limited range, which is why these systems often need to be bolstered with a wireless range extender, especially in larger homes.

Wireless router on a table


(Credit: Netgear)

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is the latest in wireless technology, and it offers much-improved throughput speeds: up to 4.8 gigabits per second (Gbps), which makes it sought after by those looking for business-class networking, as well as those seeking a fast gaming router. If you’re looking to future-proof your home network, you can still do that without spending a fortune, as a few Wi-Fi 6 routers are available for under $150. It also uses other new technologies, including Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Target Wake Time (TWT) to relieve network congestion and reduce client power consumption.

Additionally, Wi-Fi 6 takes advantage of previously unused radio frequencies to provide faster 2.4GHz performance, offers WPA3 security to protect against weak passwords, and uses 256-bit encryption to help keep your network safer from hackers. Finally, it provides upstream and downstream MU-MIMO streaming (802.11ac only supports downlink MU-MIMO), and it’s backward-compatible with previous Wi-Fi protocols.

TP-Link Archer C7 wireless router product shot


(Credit: TP-Link)

And if you see a router being advertised as compliant with Wi-Fi 6E, know that’s just the very latest in the Wi-Fi 6 saga. With 6E, the software capabilities of the protocol are the same as in Wi-Fi 6, meaning you’ll get all the new goodness around features like OFDMA and TWT. But you’ll also get access to the newly released 6GHz band, so routers that support 6E will have access to quite a bit more wireless bandwidth, which should provide much more room for those bandwidth-hogging work applications and also solve things like difficult connections due to bandwidth congestion. You likely won’t see 6E routers in the budget-router market for some time, however.

Budget Routers: What You’ll Get for the Money

The most expensive Wi-Fi 5 routers, including the newer wireless mesh systems, offer “combined” speeds of up to 5,400 megabits per second (Mbps). That just means the total maximum throughput of both bands, not the actual speed of the router. For this reason, they’re labeled as AC5400 routers, but many of these models will cost close to $300 or more.

For under $100, you can expect to find AC750 Wi-Fi 5 routers, which provide speeds of up to 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 450Mbps on the 5GHz band. You can even find sub-$100 AC2200 routers, which deliver speeds up to 450Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 1,733Mbps on the 5GHz band.

Finally, the current crop of AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 routers, mesh or standalone, can handle data rates of up to 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 1,200Mbps on the 5GHz band. It’s important to note that these speed ratings are theoretical and refer to maximum achievable speeds. Actual throughput will likely be significantly lower, but never fear, we thoroughly test all our contenders so you can see all the key real-world numbers, including throughput and signal strength. (For a primer on what the “AC” and “AX” numbers mean, see our guide.)

An interesting trend in the higher-end router spectrum is that prices are starting to drop. No, you won’t find very many Wi-Fi mesh systems in our budget roundup just yet, but we are seeing those products become less pricey. Mesh will be more of a factor in the under-$150 market as time goes on.

Should You Compromise on Key Features?

So far, it might sound like you can find pretty much anything you want in an under-$100 router. Unfortunately, that’s likely not the case. To hit those lower prices, a lot of routers ditch many of the features that you’ll find on more expensive models.

On the hardware end, you won’t find any sub-$100 routers that are equipped with more than four LAN ports, nor will you find features like speedy multi-gig (2.5Gbps) LAN ports. The ability to perform link aggregation won’t be there; nor will USB ports. The latter are useful for connecting directly to peripherals like external hard drives (a quick way to build your own network attached storage or NAS device) or printers. Budget routers also typically use non-removable external antennas, which means they can’t be replaced with more powerful high-gain antennas to help boost performance and extend the router’s signal range.

Budget routers are managed using a web console or a mobile app, much like their more expensive siblings, but they’ll likely lack some of the advanced settings. That will likely include support for bandwidth allocation or Quality of Service (QoS), dedicated online gaming presets, VPN connectivity, and sometimes support for DD-WRT. The last is a Linux-based firmware upgrade that replaces the manufacturer’s firmware and provides enhanced settings that allow you to customize the router for maximum performance.

Wireless router with 3 antennas


(Credit: nito/Shutterstock)

Additionally, budget-class routers rarely offer the robust parental controls with age-related presets that filter out things like social media, gambling, shopping, and violent or adult content; these controls are more common on midrange and high-end routers. You can, however, still use basic access-scheduling and URL-filtering features to help you control when your kids go online and which sites they can visit. Or you can purchase a third-party parental control program that suits your family’s needs.

Indeed, third-party software is a good way to kick up the capabilities of your budget router, because unlike many mesh systems and midrange to high-end routers, budget routers usually ship with only basic software. You likely won’t find one that’s bundled with name-brand security software to protect your network and client devices from phishing, viruses, adware, and other malware, or with real parental control solutions. To find a likely pairing candidate for your router choice, check out our Malware Protection and Removal roundup to see what works best for you.

So, What Is the Best Budget Router to Buy?

Our top lab-tested low-cost router models are outlined according to use case up top, and according to their specs below. And whichever router you wind up choosing, remember that once you’ve found it, there’s tweaking to be done! Be sure to read our tips for setting up your router and boosting your Wi-Fi signal.

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