Modestly priced router matches pricier models

The release of Wi-Fi 7 was newsworthy but not of much practical use. Most new devices aren’t compatible with Wi-Fi 7. Wi-Fi 6 still hits the sweet spot of price and performance for most people. But if you want to unlock its full potential for faster, better Wi-Fi performance, you’ll need a Wi-Fi 6 router running your home network. That was an expensive proposition when Wi-Fi 6 first arrived but not anymore. Now, shopping around, you’ll find a good number of Wi-Fi 6 options available for less than $100.

TP-Link Archer AX21

CNET take: The Archer AX21 did an outstanding job in our at-home speed tests. At the end of multiple days of tests, its average download speed on a 300Mbps fiber network was a near-perfect 299Mbps. It also delivered triple-digit download speeds in areas of the house that typically are dead zones. We retested it again after upgrading our home network to gigabit speeds. It isn’t powerful enough to top out a connection like that, but it still delivered fast, consistent speeds, with downloads averaging 441Mbps.

That level of performance was strong enough for it to beat out models from Netgear, Asus and D-Link, and it even kept up with fancier routers that cost significantly more. It’s also a cinch to set up, thanks to TP-Link’s Tether app for Android and iOS, which offers quick access to basic network settings without bombarding you with ads like some other router apps will.

All of that makes the Archer AX21 an extremely worthy pick for small- to medium-size homes, and one of the best value picks you’ll find that supports Wi-Fi 6.