Read our list of the best gaming routers.LAS VEGAS - JanuAt the 2016 International Consumer Electronics Show, NETGEAR ®, Inc. Even if you aren't a gamer, this is still one of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers you can buy right now. That checks off all of the boxes that most people want from a good gaming router, and it gets you there at a price that isn't too painful for us to recommend. If you need additional range, you can add other Asus "AIMesh" devices to your home network to make it the centerpiece of a mesh.
Gaming features aside, the RT-AX86U offers full support for Wi-Fi 6, with strong, stable speeds and good range. Something else you'll appreciate: An excellent mix of app-based controls and features, including a mobile boost mode, that lets you prioritize gaming traffic to your phone at the touch of a button. In fact, it leads all of the routers I've ever tested, gaming or otherwise, with the lowest average latency across all of my tests, which online gamers will definitely appreciate. Most noteworthy is the router's latency management. At about $250, the Asus RT-AX86U dual-band router isn't inexpensive either, but it's a strong value relative to routers like those - and the performance it delivers is flat-out great. Gaming routers promise high performance and low latency for die-hard gamers, and it isn't uncommon to find them selling for $300 or even $400. Still, if you're buying right now and you want elite mesh performance, price be damned, then this is the system to get. Is that sort of speedy performance worth $700? I think most will find better value with something less expensive - and you've got a growing number of solid options that fit the bill. That's a near perfect result, and one that no other mesh system I've tested has been able to match.
In the latter round of tests at my home, where my fiber internet connection tops out at 300Mbps, the Orbi AX600 returned average speeds of 289Mbps to Wi-Fi 5 devices and 367Mbps to Wi-Fi 6 devices, including speeds at the farthest point from the router that were 95% as fast as when connecting up close. With a second 5GHz band serving as a dedicated backhaul for system transmissions between the router and its satellites and full support for Wi-Fi 6, the system is still our top-tested mesh router, with the best scores in both our lab-based top speed tests and our at-home mesh coverage tests. Starting at $700 for the two-piece setup seen here, the AX6000 version of the Netgear Orbi is far more expensive than the dual-band version listed above, but it's also a lot more powerful. That makes the Deco W7200 an outstanding value, and the first mesh router I'd point most people towards if they're in need of something new. On top of that, TP-Link makes setup about as easy as it gets, with satellite extenders that automatically join the mesh as soon as you plug them in. In fact, the only system that managed to outperform it outright in my at-home speed tests is the AX6000 version of Netgear Orbi, which costs more than three times as much (keep reading for more on that one). That's the best deal I've seen for a tri-band mesh router with support for Wi-Fi 6 - and sure enough, it's an excellent performer, as well. Most mesh routers like that cost at least $300 or even $400, but the TP-Link Deco W7200 gets you there for just $229.
For the best performance from your mesh router, you'll want to prioritize getting one with support for Wi-Fi 6, plus a tri-band design that includes three separate bands of traffic: the usual 2.4 and 5GHz bands, plus an additional 5GHz band that the system can use as a dedicated wireless backhaul for transmissions between the router and its satellites.