The best Wifi routers for families typically have these characteristics:
Before we get to the picks, there are a few things that you should understand.
These days, many wifi systems will be "mesh". A mesh network includes multiple "nodes", which automatically "mesh" together to provide fast and reliable wifi coverage, even in large homes. A typical mesh network consists of a base station and one or more satellites, all of which connect together automatically.
Mesh networks also support dynamic routing, so you can have a single wifi network and single password, and your devices (even as they are moving around) will automatically connect to the fastest available node.
In the past, if you had areas of your home that had poor wifi coverage, you would need to install a wifi extender or repeater. These are a pain to set up and are always significantly slower than your main router. Fortunately, the bad old days are over and with mesh routers, it's all completely automatic.
Today's wifi network environments also include many different types of devices, from phones to computers to TVs to smart home appliances. Each of these devices has different connection requirements, and some of them (mainly smart home appliances) don't support 5G networks, so in the past you've had to set up different networks (2.4G vs 5G) for different devices. Mesh systems allow you to have a single network with a single passcode that all devices can use; the devices just connect using whichever network works for them. You can still set up separate networks if you want -- but it's not necessary.
Unless your home is small and you don't have any issues with wifi speed today, then you'll want at least 1 base station and 1 satellites node.
My recommendation is:
You'll also want to add nodes if you have challenging setups like plaster walls, metal structures, or homes that are very widely spaced out. If you're not sure how many satellites you need, it's usually best with 1 and then expand from there -- most manufactures will sell single nodes.
BTW, there is such a thing as "too many" nodes, so don't overdo it!
Now that we've covered the basics, let's get to the picks!
Here are a few other concepts to understand when shopping for a mesh router.
There are two devices that you need at your house to get online -- a modem, and a router. While a modem connects your home to the internet, it is the router that shares this internet connection with your devices.
Typically, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will provide you with a modem, and sometimes they will provide you with a router as well. You'll want to use the modem they gave you -- it's specially designed and configured for the service you have -- but what router you use is up to you.
I recommend not using the router from your ISP for two reasons:
You may already have a router from your ISP. If not, no sweat -- it's very easy to swap it out. You will want to send it back to them though if you are paying for it!
When you're looking for mesh systems, you'll likely come across the term "Wifi 6" and "Wifi 7". This refers the WiFi protocol supported by the router. WiFi is technically faster -- and if you have gigabit internet you might notice the difference -- but chances are you don't have a device that can make use of it, so don't worry which one you get. WiFi 7 is more "future proof" but honestly, you'll probably replace your router before your devices notice the difference.
If you happen to have wired ethernet installed in your home, then you can take advantage of the "wired backhaul" feature to make your network even faster and more stable. It works by connecting the base station and one or more satellites via ethernet. When connected in this way, the satellite nodes are able to offer much stronger (and therefore faster) signal.
