They aren’t as exciting to buy as a new computer, and they often cost more than the associated modem, but routers are one of the essential parts of your Internet setup. If you don’t get the right router and have a household with multiple devices, you might be limiting your speed.
Best Router for Multiple Devices in 2022
A few routers on the market might suit your needs, depending on how many devices you want to connect and what features you prefer.
ASUS ROG Rapture 6E – Best Router for Multiple Devices and Gaming
This ASUS ROG Rapture is designed for gamers to provide fast speeds to multiple devices. Since it has access to Wi-Fi 6E therefore, the 6GHz stream, it can handle more simultaneous connections than other tri-band routers that don’t connect to the 6GHz protocol. Asus says that the 6GHz band can give you many more connections than a router without that protocol.
Tri-band router with access to 2.4, 5, and 6GHz Standard single-unit router, can be meshed using AiMesh Recommended maximum devices: unspecified, 50-60 reportedly
This router can handle speeds up to 11,000 Mbps cumulatively, both the 5Ghz and 6Ghz streams support up to 4.8Gbps each. It also has an extensive cooling system to help keep the quad-core processor running it from overheating. It also uses its 2.6G WAN/LAN port to route traffic and help keep devices running quickly. It’s a lot of router packed into a small unit with eight antennas. The high-quality build, extra cooling, access to Wi-Fi 6E, and the traffic routing all combine to make this the best possible router for multiple devices. One of the downsides to this router is that it’s costly. In most cases, you can get something that will handle decent connections for a lot less money.
MicroTek Ethernet with Ubiquiti Access Point – Alternate Best Solution
Together, this combination can provide up to 850 Mbps max speed on multiple devices. While something with this kind of power is often used to connect many devices with the Internet, some users also install this setup at home to help spread wireless signal over a large area with multiple access points. This is a combination and you may find other devices that fit this type of setup too.
Dual-band access point with access to 2.4 and 5GHz Non Wi-Fi router with 10 1G ethernet ports Recommended maximum devices: Depends on AP, 50 advertised per this Access Point
The MicroTek router itself has a quad-core Cortex A15 CPU. It offers 10 ports with 1 Gigabit ethernet for your devices. However, it doesn’t provide Wi-Fi and must be paired with the access points for that. Once you get it all going, however, there is plenty of customization between the two devices. You can buy multiple Ubiquity AP to help the signal go farther. You can choose more access points down the road to upgrade your Wi-Fi range and device limits as well. One of the downsides of this is that it’s an enterprise-level equipment. If you aren’t technically skilled, you may have to seek professional help to install it. The cost of the additional Access Points will also quickly raise your installation cost.
TP-Link Archer AX11000 – Best Router with Parental Controls
The TP-Link Archer AX11000 offers blazing speeds up to 10,756 Mbps total. TP-Link explains that this router is designed for homes with multiple devices. Even if you have a VR headset, a variety of smart devices, and many computers, it can still handle all the incoming connections. It’s faster than older models and has up to four times the capacity for devices.
Tri-band router with access to 2.4 and two 5 GHz channels Standard single-unit router Recommended maximum devices: unspecified, 50-60 reportedly
Multiple reviewers have said this router has a solid connection and exceptional speeds. If you’re looking for a serious router that can handle multiple devices connecting to it, consider the AX11000. It’s a high-end unit that costs much less than other similar routers. It even has eight wired LAN ports and 2 USB ports to help connect all your devices. The manufacturer says it can support 12 different devices at once. One thing that some reviewers mention is how excellent the parental controls are. If you’re managing a household with children and don’t want to give them unlimited access to the Internet, this router can easily help you set up blocked sites or Wi-Fi scheduling. Since this is a Wi-Fi 6 router instead of a 6E router, it shares channels with lower spectrums. This means that it doesn’t take advantage of the dedicated 6E area that will be less crowded and quicker.
NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 – Best for a Splurge
The NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 has it all, including three bands and the desirable 6GHz option. It should be able to handle speeds of 4.8 Gbps on each of the two higher bands, which is fast enough for almost all home Internet plans you can find.
Tri-band router with access to 2.4, 5, and 6GHz Standard single-unit router Recommended maximum devices: 60
With this router, you can speed things up by aggregating two Ethernet ports to optimize your connection. It has multiple USB ports, a quad-core processor, and a WAN/LAN port rated at 2.5 Gbps. NETGEAR went with a unique look, including only two large antennas that span the length of the router’s body. This router is also extremely expensive and might not be the best match for a home with only a few devices. The benefits it offers will be more apparent in a house with many connections.
TP-Link AX1800 Archer AX21 – Best Budget Router
If you aren’t looking to move vast traffic with incredibly high speeds, you can save some money and still get a great router. The TP-Link AX1800 has the Wi-Fi 6 protocol to work with newer devices, and it’s very inexpensive to boot. In tests done by certain reviewers, this router kept up with more well-known brands in both speed and latency.
Dual-band router with access to 2.5 and 5GHz channels Standard single-unit router Recommended maximum devices: Not specified
It has a few neat features too. There’s a quality-of-service function that helps make sure the strongest signal is on essential devices. It has a guest network, band steering, and up to 1.8 Gbps speeds. It also has a mode to reduce battery consumption on your devices. While this quad-core router is a neat little unit, it won’t give you the extra channel available on dual-band routers. This means that it can’t handle as many incoming connections.
Netgear Nighthawk X6S – Best for Firewall Protection
It’s important to keep your connection secure, and the Netgear Nighthawk X6S has you covered. It offers dual firewalls to protect your entire network from dangerous interference. The two it offers are SPI and NAT.
Tri-band router with access to 2.5 and two 5GHz channels Single unit router Recommended maximum devices: 55
In addition to the protections, it’s also a nice router. It is rated for up to 55 devices with up to a combined 4000 Mbps speed. This means you can game or stream on different devices without experiencing lag or pauses. Netgear says this router can cover 3500 square feet in your home. Keep in mind that the X6S doesn’t have the 6GHz network, despite being a tri-band router. Routers that offer the additional band can generally support a few more devices overall.
Google Nest Wi-Fi – Best Mesh Router Overall
This is absolutely the best mesh router you can get for multiple devices as 2022 approaches. According to Google, with just a single Wi-Fi point, the Nest router can send connections to 200 devices and stream multiple 4K videos at one time. You can add additional access points to the system to help expand the coverage into more spaces. With two points and a router, the Nest can cover 5400 square feet of space.
Dual-band router with access to 2.5 and 5GHz channels Mesh router Recommended maximum devices: 100 per Access Point
The router itself can put out 2.2 Gbps in speed, while each point can handle 1.2 Gbps. The access points also have a built-in smart speaker. It has parental control, can prioritize traffic, and offers a guest network too. While it only has two channels, that doesn’t seem to limit the number of devices it can handle. One downside to this model is that the only Ethernet ports are in the router. The points in the updated Nest model don’t have them.
NETGEAR Nighthawk Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi MK83 – Best Mesh Router for LAN ports
This NETGEAR mesh router can cover more than 6,500 square feet of space and handle more than 40 devices at once. The central unit and the two satellites have seven LAN ports and support Wi-Fi speeds up to 3.6 Gbps total. With these ports, you can directly wire devices into the MK83 in different areas of your home.
Tri-band router with access to 2.5 and two 5GHz channels Mesh router with three units Recommended maximum devices: 40+ recommended
It might not sound impressive for the price, but the Netgear mesh router delivers coverage. With it, you can get Internet in parts of your home that were dead zones before. A little ingenuity in the setup can help you get Internet in places where the signal faded or dropped. The satellites help move the connection from one part of your home to another. While this does come with two satellite pieces, you may need more to extend the signal range, depending on your setup. Each additional unit costs almost $200, which can quickly make this very expensive. You can set up the eero Mesh Wi-Fi system in ten minutes with a program that walks you through the process. Once it’s good to go, pair it with Alexa to help control it from anywhere in the house. The product listing says it’s designed for countertop placement.
Dual-band router with access to 2.5 and 5GHz channels, Wi-Fi 6 1 router and 2 extender units units, different packs sold to suit your space Recommended maximum devices: 75+
This device can cover 5,000 square feet and supports speeds up to 500 Mbps. If you’ve had difficulty getting decent signal in the far-off corners of your home or behind thick walls, in basements, or other complex areas, this can help you solve that problem. With two Ethernet ports on the router, you can even plug devices in near it. One downside to the eero 6 is that it’s only a dual-band mesh router system. It won’t be as fast or offer support for newer 6E devices.
AmpliFi HD Wi-Fi – Best Touchscreen
The AmpliFi HD Wi-Fu mesh system has a clean, modern look with a fantastic touchscreen that gives you insight into what your router is doing. It even gives you the current connection speed, perfect for someone who likes more data in real-time.
Dual-band router with access to 2.5 and 5GHz channels Mesh router system Recommended maximum devices: 70-100, supports 128 max
This system comes with a base router and two access points. It offers a total of 4-gigabit ethernet ports for direct connections. The app makes setup and monitoring easy, too. You can create family profiles and a guest network. This also has a range of 10,000 sq. feet, helping it cover much more space in your home. Some users complained about the type of network monitoring that was available. They felt that it didn’t go far enough for people who wanted insight into what users on their network were doing. The newer Amplifi Alien has Wi-Fi 6 capabilities along with a touchscreen.
Choosing The Best Router For Multiple Devices
Before you start looking at routers, learn some of the features they offer. Understanding the different aspects of a router can help you choose which one is right for your household. Some are better for a person connecting a few devices. Others will work better for a multi-person home where someone streams and uses their computer, another family member plays on a console and a third uploads and downloads on a different computer. It comes down to this: a router has to handle more connections and speed when more people use the Internet. While it won’t make your speed faster than what you purchase from your ISP, it can help the signal span through your home and help keep everyone connected at the same time.
Router Features
Here are some features you should consider when you shop for routers.
Router Type
There are two kinds of routers you should consider: mesh routers and regular wireless routers. A standard wireless router is what probably comes to mind when you think about a router. It’s a unit that connects to your modem and disperses the Internet throughout your house. A mesh router is a newer type of router. Instead of a single piece, there are several pieces that you have to situate in your house. They work together to help the Internet signal work better in different places around your home. Consider using a mesh router instead if you plan to use an extender to get a better signal. It will likely function better.
Speed
Each router can support a particular Internet speed. You want to make sure that your router can match the speed your Internet plan provides. Check out what bandwidth it can handle, what Wi-Fi speeds it can provide, and how many devices it can support simultaneously. Many manufacturers have this information on their websites. It’s also worth thinking about future-proofing. When we bought our router five years ago, it was more than sufficient for the 100Mbps plan we had at the time. I wanted to buy a less expensive router that did lower speeds because I didn’t think we’d have access to higher speeds for a while. Fast forward until now: the router is still going strong, and our bandwidth has quadrupled. If we hadn’t purchased a future-proof router, we’d have to go out and buy a new one to handle our current Internet speed. It’s also important to remember that the speeds quoted on the labels are done under ideal conditions. You might want to consider something with a higher speed rating than you need for this reason as well.
Ports
Each router will have several local area network ports that let you connect devices to your Internet. Even if you aren’t using many LAN-enabled devices now, you may get something that needs such a connection in the future. If you fall in love with a router that doesn’t have enough LAN ports, you can also buy an extension that splits the ones you do have to create additional places to plug things in.
Bands
If you want multiple networks in your house, look for a tri-band router. It will give you a 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands or one 5GHz and one 6GHz band. This means that you can have three different wireless networks show up at your home. Don’t let the different numbers for the bands confuse you. Usually, you want to connect your home devices, older devices, and appliances to the 2.4GHz band. It’s an older network and used to be the only one available. The 5GHz band is the more modern standard. However, a newer 6GHz frequency is available on routers that boast the latest Wi-Fi technology. Even if you aren’t using devices that require a 6GHz band, it’s one of those things that you might want to consider future-proofing. Look for 6E devices to take advantage of this band. Why are bands necessary? Each band can only support so many simultaneous connections with good speed. So if you have a single band, you might only be able to support a few connections on 2.4GHz and a dozen more on each 5GHz band. The 6GHz and 6E models can handle even more connections, though they manage this in different ways. Remember that not every device works with every band. The 2.4GHz band is the standard for many devices — especially older ones. Your microwave, mobile phone, or wireless cameras may require a 2.4GHz band. Because so many devices connect through that band, it can be overcrowded and cause interference with the signal. A dual or tri-band router is less prone to interference because it offers additional bands at 5GHz or 6GHz. Dual-band routers can often handle 30-40 devices, while tri-band routers are rated for between 50 and 70. A single-band router with just the 2.4GHz band can satisfactorily handle up to 10-16 devices only.
Wireless Channels
Each wireless band has a certain number of channels it can support. There are 11 channels in the 2.4Ghz band and 45 channels in the 5Ghz band. Certain devices prefer certain channels, and using the same channel as other devices can cause you to have interference and hence, weaker wireless signals. Wireless channels are different sizes in each band. They can also overlap. Choosing to connect on a 5GHz connection means accessing wider channels with less overlap. It means that you’re getting a better signal overall most of the time. If you’re using a 2.4GHz band, try using the 20MHz channels on your devices. With the 5GHz band, try 20, 40, or 80MHz channels.
Other Considerations
Some people like their routers to have multiple USB ports so they can plugin devices. If you think you might use this feature, look for one that offers it. If you have children, look for routers with parental control options and routers with guest networks if you often have people over. You can also find routers that prioritize specific devices. If you’re working on a computer and need the strongest possible connection, you can go into your settings and change which devices on the network get priority. Doing so ensures you always have the best possible signal when you need it. You can also use a router without Wi-Fi and pair it with access points. This solution is often used by large businesses require connecting a large number of devices.
Final Words
Any of these routers is an excellent choice for providing Internet to multiple devices. Having the Wi-Fi 6 protocol helps keep them future-proof even as we come to 2022 and see new devices released to the market that take advantage of it. Don’t choose something with outdated technology and fall behind before the new year even begins.
