7 Best Powerful WiFi Routers For Large House Users

If you are experiencing Wi-Fi dead spots or laggy gameplay, this may be the result of your router.

Finding the Right router for yourself:

Needs of a user getting internet through fiber may be entirely different from a user who is getting internet via cable or for that matter via DSL.

Covering dead network zones is surely top priority for any home user, especially when you have a multi storey house or large size home with thick walls.

Have a look at our pick on best 7 wireless routers that provide longest Wi-Fi range without compromising on latest technology features.

Brand/ Model	Wireless Specification	No.of wired LAN ports	Range- Sq. feet	MU- MIMO	Best Price
ASUS RT- AC88U	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz Radio Frequency)	8	5000	Yes	$260- $280
LINKSYS WRT1900ACS	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	4	-	No	$150- $180
Netgear Orbi	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	7	5000	yes	$350 - $400
Amplifi Hd	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	4	20000	No	$320 - $ 349
Asus RT-AC5300	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	4	5000	yes	$315- $350
Netgear Nighthawk X8 R8500	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	6	5000	yes	$350 - $370
Google wifi system	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	2	4500	No	$280-$300

 

1. Asus RT-AC88U :  No list of best WiFi routers can be compiled without this beast at the helm. This amazing dual-band WiFi router is equipped with the latest 1024-QAM technology

Speed: Up to  2.1 Gbps at 5 GHz and 1 Gbps at 2.4 GHz

Dual band advantage: Allows a dedicated band for high bandwidth requirement for streaming or gaming.

Wave2 enabled: This has the 2^nd generation of 802.11 specifications with 4 Antennas.

Processor: Broadcom chipset, dual core 1.4 GHz processor, makes it extremely high performance.  

USB ports: One USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 ports, they support not only storage sharing but also multi-function printer sharing.

Prioritize devices: Router is smart enough to analyse and allot different bandwidth for a gameplay vs YouTube views vs net browsing. You may do that manually through web interface as well.

Gaming performance optimized: Ac88U uses WTFast (What the fast) private gaming network, that optimizes the path through which gaming data travels.

Pros:

• 8 Gigabit Lan ports can be a good utility for small office or home office users.
• Flags and blocks out malicious websites, visual pop up notice on app whenever manual intervention of user is needed on security front.
• Access the router settings through app on Android or iOS.

Cons:

• An extra NitroQAM wireless adapter is required to cross the 1Gbps speed mark

2. LINKSYS WRT1900ACS

WRT1900ACS is definitely Linkys’ best offering. This dual-band WiFi router is highly tried and tested and over hundreds of five-on-five rating on Amazon stands testimony to it. The use of beamforming technology ensures great speed and range and a price point of just around $150, this might be the perfect solution for your home/office WiFi coverage issues.

SPEED: This is a dual-band router and offers amazing speeds up to 1.3 Gbps on the 5GHz band and up to 600 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band.

PROCESSOR: Powering this mighty WiFi router, there is a powerful 1.6GHz dual-core processor coupled with 512MB RAM which allows you to conveniently stream Netflix or HULU across their various devices without any lag.

NETWORK ATTACHED STORAGE: You can easily connect your external hard disk as NAS with the Linksys WRT1900ACS and enjoy your favourite shows and movies in HD thanks to the amazing speeds that this beast churns.

EXCELLENT RANGE: Thanks to the use of beamforming technology and a four antennae design, the WRT1900ACS can easily kill all the WiFi dead-zones in your home/small office. We didn’t encounter any considerable drop even at distances of 100 ft.

COOL RETRO DESIGN: The WRT1900ACS sports a retro yet a somewhat cool design which is sure to draw the attention of onlookers.

USB PORTS: The WRT1900ACS sports one USB 3.0 port and one  eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port so that you can easily connect your various devices like external hard drives and old printers which don’t have WiFi support.

PRIORITIZE APPS AND DEVICES: You can even toy with the router settings to prioritize any app or specific device by dedicating more bandwidth to it.

PROS:

• The router supports Open VPN as well as firmware like DD-WRTand open WRT providing users with more security and stability.
• The Linksys iOS or Android app makes setting up and monitoring the router extremely convenient

CONS:

• No MU-MIMO support unfortunately
• The Time Machine Backup feature not available for Mac users.

3. NETGEAR ORBI

 Orbi is Netgear’s first venture into the mesh-router world and it won’t be an overstatement to say that it is currently one of  the best range extenders available in the market. Orbi can easily cover up an area of up to 5,000 sq ft. and works very well even in multi-storeyed buildings.

 

MESH NETWORKING:  Netgear Orbi can be purchased in two options: only device or with add-on satellites. Orbi  tri-band WiFi Satellites can be added together to expand WiFi reach.

 

Powerful Tri-band WiFi: Tri-band WiFi ensures that the speed across various devices always remains constant irrespective of how many devices are connected. 

 

Blazing Fast Speeds: Orbi offers blazing fast speeds up to 3 Gbps  at 5GHz.

 

One Single & Secure WiFi network Name: The network name remains same throughout the entire house. This ensures that you won’t have to connect to different networks in different rooms.

 

Guest WiFi network—You can easily set up a separate and secure Internet access for your guests using the Orbi app. You can put speed and accessibility limitations as per your wish for your guests.

 

MU-MIMO: Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output allows simultaneous data streaming without any hiccups.

 

PROS:

• Even being a mesh network it’s very easy to set up and you don’t even need a Netgear account to run it.
• iOS and Android Orbi App is very interactive and easy and thus makes controlling everything extremely convenient

 

       CONS:

• Perhaps the only con is that just one device won’t be able to cover up your entire house. Although it can easily cover areas up to 1500 Sq. ft., but if you need a WiFi range up to 5,000 Sq. Ft., then you’ll be required to pair it in mesh.

 

4. AmpliFi HD

Unarguably the sexiest and most compact mesh networks currently available in the market. The pack includes a router and two extenders (Mesh Points) which can be easily set up in minutes. Many reviewers claim that this beastly device can provide an staggering uninterrupted coverage area of up to 20,000 Sq. ft.!!! The pack consists of two Mesh Points but additional Mesh Points can be purchased separately if required.

Speed: Dual-Band 802.11ac Wi-Fi System ensures staggering speeds up to 450 Mbps (for 2.4 GHz) and 1.3 Gbps (for 5 GHz).  

Plug and Play Meshpoints: The high-density Mesh Points can be plugged into any electrical outlet without any wires to eliminate all dead spots in your house/office.

AmpliFi App: It provides for multiple functions like parental controls, tracking speeds provided by your ISP and network monitoring which allows you to choose which devices will stay connected and which not.

LCD Display: A 1.6-inch colour touch display shows relevant information such as speed, usage, day, date, time, etc.

 

PROS

• 3×3 MIMO and Beamforming technology ensures that no dead spots are left in your house/office
• AmpliFi HD has by far the best aesthetics and has an extremely compact and sleek design
• 4 RJ45 LAN ports and a USB 2.0 port although the USB port is redundant for now since there is no firmware support. However, the company has promised that a firmware update regarding this is on its way.
• Plug and Play High-Density Mesh Points can be easily set up in few minutes

CONS:

• No MU-MIMO for efficient network allowing each device to connect at their respective maximum speeds
• No USB 3.0 port although it’s almost inconsequential in my opinion since AmpliFi is yet to update its firmware to provide USB support.

 

5. Asus RT-AC5300

 

The RT-AC5300 is one of the finest tri-band routers currently out there. It combines excellent performance with killer looks. With 8 detachable antennae design, this router provides an uninterrupted coverage area of up to 5,000 Sq. ft. and can easily take care of your house or small business requirements.

 

Tri-Band: The RT-AC5300 consists of dual 5 GHz and a  single 2.4 GHz band the latest 802.11ac 4×4 technology offering speeds up to 5 Gbps.  

 

Processor: Broadcom 1.4 GHz dual-core processor coupled with 512 MB RAM ensures best bandwidth.

 

MU-MIMO: It allows multiple devices to connect simultaneously at their respective maximum speeds.

 

WTF Gamers Private Network (GPN): What The Fast GPN provides route-optimized servers to ensure the lowest ping time for gamers.

 

ASUS Smart Connect: It ensures consistent bandwidth for various devices by switching these devices between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands depending upon load, speed and signal strength.

 

AiProtection: Asus AiProtection powered by Trend Micro provides a multi-stage protection to users from various kinds of vulnerabilities and threats.

 

PROS:

• A built-in WTF GPN makes it a gamer’s paradise thanks to the great in-game acceleration.
• Plethora of ports: 4x LAN, 1x WAN gigabit Ethernet ports;

USB Port(s): 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0

 

CONS:

• I couldn’t find any

 

6. Netgear Nighthawk X8 R8500

With a hefty price tag of around $355, the NIGHTHAWK X8 R8500 is probably the most expensive tri-band WiFi router on this list. But the device does complete justice to it’s price tag thanks to its blazing fast speed offerings up to 5.3 Gbps, Quad Stream and Dynamic QoS among various other features.

Tri-band Router With MU-MIMO Support: The X8 allows all of your connected devices to extract the maximum speed by intelligently assigning them to the best bands possible according to their respective maximum speeds.

Powerful Processor: Powering the X8 is a powerful 1.4GHz dual-core processor which coupled with Beamforming technology provides you high performance WiFi connections giving maximum speeds up to a whopping 5.3 Gbps.  

Dynamic QoS (Quality of Service): This feature intelligently prioritizes video streaming and games so that you enjoy them without any hiccups or lags. You can make a list to apportion different bandwidths to different processes.

Quad Stream: The X8 provides up to four data streams per WiFI band thus maximizing connection speeds.

Plethora of Ports: X8 offers 6 gigabit Ethernet ports. Two of these six ports can be aggregated to double up the connection speed to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device for 4K(UHD) video streaming or backing up data fastly on multiple WiFi devices simultaneously.

 PROS:

Active Antennas: The X8 uses Active Antenna technology which amplifies signal in the antenna itself thus boosting range and performance.

Smart Connect: This technology designates faster and slower devices to different WiFi bands to ensure best speeds for each.

Open-source DD-WRT: The X8 supports open-source DD-WRT firmware which allows users to customize it to a very great extent. You can read about open-source DD-WRT in detail here.

CONS:

• Again, I couldn’t find any major con with this router apart from the fact that it’s price tag could’ve been a bit lower.

 

7. Google Wifi System (set of 3)

Google is a great brand-name and its latest mesh offering, the Google WiFi System lives up to it. The devices work on the mesh system to provide seamless Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home/office.

If you purchase only one main router, then it will give you a WiFi range of 500-1500 sq. ft. while a set of two Google WiFi points provide a range of 1500-3000 sq. ft. But if you opt for a set of three, then you’ll get an excellent coverage area of up to 4500 Sq. ft. which should be good enough for most home and small office users. ( split paragraph) .  

Sleek and Compact Design: The Google WiFi units are very small and look extremely stylish. You can easily put them in full view and they are sure to attract the gaze of onlookers.

Dual-band Wifi: The router supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands with maximum speeds up to 1.2 Gbps.

Ports: There are 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports on each point and a WAN and LAN port on the primary Wifi point for connecting your various devices like printers and external hard disks. Also, each network points offers two USB ports.

Great Companion App: Google’s companion app to the Google WiFi system is really amazing. It allows you various features like sharing your passwords with your guests, stopping the WiFi access to your children’s devices whenever you wish, prioritize devices on your network and many more such functions.

PROS:

• Network Assist technology helps the router in selecting the best channel/bandwidth for each connected device for fastest connections to your device.
• The companion app is very simple and interactive yet very powerful and offers tons of features like prioritising devices, monitoring network and connected devices, parental/guest controls, etc.

CONS:

• The Google WiFi System offers for a maximum speed of 1.2Gbps on the 5GHz band which might seem very good for now but isn’t definitely future-proof.

These were top seven picks for the most powerful WiFi routers for large house/office users. The above-mentioned WiFi routers are not only highly tried and tested, but at the same time future-proof. It is very difficult to say which one of these is best as everything depends upon your requirement.

If you need a router for the best range, go for the AmpliFi HD or Netgear Orbi. Hardcore gamers should consider tri-band routers like Asus RT-AC5300 or the Netgear Nighthawk X8 R8500 as they offer dedicated gaming networks and a plethora of ports. Asus RT- AC88U or Linkys WRT1900ACS should be your ideal pick if you wish to get your job done on a tight budget. So choose carefully as per your needs and requirements.

It might be possible that your favourite WiFi router might not have made this list. If you feel that your favourite pick deserves to be here or else if you’ve any queries or suggestions, feel free to drop your comments below.