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Jun 06, 2025

The Gear to Get Reliable Wi-Fi in Any Home | Wirecutter

Ivy Liscomb Ivy Liscomb is a writer for the PC and networking team. She has tested and reviewed many tech accessories, from laptop sleeves to cute keyboards. Updated May 27, 2025 We’ve updated this

Ivy Liscomb

Ivy Liscomb is a writer for the PC and networking team. She has tested and reviewed many tech accessories, from laptop sleeves to cute keyboards.

Updated May 27, 2025

We’ve updated this list with new mesh-networking kits and printers.

Your router is the bridge between your phones, laptops, voice assistants, and smart-home gadgets and the Internet connection they all need. We’ve spent hundreds of hours running real-world tests on dozens of routers, mesh-networking kits, and extenders to find the best gear to get a strong signal throughout your entire home, no matter what size your place (or your budget) might be.

Depending on the size and layout of your home, you need either a standalone router or a mesh-networking kit, but not both.

A router beams wireless Internet throughout a single-story house or apartment. If you haven’t upgraded in the past four years or so, you’re likely missing out on performance and reliability improvements available in newer models.

This router created a speedy, responsive network throughout our test house.

This router created a speedy, responsive network throughout our test house.

If you have gigabit or multi-gig internet service, or if you want to be ready for the latest technology, this Wi-Fi router is worth its higher price.

If you have gigabit or multi-gig internet service, or if you want to be ready for the latest technology, this Wi-Fi router is worth its higher price.

The Eero 6 smoothly delivers solid internet performance even while several people are using it simultaneously. It’s slower overall than our top pick for heavy downloaders and gamers, but this inexpensive router is expandable and a reliable option for a small home or an apartment.

The Eero 6 smoothly delivers solid internet performance even while several people are using it simultaneously. It’s slower overall than our top pick for heavy downloaders and gamers, but this inexpensive router is expandable and a reliable option for a small home or an apartment.

If you have a split- or multi-level home, or if you just have connection issues in certain areas, get a mesh kit instead of a router (don’t get both). A kit has multiple access points that you can place in different locations to fill coverage gaps.

The Eero 7 kit is easy to set up and provides a stable and speedy wireless network.

The Eero 7 kit is easy to set up and provides a stable and speedy wireless network.

The Deco BE63 is significantly faster and has more Ethernet connections than our top pick. We’d suggest it if you have a gigabit (1,000 Mbps, or faster) internet service plan or already have a multitude of smart-home devices.

The Deco BE63 is significantly faster and has more Ethernet connections than our top pick. We’d suggest it if you have a gigabit (1,000 Mbps, or faster) internet service plan or already have a multitude of smart-home devices.

The TP-Link Deco S4 outperformed much more expensive mesh networks, and is a budget-friendly way to share a Wi-Fi network around a large living space. You will give up top speeds for lower price: The Deco S4 is Wi-Fi 5, which is reasonable for low-end (25-100 Mbps) and mid-tier (300 Mbps) internet plans, while the latest (expensive) tech is Wi-Fi 7.

The TP-Link Deco S4 outperformed much more expensive mesh networks, and is a budget-friendly way to share a Wi-Fi network around a large living space. You will give up top speeds for lower price: The Deco S4 is Wi-Fi 5, which is reasonable for low-end (25-100 Mbps) and mid-tier (300 Mbps) internet plans, while the latest (expensive) tech is Wi-Fi 7.

Inexpensive cables are available in varying lengths. Connecting some of your devices via Ethernet, even if they support Wi-Fi, can free up bandwidth for your other devices.

You should use wired Ethernet when you can, even with a good wireless router. A wire provides a fast, stable connection and frees up wireless bandwidth for the stuff that really needs it.

You should use wired Ethernet when you can, even with a good wireless router. A wire provides a fast, stable connection and frees up wireless bandwidth for the stuff that really needs it.

Buy a wire that’s long enough to reach where you need it to, but not so long that it leaves a bunch of extra cable hanging around.

Buy a wire that’s long enough to reach where you need it to, but not so long that it leaves a bunch of extra cable hanging around.

You may not need all of these accessories, but most of them will make your network more useful, reliable, or both.

A UPS is part surge protector and part external battery. It can keep your router and other accessories on while the power is out, or at least give you enough time to turn everything off properly.

This UPS can reliably keep your Wi-Fi network up for an hour in a blackout, or keep your workstation running long enough for you to save your work and shut down. It comes with five outlets on battery backup and 10 outlets total.

This UPS can reliably keep your Wi-Fi network up for an hour in a blackout, or keep your workstation running long enough for you to save your work and shut down. It comes with five outlets on battery backup and 10 outlets total.

It can reliably keep your Wi-Fi network up for an hour in a blackout and is affordable enough to pick up just in case.

It can reliably keep your Wi-Fi network up for an hour in a blackout and is affordable enough to pick up just in case.

If you use cable Internet, buying your own modem instead of renting one can improve performance and save you money within just a few months.

Our top pick is widely supported, has a two-year warranty, and should deliver reliable internet for the next five to 10 years.

Our top pick is widely supported, has a two-year warranty, and should deliver reliable internet for the next five to 10 years.

A network switch adds more wired Ethernet ports to your network, freeing up wireless bandwidth for devices like phones and tablets.

This tiny, unobtrusive switch should give you enough ports to wire up most entertainment centers.

This tiny, unobtrusive switch should give you enough ports to wire up most entertainment centers.

Unless you’re trying to wire up your whole house with Ethernet cables, eight ports should be more than enough.

Unless you’re trying to wire up your whole house with Ethernet cables, eight ports should be more than enough.

A NAS is like a next-level external hard drive that can stream media and store backups for multiple computers simultaneously. And because it contains multiple, redundant hard drives, your data is safe even if one fails.

This two-bay NAS does all the things you’d expect, plus its 2.5-gigabit Ethernet ports keep it ready for the future.

This two-bay NAS does all the things you’d expect, plus its 2.5-gigabit Ethernet ports keep it ready for the future.

Most NAS boxes don’t come with drives, so you need to buy at least two. These Western Digital Red Plus models are our recommendation for reliable NAS drives.

Most NAS boxes don’t come with drives, so you need to buy at least two. These Western Digital Red Plus models are our recommendation for reliable NAS drives.

A networked printer doesn’t need to plug into your computer like printers of yore—just place it somewhere convenient, hook it up to your Wi-Fi, and get printing.

This model produces crisp text and vibrant graphics, and has a low operating cost. But you can only use HP toner with it, so be prepared to pay full price come replacement time.

This model produces crisp text and vibrant graphics, and has a low operating cost. But you can only use HP toner with it, so be prepared to pay full price come replacement time.

If you don’t need to print in color on a regular basis, and need to scan only occasionally, this is the best printer you can buy.

If you don’t need to print in color on a regular basis, and need to scan only occasionally, this is the best printer you can buy.

Easy-to-use software, affordable ink, a long warranty, and thoughtful touches make this inkjet all-in-one less annoying than the competition. Results look sharp, too.

Easy-to-use software, affordable ink, a long warranty, and thoughtful touches make this inkjet all-in-one less annoying than the competition. Results look sharp, too.

This kind of device offers the cheapest way to extend your router’s signal, but it isn’t as fast or reliable as a mesh kit and doesn’t cover as much space.

TP-Link’s RE315 is a cheap way to add more reliable Wi-Fi coverage and an Ethernet port to a part of your home if you already have a router and a wireless network.

TP-Link’s RE315 is a cheap way to add more reliable Wi-Fi coverage and an Ethernet port to a part of your home if you already have a router and a wireless network.

This type of extender uses your home’s electrical wiring to extend your network to places your router can’t reach, but the performance can vary dramatically depending on the age and complexity of your wiring.

TP-Link’s TL-PA9020P V3 is one of the fastest kits we’ve tested, and includes dual Ethernet jacks on each adapter so you can wire two nearby devices to your network—like a streaming box and a video game console.

TP-Link’s TL-PA9020P V3 is one of the fastest kits we’ve tested, and includes dual Ethernet jacks on each adapter so you can wire two nearby devices to your network—like a streaming box and a video game console.