Routers don't grab headlines like graphics cards but having a good one in your home can make a world of difference to your digital life
Sometimes, it's hard to get overly excited about a new bit of PC gaming kit. Take the gaming routers, for example. We all use them (and yes, I know it's technically more than just a router—there's a switch and a wireless access point in the box, too), but they just sit on a shelf somewhere or on the floor, getting poked by bored cats. They just do their thing and we rarely give them a moment's thought, until they ruin a Steam download, of course.
I felt very much the same way until I recently reviewed three new devices from TP-Link: two mesh systems, the Deco BE68 and Deco BE25 BE5000, and the Archer BE9700. Using two Intel Core Ultra 200S gaming PCs to test the wireless performance of them, I came away seriously impressed by just how easy they were to set up, how ridiculously quick they were, and perhaps most importantly, how affordable they were compared to the first generation of Wi-Fi 7 gaming routers.
Take the Archer BE9700. You can buy one of those for $200 at Best Buy. That's genuinely very little money for such a capable Wi-Fi 7 router. Heck, you can't even buy a brand-new, semi-decent graphics card for that amount of money.
As someone who's only ever used the router supplied by an ISP over the past decade, I had quite the shock at how much better the BE9700 was than my stock unit. I'm not talking just about raw speed (seeing a 1.1 Gbps Steam download over Wi-Fi in my office was a real eye-opener), but how much better every wireless in my home worked on that router.
No stutters, no hiccups, just peerless connectivity, anywhere in the house. Even the non-Wi-Fi 7 devices were a lot happier with all of the new routers I tested.
So maybe it's time we actually made more of a fuss about routers than we do. Sure, they won't turn your budget gaming PC into an RTX 5090 hot-snottin' monster, but it'll make your digital life just that bit smoother and more enjoyable. That's hardly headline-busting news, but it's a message well worth hearing, nevertheless.
The best gaming routers
Best overall
The best overall/best Wi-Fi 7
If you want the absolute pinnacle of networking goodness, TP-Link's Archer GE800 is that. Sporting the new Wi-Fi 7 standard and an aesthetic that is nothing if not Dark Side chic, this is the fastest, most feature-packed router you can buy today.
Best mid-range
The best mid-range
Want all the latest Wi-Fi 7 features and great wireless performance, but without a hefty price tag. Then you want TP-Link's Archer BE9700, as its capabilities are more than good enough for most users' needs, yet it costs considerably less than any top-end model.
Best budget
The best budget
If you're not a stickler for the very latest wireless standard, this Wi-Fi 6-toting Asus TUF router will be all the network data-pumper you will need. It's fast and affordable, and do you really need any more than that?
Best mesh
The best mesh
If you're looking to fill your home with fast Wi-Fi 7 routers that are easy to set up and use, sport all the latest features, and won't burst your bank account wide open, then the TP-Link Deco BE68 is the perfect choice. You can get faster mesh systems, but they're way more expensive.
Best budget mesh
The best budget mesh
Mesh systems are super expensive, yes? Definitely not, and in the case of the TP-Link Deco BE25, you can buy three nodes for the price of a single traditional gaming router. Despite using Wi-Fi 7, you don't get a 6 GHz band, but for most users, it'll be more than fast enough.
Best for wired
The best for wired
Got a ton of 'things' that need to be physically wired into your router, like a million IoT devices, each with its own controller that inexplicably refuse to limit to Wi-Fi? We hear you, and so does Asus with its RT-BE88U.
Best Wi-Fi 6E
The best Wi-Fi 6E
You need whole new devices to really take advantage of all the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology has to offer, but the 6E standard has another level of performance over Wi-Fi 6—and TP-Link's Archer AXE75 won't break the bank now it's last-gen.