Wi-Fi Router Buying Guide

A router is the heart of your network - it connects all your devices to each other and the internet. With so much of our lives happening online, having a reliable Wi-Fi router is more important than ever. There are numerous routers available, each with different features and advantages. Choosing the right one can enhance your network's speed and performance.

Top brands like Netgear, TP-Link, Asus, Ubiquiti, and Synology continue to innovate, offering a range of options for both home and business use. To help you decide which model suits your needs, we've put together this guide highlighting key features to consider when shopping for a Wi-Fi router.

Modem vs. Router: What's the Difference?

First, it's essential to understand that modems and routers serve different functions. A modem connects to your internet service provider (ISP) and translates the internet signal. A router then distributes this connection to your devices, either wirelessly or through Ethernet cables. Many modern devices combine both functions into a single unit, often referred to as a modem-router combo.

Key Features to Look for in a Router

While wired routers are still available for purchase, they require an ethernet cable to be plugged into your devices, which can be inconvenient. The good news is, Wi-Fi (wireless) router models are now the norm and they offer a much more flexible way of staying connected across various devices. There are numerous options available on the market today and with so many to choose from, it pays to know what you're looking for. Here are some of the key features to pay attention to when buying a new router. 

Wi-Fi Standards

The Wi-Fi Standard refers to the generation of Wi-Fi the router is built for. They always begin with 802.11 and end with a letter or a set of letters. For example, 802.11n/ac/ax and so on. The main thing to take note of is the letters at the end, as this will tell you what generation of Wi-Fi the router supports.

Wi-Fi standards have evolved over time, with the latest being Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be). Here's a quick overview:

Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac): Supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, offering decent speeds suitable for most households.

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax): Introduced improvements in speed, capacity, and efficiency, especially in environments with many connected devices.

Wi-Fi 6E: Extended Wi-Fi 6 into the 6GHz band, providing more bandwidth and less interference.

Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be): The latest standard, offering faster speeds, lower latency, and better performance in congested networks.

Wi-Fi 7 introduces features like 320MHz channel bandwidth and Multi-Link Operation (MLO), allowing devices to use multiple frequency bands simultaneously for improved speed and reliability.

Now, circling back to those letters at the end.

AC supports up to the fifth generation of Wi-Fi - that’s Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).

AX is the sixth generation - Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax).

AXE builds on this with Wi-Fi 6E, which extends Wi-Fi 6 into the 6GHz band, in addition to 5GHz and 2.4GHz.

Wi-Fi 6E routers are still technically labelled as 802.11ax, but you’ll see “AXE” in the model name to show they support that third band.

And now we’re starting to see Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) routers showing up, often labelled as “BE” routers.

Just like with earlier standards, Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 7 routers are backwards compatible, so they’ll work with your older phones, laptops, and smart gear - they’ll just run at the older speed and features.

To get the full benefits, though, your devices need to support the newer standard. The good news is many new phones, laptops and tablets already support Wi-Fi 6 or 6E - and more Wi-Fi 7-capable devices are on the way.

If your current gear doesn’t support the newer standard, you can still upgrade your desktop PC using a Wi-Fi 6 or 6E USB or PCIe adaptor, which is a relatively cheap and easy way to future-proof without replacing your whole setup.

Bandwidth and Speed

When you’re shopping for a Wi-Fi router, you’ll likely come across a string of numbers after the letters we just discussed earlier, like AC1200, AX3000, or even BE9000. These might look like confusing codes at first, but they’re actually a quick way to gauge a router’s theoretical maximum bandwidth - basically, the total amount of data the router can push across all its wireless connections.

Let’s break it down. We just went over how the prefix - AC, AX, BE, etc. tells you the Wi-Fi standard the router supports. The number that follows refers to the total combined theoretical maximum throughput across all bands, measured in megabits per second (Mbps). That’s the total bandwidth across all frequency bands the router uses - not what you’ll get on one device.

Before we go further:

8 megabits (Mb) = 1 megabyte (MB)

So something like AX3000 means up to 3000 Mbps, or 375 megabytes per second - spread across its bands

It’s important to keep in mind that these are ideal world numbers. Routers are tested in lab conditions with no walls, no interference, and perfectly optimised devices. In the real world, with multiple users, walls, floors, other wireless signals, and general household chaos, you won’t hit those max numbers - and that’s completely normal. These ratings are better viewed as an upper limit rather than a performance guarantee.

To show how this works in practice, let’s look at a popular class of routers like the AC3200 Tri-Band models. Here’s how that ‘3200 Mbps’ is usually split:

2.4GHz band @ 600 Mbps

5GHz band @ 1300 Mbps

Another 5GHz band @ 1300 Mbps

Add those up, and you get 3200 Mbps total. But no single device can actually use all that - it’s split across the whole network. The benefit is that multiple devices can connect to different bands, reducing congestion. A good way to understand this is by comparing it to a motorway: if there’s a traffic jam, raising the speed limit doesn’t help. But if you add more lanes, the traffic clears faster. Tri-band routers work the same way - they create more “lanes” for your Wi-Fi traffic to flow.

Why Bandwidth Matters

The more devices you have - and the more demanding their tasks - the more that total bandwidth matters. If your house is full of gamers, streamers, remote workers and smart devices all online at once, you want a router with more bandwidth headroom. It doesn’t mean everything will be faster, but it means your network won’t get choked up when multiple devices are active.

Here’s a general idea of how router classes stack up:

AC1200 (Dual-band) - fine for basic households with a few devices

AX1800 / AX3000 (Wi-Fi 6) - great for households with multiple users and smart devices

AX6000+ / AXE7800+ (Wi-Fi 6/6E) - ideal for larger homes, heavy streamers or online gamers

BE8000+ (Wi-Fi 7) - future-ready for high-throughput environments and multiple 8K streams

You can also use these labels as search terms on the PB Tech site - for example, search BE6500 to see routers in that performance tier.

But remember, once again, that bandwidth is shared. Just because a router has 3000 Mbps available doesn’t mean one device gets that full speed. If you’ve got five people all streaming and gaming at once, the router divides the bandwidth between them. That’s why multi-band routers - dual-band or tri-band - make a difference. They help spread that traffic out, so everyone gets a smoother experience.

Take a moment and think about how many devices are going to be connected at once. It’s normally more than we think – a smart TV, laptop, desktop, tablet and smartphone already make up five! Something else you'll want to consider is the Wi-Fi range – how far does the signal need to reach? Are you planning on using a tablet in the garden hammock perhaps? We'll dive into this more below. 

Wi-Fi Bands

Wi-Fi bands are the frequency ranges within the wireless spectrum that are designed to carry Wi-Fi. In the past, you may have seen single-band routers, but these days, dual-band and tri-band routers are what you'll commonly find in the market. This means that most routers broadcast over more than one band or frequency. The benefit of this is that your connection is less prone to interference from other devices which generally results in faster speeds.

Dual-band routers transmit over the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz band. 

Tri-band routers transmit over the 2.4GHz band and often two 5GHz bands. With the release of Wi-Fi 6E, we are starting to see tri-band routers that broadcast over a 2.4GHz band, a 5GHz band, and a 6GHz band.

The main advantage of multi-band routers is that they decrease the amount of congestion, even when more devices are added. If you have multiple Wi-Fi users in your home that all use multiple devices, you'll notice that the more bands that your router has, the faster and better your Wi-Fi connection is.

Frequency Bands

Modern routers operate on multiple frequency bands:

2.4GHz: Offers broader coverage but at slower speeds.

5GHz: Provides faster speeds with a moderate range.

6GHz: Available in Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 routers, offering high speeds with less interference but a shorter range.

Tri-band routers utilize all three bands, helping to reduce congestion and improve performance, especially in households with many connected devices.

Ethernet Ports and Connectivity

Consider the number and type of Ethernet ports if you have devices that require wired connections. Some high-end routers offer multi-gig ports (e.g., 2.5Gbps or 10Gbps) for faster wired connections. You want to ensure the ports on the router are suitable for the speeds you want.

In terms of the number of ports, many modern homes will have ethernet ports wired up throughout the home. Often this is done with the help of an additional network switch, which has lots of ports and acts as a hub for all of the ethernet cabling in your home. From the network switch there is a connection to the router, this way the router doesn’t need to have anywhere near as many ports as your household needs. If you’re living in a home where ethernet hasn’t already been wired up, you can still use a network switch for when your router doesn’t have enough ports.

Special Router Features

Advanced Features

Multi-Link Operation (MLO): A feature in Wi-Fi 7 that allows devices to connect across multiple bands simultaneously, enhancing speed and reliability.

4K-QAM (4096-QAM): Wi-Fi 7 uses this advanced modulation technique to pack more data into each signal, improving throughput by approximately 20% compared to Wi-Fi 6E's 1024-QAM. Coming back to our motorway example, imagine if each vehicle travelling on a motorway was much larger, and could pack more into them.

MU-MIMO and OFDMA: These technologies enable routers to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously, reducing latency and improving network efficiency. Think – multiple toll booths to help move people along versus just the one.

Beamforming: Directs Wi-Fi signals toward your devices rather than broadcasting in all directions, enhancing signal strength and range.

Parental Controls and Security: Many routers offer built-in features to manage device access and protect your network from threats.

App-Based Management: Modern routers often come with companion apps, allowing you to monitor and control your network remotely.

Mesh Wi-Fi Systems

If you have a large home or areas with weak Wi-Fi signals, a mesh Wi-Fi system can help. These systems consist of a main router and additional nodes placed throughout your home, providing seamless coverage and eliminating dead zones. Unlike traditional range extenders, mesh systems maintain a single network name and automatically connect your devices to the strongest signal as you move around.

Choosing the Right Router for Your Needs

When selecting a router, consider the following:

Number of Devices: Ensure the router can handle the number of devices in your household.

Internet Speed: Match the router's capabilities with your ISP plan to maximise performance.

Home Size and Layout: Larger homes or those with multiple floors may benefit from mesh systems.

Future-Proofing: Investing in a Wi-Fi 7 router can prepare your network for upcoming devices and technologies.

We hope this guide helps you navigate the world of Wi-Fi routers in 2025. If you're ready to upgrade your home network, explore the latest options available to find the perfect fit for your needs.