[Updated for 2021]
Being a technology person and in the tech industry, I am the go-to resource for many family and friends for recommendations on what gadgets to buy. The number one gadget people always need help on seems to be their wifi router selection. My response is almost always the same. “Don’t buy what you were planning to buy.” Why? Well, quite frankly they were planning to buy a router that is insecure.
Today’s routers all have great functionality, they all have decent speeds, they can do pretty much anything an average user asking a friend for advice on routers would need. What differentiates routers today? It comes down to two things: 1) mesh wifi, and 2) security.
Mesh Wifi
Mesh wifi options today are extremely easy to deploy in a home. Instead of just 1 router every device has to reach with its signal, you can instead place devices around your home and those devices receive and repeat their signals all over the house. It eliminates common complaints of “dead zones” for wifi in the house. There will be one “control” router device and then you can setup one or many add-on repeater-like devices to complete coverage of your home.
Security
Almost every router sold in a store or recommended on a “Top 10 routers in 2020” type media list are absolute security nightmares. They really have zero security. Everything you send on the internet could be compromised. It’s that bad. The sad reality is router manufacturers only want to sell you this year’s device. They don’t put time into security updates or maintaining their update systems. And it’s hard to blame them with low margins, consumers who rarely understand how to secure their devices anyway, and the shifting security landscape. It’s easier to sell you a new router ever year. Or you can pay attention to security, which I always recommend.
There are only 2 options that offer mesh wifi and a strong security model. Those two options are the Google Nest Wifi Router or the Ubiquiti Amplifi HD. Both rely on a primary control router and then mesh network points that you can place around your home. These options are continuously updated with security patches and fixes, which is insane to not have in such a critical connection to the internet as your router.
You can purchase additional points as well and adjust to the size of your home. Ubiquiti calls each of them a MeshPoint. Conversely Google refers to them just as Points and sells combination packs of the main router plus 1-3 additional points. Typically you can expect each point will cover around 1,000 sq. ft. of your home. If you have a 1,800 sq. ft. home, get the main router plus an additional point. If you have a 4,000 sq. ft. home, plan to get 3 additional points.
To be clear, these are not the cheapest options on the market. Rarely will you find them “on sale” until the next generation device is out. However, these are the best options for giving you complete coverage in any style home, plus network security. They will also last you years unlike cheaper options on the market which ship to you already ridden with security holes.
