Netgear Orbi 970 (2-Pack) for $1,300: There’s no denying that the tri-band Wi-Fi 7 Netgear Orbi 970 is an impressive quad-band mesh. This mesh system is incredibly fast, reliable, and provides expansive coverage with plenty of high-speed Ethernet ports. However, the astronomical price makes it hard to recommend. You can get similar performance for less, and full parental controls now require a separate subscription from the security software. Ultimately, this system is only worth considering if you have a large home, a multi-gig connection, and a generous budget.
More Wi-Fi 6 or 6E Mesh Systems I Liked
TP-Link Deco XE70 Pro
Photograph: Simon Hill
TP-Link Deco XE70 Pro (3-Pack) for $250: Support for Wi-Fi 6E, which operates on the 6-GHz band, is common, but with Wi-Fi 7 rolling out, 6E routers and mesh systems like this are falling in price. A two-pack of this tri-band mesh system is relatively affordable and enough to cover most homes, making this perhaps the best Wi-Fi 6E mesh for most people. I also tested the XE75 ($270 for a three-pack), which is almost identical, but has three Gigabit ports and no multi-Gig. There is also the XE75 Pro ($400 for a three-pack), which features the 2.5-Gbps port and theoretically offers slightly more bandwidth but is far more expensive. Since TP-Link frequently discounts its products, the standard model is the best choice for most people—though multi-gig users should opt for the Pro.
TP-Link Deco X50 Outdoor for $150: This was our previous outdoor pick, and it’s still a good dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router that will form a mesh with any Deco system (I tested with the Deco X50 4G). It’s a solid performer, but with the Wi-Fi 7 BE25 Outdoor coming in around the same price, I’d pick that instead.
TP-Link Deco X55 (3-Pack) for $150: This affordable Wi-Fi 6 mesh delivers decent coverage and performance, with optional parental controls and antivirus protection, making it ideal for a modest family home. This is a dual-band system (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). There are two gigabit Ethernet ports on each router. Coverage and speeds are solid, falling short of the Asus XT8 but beating systems like the entry-level Eero 6.
Google Nest Wifi Pro
Photograph: Simon Hill
Google Nest Wifi Pro (3-Pack) for $400: Mesh systems don’t come much simpler than this. Google’s Nest Wifi Pro is a tri-band (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz) Wi-Fi 6E system that works via Google Home, and each router sports two 1-gigabit ports. The setup is super simple, coverage and performance were solid and consistent, and my testing was refreshingly free from glitches and buffering, though WIRED editor Julian Chokkattu had issues that Google’s customer support could not fix. The Nest Wifi Pro came mid-table in raw speed at short, mid, and long range, and settings in the Home app are very bare-bones. Disappointingly, it is not backward compatible with older Nest routers.
TP-Link Deco X20 (3-Pack) for $130: The Deco X20 is an affordable Wi-Fi 6 mesh that delivers decent coverage and performance, with optional parental controls and antivirus protection, making it ideal for an average family home. This dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) mesh was our budget pick for a long time, and there are two gigabit Ethernet ports on each router. Coverage and speeds are decent, falling short of the Asus XT8 but beating systems like the entry-level Eero 6. The app is straightforward, and it’s easy to set up a guest network. Originally released with the free HomeCare software, this has since changed to a HomeShield system, so it’s not as good a bargain as it once was.
Linksys Velop Pro 6E
Courtesy of Linksys
Linksys Velop Pro 6E (2-Pack) for $280: Once up and running, this tri-band (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) Wi-Fi 6E system offers impressive range and decent speeds. It is competitively priced with quite a few dips in cost (don’t pay full price), comes with basic parental controls, and offers handy features like device prioritization and a guest network. But I had a terrible time with the installation. The app continually failed partway through the process, and I had to factory reset the routers. Even then, it took multiple attempts to add the nodes. It’s also not backward compatible with older Velop “Intelligent Mesh” systems, because this is a “Cognitive Mesh” system.
TP-Link XE200 (2-Pack) for $290: This tri-band Wi-Fi 6E mesh system (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) was fast, offered consistently wide coverage, and blew away the Wi-Fi 6 competition at close range. I downloaded a 50-GB game in 20 minutes and didn’t encounter any issues during testing. As it uses the 6 GHz band for backhaul, you have to think about placement and try to keep routers in sight of each other and within 50 feet (or better, connect them via Ethernet cable). While the XE200 is better than the XE70 Pro above, it’s simply too expensive, though it has seen some deep discounts recently, so keep an eye out for deals.
