If your Wi-Fi is failing, Amazon’s Prime Day shopping event is a great time to upgrade. Whether you need a single Wi-Fi router to replace your ISP’s device or want to improve that signal throughout your home with a mesh system, we’ve filtered through the noise to find the Prime Day router deals worth considering. All of our recommendations have been tested by WIRED and can be found in our Best Wi-Fi Routers and Best Mesh Routers guides. We analyze the prices of the deals thoroughly, comparing them to historical prices to make sure they’re real.
Don’t forget to tune in for our Prime Day live blog and our roundup of the best Amazon Prime Day deals.
We test products throughout the year and carefully select these offerings. We will update this guide periodically throughout the sale event.
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Top 5 Deals on Wi-Fi Mesh Networks and Routers
This Asus system has topped our guide to the best mesh routers for a few years now. It’s a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 system that scores well for speed and stability. The two-pack comes pre-paired, is very easy to set up, and is powerful enough to cover the average home. It offers Wi-Fi on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, with an additional 5GHz band for wireless backhaul (traffic between the main router and the node). I particularly like Asus’ mesh systems because they come with free comprehensive security software and parental controls for the life of the routers (no subscription required). They’re also highly customizable, with options including a guest network, traffic prioritization for specific activities like video calls, and more—though people who like set-it-and-forget-it devices will prefer a different mesh router.
The current champion of our best routers guide (even when it’s not discounted for Prime Day), this affordable router combines a sleek design with reliable performance. It’s a dual-band router (2.4GHz and 5GHz) that will be fast enough for most people, and it offers adequate coverage for a mid-sized home with a 1Gbps internet connection or less. With four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, a single Gigabit WAN port, and a USB 3.0 port on the back, there’s plenty of connectivity. Setup is simple, TP-Link’s Tether app is easy to use, and you get basic security and features like QoS (quality of service) included. Unfortunately, if you want more comprehensive security or parental controls, you have to subscribe to Security+ for $5 per month or $36 per year and Advanced Parental Controls for $3 per month or $18 per year. It’s often discounted, but it’s a good price.
If you want a mesh network that covers your entire home but is on a budget, TP-Link has you covered with the X20 system. This dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (2.4GHz and 5GHz) mesh network is easy to set up and delivered solid results in my tests. It’s not the fastest mesh network out there, but if your internet connection is 500Mbps or less, it will suffice. Each router has two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and the vase-like design easily blends into shelves or tables. Unfortunately, if you want anything more than basic security and parental controls, you have to subscribe (Security+ costs $5 per month or $36 per year, and Advanced Parental Controls costs $3 per month or $18 per year). Even with subscriptions, the X20 is a relatively affordable way to get Wi-Fi throughout your home.
Amazon’s Eero mesh systems are super easy to use, and I love that they also function as smart home hubs with support for the Matter, Thread, and Zigbee smart home standards. The Pro 6E (7/10, WIRED recommends) is a tri-band mesh system that adds the 6GHz band to the familiar 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. If you have a 1Gbps or faster connection and a lot of devices, this is a great mesh system for you. It worked extremely well in my testing, though the 6GHz band has a short range. The Eero Plus subscription is a pricey extra at $10 per month or $100 per year, but it adds a lot of value with parental controls, advanced security, ad blocking, and even a password manager and VPN service.
A travel router is a great way to protect yourself when you’re traveling or on vacation, and the Asus RT-AX57 Go is our current pick. This 5-inch white plastic square has a stand and is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router with Gigabit WAN and Ethernet LAN ports that you can plug into a modem or outlet in your hotel room. It can connect to public Wi-Fi, and you can plug your phone into the USB 3.2 port and use it as a hotspot to extend your cellular connection (it doesn’t have a SIM slot of its own). If you plug in your devices at home before you head out, the Asus RT-AX57 Go makes life easy. (My family is happy as long as I have Wi-Fi!) Despite its small size, it works pretty well and should easily fill a vacation apartment or hotel room. Asus includes security software, parental controls, and VPN support.
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Photo: TP-Link
