Best Mesh WiFi Router Systems for $250 or Less

These budget-friendly models can improve your home WiFi network without straining your wallet, CR's testers say

By Nicholas De Leon

Bratton McGregor was tired of dealing with crummy WiFi.

A small business owner who lives just outside Mobile, Ala., he merely wanted to stream Netflix and play the occasional video game on the family iPad. But it wasn’t until he upgraded to a mesh router that he was able to do so.

“Mesh has been a lifesaver for my entire house,” he says. “I would have spent the money on it years ago if I knew about it.”

Mesh uses several router units (often sold in packs of two or three) that wirelessly work together to spread WiFi deeper and more evenly through your home than a traditional single-unit router.

The base station plugs directly into the modem that connects your home to the internet. The other units, referred to as satellites or beacons, can be shifted around until you find a setup that eliminates the dead spots, say, in your bedroom or home office.

You can always add more satellites as needed.

“Mesh is pretty close to the magic bullet,” says Richard Fisco, who oversees electronics testing for Consumer Reports.

Of course, all sorts of things can have an impact on your wireless router’s performance, from the materials used in the construction of your home (metal pipes and plaster can interfere with a WiFi signal) to the presence of large appliances or even a fish tank (water is a hindrance, too). But with well-placed mesh router units, you can often direct the signal over or around such obstacles.

And while mesh routers can get quite expensive—three models in our ratings cost north of $1,000 and several others exceed $500—you can now find a range of smart choices priced below $200.

So if you’re tired of pulling your hair out because your Zoom calls keep dropping or because the latest round of “Stranger Things” episodes won’t stop buffering, these budget-friendly mesh routers may be the answer.

Netgear Orbi AC1200

This three-pack (one base station and two satellite units) performed well in our tests, offering speedy performance at a low price.

You’ll find easy smartphone app-based setup, a single built-in Ethernet port (useful for connecting a device such as a printer or game console), and automatic firmware updates, which protect you from hackers, malware, and other security vulnerabilities.

This model supports WiFi 5, which was superseded by WiFi 6 in 2020, but can still provide years of useful service, especially considering the low price.

Netgear Orbi AC1200 (3-Pack)

Nest WiFi

Nest’s parent company, Google, makes two mesh routers: this three-pack and the lower-end Google WiFi model. We’re giving the nod to the Nest model, because a) it’s available for well under $250; and b) it scores significantly better than the Google WiFi.

The router—a WiFi 5 model—earns solid scores. The throughput at near and midrange distances is quite good and, at far distances, it’s second to none. So, arrange your beacons accordingly. The device offers automatic firmware updating as well as app-based setup. It has two Ethernet ports for connecting external peripherals but no USB ports.

Google Nest Wifi (3-pack)

Netgear Nighthawk AX1800

This three-pack performed well in all three throughput tests and supports many of the useful features you’d expect to see in a top-rated router, including an app-based setup, and automatic firmware updating.

It’s also compatible with the WiFi 6 standard, which may be useful as you add devices that fully take advantage of the new tech to your home network.

Netgear Nighthawk AX1800 (2-Pack)

TP-Link Deco W6000 AX3000

This two-pack is another smart choice if you’re looking for strong WiFi performance for less than $200.

It aced all three of our distance tests, so there’s a good chance you’ll have a strong and reliable WiFi signal throughout your home, assuming there are no major structural impediments. Initial setup is handled by an easy-to-use mobile app, and once you’re up and running, automatic firmware updates will help protect you and your data from hackers and other security threats.

Add support for WiFi 6, which should ensure that your future smartphones, tablets, TVs, and the like have the fastest connection possible, and you’ve got a compelling package, especially for the price.

TP-Link Deco W6000 AX3000 (2-pack)

Eero 6+

Amazon-owned Eero helped popularize the very idea of mesh networking, so it’s no surprise to see this latest version perform so well in our tests. And yes, to be clear, the Eero 6+ is the latest version of Eero, released in the spring of 2022. It supports WiFi 6.

So what are we looking at here? For one, throughput across all three distances was right on the money—no complaints. You can set everything up with a smartphone app and there’s automatic firmware updating.

There are four built-in Ethernet ports but zero USB ports.

eero 6+ AX3000 R010211 (2-pack)

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