Best Routers Under $200 for 2021 (10 Best Under 200 Dollars Routers Review)
We all want the best value for money when shopping for basically anything, and getting one of the best routers under $200 makes no exception to this rule. Why looking at routers under 200 dollars and not getting something more expensive?
The answer is not that straight forward, but the main reason is that these routers will surprise you with performances way beyond the 200 dollars mark, being very reliable and easy to configure.
Getting a good router is an adventure, and for this purpose we compiled a list of 10 best routers under $200 for today’s review.
Since it is 2021 and we most likely spend our time in our homes due to the pandemic, we compiled the list of 10 best routers under 200 USD taking into account the performances they can offer in intense internet activities like 4K streaming, gaming, day by day work with many live conferences, connection stability and reliability. So let’s see them shall we?
Best Routers Under $200 Table of contents:
Best routers under $200 Top Picks for 2021
TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi System - Best Router Mesh for under $200
ASUS RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Gigabit Wifi Router - Best overall router under $200
TP-Link Archer AX50 (AX3000) - Best Wi-Fi 6 router for under 200 USD
NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000P (AC2300) router
Linksys Tri-band MR8300 Mesh WiFi (AC2200)
NETGEAR Orbi Tri-Band Whole Home WiFi System (RBK23) - Best Looking Mesh WiFi System
Best Routers Under $200 Top Pics for 2021
Before going further into the review here are our best routers under 200 USD picks for 2021 and their main characteristics.
| Router Name | Strong Points | Main Features | Available on: |
| TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi System | Best Router Mesh under $200 | Wifi: Dual-band, Maximum Speed: 1300Mbps, Maximum Coverage: 5500 sq. ft. Supported Devices: 100 | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
| ASUS RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Gigabit WiFi Router | Best Overall Router under $200 | Wifi: Tri-band, Maximum Speed: 3200 Mbps, Maximum Coverage: Whole home coverage | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
| TP-Link Archer AX50(AX3000) | Best Wi-Fi 6 router under 200 USD | Wifi: Dual-Band, Maximum Speed: 3000Mbps Maximum Coverage: Covers whole home | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
| NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000P (AC2300) router | Excellent for multiple devices | Wifi: Dual-band, Maimum Speed: 2300, Maximum Supported devices: 35 devices, Maximum Coverage:: 2000 sq. ft. | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
| Linksys Tri-band MR8300 Mesh WiFi (AC2200) | Best Tri-band router under $200 | Wifi: Tri-band, Maximum Speed: 2200Mbps Maximum Coverage: 2000 sq. ft. Maximum Supported Devices: 20 | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
| NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Whole Home WiFi System (RBK23) | Best Looking Mesh Wifi System | Wifi: Tri-band, Maximum Speed: 2.2Gbps Maximum Coverage: 6000 sq. ft | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
| Netgear R6700 Nighthawk AC1750 | Great for a budget router | Wifi: Dual-band, Maximum Speed: 1900Mbps Maximum Coverage: 1500 sq. ft. Maximum Supported Devices: 25 | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
| ASUS RT-AC86U (AC2900) | Excellent for gaming | Wifi: Dual-band, Maximum Speed: 2900 Maximum Coverage: Whole home coverage | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
| Synology RT2600ac Router | Good coverage for a simple router | Wifi: Dual-band, Maximum Speed: up to 2600Mbps Maximum Coverage: up to 3000 sq. ft. | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
| D-Link DIR-3040-US (AC3000) | Best Speed in its class | Wifi: Tri-band, Maximum Speed: up to 3000Mbps | AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi System - Best Router Mesh for under $200
If you are looking for a mesh system with great stability and reliability then you can’t go wrong with the TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi System, which makes it the best mesh system for under $200.
Since it is a mesh system, this router provides excellent aesthetics, wide coverage and great speeds with little to no compromises.
The main features of the TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi System are:
Excellent coverage of up to 5.500 sq. ft
Can handle up to 100 devices
Great design and aesthetics
Built-in antivirus and good parental controls
Settings for both IPv4 and IPv6
Supports dual-band wifi and speeds up to 1300Mbps (2.4Ghz: up to 400Mbs; 5Ghz up to 867Mbs)
The best feature for this router system is that it can cover a huge area. 5.500 sq ft. is not something that most mesh routers can brag with, making it excellent for a 2-3 story high building.
What we like:
Excellent range with little to no dead zones
You can have all your devices without speed compromises
Excellent prioritization system for your devices with the help of the Deco dedicated app
More than decent built in anti-virus solution (managed to block most of the major existing threats)
The Deco app is very easy and very intuitive to use, can integrate with Alexa to be operated via voice controls and you can keep the firmware and virus signatures by a simple click.
Perfect for non tech-savvy users
What we didn’t like:
The device is limited when it comes to defining your own IP-ranges or mac addresses, so for a more tech-savvy user this might be a no-go.
We recommend using this router if you live in a large home and want good security while on Wi-Fi, and especially for cases where you have the house hardwired, as the satellites from the mesh need to be connected via Ethernet.
In our speed tests we didn’t see any package drops or severe speed loss even in low signal areas, mainly because the low signal areas are basically non existing as the coverage of the satellites is just great.
ASUS RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Gigabit Wifi Router - Best overall router under $200
If you are looking for a perfect balance between speed and performance with no compromises, then the Asus RT-AC3200 is the router for you.
With its Tri-Band support it will give you enough bandwidth to game, stream and other internet activities at the same time without noticing without any issues. The Asus RT-AC3200 combines two 5GHz bands for a maximum speed of 2.600Mbps, and a 2.4Ghz bands for compatibility with older devices which can output up to 600Mbs.
To cover as much space as possible, the Asus RT-AC3200 comes with 6 antennas featuring Beamforming technology. A powerful CPU is used to handle multiple devices on the same time and cover your whole house. Whole home coverage is acheived due to an inteligent move from Asus: 3 antennas are used for data receiving and the other 3 for data transmission.
Security is well implemented within the software of the router. It comes with a dedicated firewall and anti-virus solution as well as AiProtection to make sure that your devices are safe while using the internet.
What we liked:
Support for dual WAN, which means that you can use two different internet providers, one of them being as a backup for your primary connection
Great security due to the included firewall, anti-virus solution managed via AiProtection
Good wireless speeds and coverage due to its tri-band support and 6 antennas
Can be configured as a VPN server
Beamforming technology make sure that your devices get the best possible connection according to its position around the router.
What we didn’t like:
The router has a very large footprint, which means is not that power efficient in comparison with other wireless solutions.
TP-Link Archer AX50 (AX3000) - Best Wi-Fi 6 router for under 200 USD
The TP-Link Archer AX50 is one of those routers that can be considered a future-proof investment. For under $200 it comes with support for the new wi-fi standard, Wi-Fi 6 which means increased speeds and support for future wireless devices that will include this standard.
The maximum speed delivered by the TP-Link Archer AX50 is up to 3200Mbs, but in our tests we didn’t get over 3000Mbs (speed measured by combining the 5GHz band and 2.4Ghz band). On 5Ghz we got around 2.400Mbs and on 2.4Ghz somewhere around 589Mbps.
What we liked:
Support for Wi-Fi 6, meaning great speeds for current and future devices
Ease of installation
The price is excellent for a Wi-Fi 6 compatible router
Good ports array for wired connections
What we didn’t like:
No default admin account like in other routers
The web interface for managing the router is a little confusing
Security features are somehow limited and only basic features are provided
NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000P (AC2300) router
Netgear has made a name for themselves in the last years for providing one of the best routers and networking solutions, and the Netgear Nighthawk R7000P makes no exception.
This router supports dual band and can offer Wi-Fi speeds up to 2300Mbs (around 600Mbs on the 2.4Ghz band and 1670Mbs on the 5Ghz one). While these speeds are somewhat standard, they will suffice for gaming and 4K streaming without lag.
The downside of this router is that it can support only up to 35 simultaneous devices over Wi-Fi, but giving the fact that the amount of bandwidth is somehow limited it is enough. Although let’s be honest, no one will ever reach this maximum device connectivity in their home.
The router comes with 4 gigabit LAN ports, a USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.0 one for adding an external drive or a network printer (if your printer does not support Wi-Fi connectivity).
Network security and parental controls are well implemented. The Netgear Nighthawk R7000P comes with Netgear Armor (an integrated firewall and anti-virus solution) as well as support for WPA2 enterprise security protocols (a little too much for a home router if you ask us but it is a welcome feature).
What we liked:
Very easy first installation process
Very robust parental controls and security features
Coverage of up to 2000 sq. ft
Comes with the lastest features in router technologies like Dinamic Qos, Mu-MIMO, Beamforming+, Alexa Voice controls, Smart connect all powered by a 1GHz processor and 3 6db antennas.
What we didn’t like:
Speed and connection stability can at sometimes be unreliable
Linksys Tri-band MR8300 Mesh WiFi (AC2200)
Linksys promises that the Tri-Band MR8300 will change the way you thought about using the internet, especially the Wi-Fi experience, and in most cases this statement stands correct especially for an under 200 USD router.
The support for Tri-Band AC2200 standard offers speeds of up to 2200Mbs (400Mbs on 2.4Ghz, 865 on the first 5Ghz band, and 865Mbs on the second 5Ghz one).
The router can cover an up to 2000 sq.ft home with ease and supports up to 20 devices on the same time at maximum high-speed Wi-Fi.
The Linksys Tri-Band MR8300 comes with 4 gigabit LAN ports for wired connections, and an USB port for external storage or network printer.
What we liked:
2000 sq.ft coverage with stable conection
Since it is a mesh router it offer different options for better coverage
Great price/performance ratio
Good number of supported devices for high-speed wireless internet
What we didn’t like:
The Linksys app must be used for installation, since the web interface does not offer this option
NETGEAR Orbi Tri-Band Whole Home WiFi System (RBK23) - Best Looking Mesh WiFi System
The NETGEAR Orbi Tri-Band Whole Home WiFi System (RBK23) is exactly what the name says, a whole home coverage Wi-Fi solution with no compromises. This mesh can cover up to 6000 sq. ft. and if that is not enough you can add more satellites to the pre-existing mesh with ease to increase the coverage.
And that’s not all, the tri-band router will offer great and stable speeds thanks to the integrated Tri-band backhaul channel technology. This technology enables a dedicated band for communication between the satellites thus leaving the Wi-Fi connection bands unaffected.
The NETGEAR Orbi Tri-Band Whole Home WiFi System comes with just 2 gigabit ethernet ports, since its main focus is on delivering wireless internet.
Security features are well implemented, featuring the well renown Netgear Armor Multi-layer integrated firewall and anti-malware solution. In addition it comes with Smart Parental controls for children’s safety, allowing you to filter the sites your children can navigate to.
What we liked
Excellent if not the widest Wi-Fi coverage for an under $200 router.
Easy to manage and setup Mesh system
Ease of extendibility by adding extra satelites
Advanced security features and parental controls.
What we didn’t like:
Wi-Fi connection stability can be improved
NETGEAR R6700 Nighthawk AC1750
The Netgear R6700 is a great budget router that offers good speeds and support a decent amount of devices.
It comes with dual band 802.11ac standard for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz and can deliver up to 1750Mbs. This router can support up to 12 devices with fast internet access simultaneously and its coverage can reach up to 2000 sq. ft.
It’s management system is good and first installation is very straight forward. The router comes with Smart Parental controls and good network security measures but we would have liked to see Netgear Armor Multi-layer integrated.
The Netgear R6700 is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Voice commands.
What we liked:
Good performance for a 802.11ac router
4 gigabit LAN ports
More than decent security measures and QoS controls.
Smart Parental Controls
What we didn’t like:
No MU-MIMO technology
First installation could be simpler
Low 2.4Ghz performance
ASUS RT-AC86U (AC2900
When it comes to gaming and 4K streaming the ASUS RT-AC86U router must be taken into account. The router is powered by one of the best CPUs available today and packed with the latest router technology for a great experience.
This under 200 USD router performs excellent in gaming and 4K streaming due to its maximum available speed of 2900Mbs, MU-MIMO technology and NitroQAM to give all your connected devices the best internet access possible.
Since we already said that this router is best for gaming, it also comes with WTFast game Accelerator, for minimizing lag and improving your gaming experience. And let us tell you it really does its job.
Security features are well implemented. Asus AiProtection (the integrated firewall and anti-malware solution powered by TrendMicro Smart Home) is present and does its job very well, as well as advanced parental controls are present ensuring your children’s safety.
What we liked:
Good coverage in our tests (up to 1500 sq. ft.)
Excellent online gaming results
Stable internet speed and connection
Excellent security features
What we didn’t like:
Average file transfer speed over the local network
Not so ergonomic design
Synology RT2600ac Router
The Synology RT2600ac router comes in as a surprise in our tests. It features speeds up to 2600Mbs and it is powered by a 1.7 Ghz dual-core CPU. So far nothing out of the ordinary except that it is under $200.
But to our surprise, this dual-band router can broadcast to a range of up to 3000 sq. ft.! Besides its broadcasting range it comes with great security features (integrated firewall and anti-virus solution) as well as support for VPN plus server.
What we liked:
Friendly web user interface for router management
More than surprising Wi-Fi Coverage (up to 3000 sq. ft.)
SD card slot for accessing media over the network
Excellent speeds and connection stability
What we didn’t like:
Although Synology offers a mobile app for managing the router, its features are lacking.
D-Link DIR-3040-US (AC3000)
Last, but not least, the D-Link DIR-3040 is one of the best routers for under 200 USD and offers the best possible speeds in it’s price range.
It’s maximum offered speeds can reach 3000Mbs thanks to its 6 powerful antennas (400Mbs via the 2.4Ghz, 867Mbs on the first 5Ghz band and 1700Mbs on the other 5Ghz band).
It also features 4 Gigabit LAN ports, a USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.0 port for storage devices.
The D-Link DIR-3040 can be used as part of a Mesh Wi-Fi network, and with the Smart Connect option you can extend the range of this router with relative ease.
Security features are well implemented. An integrated firewall and anti-malware solution are included, as well as enhanced parental controls.
It also supports Google Assistant and Alexa voice commands for maximum control and ease of network configuration.
What we liked:
Excellent internet speed thanks to it’s Tri-Band support
Very easy to install and manage
Great coverage and easy extendabilty thanks to the Smart Connect Mesh network support
What we didn’t like:
The router is massive, so you must find a good place for it
The web management interface can be a bit confusing for a non techy person.
Final words and thoughts
Our target in this review of the best under $200 routers was to find what the current market offers for this price range, and we are glad we did it as we did discover some great gems.
The routers presented here were the best performers in our tests and we, by any way, want to mention that these are the absolute best routers under $200, but if you choose to get one of the routers presented here, you will have a very satisfied experience. And that should be your target, satisfaction, because at the end of the day you have to be happy with you internet activity, being it gaming, streaming or working.
Related: You can find more routers reviews by browsing our Networking category.
