We recommend models in this test that scored 75% or more overall.

The CHOICE expert rating comprises Performance score (60%), Ease of use score (35%) and Privacy score (5%).

The performance score comprises a short distance score (40%), a long distance score (30%), and a wall penetration score (30%).

The ease of use score is made up of Setup wizard (60%), Wi-Fi encryption (30%), and Parental controls and scheduling (10%). This includes how easy it is to connect the router to the Internet; how easy it is to change wireless names and passwords; and how easy it is to implement extra features such as internet access controls or parental filters.

Privacy score is a checklist of the following requirements: Wi-Fi secured by default, does not require cloud account to work optimally, asks for a new SSID and password, asks to change admin credentials, can reset to default condition, supports third party VPN, offers guest networks, supports the latest encryption standard, updates firmware during setup, autochecks for firmware updates.

Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). Testing 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands in a best-case short range scenario conducted over line-of-sight at a distance of 4m. Fast 5GHz is anything over 70MBps and fast 2.4GHz is anything over 20MBps; sluggish 5GHz is anything under 40MBps and sluggish 2.4GHz is anything under 15MBps.

Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). Straightline distance test conducted over line-of-sight at a distance of 40m. Fast 5GHz performance is anything over 50MBps and fast 2.4GHz performance is anything over 15MBps; sluggish 5GHz performance is anything under 40MBps and sluggish 2.4GHz performance is anything under 10MBps.

Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). Signal penetration test through a double-brick wall and a drywall. Testing is done using 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands and the wall penetration throughput is the sum of these tests. As a guide, fast 5GHz performance is considered to be more than 40MBps and sluggish 5GHz performance is under 30MBps; fast 2.4GHz performance is anything over 20MBps and sluggish is anything under 10MBps.

Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). Fast 2.4GHz is anything over 20MBps. Sluggish 2.4GHz is anything under 15MBps.

Measures the fastest single 5GHz band throughput result. Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). Fast 5GHz is anything over 70MBps. Sluggish 5GHz is anything under 40MBps.

Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). For tri-band routers, which have two 5GHz bands.

Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). Fast 5GHz performance is anything over 50MBps. Sluggish 5GHz performance is anything under 40MBps.

Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). For tri-band routers, which have two 5GHz bands.

Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). Fast 2.4GHz performance is anything over 15MBps; sluggish 2.4GHz performance is anything under 10MBps.

Signal penetration test on the 5GHz band through a double-brick wall and a drywall. Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). Fast 5GHz performance is anything over 40MBps and sluggish 5GHz performance is anything under 30MBps.

Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). For tri-band routers, which have two 5GHz bands.

Signal penetration test on the 2.4GHz band through a double-brick wall and a drywall. Results are in megabytes per second (MBps). Fast 2.4GHz performance is anything over 20MBps and sluggish is anything under 10MBps.

This shows which products have been discontinued and which are still available in shops. 'Active' indicates they can still be found in shops and 'inactive' that they are discontinued models.

In some instances, at the request of members and when products are still available on the second-hand market and via sites like eBay, we include discontinued models.

Price as of February 2022

Power cost is based on the router being idle for 20 hours (powered on, but not actively transferring data) and streaming Netflix for 4 hours. Consumption will vary depending on the amount of data being transferred over the network per day.

A router that includes two separate 5GHz wireless networks in addition to a 2.4GHz network.

The maximum speed claimed by the manufacturer, aggregating all bands - 2.4GHz plus 5GHz.

The type of support included for the 802.11 Wi-Fi standard - 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) or the newer 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6).

The number of built-in antennas (Select the "Compare all products" button and see Antenna placement for more information).

Antenna placement - whether internal or external, fixed or removable.

Beamforming uses multiple antennas to direct the Wi-Fi signal more precisely to your client devices.

The router has a Gigabit Ethernet WAN port an NBN/cable/fibre modem can be attached to.

The number of gigabit (1000BaseT) ethernet LAN ports included.

The number of USB 2.0 ports included.

The number of USB 3.0 ports included.

Standard warranty in months.

The model has a claimed origin somewhere on the model itself. This should be taken with a grain of salt, as it's rare that all the materials for a product came from the one country. In most cases this is the country in which the product is assembled and shipped from.

Whether the router supports MIMO (multiple input, multiple output), which uses multiple antennas to improve Wi-Fi performance.

Whether the router supports the ability to plug in a USB hard drive and share its data across your network.

Whether the router supports Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) guidelines that make connection to other networked devices and streaming media files across your network easier.

Most routers ship with encryption enabled by default, but some don't and you need to encrypt them during setup.

Whether the router has an installation wizard to guide you through the initial setup.

Lets you restrict either Wi-Fi or internet access to certain times of the day.

Inbuilt filters that use a managed list to block known malicious and inappropriate sites.

Whether the parental filters let you specify to block content by URL and/or specified keywords.

Wi-Fi Protected Set-up (WPS) button is intended to provide a one-button secure connection of the device to your network without needing to manually enter a password or configure it via a web browser or wizard interface. We don't recommend using this method for connecting devices these days due to security concerns.

Lets you give visitors access to the internet, but not your local network.

Lets you give particular devices or applications more of your internet bandwidth than others.

 VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) lets you attach a phone handset and use a voice-over-internet-provider service to make phone calls over the internet.

Lets you use a 3G/4G mobile broadband network as an internet connection via a mobile carrier's USB dongle (not supplied).

Whether the device is designed to be optionally mounted on a wall.