Best Small Business Router – As we started our small business router comparison, we had to take some time to consider if there were features here that were more important for small business owners than the standard consumer. Many of these devices ride the line between business and personal use, and it can be difficult to determine which is best for each application.
However, after our research, we came to determine that long-lasting reliability and customization were the most important things to look for with small business routers. For starters, you’ll want to get a router that will last you for years to come. This encompasses both physical design and regular firmware updates. You don’t want your router to break after a year, but you also want your router to stay supported. As such, we awarded bonus points to well-designed products that are likely to stay around longer than the competition.
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1.NETGEAR Nighthawk X10
Pros & Cons
- Fast WIFI Performance: Get up to 2500 sq ft wireless coverage with AD7200 speed (Tri-band up to 800 + 1733 + 4600 Mbps - for 60Ghz band devices)
- Recommended Up to 45 Devised: Reliably stream videos, play games, surf the internet, and connect smart home devices
- WIRED ETHERNET PORTS: Plug in computers, game consoles, streaming players, and other nearby wired devices with 6 x 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and 1 x 10G SFP+ port.
- Loaded with Advanced Technology: Designed with a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 4 amplified antennas, Beamforming+, MU-MIMO, Dynamic QoS, Amazon Alexa Voice Controls, and more
- USB Connections; Share a storage drive and printer with any connected device, and create a personal cloud storage to access from anywhere, using the 2 x 3.0 USB ports
- SMART PARENTAL CONTROLS: The Nighthawk app lets you manage device internet access and filter websites.
The Netgear Nighthawk X10 is one of the most powerful and reliable small business routers available today, which is why it easily won our top pick spot. It’s a tri-band router that gives you a 2.4GHz channel, a 5GHz channel, and a 60GHz channel for the ultimate versatility in connectivity options spread across employees, network devices, and customers.
Plus, the wireless router can provide upwards of 4600 Mbps on its 60GHz band, as long as you’re getting those kinds of speeds from your ISP. This way, you’ll have the fastest internet around for all of your business and customer needs.
The Nighthawk X10 is also designed incredibly well. It sports a sleek and edgy design aesthetic that looks good anywhere you place it. Plus, its four adjustable antennas provide range up to 2500 square feet, which is a huge plus.
2.NETGEAR Orbi
Pros & Cons
- Compatible with RBK852 and RBK853 Orbi WiFi 6 Systems
- Each Orbi satellite adds 2,500 sq. ft. of coverage to form a reliable WiFi network and eliminate WiFi dead zones
- Ultrafast AX6000 WiFi 6 speed powers up to 6Gbps of uninterrupted streaming, HD video gaming, and web conferencing
- Move freely inside and outside the house without losing connectivity, all with a single WiFi network name
- Easily add additional satellites with the Orbi app
The Netgear Orbi RBS850 is a mesh small business router that provides some of the best coverage and range you can purchase in today’s market. If you have a large office space or storefront that needs a Wi-Fi signal in every nook and cranny, then this is the best option for you.
The Orbi system uses a central router and multiple satellite routers to provide blanket coverage across your entire space. The other good thing about this is the fact that the Orbi RBS850 is compatible with Wi-Fi 6, which provides really fast speeds for all devices.
3.ASUS AX6000
Pros & Cons
- Next gen Wi-Fi standard 802.11Ax Wi-Fi standard for better efficiency and throughput; ultrafast Wi-Fi speed 6000 Mbps Wi-Fi speed to handle even the busiest network with ease
- Certified for Humans – Smart home made easy for non-experts. Setup with Alexa is simple.
- Wider usage and more convenience 4 antennas plus 8 LAN ports to support more clients at the same time
- Commercial-grade security – AiProtection powered by Trend Micro blocks internet security threats for all your connected smart devices
- Better partner with mesh system; compatible with ASUS AiMesh Wi-Fi system for seamless whole home coverage’s support: Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.6, Mac OS X 10.7, Mac OS X 10.8
The Asus BRT-AC828 is one of the most convenient wireless routers for small businesses because of its business-specific tools and functionality. For starters, this router is built with a feature that allows you to easily create welcome and promotional pages that your customers will see as soon as they try to connect to your Wi-Fi. This gives you the option of presenting your services, discounts, and specials without paying for expensive marketing campaigns.
Plus, you’ll get a ton of management settings on top of this to even further customize your network for customer use. Of course, with so many options available to you, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer extent of customizability, but after some practice, this shouldn’t be an issue.
4.Synology RT2600ac
Pros & Cons
- 1.7GHz Dual-core processor for fast, uncompromising performance
- Powerful 4x4 802.11ac wave 2 radios with MU-MIMO and up to 2.53Gbps breakthrough wireless speeds
- Smart Connect for seamless transition between maximum speed or range
- Hardware accelerated Layer 7 traffic control and monitoring
- Dual WAN capable for load balancing and failover support
- Create advanced VPNs with WebVPN, Synology SSL VPN, and SSTP VPN capability
- US version
The Synology RT2600AC small business router focuses on network customization above all else, although this isn’t to say that it doesn’t perform as well as other top routers. You’ll still get powerful speeds and reliable signal strength across long distances, making it perfect for use in office spaces or storefronts.
The on with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels. More impressively, though, the Synology RT2600AC gives you the option of creating a dual WAN configuration. This means the router can emit signals from two different plans from your ISP. This way, you can create a truly separate experience for your customers and employees. Plus, it keeps your sensitive, business-specific data safe from what your customers are doing online.
5.Cisco RV340W
Pros & Cons
- PORT COUNT: Integrated 4-port Gigabit Ethernet switch and 2x2 802.11ac Wave 1 Wi-Fi
- CONNECTIVITY: Supports Dual WAN Ethernet, allows multiple Internet connections for load balancing and failover
- GUEST WIFI: Support for separate virtual local area networks (VLAN) allows you to set up highly secure wireless guest access
- SECURITY: Supports multiple VPN protocols including IPsec/L2TP, which helps users establish their VPN more flexibly
- CONNECTIVITY: Supports the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, ideal for remote access by mobile devices
- PEACE OF MIND: Limited-lifetime warranty, one-year technical support, and free software fixes for the term of the warranty
The Cisco RV340 is the best wired router for small business available on the market today. With this being said, we need to go one step further in making something clear. This Cisco small business router is not a wireless router. It is a 100% wired router that allows you to connect network devices like printers, fax machines, and desktop computers directly to your network.
If you still want to use this router and get a wireless signal, you’ll need to purchase an additional wireless router, which kind of defeats the point. You shouldn’t look at this as a downside; it’s simply a different way of connecting to the internet.
The Cisco RV340’s claim to fame comes in the form of its reliability, durability, and security. It provides a strong, consistent signal for your connected devices with high speeds.
6.Linksys EA7500
Pros & Cons
- Provides up to 1,500 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage for 15plus wireless devices
- Works with existing modem, simple setup through Linksys App
- Enjoy 4K HD streaming, gaming and more in high quality without buffering
- Dual band Wi-Fi speeds up to 1.9 Gaps (2.4 GHz/ 600 Mbps) plus (5 GHz/ 1300 Mbps). Minimum system requirements - Internet Explorer versions 8 and newer, Safari 5 (for Mac), Firefox 8, Google Chrome
- MU MIMO (Multi User Multiple Input Multiple Output) provides Wi-Fi to multiple devices at once, at the same high speed
The Linksys EA7500 small business router offers an affordable networking solution that works perfectly for most small businesses around. We were most impressed with the Linksys’s overall user-friendliness and streamlined approach to installation. Instead of taking hours to configure individual settings, you simply need to plug the router in, turn it on, and connect it to a computer to complete the setup.
We were also really impressed by the overall performance of the Linksys EA7500 router. You’ll get dual-band functionality for greater versatility in which bands your devices can connect to. Fortunately, both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands perform well with high speeds and long ranges.
7.NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S
Pros & Cons
- Fast wifi performance: Get up to 2500 square feet wireless coverage with AC2600 speed (Dual band up to 800 + 1733 Mbps). WiFi Band-Simultaneous Dual Band WiFi - Tx/Rx 4x4 (2.4GHz)+ 4x4 (5GHz)
- Recommended for up to 45 devices: Reliably stream videos, play games, surf the internet, and connect smart home devices.
- Wired Ethernet ports: plug in computers, game consoles, streaming players, and other nearby wired devices with 4 x 1 gigabit Ethernet ports.
- Loaded with advanced technology: Designed with a 1.7GHz dual core processor, 4 amplified antennas, Beamforming, MU-MIMO, Dynamic QoS, Amazon Alexa Voice Controls, and more.
- USB connections: Share a storage drive and printer with any connected device, and create a personal cloud storage to access from anywhere, using the 2 x 3.0 USB and 1 x eSATA ports.
- Smart parental controls: The Nighthawk app lets you manage device internet access and filter websites.
- Safe & secure: Supports WPA2 wireless security protocols. Includes Guest WiFi access, DoS, Firewall, VPN, and more.
The Netgear Nighthawk X4S small business router is an excellent choice for small business owners with have large spaces that need internet access all around. You’ll get dual-band functionality here across both a 5GHz band and a 2.4GHz band.
With dual functionality like this, you’ll be able to prioritize the most important devices on the 5GHz band, which gives you the best throughput and overall performance. Both bands also perform really well at longer ranges, making this perfect for larger office spaces.
WRAP UP
Best Small Business Router – We considered network customization and security. This is especially important for small business owners. We preferred wireless routers that came with built-in security features but still rated options well if they allowed you to create and configure your own security settings.
Small business routers also scored better if they provided user-friendly interfaces and menus, which makes it easier for non-techies to customize their networks.
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