Best Wired Router – In this article I have researched some great wired router models for both home and small business networks.
In this blog I mostly write about configuring Cisco routers and other networking devices that are usually used in enterprise/corporate environments.
However, the router models you will see in this article have their place in smaller networks and they have capabilities and features that sometimes resemble those of larger enterprise devices.
ROUND UP
1.Ubiquiti Unifi
Features
- 3 Gigabit Ethernet ports, CLI management for advanced users
- 1 million packets per second for 64-byte packets
- 3 Gbps total line rate for packets 512 bytes or larger
- Integrated and managed with UniFi Controller v4.x
- Secure off-site management and monitoring, Silent, fanless operation
Ubiquity is a brand known for its excellent networking devices (WiFi access points, ethernet switches, routers etc). The Unifi Security Gateway (USG) is no exception.
As the name suggests, USG runs under the UniFi umbrella and is a great option if you already have other Ubiquity devices in your network (although it works perfectly as standalone device as well).
If you have other Ubiquity devices (access points, switches etc) you can have a centralized management system (Unify Network Controller) which provides a single point of access and management for all devices in your network.
2.MikroTik hEX S
Features
- Mikrotik hEX S (RB760iGS) is a five port Gigabit Ethernet router for locations where wireless connectivity is not required.
- It comes with a very powerful dual core 880 MHz CPU and 256 MB RAM, capable of all the advanced configurations that RouterOS supports.
- The device has a USB 2.0, PoE output for Ethernet port #5 and a 1.25Gbit/s SFP cage.
- 5x Gigabit Ethernet, SFP, Dual Core 880MHz CPU, 256MB RAM, USB, microSD, RouterOS L4, IPsec hardware encryption support and The Dude server package.
- IPsec hardware encryption (~470 Mbps) and The Dude server package is supported, microSD slot on it provides improved r/w speed for file storage and Dude.
MikroTik is a European company (from Latvia) founded in 1996. They managed to become one of the top SOHO router manufacturers with fanatic users worldwide.
Their router devices are based on RouterBOARD hardware running on RouterOS software.
MikroTik is an excellent option for home networks where you don’t need a wireless connection for PCs, laptops, and phones.
hEX S comes with 5 -Gigabit ports with two of them supporting Power over Ethernet (PoE), one of them to power the router itself (PoE in) and one to power other devices (PoE out).
3.TP-Link ER605
Features
- Five Gigabit Ports — 1 Gigabit WAN Port + 3 Gigabit WAN/LAN Ports +1 Gigabit LAN Port. Up to four WAN ports optimize bandwidth usage through one device.
- Integrated into Omada SDN — Omada’s Software Defined Networking (SDN) platform integrates network devices including gateways, access points & switches with multiple control options offered – Omada Hardware controller or Omada Software Controller. Standalone mode also applies.
- Cloud Access — Remote Cloud access and Omada app brings centralized cloud management of the whole network from different sites—all controlled from a single interface anywhere, anytime.
- SDN Compatibility — For SDN usage, make sure your devices/controllers are either equipped with or can be upgraded to SDN version. SDN controllers work only with SDN Gateways, Access Points & Switches. Non-SDN controllers work only with non-SDN APs. For devices that are compatible with SDN firmware, please visit TP-Link website.
- Abundant Security Features — Advanced firewall policies, DoS defense, IP/MAC/URL filtering, speed test and more security functions protect your network and data.
- Highly Secure VPN — Supports up to 20× LAN-to-LAN IPsec, 16× OpenVPN, 16× L2TP, and 16× PPTP VPN connections.
- Limited Lifetime Protection — Backed by our industry-leading limited lifetime protection and free 24/7 technical support, you can work with confidence.
TP-Link is well known for manufacturing value-for-money networking devices. The TL-R605 is the successor of the successful TL-R600VPN Safestream model which has been in the market for many years.
This model is classified as SDN Router which is part of the Omada cloud SDN offering from TP-Link.
Although it can be managed and work as a standalone device, the main purpose of this router is to work as part of the SDN Omada cloud.
4.Cisco RV345
Features
- PERFECT FOR BUSINESSES: High-speed Ethernet connectivity with up to 900-Mbps TCP throughput for faster downloads
- SECURITY: Robust and secure VPN: secure interconnectivity, including standard IPsec, Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) over IPsec, and Cisco IPsec
- CONNECTIVITY: 16 ports of Gigabit for high-performance connectivity
- CONNECTIVITY: Dual WAN support allows multiple Internet connections for load balancing and failover
- PORT COUNT: 2 USB ports to support a 3G/4G modem or flash drive
- PEACE OF MIND: Limited-lifetime warranty, one-year technical support, and free software fixes for the term of the warranty
When it comes to network routers for small or large business networks, Cisco is my favorite brand.
Many would agree with me, I hope. Now, I have my reasons for liking Cisco as a networking brand. Each and every product of this brand carries a signature feature that makes our lives easier.
Take the RV345 for example. One of the reasons I have chosen this model as an excellent choice for small business networks is that you will get 16 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports with the device to work with. Add two WAN ports with them and you’ll open up a wide array of possibilities.
5.Linksys
Features
- Refer the user manual below for troubleshooting
- Up to 50 IPsec tunnels (for site-to-site and client-to-site VPN) and 5 OpenVPN tunnels for iOS and Android users
- 900 Mbps firewall and 110 Mbps IPsec throughputs
- Feature-rich to meet a wide range of business network requirements
- Supports load balancing and WAN failover for highly reliable Internet connectivity
Linksys is another networking giant. Being part of Cisco and then acquired by Belkin, Linksys manufactures solid wired and wireless devices.
I have ranked this Linksys model as the best option in this list for VPN connectivity.
Many people use this router as home or small-business main router in order to connect remotely into the local network via VPN tunnels. It even supports OpenVPN for smartphone devices (iOS and Android).
In addition to VPN functionality, it has all the necessary wired router features such as dual-WAN failover and load-balancing support, VLANs, Firewalling, Quality of Service (Qos) and much more.
6.D-Link
Features
- High speed router with integrated VPN tunnel support for secure remote network access
- (8) Gigabit LAN Ports plus (1) Gigabit WAN Port; 20,000 Concurrent Sessions
- Policy based service management allows for easy configuration of firewall rules
- Supports (5) SSL VPN tunnels and (10) Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunnels
- Simultaneously supports up to (25) IPsec VPN tunnels plus (25) additional PPTP/L2TP tunnels
- D Link Green Ethernet features save power and help cut energy costs
- Dynamic Web Content Filtering enables the administrator to allow or block access to web sites
D-Link mainly manufactures SOHO routing devices but they have also some notable options for business networks as well.
The DSR 250 features one WAN Gigabit port and eight LAN Gigabit ports, so you have plenty of LAN ports for wired connections.
I was pleasantly surprised to know I could run at least 20,000 concurrent network sessions using this small device. This is important in a business network with multiple people using the Internet at once.
7.TRENDnet 4-Port
Features
- INTERFACE: 4 x 10/100Mbps Auto-MDIX ports (LAN), 1 x 10/100Mbps port (WAN/Internet)
- SHARE HIGH-SPEED CABLE/xDSL INTERNET: The broadband router provides the easiest way to share your high-speed Cable/xDSL Internet connection. By sharing just one TW100-S4W1CA 4 Port Router, one IP address, and one Cable/xDSL modem, dozens of network users can surf the Internet simultaneously.
- ADVANCED FIREWALL PROTECTION: The internet router also functions as a firewall for your PC, protecting your computer from hackers by providing a Network Address Translation (NAT) Firewall
- REMOTE MANAGEMENT: The home router allows for easy Web browser configuration and remote management.
- UNIVERSAL PLUG AND PLAY (UPnP): The router instantly recognizes other devices with Universal Plug and Play. Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) and Application Level Gateway support for Internet applications such as email, FTP, gaming, and more.
One of the best options from TRENDnet is this TW100-S4W1CA wired router which comes in a pretty compact form factor and has amazingly affordable pricing as well. The router offers you 4x 10/100Mbps Auto-MDIX ports (LAN), and 1 10/100Mbps WAN port for internet connectivity. Thanks to the Advanced Firewall protection, and Web URL Filtering offered by this router, all the connected devices always stay protected from online threats, and hackers as well.
The setup of the router is pretty easy like we normally configure routers using a web browser. Moreover, the router is quite advanced since it’s equipped with smart UPnP technology that allows it to quickly recognize new connected devices. In addition, it also provides Application Level Gateway support for the internet applications such as E-mail, gaming, FTP, etc. yet another good feature of this router is that it can be controlled or managed remotely. Apart from that, TRENDnet offers a 3-year warranty on this router.
WRAP UP
Best Wired Router – When we say “Wired Routers” we mean networking devices which only have wired Ethernet ports for connecting Local Area Network (LAN) devices to them (such as local computers, laptops, gaming consoles, smart TVs etc).
The Wired Router is then connected to the Internet (via its WAN port) in order to route traffic from the local network (LAN) devices towards the Internet.
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