Eero Pro
Best for: Networking newbies
The Eero Pro is a solid router on its own, but its superpower is in serving as a base station to bring mesh networking into your home. Start by connecting it to your modem, then plug signal-boosting Beacons ($149, not included) into AC outlets around the house. This multipoint approach distributes the Wi-Fi more efficiently, blanketing your entire home in data packets—and the plug-and-play setup requires almost zero networking know-how. A subscription to Eero Secure+ ($99 a year) locks the network down: It filters all the traffic, blocking ads both malicious and benign, identifying and warning against sketchy websites, and guarding the kids against harmful content. I appreciate the ability to open Eero’s smartphone app to see which devices on my network have endured the most attempted attacks—a telltale sign someone has installed bad software or has been hanging around unsavory destinations.
$199
TP-Link Archer AX6000
Best for: Hyper-connected families
The eight high-gain antennas spiking up from the Archer’s chassis pump out a blast of Wi-Fi strong enough to flood a McMansion. And TP-Link’s router supports the just-released Wi-Fi 6 wireless standard, which can serve bandwidth to more devices without clogging the tubes—increasingly important in our stream-happy world. Security is built in, with TP-Link and Trend Micro’s HomeCare service preinstalled (free for three years, price thereafter TBD). It provides protection against malicious websites and phishing emails, as well as a neat system that quarantines any device on your network that may be compromised. Families will applaud the parental controls, which group together each person’s devices for easier management. So if you want to block Jimmy’s YouTube access after 10 pm, with one tap you can institute that limit on his tablet, PC, and Roku. Sorry, Jimmy.
$319
Styling by Audrey Taylor
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