Here Are the Routers You Need to Upgrade Your Streaming

Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Sling TV have forever changed the way we watch TV. In fact, these services have had such a big impact that they have allowed many people to finally cut loose from their cable companies. No longer do you have to pay those exorbitant cable fees or sign a contract to get live TV and movies.

However, these services aren’t perfect. If you don’t have a strong wifi signal, whatever you’re watching may get a little choppy, or even worse, you might end up running into the dreaded buffering icon. Thankfully, this problem can easily be solved with a good router.

Since there are a plethora of routers to choose from, picking the right router for your needs can get a bit confusing. To help you find the right router, we’ve done the hard work for you and created a guide of the best routers for streaming.

NetGear Nighthawk XR500

Price: $300

The NetGear Nighthawk XR500 is a high-end router that works great for both streaming and gaming. In addition to having five GB ethernet ports optimized for high speeds, this router also offers a bunch of options to adjust lag and stabilize ping. For anyone who doesn’t understand what each setting does, the menu has helpful explanatory pop-up screens to assist you with the setup.

Asus RT-AC68U

Price: Regularly $160 (Sale: $147)

The AC68U is a cutting edge dual-band router with a stylish plaid outer cover. In addition to its good looks, this router offers an easy-to-use web-based interface and blazing speeds. Using the latest 801.11AC 3x3 technology, the AC68U is capable of reaching speeds of 1900 Mbps.

Google Wifi Home

Price: Regularly $300 (Sale: $240)

The Google Wifi Home isn’t your traditional router; it’s what’s called a mesh router. These routers use “points” to create a blanket of coverage throughout your home. By placing the points in strategic areas in your home, you’ll no longer have to worry about dead spots or areas with a weak connection. Each point features two Gigabit Ethernet ports and uses AC1200 2x2 Wave 2 wifi.

Asus RT-AC86U

Price: Regularly $200 (Sale: $180)

In addition to its fast 5GHz speeds, this dual-band router is highly customizable and provides extra security for all of your devices. The AC86U uses a 1.8GHz 32bit dual-core processor to optimize your network for flawless 4K ultra high-definition streaming.

NetGear Nighthawk X10

Price: Regularly $465 (Sale: $360)

For those of you with 4K TVs, you’ll want a router that can handle 4K streams without choking. The NetGear Nighthawk X10 is not only capable of handling 4K streams, but it can handle multiple 4K streams. Under the hood, this router is powered by an 802.11AC quad stream wave 2 wifi with 60 GHz 802.11AD wifi. It also includes a 1.7 quad core processor, which is the fastest processor for a home router you can get.