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The need for a reliable Wi-Fi connection has become almost universal now. We use the internet for pretty much everything from entertainment to business and even work. It's no longer tenable to have Wi-Fi at the office or the Starbucks down the block.
Today, you need to have the internet right at your house. If it isn't for your child's online schooling, then it's for your video conferencing, online gaming, and smart home operations. That's why you need to find the best router for your apartment.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Best Routers For Apartments
- OUR TOP PICK: TP-Link Wireless Router Archer A7
- RUNNER-UP: Motorola MR2600
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: TP-Link N450
Comparison of the Best Routers For Apartments
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What Makes a Router Great for an Apartment?
Several features will make a router great for an apartment. The router needs to be well compatible with the area it is being used in, in this case, your apartment! Here are some of the most important:
Size of the Apartment
This is a major area of thought when choosing the right router for your apartment. You need to think about how many rooms your apartment has and the number of walls the signal needs to travel through. Bigger apartments will need a larger coverage area and a different router compared to open apartments where there are a few barriers.
TP-Link Wireless Router Archer A7
Wireless Network Interference
An apartment complex is a crowded place, and that can interfere with your WI-FI signal. If you are using a single band, which is 2.4 GHz, then traffic is expected. A dual-band router will serve better in an apartment since it reduces the amount of interference you can get from your neighbors.
Number of Connected Devices
Another factor to consider when purchasing a router is the number of users and devices in your apartment. The more devices you have connected, the higher the performance needed by your router to keep high speeds and increase reliability.
Router Features and Security
When purchasing your router, it’s advisable to check router features, including security, to protect your network from possible hackers. Look out for features like MU-MIMO technology that allows multiple users to be on at the same time.
Review of the Best Routers For Apartments
Here are some of the best routers for apartments on the market today.
Best Overall:
TP-LINK Wireless Router Archer A7
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
With the dual-band frequency, the router gives you a super-fast 1750mbps internet speed, ensuring reliable connections. This router gives you the answer to all your Wi-Fi needs as it gives you an upgrade from the previous models.
Why it Stands Out to Us
One of the main reasons this router stands out to us and serves as one of the best routers for apartments is that it supports 50 devices streaming and accessing the web simultaneously. It can cover a range of up to 2500 sq. ft. thanks to the three extendable antennas and the powerful built-in amplifiers.
It also features advanced WPA/WPA2 encryption, which gives you ultimate protection against online threats such as hackers and viruses. Furthermore, you can control guest access and set parental controls giving you complete dominion over your network.
Bottom Line
TP-Link is one of the industry's leading brands and well-renowned for its excellent customer service and reliable products. This modem and router combo is in keeping with that good tradition.
Runner-up:
Motorola MR2600
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
The Wi-Fi Range for this router is great due to its four antennas that will extend the router's reach as far as possible in your apartment. This router has four Ethernet ports that will let you plug-in devices. This can be great for gaming systems around the entire house.
Why it Stands Out to Us
Performance features for this router make it one of the best for apartments. It comes with a 3.0 port that allows you to share content freely within your network. The router uses both implicit and explicit beamforming technology, which improves signal strengths and targets your Wi-Fi signals to each of the connected devices.
With this router, you can select which of your devices needs your signal's priority since it comes equipped with a smart QoS feature. Because it features MU-MIMO technology, you can have different devices connected and all streaming HD videos simultaneously without experiencing any lag or buffering.
Bottom Line
This is a fast, Dual Band router designed to deliver reliable speeds and coverage within your apartment even when you aren't near it. Thanks to the gigabit ports, you can get upwards of 1Gbps speeds on a wired connection. This makes it perfect for heavy-duty internet surfers.
Best for the Money:
TP-Link N450
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Even though this is a Single-Band wireless router, it's still fast enough. It has a wide enough Wi-Fi coverage range to provide you with excellent speeds and internet connection in a medium-sized apartment. This is mostly thanks to the fact that it has three antennas, which increase its coverage and stability.
Why it Stands Out to Us
Equipped with 802. 11n technology, this router is much faster than previous generations. It's specifically designed for bandwidth-intensive surfing such as streaming HD videos, holding a video conference call over VoIP, online gaming, and so on.
Even though it's not compatible with any phone line internet connection, it has very friendly System Requirements such as Linux or UNIX, Microsoft Windows 98SE, Mac OS, Vista or Windows 7 as well as Windows 8.
It also features IP based bandwidth control, which allows you to decide just how much bandwidth certain devices get while connected to this router. The WPS button offers one-touch wireless security encryption while the Parental Controls allow you to manage internet access within your network.
Bottom Line
With speeds of up to 450 Mbps, this is a router capable of serving an apartment with heavy-duty internet users or even a small business with minor networking needs. It's affordable, easy to set up, and comes with 24/7 technical support.
Best Router for Small Apartment:
Netgear R6080-100NAS
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
This dual-band Wi-Fi router delivers high-quality internet speeds, and it allows you to upgrade your Wi-Fi to support new AC devices. The net gear app helps you easily manage your home network. It’s easy to install and ideal for medium or large homes.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This router has both 2.4GHZ and 5GHZ frequency bands, so it provides faster performance and speed, and it works with all N150, N300, and AC devices. This specific router provides Wi-Fi coverage no matter where you are in your home.
With four LAN ports, the router is great for wired connected devices such as printers that may be needed at home for various reasons.
Bottom Line
This router will serve you well with its high performance and speeds for wider coverage around your home. With security options and parental control features, you can protect your network and your little kids at home on what they access from the internet.
Best Wireless Router for Apartment:
TP-Link TL-WR940N
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
This is yet another Single-Band router that works just fine for an apartment set up. Designed to offer you reasonable speeds, excellent coverage, and reliable performance, this router can be used by people who do heavy-duty HD streaming, VoIP, and even some online gaming. It also offers some wonderful controls that allow you to secure your network and keep your underage users safe.
Why it Stands Out to Us
With data transfer speeds of up to 450 Mbps and a wireless type of 802.11n, 802.11b, 802.11g, this router comes with five ports through which you can get a wired connection to your preferred devices. Through that wired connection, you can get up to 450 Mbps of speeds on the single 2.4 GHz band, which is considerably faster than what you would get on some wireless connections.
Designed to work well in an apartment or even a small office set-up, this router offers you a number of controls to ensure that your network is secure and operating at optimum levels.
The parental controls allow you to manage the number of devices connected to it and what kind of bandwidth they get. It also has a WPS button, which offers you secure one-touch wireless encryption to keep your network free of malware.
Bottom Line
Couple all this with the fact that it’s easy to set up, extremely affordable, you get unlimited 24/7 technical support as well as a 2-year warranty, and you have yourself one of the best routers for apartments in the market.
Best Router for Apartment Building:
Razer PR111-R-P-W-01-A1
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
This is a single router, and it’s pretty easy to set up. The fantastic ability to create your network name and password is good for users compared to where the system creates one. It then offers you the rather complicated option of changing either of them or both afterward.
When using the portal router, you will not need a second portal to create a mesh since it makes an excellent individual router.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This router has a brilliant dynamic frequency selection band capable of accessing various frequencies at both 2.4GHZ and 5GHZ. Accessing the empty DFS bands makes it easier to evade high traffic on your network and achieve a faster, reliable internet connection.
This router has inside antennas designed to directly aim at the devices connected to it, providing the clearest frequencies. The router is also designed to cover 3000 square feet of Wi-Fi signal; that’s more area than a single router can make! This makes it ideal for small and large apartments.
Bottom Line
For apartments with large spaces, this is a good router for your internet services, and with the dual-band frequency provision, it will make your internet experience superb. The router is excellent too for its low cost.
Best Router for College Apartment:
Netgear Nighthawk R7000-100PAS
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
The router is easy to set up and comes with a USB 3.0 port and a four gigabit Ethernet port. This router uses amazon Alexa voice suitable for a user that has any amazon devices in their apartment. The router supports WPA2 wireless security protocols and has guest WI-FI access, a VPN, a firewall, and DOS.
As much as it requires paid subscriptions, Amor will protect your network from malware and viruses.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This router has excellent performance, and it comes with a 1GHZ dual-core processor in addition to a beamforming feature. The router can connect up to 30 devices simultaneously, which is a perfect feature for college apartments.
The router also comes with the QOS feature that enables you to prioritize certain devices depending on which should get the best bandwidth. With a coverage range of 1800 square feet, this router is ideal for a college apartment with many students.
Bottom Line
Perfect router for college students with its good features, but with the subscription, you can reach its full potential. With features like the guest network, you can use it to share connections with your fellow college mates and protect your own network's details.
Best Router for 2 Bedroom Apartment:
Meshforce M1 Wi-Fi System
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
The router can support up to 60 different devices at once, and this feature makes it a perfect router for a large crowd of users. With the mesh WI-FI system, it eliminates buffering and dead zones and a smooth connection. The system can cover more than 1500 square feet, and so with a three-pack system, that means 4500 square feet, and that would be ideal for a two-bedroom apartment with more than one occupant.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The router is ideal for an apartment since it comes with parental control features, which lets you determine your child's access to the internet, what devices they can use to access, and when to access the internet.
With the guest network feature, you don’t have to share your password every time you have friends over. The mesh system provides temporary WI-FI to other users in their own WI-FI-Zone.
To wrap it up, the system also uses an app that works on IOS and android devices.
Bottom Line
This router is perfect for an apartment since it requires less space, and you can fully utilize its capability by connecting multiple users and devices at the same time. With the mesh system, you will experience reduced buffering and the elimination of dead zones, making wide user connections smooth.
Are All Routers For Apartments The Same?
All routers for an apartment are not entirely the same, although most of them possess similar features. Some routers are best suited for smaller spaced apartments with less coverage, while some are suited for larger apartments and wider coverage.
Some will vary in terms of dual bands, the number of users they can support, and others vary according to size.
The main determinant in all this is you as a user since you get to choose the right router depending on your preferences and individual needs.
TP-Link Wireless Router Archer A7
How to Choose a Router For an Apartment
When choosing the right router for your apartment, you will need to look at various options that suit you as a user and your router's compatibility with the apartment.
We will look at a few options as follows:
High Speeds
A router needs to provide you with excellent speeds for you to have a good internet experience. It is advisable to choose routers with good internet speeds when purchasing one for your apartment. This will ensure that you can download, stream, play online games, and share your connection comfortably without any problems. Faster speeds mean better internet usage.
Range of the Wi-Fi Coverage
Wi-Fi coverage is an essential feature in all routers. If you have a bigger apartment, you need to choose wisely on this option so that you can be able to access your internet from any spot of your apartment. Accessing the internet from a specific spot of your house can become frustrating and maddening.
Netgear R6080-100NAS
Price Tag
Home Wi-Fi is mainly for entertainment. Although many people also use it for remote working, it is not advisable to spend too much setting up your home internet networks. There are a variety of router options with perfect features that can be pocket friendly. It is advisable to go for a more affordable but quality router to cater to your home needs.
Advanced Features
When choosing a router for your apartment, it’s good to go for those that come with extra features. Features like MU-MIMO, dynamic QoS, beamforming technology, smart apps, and more offer you great value for your money.
Security
Security and privacy features are essential when choosing the right router for your apartment. You will need to protect your network from hackers or unnecessary users. Going for a router with good security features will save you the hustle of all these inconveniences.
Netgear R6080-100NAS
Where to Place a Router in Your Apartment
A router in an apartment should supply a connection to every spot. You will need to position your router on a high up and central location to allow the radio waves to be transmitted in all directions inside the house hence making the distance to devices shorter and reducing or eliminating buffering and dead zones.
The radio waves also emit outwards and downwards, so placing the router in a high central place will maximize your coverage.
You should never place your router in a hidden location since this makes the radio waves have less travel space, so it takes longer for them to reach devices, making the connection weaker.
Never place your router in the kitchen since it's full of metallic objects, and metal can dissipate radio waves pretty well. Microwaves can also negatively impact your internet signal since the radiation they emit uses the same wireless band.
Keep your router away from brick, stone, or concrete walls as much as possible. In reality, some walls are thicker or use reinforced concrete and may block some of the signals, and your connected devices don’t get the full band frequency expected.
Meshforce M1 WiFi System
Conclusion
In today’s world, the internet has become a daily necessity that people must-have. You will find internet connections in most social places and recreational places where people relax and spend time with loved ones in their free time.
Nevertheless, a home is where everyone goes back to after spending time out in the world, either working or having fun. Good knowledge of what IPS to go for and what internet products to use is a plus.
People Also Ask
Many people are either working remotely from the comfort of their homes or depend entirely on internet services to execute day to day activities, thanks to reliable internet provides. Common questions regarding the services are asked, and here are some of them:
Does TV Affect a Router?
Your smart TV may interfere with your Wi-Fi, but there are different factors – like the router's placement – that can cause interference with your Wi-Fi. For instance, having your Wi-Fi router behind your TV will cause a lot of interference due to the metal components found in a smart TV
Razer PR111-R-P-W-01-A1
How Can I Increase the Range of My Router?
1. Position Your Router in an Open Space
2. Change your Wireless Channel
3. Update your Router's Firmware
4. Update your Wireless Adapter Drivers
5. Replace your Router's Antenna
6. Add a Wireless Repeater
7. Using DD-WRT
How Many Devices Can Connect to a Router?
The number of devices that can connect to a router depends on the type of router you have. Different types of routers have different numbers of devices that can connect to them. You just need to get the right one for your needs.
How to Get Wi-Fi in Your Apartment
1. Consider buying your router. Just about every Internet Service Provider (ISP) will give you the option of renting a modem/router combo from them
2. Change the password
3. Set up a good security protocol
4. Put your router in a central, open location
5. Change to 5GHz
6. Consider a mesh network
Do Apartments Come With Wi-Fi?
Apartments typically don't come with Wi-Fi. As the tenant, you're usually responsible for getting your service set up through an internet provider. Sometimes an apartment building comes with Wi-Fi service included as part of your utilities.
Can I Use a Portable Hotspot as a Wi-Fi Router in My Apartment?
Yes, you can. You can easily use a portable hotspot device in your apartment as a router, but that will only provide wireless internet. You cannot connect a LAN cable to hotspots
Does Wi-Fi Go Through Walls?
In theory, Wi-Fi signals are capable of passing through walls and other obstacles relatively easily. However, some walls are thicker or use reinforced concrete in reality and may block some of the signals. Wireless signals can easily penetrate materials such as drywall, plywood, other kinds of wood and glass.
