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A wired router is integral if you require fast internet connections or operating a business with many employees online, or transferring large files.
However, picking the best wired router may be extremely challenging. We have compiled a list of the best wired routers of 2020, so you can spend less time buying and more browsing.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Best Wired Routers
- OUR TOP PICK: TP-Link Safestream TL-R600VPN
- RUNNER-UP: D-Link VPN Router DSR-250
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: TRENDnet TW100-S4W1CA
Comparison of the Best Wired Routers
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How to Choose a Wired Router
Here are some features you should be on the lookout for when choosing a wired router:
Ethernet Ports
These allow you to connect your devices. Every wired device comes with several ports. You can connect more devices to a router with more ports. Choose one that has enough ports to connect your devices.
Speed
This is one of the reasons some people prefer wired routers over wireless routers. Look at the speed of the router you are considering. It should be at least a Gigabit, or else you’re going to get frustrated.
Even if wired routers generally offer more speed than wireless, you don’t want low speeds even on a wired router.
Performance
Ensure you know how a particular router performs in terms of reliability and speed. You can look through customer reviews or product reviews to figure out what users have experienced.
Security Features and VPN Capabilities
The security of your network is critical. You don’t want to lose important information to hackers or competitors. The router you choose should have security features such as firmware to protect your files.
It should have a VPN built into your firewall to encrypt incoming and outgoing data. A firewall provides an extra layer of security. For business, you’ll need all the security you can get.
Review of the Best Wired Routers
The best wired routers on the market are high-quality and ensure your home or business never experiences connection drops. There are very many brands out there, but here are the five best wired routers.
Best Overall:
TP-Link Safestream TL-R600VPN
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Most buyers are impressed by how well this router works. Some love that it is quiet, unlike other routers and internet speed is high, as promised. However, some are concerned about the lack of firmware upgrade since they got the router, while others found it difficult to setup.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This router offers you excellent protection with its abundant security features. It also has a built-in hardware-based VPN and advanced VPN features such as DES/3DES/AES128/AES192/AES256 encryption, main negotiation modes, manual key management, and MD5/SHA1 authentication.
Additionally, it has a lightning protection technology that prevents electrical charges from penetrating and destroying the device and is instead discharged into the earth.
Bottom Line
This router is an ideal router for small offices and average homes which require reliable and cost-effective VPN solutions. The numerous security features also guarantee data security.
Runner-up:
D-Link VPN Router DSR-250
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Most recent buyers think it’s a good router. However, it has some issues which might be disappointing to some such configuration difficulty and no OpenVPN support. Additionally, English translation on the user interface is abysmal, and VPN implementation is difficult. Some have resulted in configuration tutorials on other sites like YouTube and have been fruitful.
Why it Stands Out to Us
You can connect more devices using the 8-Gigabit LAN and an extra Gigabit WAN port. For businesses with more than four devices, this is an ideal choice.
If you are using it for home connection, the web content filtering feature can be an excellent parental control tool. You can control the websites your kids can access.
Also, it is cost-effective as the D-Link Ethernet saves you power, thus saving money.
VPN features are robust and can simultaneously manage 5 Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and 10 Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunnels. Thus your mobile users can access the central corporate database remotely.
Bottom Line
Overall, this router is ideal for businesses with remote users who want advanced VPN solutions. If you’re a parent or want to control the content that users on your network can access, this router gives you the capabilities to do that.
Best for the Money:
TRENDnet TW100-S4W1CA
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Most people have found it easy to configure as it’s plug and play. Also, it provides many features at an affordable price. Others have experienced blazing fast internet connections, some going up to 117mbps.
However, the lack of reserved IP addresses for DHCP means that users have to assign IP addresses to things such as printers, which is time-consuming.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The router offers high speeds, and the Universal Plug and Play makes it extremely easy to set up and configure. It also allows remote management, client filtering by date or time, MAC Address control to allow or deny access and supports static routes.
The Network Address Translation (NAT) provides a firewall for your internet and PC, thus protecting your network and files from hackers. It has 4 x 10/100Mbps LAN ports and 1 x 10/100Mbps WAN port.
Bottom Line
This router is an excellent choice if you’re concerned with internet speed and if you dislike the hustle of configuration. The four LAN ports and one WAN port are ideal for a small to medium business or average home. It’s very affordable and does not compromise on quality.
Editor's Pick:
Ubiquiti ER-10X
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Most buyers find this router to be very reliable and what they expected. They love how it is feature-rich, has numerous ports, is reasonably priced, very fast, has different configuration options, and consumes low power.
However, it takes a long time to boot. The UI requires technical knowledge and restoring the backup’s configuration if the UI doesn’t change the configuration. Overall, most are happy with the router and would gladly recommend it.
Why it Stands Out to Us
It is packed with useful features making it a perfect addition to your networking hardware. Apart from the colorful graphs, it supports hairpin NAT and can be managed with scripts via ssh.
Additionally, it’s very reliable, and you can connect many devices to the 10 ports compared to routers with four ports. The internet speed is also superfast, ideal for gaming, or even in a business.
Although it might be challenging for people with no technical background to set it up, some tutorials can guide you through the whole process and make it as seamless as possible.
Bottom Line
When speed and number of ports are the points of consideration, this router has what you require. It’s ideal for both home and office and guarantees you a superfast connection, reliability, and many other features.
Honorable Mention:
Mikrotik RB750Gr3
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Buyers have found it as an excellent combination of features, performance, and affordability. It is easy to set up for home users who do not require technical configurations as it’s just plug and play. However, it gets more technical if you want more configurations beyond the already set profiles.
Also, you don’t require WAN ports as every port can be configured independently. It’s fanless and silent and has almost every feature for the consumer.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This router has 5- Gigabit ports and a dual-core CPU. It has IPsec hardware encryption and supports the server package. There’s also a MicroSD slot for a microSD card for improved speech for database storage.
Other outstanding features include; real-time counters and statistics, you get free firmware and updates for life, comes with level 44 RouterBOARD license, a power-efficient, and a very stable network.
Upgrading the router is seamless as you only need to click a button or drag a file from your web browser into the files section of the WinBox. You can also back up your configurations to binary file or export it to text so you can share it, maybe for support.
Bottom Line
Overall, it is great for both home and office use. You won’t have to worry about firmware, and there’s more space if you need more networking tools. The speed is also great, and you get many networking tools with RouterOS.
What is a Wired Router?
This is a router that connects to computers through wired connections. In one port, you insert the modem to communicate to the internet. Other ports support wired connections that connect the router to computers to distribute information.
Wi-Fi coverage is probably the most essential feature in a router. If the router’s Wi-Fi capabilities can reach corners of your home and overcome barriers, you’ll have no issues with signals
A 4-port wired router has four ports that you can use to connect to four devices
A modem wired router has a port where you connect the modem, which acts as a gateway to the internet
When Would I Use a Wired Router?
You might be wondering why you would ever need a wired router while Wi-Fi gives you the freedom you need to connect from anywhere around the house. Here are some good examples of when you would need a wired router:
When You Want High Uninterrupted Internet Speeds
Unlike wireless routers, you’ll rarely experience dropped connections with wired routers. It can be disappointing if you lose connection in the middle of something important like a meeting or a game.
When you use a wired router, your connection will never drop unless the internet is down or you pull out the cable.
When You Want Faster Connections
A wired router provides a faster internet connection than the wireless counterpart. If your site is taking too long to load, you might want to look at your internet connection.
More speed means a lower bounce rate from your site, and if you run a business, better service to your clients.
More Security
Internet security should be one of your considerations when deciding between wireless and wired connections. With a wired router, you’re assured of security and encrypted services.
Wired routers are more secure because hackers and anyone trying to steal your data can’t access your network unless they hook a cable to the device they want to connect.
Can You Really Find a Quality Wired Router That’s Affordable?
Yes. You can find a high-quality wired router that’s also affordable. Usually, cheap products are seen as low quality, while high-end ones are considered high quality.
Some of it is true, but not all high-quality wired routers are expensive. Some are very affordable and come with all the features you’d require in a wired router.
They have essential features like optimal security and VPN features, fast connection speeds, a good number of ports, and excellent security.
More expensive options can have more ports and more VPN features, but if you’re looking for one with essential features and don’t require many ports, there are cheaper options.
How Does a Wired Router Compare?
There are hundreds of different types of routers in the market today. Let’s take a look at how they compare to wired routers:
Wired Router vs Wireless Router
Similarities
- Both are used to create networks and connect devices in that network
- Both require an internet connection from an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Differences
- A wired router uses cables to connect to devices, while a wireless router connects to devices wirelessly
- A wired router provides higher internet speed than a wireless router
- Security of the data is higher in wired routers because of firewall features and VPN, while wireless routers do not offer much protection for the data
Wired Router vs Switch
Similarities
- Both of them are used to create or extend networks by connecting to Ethernet
- They both require ports for where the Ethernet is plugged
- Both of them can work in wired network connections
- Both can transmit connections in full-duplex mode.
Differences
- The router works faster in MAN/WAN while a switch works faster in LAN
- Routers can work in wired and wireless networks, but switches can only work in wired network connections
- Every port in a router has its broadcast domain, while in a switch, there’s one broadcast domain apart from VLAN implemented.
TP-Link Safestream TL-R600VPN
How to Set up a Wired Router
If you already have the router, here are the steps to set it up.
- Decide where you want the router to be located.
- Attach a cable to the router to connect it to your ISP’s gateway Ethernet port. Alternatively, you can go for a mesh router and install a mesh network.
- Check the router’s LEDs to see if you’ve been successful in making an internet connection.
- Once the router is ready, configure the gateway of the wireless router.
- Connect the gateway to the router.
- Create your username, password, and update the router’s firmware.
- Set up security.
- Connect other devices to the other ports.
How to Bridge a Wired Router
Bridging refers to connecting two routers or adding a new router to your existing network.
How To Connect Two Computers Using Wired Router
- Using an Ethernet cable, connect one of the wired routers to your computer. Go to your browser and access your router’s security menu by typing http://192.168.1.1, then look for the default username and password of your router on its underside.
- In the settings, access the LAN and routers DHCP pool.
- Connect the second router to your computer and not to the other router. Go to your web browser, type http://192.168.1.1 and put your username and password.
- On the security screen, go to the WAN port and type an IP address outside the DHCP range you typed earlier. For instance, if you typed 192.168.100-150, you can choose another pool like 192.168.1.38.
- On the LAN setup screen, make sure the DHCP is off.
- Go to the wireless configuration setup, then select a different Service Set Identifier (SSID) name from the one on the first router.
- Create a different password on the security settings and make sure it’s created under the WPA setting
You can then unplug the second router from the wall, connect an Ethernet cable from the second router to the main router, and then put the second router back on the wall.
Refer to the video below for the whole process:
Wired Router Troubleshooting
Slow Wired Connection Through Router
A slow wired connection could be because:
- Your device might not support a fast connection
- Your computer may be infected with malware
- ISP issues
- Your computer might be having applications or add-ons that are slowing it
If your device is the issue, you can try to solve it by:
- Scanning for malware
- Disconnecting any VPN software or add-ons that you added recently
- Restarting your router
- Trying a different port on the router
- Troubleshoot using the Network Adapter Troubleshooter
Router Dropping Wired Connection
If your wired connection keeps dropping and there’s no problem with your ISP, chances are the network cable end is poorly created or damaged. To correct this, check the cables with a tester and check the ends by pulling. If the test fails or the ends are loose, replace the cable or the ends.
Conclusion
A wired router affords you a faster internet connection and is more secure than a wireless router. Although you might be limited on the number of devices you can connect to, at least you’re sure you will have no connection issues, and you can buy a router with more ports.
People Also Ask
There are many questions on how networks function. People who don’t have a technical background sometimes find it challenging to understand and differentiate some networking aspects, such as the difference between a router and a switch, LAN and WAN, etc. Here are some of the frequently asked questions.
Can I Connect a Wireless Router to a Wired Router?
Yes, you can. Adding a second device to the network allows other devices like printers to connect on the air. You only need to connect one end of the Ethernet to the wired router and the other end to the wireless router, then configure the wireless router’s settings from a computer with wireless capabilities.
How Much is a Wired Router?
Wired routers can cost as low as $18, while high-end routers can cost as much as $153. The high-end routers have advanced features like dynamic content filtering and more ports. Cheaper options may not have advanced features, but they can still do the job. The ports may also be fewer.
What is a Wired Access Point?
It’s a device that connects to a wired router through an Ethernet cable to extend wireless coverage to dead spots in the home or business premises. Although it functions like a router, it’s different from a router in that it does not protect your network from attack and does not have firewall functions.
What Does WAN Stand For on a Router?
Wide Area Network (WAN) is a network covering a wide geographical area. For instance, if a large corporation has different offices in the same city, each office’s devices are connected via a Local Area Network (LAN). All the LANs are connected by WAN so that every office can access files from other offices.
