While Cyber Monday is now in the rear-view mirror, there are still a few days left to get holiday shopping deals. That means it’s a great time to score a last-minute deal on a new router for a decent price — and with all sorts of mesh options on the market, as well as routers that support Wi-Fi 6, the newest and fastest version of Wi-Fi, you might want considering making an upgrade. After all, with most of us doing our best to stay home as much as possible, having the right router quarterbacking your home network can make a huge difference.
If a new router sits on top of your shopping list, bookmark this post — I’ll be updating it regularly through the rest of the holiday season with all of the best home networking deals we’ve spotted across the web. There are plenty of deals still live right now that are worth checking out, so take a look.
Deals live now
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It’s not the newest version of Eero that supports Wi-Fi 6, but last year’s Eero mesh router tested well at the CNET Smart Home, and you can nab a three-piece setup for just $174 on Amazon right now, saving you $75.
Meanwhile, that newer version of Eero is on sale, too (it’s called Eero 6), but it wasn’t as reliable in my tests as last year’s version, so read my review before making a purchase.
Read our Eero (2019) review.
TP-Link
This TP-Link mesh router is basically the exact same thing as Amazon’s Eero 6, at least as far as specs are concerned. Both are dual-band AX1800 systems that support Wi-Fi 6, and both three-packs typically sell for $270. But right now, you can grab TP-Link’s system for $230, which saves you $40.
Don’t care about Wi-Fi 6? The TP-Link Deco M5 system is last year’s Wi-Fi 5 model — that three-piece system usually costs $170, but it’s available right now for $150, saving you a cool $20.
Netgear
The usual starting price for this high-speed Wi-Fi 6 router is $300, which is admittedly pretty steep for a dual-band model that doesn’t have an extra 5GHz band. But right now for Cyber Monday, Best Buy has it marked down by 50% to a sale price of $150. That’s a pretty darned good deal for a router capable of hitting top speeds as high as 4.8Gbps.
Linksys
I haven’t reviewed this particular model, but one of my CNET predecessors on the Wi-Fi beat was a fan of an earlier version of it back in 2017, calling it “a just-right router for small homes.” This one, the Linksys MR8300, is nearly identical to that one — an AC2200 router with four antennas and two 5GHz bands.
What’s best about it is the triband design, and the fact that you can use it with other Linksys Max Stream devices to create your own mesh network. The extra 5GHz band will help keep speeds fast across your entire home should you choose to go that route. Now, for Cyber Monday, you can get it for half off at Best Buy, where it boasts a review average of 4.6, with over 1,000 five-star reviews.
Linksys
If you’re not looking for a router upgrade, and instead, just want a good deal on something simple and functional, then you might consider the Linksys EA6350. It’s a pretty basic Wi-Fi 5 router, but it’ll get the job done for browsing and light streaming.
Best Buy offered this router on sale for $55 over Black Friday weekend, which is $35 less than the usual retail price. That deal seems to be sold through, but you can still snag it for $65 if you’re so inclined.
Expired deals
These offers appear to be over or out of stock — we’ll keep an eye on them and update this post if that changes.
Tyler Lizenby/CNET
It’s still expensive, but you can currently save $50 on a two-piece Netgear Orbi AX6000 mesh router setup, bringing the cost down from $700 to $650. With full support for Wi-Fi 6, a tri-band design with an extra 5GHz band for system transmissions, and a WAN port capable of accepting incoming wired speeds as high as 2.5Gbps, the AX6000 is Netgear’s fanciest Orbi system — and it remains the fastest, best-performing mesh router we’ve ever tested.
Netgear tells me this deal will be live through tonight. If you’ve been waiting for a sale on the fastest, most reliable mesh system we’ve ever tested, this is the time. Note this item is technically in stock, but it won’t be delivered until January.
Meanwhile, if you need more than one range-extending satellite to cover a large home, you might consider the AX4200 version of the Orbi. It isn’t quite as fast as the AX6000 version, but it’s still a tri-band mesh router with full support for Wi-Fi 6. And hey, wouldn’t you know it, Netgear is currently offering a four-pack with the main router and three extenders for $660, which is $90 less than usual.
Read our Netgear Orbi AX6000 review.
Chris Monroe/CNET
It doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6, but the Nest Wifi mesh router still punches well above its weight with stable, reliable performance and enough advanced features to feel like an upgrade. The system’s main router is the slightly bigger device on the left in the image above, and it’ll work on its own without any of the range-extending Nest Wifi Point smart speakers. It usually costs $169, but this week, you can find it for $140.
That’s not a bad deal, but if you’re starting from scratch, you’re better off just getting the two-pack with the router and one extender at the normal $269 combo price (those extenders cost $150 on their own). However, if you use the first-gen Google Wifi mesh system in your home, you can swap in the Nest Wifi router and use it with your first-gen Google Wifi extenders for faster speeds and better performance.
Read our Nest Wifi review.
Amazon
Eero Pro 6 is the fancier version of Amazon’s new Wi-Fi 6 mesh router, and it adds in faster speeds and an additional 5GHz band to help improve system performance. It tested well, and offers a lot of value even at full price, with a $599 three-pack that’s $400 less than the comparable Netgear Orbi AX6000 setup.
Now, for Black Friday week, Amazon has that three-pack marked all the way down to $479, which is about as good a price as I’ve ever seen for a three-piece, triband mesh router that supports Wi-Fi 6. It’s back-ordered until Jan. 1, so you’ll need to wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive, but the deal is live now and Amazon is taking orders.
Read our Eero Pro 6 review.
TP-Link
The Archer AX20 is one of TP-Link’s entry-level Wi-Fi 6 routers. With a dual-band design and AX1800 speeds, it isn’t going to be a game-changer for your entire home network, but it’ll still help you notch slightly faster Wi-Fi performance from any Wi-Fi 6 devices you might own, which might make it a sensible upgrade for anyone who just bought a new iPhone.
The router usually sells for $130, but TP-Link has it marked down to $100 for Black Friday week.
Amazon
Amazon-owned Eero released two new mesh routers this fall: the Eero 6 and the Eero Pro 6. Both include full support for Wi-Fi 6, but the Eero Pro 6 boasts faster top speeds and it adds a second 5GHz band for dedicated backhaul transmissions between the router and its range-extending satellites. That’s a key upgrade if you want your mesh router to make the most of Wi-Fi 6.
The Eero Pro 6 isn’t cheap at $559 for a three-pack, but that’s less than you’ll spend for other high-end, triband mesh routers that support Wi-Fi 6, including our top picks such as the Asus ZenWiFi AX and the AX6000 version of Netgear Orbi. And, if you’re willing to wait a couple of extra days for delivery, Amazon will include a free Fire TV Cube for folks who purchase through the link below. That’s a leftover deal from Prime Day, but it’s a good offer for a mesh system that held up well in our tests.
Read our Eero Pro 6 review.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Here’s another Nest Wifi deal, this time from Buydig: a two-pack of Nest Wifi routers for $219, plus two free Deco Gear smart plugs once you add the deal to your cart.
A few things to know here. First, the Nest Wifi router is the central brain of the Nest Wifi mesh, and it doesn’t include a built-in Google Assistant smart speaker like the range-extending Nest Wifi Points. That said, you can use a second Nest Wifi router as a range extender, too, so this deal is basically the same thing as the Nest Wifi two-pack which usually costs $269. You’re just replacing the range extender with a second router.
That means you’re losing the built-in Google Assistant voice controls, but you also might see slightly better performance (the router is a bit stronger than the range extender). As for the smart plugs, I’m not familiar with Deco Gear and we haven’t tested their stuff out, but they claim to work with both Alexa and the Google Assistant. If you already use either of those voice assistants, then this deal just got a little bit better.
Read our Nest Wifi review.
Netgear
It doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6, but the AC1200 version of the Netgear Orbi is still a solid and dependable mesh router, and it impressed us with surprisingly strong signal strength when we tested it out at the CNET Smart Home. Back then, I called the two-piece version of this system a terrific value at $129 — now, as an early Black Friday special at Walmart, you can get the three-piece version with an extra range extender for just $99.
A three-piece mesh system like this one is the best way to cover a large-size home with a steady, reliable Wi-Fi connection, and $99 is as low a price as you’ll ever see for a well-reviewed, name-brand option like this one. If your home Wi-Fi network has a lot of ground to cover and you’re sick of dead zones, then this is a deal worth pouncing on. Note this is appearing out of stock to some CNET staff, but not others, so availability (and maybe price) may depend on your location.
Read our Netgear Orbi AC1200 review.
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