© AtlasStudio / Shutterstock.com
Shopping for a Verizon Fios internet service router can be tough if you don’t know where to start. You have to consider a couple of things, like your home’s size and the features that best suit your personal network.
We did some sleuthing to find the best five routers for Verizon Fios Internet in the market. Here are our top picks based on features, coverage and compatibility with Verizon’s service.
- Best Overall Router for Verizon Fios Internet: ASUS RT-AX3000
- Best Budget Router for Verizon Fios Internet: TP-Link Archer AX10
- Best Mesh Router for Verizon Fios Internet: TP-Link Deco Mesh
- Best Gaming Router for Verizon Fios Internet: Netgear Nighthawk XR700
- Best Premium Router for Verizon Fios Internet: TP-Link AXE16000
Best Overall Router for Verizon Fios Internet: ASUS RT-AX3000
- Maximum Range : 3000 Sq Ft
- The Next Gen WiFi Standard - Future proof your home network with the next-gen WiFi 6 technology, providing up to 2. 7x faster speed than the previous WiFi generation featuring OFDMA and MU-MIMO...
- Ultra-Fast Wi-Fi - RT-AX3000 supports 160MHz bandwidth and 1024-QAM, boasting a total network speed of 3000 Mbps - 575Mbps on the 2. 4GHz band, and 2402GHz on the 5GHz band.
- The Most Powerful Mesh System — AiMesh technology allows you to establish an even stronger mesh WiFi system with other ASUS AiMesh compatible routers, ensuring stable and seamless whole home...
- Commercial-grade network security for family - AiProtection Pro protects all the connected devices on your home network and advanced parental controls allow you to manage the family's internet usage.
Easily the best Wi-Fi 6 router, ASUS RT-AX3000 utilizes dual bands to deliver long-range coverage and optimal wireless speeds.
MU-MIMO is present to deliver consistent connections to multiple devices. The RT-AX3000 is also mesh-compatible, using ASUS’s AiMesh system to cover even larger homes.
WPA3 encryption means your connection is secure, a noted improvement over previous security protocols. Coverage is ideal for medium to larger homes, covering 3000 square feet with the base unit. This can be extended through the installation of mesh nodes.
The RT-AX3000 is also compatible with Alexa, allowing you to manage Wi-Fi settings through Amazon’s popular smart home assistant. Installing the RT-AX3000 is simple, with the ASUS Router app helping you integrate it into your home network.
For the price point and the feature set, RT-AX3000 is a fantastic router for anyone looking for a combination of speed and affordability.
Check out the ASUS RT-AX3000 on Amazon.
Best Budget Router for Verizon Fios Internet: TP-Link Archer AX10
- OneMesh Compatible Router - Form a seamless WiFi when work with TP-Link OneMesh WiFi Extenders
- Wi-Fi 6 Router: Archer AX10 comes equipped with latest wireless technology WiFi6 featuring OFDMA 1024-QAM, drastically increasing the speed and efficiency of the entire network.
- Next-gen Dual Band router - 300 Mbps on 2. 4 GHz (802. 11n) plus 1201 Mbps on 5 GHz (802. 11ax)
- Connect more devices than ever before - Wi-Fi 6 technology simultaneously communicates more data to more devices using OFDMA and MU-MIMO while reducing lag dramatically
- Triple-core processing - the 1. 5 GHz tri-core processor ensures communications between your router and all connected devices are smooth and Buffer-Free
While it lacks some speed and amenities of its more expensive counterparts, the TP-Link Archer AX10 provides a quality product that won’t break the bank.
TP-Link Archer AX10 packs a ton of features into a low-cost router. The AX10 can utilize its four antennae to provide optimal coverage across a wider area and boasts up to 1.2 Gbps speeds. The range isn’t ideal, only covering two to three bedrooms by TP-Link’s estimation. This is readily fixable, however, since it supports TP-Link’s OneMesh system.
Installation is manageable and relies upon TP-Link’s tether app to get the device up and running on any network. Companion apps like this are great because they can provide step-by-step instructions and useful metrics in an easily understood format.
Advanced features like Adaptive QoS and triple channel broadcast aren’t present, but it does support dual-band transmission. The AX-10 is Wi-Fi 6 enabled, meaning it supports 802.11ax and a plethora of older protocols for devices that can’t take advantage of the newest technology just yet.
Check out the TP-Link Archer AX10 on Amazon.
Best Mesh Router for Verison Fios Internet: TP-Link Deco Mesh
- Deco Mesh technology for faster Wi-Fi speeds and a strong Wi-Fi signal to cover your whole home
- Three units work seamlessly to create a network that can cover homes up to 5, 500 square feet
- Seamless roaming throughout the house, with a single network name and password
- Incredibly fast AC1200 speeds makes the deco capable of providing connectivity for up to 100 devices
- With advanced Deco Mesh Technology, units work together to form a unified network with a single network name. Devices automatically switch between Decos as you move through your home for the fastest possible speeds
One of the more expensive routers to integrate into a home network, the TP-Link Deco Mesh provides feature parity with many of its competitors.
Mesh networks provide good quality connections and speeds across a whole home with the installation of satellites. The Deco Mesh allows up to 100 devices to establish simultaneous connections and supports transfer speeds of 1.1 Gbps on wireless. The three-pack allows for coverage of up to 5500 square feet, and additional nodes are available for purchase. As a budget mesh system, this presents good value and allows for a cost-effective alternative to covering the whole home with your wireless network.
Beamforming and quality of service by devices are present, and there is a robust suite of network controls to allow for locking down a child’s wireless device past a certain hour. Installation is done through the TP-Link Mesh app, allowing status updates for all installed mesh satellites on the network.
Check out the TP-Link Deco Mesh on Amazon.
Best Gaming Router for Verizon Fios Internet: Netgear Nighthawk XR700
The Netgear Nighthawk XR700 is a router built for gamers and offers transfer speeds of up to 7.2 Gbps across 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands.
Nothing is worse than a latency spike during an intense online gaming match. Usually, this was mitigated by using ethernet cabling directly to your console or PC. Still, modern gaming routers like Nighthawk XR700 provide quick connections with minimal lag and no fuss of routing cabling from the back of the router.
XR700 is a premium choice for those who take their games seriously. The ethernet ports also have an impressive transfer rate, providing up to 10 Gbps to those who choose to take advantage of them. Installation is provided through Netgear’s Nighthawk app, which also allows for administration, network metrics, and benchmarking of your connection.
Other features include geofencing or allowing for boundaries to be set to the nearest servers for lower latency, QoS based upon application, and metrics showing heatmaps for ping and other network utilities. Seven ethernet ports adorn the back of the router, allowing for hardwired connections if desired.
Check out the Netgear Nighthawk XR700 on Amazon.
Best Premium Router for Verizon Fios Internet: TP-Link AXE16000
- iF DESIGN AWARD 2022 Quad-Band Router- AXE16000 Quad-Band Wi-Fi delivers Wi-Fi speeds up to an unprecedented 15.6 Gbps( 6GHz, 4804 Mbps; 5GHz-1, 4804 Mbps; 5GHz-2, 4804 Mbps; 2.4GHz, 1148 Mbps)*
- Dual 10G Ports - A 10 Gbps WAN/LAN Port and a 10 Gbps SFP+/RJ45 Combo WAN/LAN Port not only provide ultra-high-speed internet access but also open up the possibility of faster NAS transmissions over...
- Next-Gen Processing - Armed with a powerful Quad-Core CPU, faster gaming, browsing, streaming, and downloading, all at the same time
- Wi-Fi 6E Unleashed - The brand new 6 GHz band brings more bandwidth, faster speeds, and near-zero latency
- Maximized Coverage - 8 x antennas provide maximized Wi-Fi coverage
For those who want the best-in-class, look no further than the TP-Link AXE16000, a quad-band router that provides future-proofed connectivity without compromising speed or features.
The AXE16000 supports four separate bands beamformed through a four-bedroom home, allowing for blistering speeds of up to 4.8 Gbps. Wi-Fi 6 is supported, with 802.11ax allowing for backward compatibility for your older devices while allowing future devices to take full advantage of your Verizon Fios plan.
Support for mesh networking is present, utilizing TP-Link’s OneMesh technology. The back panel also houses 10 Gbps ethernet ports, allowing for speeds beyond usual ethernet support. Also present is TP-Link Homeshield, a network security suite that scans for threats, provides parental controls, and allows for the provisioning of Quality of Service for devices that require network priority.
While AXE16000 is well beyond the others on this list in terms of price, it has handy features that ensure your route will remain relevant for years.
Check out the TP-Link AXE16000 on Amazon.
How To Pick The Best Router: Step-By-Step
Picking the ideal router for your home network can be a difficult task. Having to consider what suits your needs does require a few criteria. Some factors to consider when choosing your router are as follows:
- Price
- Features
- Area Coverage
- Compatibility
Price
Routers come in various price points, ranging from under $100 to over $500 at retail. The good news is any router is undoubtedly capable of delivering wireless connectivity. Whether it can take full advantage of your service plan is another matter. Lower-cost units can certainly come packed to the brim with features, as seen by the Archer AX10.
Where a higher-cost unit may have an edge in being able to deliver connections at higher speeds. More expensive routers maximize performance and can connect to far more devices than their cheaper counterparts.
Features
What features do you value most in a router? The ability to install mesh nodes and cover more of your home? A router’s features and functions are important because they will act as the backbone of your entire home network. Antenna power, mesh compatibility, and ease of router installation are just some things to consider.
Cheaper or older devices might not be compatible with the latest standards, which is something to consider certainly. Dual-channel routers are also attractive, allowing users to utilize high speeds and greater coverage areas in the same network device.
Before choosing a router, research what suits the needs of your home network. If you have a lot of devices running concurrent connections, then a simpler device with basic support might not cut it.
Area Coverage
Homes and the area they encompass can be highly variable. If you have a larger home, for example, a lower power unit might not provide adequate coverage for utilizing your bandwidth. A router should service and be able to provide connections to your home rather than have hot and cold spots where the connection can waver.
With the advent of mesh networking in the home, this can be less of a consideration. But it is important to note that mesh networks, while an ideal solution for covering a wider area, can sometimes present a higher price point.
Compatibility
This is less of a consideration for modern routers, but it is still important to consider which devices your home internet service plan can fully support. While most modern routers are compatible with internet providers, it is important to check your vendor’s compatible device whitelist if available.
What to Know When Buying a Router
Ultimately, the choice of the router depends on what you need out of your home network. As previously mentioned, the price, features, area coverage, and compatibility should all be considerations. When shopping for a router, consider the design of your home network. You don’t need to be an IT guru to know your home needs. If you’re heavily into streaming movies and music, then picking a router with Quality of Service might be more important than delivering a wider area of coverage.
If you want strong connections and high speeds, it might be worth considering the implementation of a mesh network in your home. An avid gamer might not benefit from a device designed to save power in mobile devices and provide stable connections across a wider area. They would ideally seek to prioritize speed and minimize latency to give optimal performance across long gaming sessions.
Using a Router: What it’s Like
Routers serve as the backbone of any small network; without their implementation, there would be no means of wirelessly connecting through your provider’s modem. Installation on modern routers is relatively painless, with companion apps guiding you through all the steps necessary and running the requisite diagnostic tests to verify functionality.
Wireless routers make it so you can use your phone, tablet, console, or any other device that connects to the internet with your service plan. Usually, a name, or SSID, is given to the router, which allows you to search through all available local devices and find yours. From there, if you have a password, which it is strongly encouraged to do so, you connect via your credentials.
Modern routers are fast, much more so than older models. Wi-Fi connectivity, a massive boon for freeing up your devices from cumbersome cabling, could be a little spotty. There have been massive improvements in speed, availability, and ease of use.
