6 Best Routers for 2,000 Sq Ft House in 2023 [Extended Coverage]

Are you looking for a reliable wireless router to cover a 2000 Sq Ft house? I wish there was a single straightforward option I could recommend, but everyone’s use case, budget, and feature requirements are different. That’s why I tested 15 popular models for 3 weeks in different scenarios and have come up with the 6 best choices for 2023:

1. Best Performance: TP-Link Archer AX90
2. Best Gaming Router: ASUS RT-AX86S
3. Best Value 2,000 Sq Ft Router: Linksys MR9610
4. Best For Streaming: Netgear Nighthawk RAX50
5. Best Mesh Router: Amazon Eero 6+
6. Best Budget Option: Motorola MR2600

Since you’re here, I assume you understand WiFi coverage’s importance and want seamless connectivity throughout a 2000 Sq Ft area. But that’s not the only thing to consider when choosing a wireless router. So, what qualifies a router to be good?

Well, a router that’s ingrained with decent features to deliver the speeds and coverage you need, alongside network security and enough ports to let you set up a wired connection. Rest assured, all the featured models were picked keeping these points.

6 Best Routers for 2,000 Sq Ft House in 2023

To ensure I recommend the suitable options for you, I’ve installed and set up 15 WiFi routers in varying structures of 2,000 Sq Ft houses (some of the options below can provide coverage upto 2,500 Sq Ft). And based on the results and my experiences, I qualified 6 models that performed well in all aspects.

Besides, I have prepared this list keeping in mind the needs of a diverse user base, internet plans, and budgets. So, you’ll get all options ranging from premium, mid-range, and budget.

1. Best Overall: TP-Link Archer AX90

If you are after the best tri-band router that can satiate your high-bandwidth needs within your 2,000 Sq Ft enclosed space, then TP-Link AX90 should be at the top of your buying cart. It’s an upgraded version of Archer AX73, with an additional 5 GHz band, a 2.5G WAN, and a USB 3.1 port that gives the performance of dreams.

Why is it suited for a 2,000 Sq Ft House?

The eight external antenna setup of AX90, doubling the number over AX73, makes it a suitable choice for any space as large as 2,200-2,300 Sq Ft. Further integrating beamforming and other antenna technologies like OFDMA and MU-MIMO, it further boosts the router’s capacity and range. In simple words, your client devices get stronger and clearer signals.

Courtesy of such technologies, connecting up to 30 devices concurrently produced no lags or throttles. So, playing games like Valorant, Destiny 2, and others with friends felt like a cakewalk.

Now coming to the throughput capacity, the router uses the 5GHz frequency to communicate or transmit signals from the router to client devices, which leads to faster speeds. When paired with a 2 Gbps Xfinity plan, download and upload speeds on the 5GHz band combined averaged 1.98 Gbps and 192 Mbps.

Similarly, the farther band had respective speed values of 1867 Mbps and 197 Mbps. And with bandwidth closer to 2 Gbps, your household can enjoy bandwidth-intensive tasks like share trading, video conferencing, 4K streaming, and others over multiple devices without compromising on speed.

Wired Speeds

TP-Link AX90 also got ten-pointers in this department, courtesy of a 2.5G WAN port and four 1 Gbps LAN ports. Now feed your network-hungry devices with a few extra Mbps gained from these ports, with download and upload speeds valued at 2.1 Gbps and 500 Mbps, respectively.

Security Features

The TP-Link router ingrains the latest WPA3 security. Aside from that, there are some helpful features like SPI firewall, Access control, and application layer gateway. The device also offers robust parental controls with custom profiles, pause the internet, weekly reports, age-appropriate filters, and much more.

Conclusion

Overall, Archer AX90 is the best wireless router to use in a 2,000 Sq Ft home that offers high performance and stability. An additional 5 GHz band helps connect more devices within the limited bandwidth. Besides, its free security features let you maintain the secrecy of your online activity and prevent any malicious attacks.

2. Best for Gaming: ASUS RT-AX86S

If you are searching for a good gaming router, Asus RT-AX86S is a worthy choice. Compared to its predecessor, it has brought a better hardware setup, the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard, powerful antennas, and better performance. There are also a few gaming-centric improvements to let you experience low-ping gaming.

Why is it suited for a 2,000 Sq Ft House?

It is because of its three highly-amplified antennas integrated with beamforming technology. The results were very optimistic when I tested it in my client’s 2,200 Sq Ft gaming studio, as the signals encased every corner.

MU-MIMO and OFDMA allowed the router to send clear signals through walls. I could connect up to 47 devices available at the client’s small workspace, where the internet was used to send or receive files through email, Google Drive, or Dropbox. There wasn’t a single complaint about slow or laggy internet from the workers.

Now, Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 and a powerful processor of RT-AX86S work harmoniously to deliver a fast and stable throughput. Over the 5GHz band paired to an Xfinity 2 Gbps plan, speeds raked out at 1995 Mbps during download, while the upload speed score was 278 Mbps.

Similarly, the respective speed scores for the 2.4GHz band were 1985 Mbps and 269 Mbps. The speeds are more than double compared to its predecessor, so there are possibilities to do much more with this device. Aside from that, there’s a Game boost option that you can enable to take your gaming experience to a whole new level.

Wired Speeds

RT-AX86S presents a decent arrangement of ports on its rear panel with five Gigabit LAN and WAN ports. Although there is no 2.5G port, these Gigabit ones support link aggregation, so you still can get multi-gig speeds provided you have two separate IPs. You can also have them connect separately to your devices and get speeds up to 1.1 Gbps.

Security Features

Security is the strongest selling point of this router, as it features an Ai Protection Pro that defends your home network and devices from external attacks through regular and automatic updates.

Features like malware blocking, preventing access to unknown devices, and the WPA3 protocol ensures no malicious agents or unknown devices come near your network.

Besides that, the parental controls are advanced with features like an internet activity dashboard, kid-safe preset, content filter, and schedule block time. So, all of you digital mothers have more power in your hands to ensure your kids are not immersed in safe browsing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, RT-AX86S is a powerful 2,000 Sq Ft gaming router with a few gaming-related customizations added with a high-performance processor and WiFi protocol to provide a seamless gaming experience. Besides, its lifetime-free security features let you browse stress-free. But the lack of a 2.5G port and tri-band support has pushed it to the second spot.

3. Best Value for Money: Linksys MR9610

Linksys MR9610 with Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 combines with a powerful processor, delivers proper Gigabit speed, and supports your growing bandwidth demands. Besides, equipped with mesh tech, it provides strong signals throughout your 2,000 Sq Ft home, which is a much better upgrade to the Linksys MR9000 that I reviewed a few weeks back.

Why is it suited for a 2,000 Sq Ft House?

The four-antenna setup of the Linksys router works harmoniously with the equipped mesh tech to cover large homes. In my tests, the signals had an expansive range of around 2,500 Sq Ft, a tad higher than my previous recommendations.

Not only that, signals at the nooks of the space were stronger enough to stream HD videos on various streaming platforms.

MR9610 also integrates Next-gen OFDMA and MU-MIMO to send better-quality signals to client devices. Based on my tests, you can connect up to 32 devices simultaneously, which is not bad for a router in this price bracket.

In my throughput tests, the device performed decently well. The near band with a 1 Gig connection had download speeds of 967 Mbps and upload speeds of 195 Mbps. Similarly, the far band speeds for downloads and uploads were 946 Mbps and 117 Mbps, respectively. Imagine the multitude of tasks your network can bear with such a throughput capacity.

Wired Speeds

Linksys MR9610 with five Gigabit (four LAN and one WAN) ports delivers speeds much faster than wireless ones. I connected my Xbox 360 to the WAN port to extract a maximum speed output of 1.1 Gbps and 350 Mbps for downloads and uploads. And with increased frame rates from 101 to 106 and a ping value of 2ms, games played out without any throttles.

Security Features

Like my TP-Link recommendation, this one ingrains a basic range of security features like guest network access, WPA3, VPN server, device prioritization, and an automatic firmware update feature. These features are deemed enough for securing your home network and connected devices.

Besides, it presents a set of parental controls like activity monitoring, manual website blocking, and scheduling an internet pause.

Conclusion

In conclusion, an expansive range of 2,500 Sq Ft qualifies MR9610 as the best WiFi coverage router on the list. Its throughput capacity is excellent, along with decent far-band speeds. However, its security features aren’t very advanced, and there aren’t any upgradable options available, which takes it to the following position.

4. Best for Streaming: Netgear Nighthawk RAX50

A router with compelling features and great aesthetics is a hard find; combining both, Netgear RAX50 makes it one of the best wireless routers that cover a 2,000 Sq Ft house. There is a powerful 1.5GHz triple-core processor, the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard, and ample storage, which are the ingredients of a great router.

Also, if you are a loyal Netgear user, it won’t be difficult to look into the upgrades it brings over its older model.

Why is it suited for a 2,000 Sq Ft House?

To get your signals across a 2000 and above Sq Ft space, your router needs to equip powerful antennas, and RAX50 has four. So, covering a space with that much area should be a cakewalk. The best part about this device is it can transmit strong signals to up to 20 devices, courtesy of beamforming antennas and MU-MIMO technology.

Alongside that, with WiFi 6 dual-band support, the speed outputs of this device are also decent. Over the 5GHz band, I could download a 150GB+ sized file in around 30 seconds, with speeds clocking at 951 Mbps, while the upload speed was about 131 Mbps. And 2.4 GHz band’s download and upload speeds were 902 Mbps and 95 Mbps, respectively.

Aside from downloading large files, I put the router under stress test by streaming 4K movies, video conferencing, and share trading, and there were not many lags or latencies. Further, device prioritization allows you to allocate the bandwidth to devices that need the most bandwidth and vice versa. So your heavy tasks can run lag-free.

Wired Speeds

Four Gigabit LAN and one WAN port provide an option for wired backhaul. Lack of interferences compared to WiFi grants you a little extra bandwidth for taking over your high-bandwidth tasks more efficiently. My speed tests in wired connection recorded scores of 987 Mbps and 187 Mbps, respectively, for downloads and uploads.

Security Features

Security-wise, this Netgear router has basic features like VPN, guest access, WPA3, and an SPI firewall. Besides, using the user-friendly Linksys app, you can monitor the devices connected to the network and delete unwanted ones.

Coming to parental controls, there are basic features like internet pause, scheduled pause, and watching online time.

Suppose you have a large business ecosystem and need more advanced security features. You can pay $6.99 monthly to enroll with Netgear armor and smart parental controls. Some notable features are malware blocking, identifying threats, and others. Find more details in the Netgear Armor review.

Conclusion

In conclusion, features like faster near-band speeds, powerful antennas, and decent port setup make it the best Netgear WiFi router to buy for a 2,000 Sq Ft house. Its security features aren’t very advanced, but you can always subscribe to its premium Armor plan. But lesser speeds and features inferior to other models made me put it in the fourth position.

5. Best Mesh WiFi System: Amazon Eero 6+

If coverage is your primary concern, being tired of those weak spots and dead zones in your space, then mesh systems are your ultimate solution. Amazon Eero 6+ is a budget mesh system that can penetrate WiFi through thick walls.

And with a decent processor, excellent flash memory, and Wi-Fi 6 support, you get a decent throughput performance, much better than its older model, Eero 6.

Why is it suited for a 2,000 Sq Ft House?

As for range, the two-unit Eero 6+ promises a WiFi range of 3,000 Sq Ft, but in a real-time setting, the signals spread as far as 2,800 Sq Ft, courtesy of four internal antennas. These mesh systems use the node to transmit signals far away into space, and you get clear and strong signals even in the outskirts.

Other than that, MU-MIMO and QoS further add to the ability of the mesh system to deliver stable signals over to multiple devices. At a stretch, I could connect over 45 devices to the network, which is much higher than the previous recommendation.

Courtesy of powerful antennas and dual-band WiFi 6 functionality, Eero 6+ delivers decent throughput results. Considering its maximum speed cap of 3000 Mbps, I connected it to a 1 Gbps Xfinity plan and achieved respective download and upload speeds of 947 Mbps and 132 Mbps.

Similarly, the speeds on the 2.4GHz band were 901 Mbps and 125 Mbps, respectively. The speeds on the faraway band are much lower, but you can always connect to the 5GHz band to get any of your bandwidth-intensive tasks done within seconds.

Wired Speeds

Amazon, with two Gigabit ports on each unit, has not been very lenient in this respect. Amongst these, one port is used to establish the router’s connection to the modem, while you can connect your network-hungry device to the other to ensure a faster connection. The speeds for downloads and uploads clocked at 995 Mbps and 150 Mbps, respectively.

Security Features

Eero 6+ has a lot to offer, with notable ones being WPA3, VPN passthrough, and DHCP. There are many others, like TLS v1.2+,  static IP, port forwarding, UPnP, and static IP. With these features at your disposal, it’s safe to assume that your residential network and data stored in your devices are somewhat safe.

But if your network ecosystem demands advanced security features, you can upgrade to two-fold Eero security, Secure and Secure+.

Conclusion

Amazon Eero 6+ is a reliable and affordable mesh router for a 2,000 Sq Ft home. It combines decent specifications and delivers a steady mesh network performance. It’s an ideal purchase for those looking to establish a mesh network but who don’t want to spend much.

For more information on it, please read its full review.

6. Best Budget Option: Motorola MR2600

Reliable and efficient routers at a budget price are hard to find, but after browsing through many models, I finally got my hands on Motorola MR2600. It costs around $100 and integrates a few notable features like Dual-Band Wi-Fi 5, a USB 3.0 port, and a decent antenna setup that gets you the performance you need.

Why is it suited for a 2,000 Sq Ft House?

In my coverage tests, the results were positive as the signals about could cover my 2,000 Sq Ft home office. There might be a reduction in the range based on the structure of your house. If multiple interferences exist in your space, you can expect it to cover areas up to 1,800 Sq Ft.

However, the router excelled in my connections capacity test. I could connect 35 devices concurrently without any significant inconsistencies because of MU-MIMO. The list of devices includes a smart TV, 8-9 mobile phones, several tablets, three Xbox consoles, and four PCs.

Now coming to its speeds, paired with a Cox 500 Mbps plan, downloads and uploads averaged at 478 Mbps and 39 Mbps on the 5GHz band. Similarly, the other band’s performance was decent, with respective download and upload speeds clocking at 445 Mbps and 28 Mbps. So, my gaming consoles ran heavy games at 5-6ms ping, which is pretty decent.

Wired Speeds

If wireless speeds cannot satiate your devices’ bandwidth needs, wired connectivity through ethernet ports is here for your rescue. Like most routers on my list, MR2600 ingrains five Gigabit ports that deliver a download speed output of 901 Mbps with the Xfinity 1 Gbps plan. It is a much bigger upgrade to the wireless speeds.

Security Features

The security features of MR2600 are pretty basic, which include guest access, WPA3 protocol, VPN-passthrough, WiFi pausing, and kid profiles. This makes the device a perfect solution for household settings, but if you need more advanced features, you might want a subscription to a Tenda-micro or Bitdefender-powered antivirus.

Conclusion

To summarise, the Motorola MR2600 is a good home router for a 2,000 Sq Ft area. It gives you your money’s worth in terms of performance. Its coverage could be slightly higher, but the sheathed area is dense with solid signals, allowing you to perform bandwidth-intensive tasks confidently.

However, the router’s lack of adequate security features has pushed it to the last position.

Frequently Asked Questions

Verdict

What kind of router you choose for your 2,000 Sq Ft house depends on the bandwidth you use. Some systems are dedicated to transmitting signals to longer distances and offer decent speeds, while a few excel in both departments.

I have included routers that fulfill most of your needs in this list. But, if you are still confused, here is the curated list of the best:

• If you want a high-speed router with the ability to cover a 2000 Sq Ft house, TP-Link Archer AX90 would be the best option you’ve got. It might be a bit on the expensive side, but the features it presents are worth every penny.
• For 4K streamers and gamers, Asus RT-AX86S is a much better choice than other models on my list.
• Lastly, if you’re in a quest for a budget-friendly router for a 2000 Sq Ft house, I would suggest the Linksys MR9610.

That’s it for my recommendations on routers suitable for 2000 Sq Ft homes. If you’ve any queries or suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments below. I’ll try to get back ASAP.