8 Best Routers for TV Streaming in 2023 [Top Picks]

In search of a reliable router for streaming? Since you’re here, you’re looking for the best streaming router that can primarily handle streaming-oriented tasks such as video, TV streaming, but also provides good performance for other tasks, wireless coverage in your entire space, and is also compatible with your internet plan.

For streaming TVs or videos, a router must have a higher bandwidth capacity, dual-band or tri-band frequency, capable software, and ample ports for additional wired connectivity. Basically, you need a device that can perform well even under massive bandwidth stress, i.e., connecting multiple TVs or other devices without losing connectivity.

Many options meet the criteria mentioned above, but there are several marketing gimmicks that give out a substandard performance. It is why, as a tech nerd, I invested my time in testing 19 routing models from well-known companies (Netgear, Asus, TP-Link, Motorola, Linksys, etc.) for TV streaming while hooking with multiple devices.

Based on the results, only 8 options could make it to the list. The below recommended devices can handle 4K or even 8K streaming without any lags or throttling. So without taking up time, let’s get into their reviews.

Best Routers for TV Streaming in 2023

Many sources make their judgments based on the spec sheet and include these in the form of reviews, which isn’t the correct way of picking a router. A device that seems high-tech on paper might not perform equally well in real life, which is why I have conducted detailed performance tests of the available models.

Be it their speeds, TV streaming experience, coverage, security features, and others, tests are performed on each aspect. In this way, users get the best model according to their needs. This guide includes models of each category, from premium with high-tech features to cheap yet reliable ones suited to most IPs out there. So that no one returns empty-handed.

1. Best Streaming Router: Netgear Nighthawk RAX200 (WiFi 6 + Tri-Band)

According to me and many tech YouTubers, the Netgear Nighthawk RAX200 is the best router for streaming. Besides streaming, the device has amazing wireless coverage upto 2,500 sq ft, has amazing port management, and can handle the fastest internet plans from Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, etc.

In my opinion, the Netgear RAX200 is the best router for TV streaming. This extremely powerful routing device brings twelve WiFi streams spread across three frequency bands to ensure a faster data transfer rate. Besides, this router is highly configurable, easy to set up, and produces better throughput results than Netgear RAX120.

Why is it suited for TV streaming?

For buffer-free TV streaming, the greater the number of WiFi streams, the better it is, and with 12 streams provided by this router across three bands, you can expect a lag-free experience. The streams get a further boost with networking technologies this device ingrains, including an eight-stream MU-MIMO, beamforming+, and QoS, combined with a powerful processor.

Besides, its port setup with a 2.5G Multi-gig WAN and four GigE LAN makes way for a faster and buffer-free streaming experience.

Now to test it out, I connected two of my Smart TVs on two floors (32” HiSense Android TV and 50” Amazon Fire TV) to the router with 34 other devices, including laptops, mobile devices, and gaming consoles connected alongside. Courtesy of the networking technologies and cutting-edge hardware, I could complete three seasons of Dark on Netflix in 8K without any cutouts.

Speeds & WiFi Coverage

5 GHz (1): 4800 Mbps

5 GHz (2): 4800 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 1200 Mbps

With a maximum throughput capacity of 11000 Mbps, so you can connect any high-speed IPs from the major ISPs out there. I had Xfinity’s 2 Gig plan available, and over the 5 GHz band, speed output for downloads and uploads were recorded at 1.87 Gbps and 917 Mbps, respectively. At the same time, respective speeds over the 2.4 GHz band were around 1.1 Gbps and 567 Mbps.

Now coming to the coverage, its eight powerful beamforming antennas do the magic. My client’s two-story house with a 2000 Sq Ft area was entirely encased by the signals. And the best part is there weren’t any weak spots around the space, and connections up to 36 devices (including two TVs) felt like a cakewalk. I even played Valorant at 105fps on my Xbox 360 alongside.

Security Features

With Netgear Nighthawk RAX200, you can access internet connection and home network from mobile devices or laptops with VPN support securely and without compromising your identity. Besides, there are features like guest network access, automatic firmware update, WPA3 protocol, and SPI firewall to keep your network and connected devices safe and secure.

Other than that, there’s Netgear Armor with advanced features like malware blocking, intrusion prevention, DDoS functionality, and others at a paid monthly subscription. You also get parental controls like an age-based filter, scheduled WiFi pausing, and others alongside basic ones like monitoring online activities and manual WiFi pausing.

Conclusion

All in all, Netgear Nighthawk RAX200 is a great device in terms of wireless speeds, multi-gig LAN ports, coverage, and others that take your TV streaming experience to a new level. Courtesy of advanced networking technologies, there won’t be any lags despite connecting multiple devices alongside.

Its only downside is its premium price, but with the features it boasts, you get every bit of your money’s worth.

2. Best For Streaming and Gaming: ASUS ROG GT-AX11000

Next on my list is a gaming router that builts-in a battle-ready processor that works harmoniously with the additional 5 GHz band to deliver a next-level gaming and TV streaming performance. Added to it, the multi-gig ports, ample RAM, and other networking technologies make it a standout product in the list of best WiFi routers for streaming. These features make it a standout upgrade over Netgear RAX6000.

Why is it suited for TV streaming?

Netgear RAX11000 has all the right ingredients to become the best router for streaming TV. Its tri-band WiFi 6 support, combined with networking technologies like MU-MIMO, QoS, and OFDMA, enhances the efficiency and capacity of high-bandwidth applications like video streaming and mission-critical voice calls. So, you can expect a 10x increase in streaming experience compared to your aged router.

Aside from that, there’s a 2.5G port and four Gigabit ports with link aggregation support to deliver an uninterrupted user experience.

Now talking about its real-life performance, Netflix shows on my 32” HiSense Android TV streamed in 8K without any buffering. The best part about it is other devices like Xbox 360, PSP, laptops, mobile devices, and others ran along without any throttles.

Speeds & WiFi Coverage

With a maximum throughput speed of 11000 Mbps, I surmise that it’s compatible with most high-speed plans out there. And connected to an Xfinity 2 Gbps plan, the download and upload speeds over the 5 GHz band were around 1.75 Gbps and 867 Mbps, respectively. Similarly, over the 2.4 GHz band, respective speeds were recorded at 1.08 Gbps and 524 Mbps.

5 GHz (1): 4804 Mbps

5 GHz (2): 4804 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 1148 Mbps

So, trust me when I say this, such high speeds grant you the license to do anything over the internet, be it heavy gaming, video conferencing, or others, let alone streaming.

Now getting into the coverage, its eight beamforming+ antennas do the trick. Any space with an area not more than 2700 Sq Ft should easily be coverable by this router. And courtesy of technologies like MU-MIMO and OFDMA, stable signals are sent over 45 devices at a time without any potential lags or disruptions.

Security Features

Compared to my previous recommendation, where you had to pay to access premium security tools and parental controls, Asus gives out for free with Aiprotection pro feature. Comes right out of the box, this Tenda-micro powered software provides your network and devices protection from viruses, malware, cyber attackers, and other malicious agents.

Aside from that, its features like age-based filters, scheduled internet pausing, monitoring online activities, and others allow digital parents to tap into the online activities their kids are engaged in.  in this way, they ensure their kids are safe online.

Conclusion

To conclude, Asus RT-AX11000 is among a few router options for the best TV streaming experience. Features like tri-band support, cutting-edge hardware, powerful security tools, and others make it one of the standout products on the list. But compared to the streaming experience, my previous recommendation had a better performance than this model, hereby the position.

3. Best For Port Management: TP-Link Archer AX90

If you are a fan of TP-Link routers, then their Archer AX90 is the best you can get for TV streaming or any other internet-bound tasks you’re willing to carry out. With features like tri-band WiFi 6 support, a multi-gig Ethernet port, and a powerful processor makes sure your streams aren’t interrupted at any time.

Besides, it has seen a few upgrades to the Archer AX73 in terms of processing ability and performance.

Why is it suited for TV streaming?

Similar to my previous recommendations, aside from tri-band support, technologies like OFDMA and MU-MIMO deliver clear and undisrupted data to your devices without fuss. There’s a 2.5G WAN port and four Gigabit LAN ports with link aggregation support to ensure maximum flexibility and boosted throughput on your connected devices.

Besides, there’s an additional DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) feature which basically increases the number of channels and, in turn, reduces congestion.

These technologies, combined with a quad-core processor, have given me a streamless streaming experience on both my 32” HiSense Android TV and 50” Amazon Fire TV, alongside sending bandwidth to other devices. My friend completed the eight seasons of Game of Thrones at a stretch in 8K with me playing games on his Xbox.

Speeds & WiFi Coverage

To test out how this device fares in real life after claiming a massive throughput capacity of 6600 Mbps, I paired a 2 Gbps Xfinity plan and recorded the download and upload speeds on three bands. The download speeds over 5 GHz (1), 5 GHz, and 2.4 GHz were around 1.71 Gbps, 1.1 Gbps, and 545 Mbps, while upload speed scores were 745 Mbps, 457 Mbps, and 245 Mbps, respectively.

5 GHz (1): 4804 Mbps

5 GHz (2): 1201 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps

Barring speeds, the device performed decently well in my range tests. A maximum signal range of 2000-2100 Sq Ft makes the router an ideal for a three-bedroom apartment. Besides, ingraining MU-MIMO and OFDMA make the router capable of handling as many as 35 devices at a time, which I reckon, should be enough for household or small business setup.

Security Features

Aside from the latest WPA3 protocol for improved security, Archer AX90 comes with a host of features right away, including guest access, VPN, SPI firewall, application layer gateway, automatic firewall update, and access control. But unlike Asus ROG RT-AX11000, features like malware blocking, intrusion prevention, DDoS protection, and others aren’t available for free.

You must pay the monthly or yearly HomeShield Pro subscription to access such features. The premium update further encompasses parental controls like age-based filters, scheduled internet pausing, creating profiles, and others.

Conclusion

TP-Link Archer AX90 is one of the best routers for streaming TV and multiple devices, courtesy of multi-gig ports, powerful CPU, and other networking technologies. Its coverage is also decent enough to sheath your larger-than-two-bedroom apartment with powerful signals. But its position is due to its potentially weaker CPU, throughput capacity, and in turn, performance than the top models.

4. Best Under Budget: Linksys MR9610

If you want to stay afar from the premium models, and looking for a cheaper alternative, then let me present you this value-for-money option, Linksys MR9610. It costs just around $120, but some of its features, like a quad-core processor, 6000 Mbps throughput capacity, and others, make it one of the most reliable options out there.

And compared to its predecessor, Linksys MR9600, you find a lot of upgrades in this latest proposition.

Why is it suited for TV streaming?

Linksys MR9610 comes with some typical features like dual-band connectivity, MU-MIMO, and OFDMA to make sure stable signals are imparted to the connected devices. This router’s unique aspect is Adaptive QoS, which diverts network attention to particular devices whenever you choose. So, you can always prioritize your smart TVs whenever required.

Such technologies make for a seamless TV viewing experience. The best thing about it is the signal strength stays almost the same despite connecting other devices like laptops, mobile devices, computers, and others to the network. Movies and web series on my 50” Amazon Fire TV ran smoothly despite playing games on Xbox or attending video calls at once.

Speeds & WiFi Coverage

With a max AX6000 throughput capacity, you might not have to worry about slowing down your network anytime soon. In my tests over the 1 Gig Xfinity plan, the downloads over respective 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands befall at around 974 Mbps and 547 Mbps.

5 GHz: 4804 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 1147 Mbps

At the same time, uploading a 1GB file via Dropbox took between a few seconds and a minute for the respective bands, with speeds of 427 Mbps and 214 Mbps. With such speeds at your disposal, you won’t have to worry about lags or buffers in your TV streams or games.

Now, coverage is the department where this router shines, thanks to its four-antenna setup. At a stretch, it dissipates signals in an area of up to 2500 Sq Ft, which is much more than I expected from a router at this price point. Besides, courtesy of networking technologies, you can connect up to 32 devices without experiencing any speed drops.

Security Features

Security of this router is pretty basic, with features like WPA3 WiFi protocol, guest network access, device prioritization, automatic firmware update, and a VPN server. Its parental controls aren’t much advanced, and you only have options to pause the internet or monitor the online activities of the connected devices.

If you need any advanced features, consider subscribing to a Bitdefender or Tenda-Micro-powered antivirus on your devices. Some advanced parental control features also come alongside these.

Conclusion

From this review, it’s clear that Linksys MR9610 might not be one of those top-tier options for your house, but it does give your money’s worth. There are indeed a lot of features that let you have a seamless TV experience every time. However, its security features could be more advanced, and there aren’t any upgradeable options available, that’s why it’s placed fourth.

5. Mid Range Router for 4K Streaming: Netgear Nighthawk RAX50

Now that I’ve entered almost halfway to the list let me present you a mid-range router option, Netgear Nighthawk RAX50. It has got some excellent features like a powerful processing setup, ample storage, and ports never to miss anything when streaming live TV channels.

Nighthawk RAX50 is basically a souped-up version of RAX45 in terms of processing ability and throughput capacity, which translates to better performance.

Why is it suited for TV streaming?

Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 with six-stream channels delivers next-level Gigabit connectivity for you to connect, stream and download faster on multiple connected devices. Its powerful 1.5GHz triple-core CPU works harmoniously with 160MHz channel and OFDMA to deliver 4x data capacity and lets you stream simultaneously without impacting reliability or speed.

And despite lacking multi-gig ports and link aggregation support, connect your smart TVs to the available Gigabit Ethernet ports to get an interference-free streaming experience.

So, now let’s discuss my actual experience with the router. I had the same setup connected to this router, and the experience was also excellent. Not having the necessary bandwidth to support 8K videos, but 4K and UHD ones sailed smoothly despite connections established with other devices like gaming consoles, mobile devices, laptops, etc.

Speeds & WiFi Coverage

5 GHz: 1147 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 4804 Mbps

First of all, it’s fast. In my tests paired with an Xfinity 1 Gig plan, I got a top speed of 874 Mbps for downloads and 378 Mbps for uploads over the 5 GHz band. That’s super fast for 17 4K streams on any smart TV. The faraway band also recorded respective speeds of 487 Mbps and 167 Mbps for downloads and uploads, which is also decently fast enough for eight 4K streams.

And then there’s range, which, courtesy of four powerful antennas, is decent enough. In my tests, I found out that the router can hold a signal to up to 2000 Sq Ft, the size of a mid-sized apartment with around 20 devices.

Security Features

Now concerning security features, there are these basic features like VPN, WPA3 protocols, guest access, and an SPI firewall. And with the user-friendly Netgear app, you can monitor and delete any devices connected to the network. These features should fare well with any residential network ecosystem.

But if you have a workspace established in your home, and require greater security on the devices, subscribe to the Netgear Armor with advanced features like malware blocking, anomaly detection, network vulnerability assessment, and others for added protection.

Conclusion

To conclude, Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 is a mid-range router that boasts a decent range of features, including dual-band support, a powerful processor, and others to deliver an uninterrupted streaming experience. Its coverage is decent enough to fulfil the bandwidth needs of your mid-sized residential setup. But lesser throughput capacity and inferior features put it down on the list.

6. Best Mesh System: Amazon Eero 6+

If you are troubled by weak spots or dead zones in your large house, then mesh systems are the sole solution to have. Amazon Eero 6+, an upgrade to the flagship Amazon Eero 6, comes with features like a dual-core processor, WiFi 6 dual-band support, and multiple device support to let you enjoy your favorite shows and movies with peace of mind.

Why is it suited for TV streaming?

Eero 6+ rated a maximum bandwidth of up to 3000 Mbps, dual-band connectivity, and support for multiple mesh systems, making it an ideal setup for TV streaming and other internet-bound activities. Added to it, other networking technologies like MU-MIMO and QoS add a few brownie points to its overall score.

However, the lack of multiple ports (only two) is a potential drawback of this device, where one is occupied with the modem. So there’s only a single port for your TV connection, which, nevertheless, lets you stream buffer-free TV shows.

To the mesh router’s ability in a real-life situation, I connected it to my client’s 40” TCL smart TV and streamed shows like Breaking Bad and Stranger Things in full resolution. And despite running the shows for almost six hours, I didn’t experience any major lags or inconsistencies.

Speeds & WiFi Coverage

Now coming to its speeds, pairing a 500 Mbps got me decent results in terms of stability and reliability. When connected to the 5 GHz band, respective speeds for downloads and uploads were recorded at 431 Mbps and 145 Mbps, while the values were around 241 Mbps and 89 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz band. These results were measured over a 5 feet distance.

5 GHz: 2401 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps

Besides, the client devices 30 feet away from the router had a 25% reduction in speeds, on par with many top-tier devices out there. These results further suggest the signal-imparting capacity of the mesh system, as with a two-unit pack, the maximum signal range was around 2500 Sq Ft. You can further expand the range by a few thousand Sq Ft by connecting another mesh unit.

Now, courtesy of networking technologies like MU-MIMO, QoS, and beamforming, connecting more than 50 devices felt like a cakewalk. These devices include laptops, mobile devices, computers, alongside smart TVs.

Security Features

Similar to most of my recommendations, security tools like WPA3, VPN, guest access, and many basic ones come right out of the box. But there’s two-fold premium security, Secure, and Secure+, on offer with some advanced feature sets like malware protection, intrusion blocking, weekly security scans, and malicious website identification and elimination.

With respect to parental controls, there are some smart features like age-based filters, scheduled network pausing, manual website blocking, and others to let you keep tabs on what your kids are doing online.

Conclusion

To conclude, features like dual-band connectivity, decently powerful hardware, and networking technologies like MU-MIMO and QoS make it an affordable and reliable mesh system. It’s an ideal purchase for users looking for a mesh system without spending a fortune. But inferior features and lesser throughput capacity rank the device so lower in the list.

7. Best for Small Homes: Motorola MR2600

Do you live in a small one/two-story house but a plethora of devices is slowing down your internet connection, then Motorola MR2600 should be an ideal pick. Its decent signal range, wireless technologies and processor can manoeuvre plenty of bandwidth-hungry devices with ease. Compared to its preceding model, you get a lot of upgrades that translate to a powerful performance.

Why is it suited for TV streaming?

Motorola MR2600 delivers excellent wireless performance when used with smart TVs, laptops, or other devices, courtesy of features like 4×4 dual-band WiFi with beamforming, smart QoS, and wave 2 MU-MIMO. And with five Gigabit LAN/WAN ports, you have the option to establish a wired backhaul with your TVs, and get an interference-free streaming experience.

Now to determine how these features translate in real life, I paired my 32” HiSense Android TV with other devices, including laptops, mobile devices, and gaming consoles. Unsurprisingly, the device performed decently well, and my grandpa enjoyed his favorite shows without complaining about lags or buffers.

Speeds & WiFi Coverage

With a maximum throughput capacity of 2600 Mbps, you can expect decent speeds on client devices. And the results with a 500 Mbps Cox plan weren’t very different. The downloads and uploads over the 5 GHz band went on with speeds of 387 Mbps and 97 Mbps, respectively. At the same time, the respective recorded speeds for the 2.4 GHz band were 187 Mbps and 45 Mbps.

5 GHz: 1733 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 800 Mbps

Coverage isn’t the area where this router shines. And with its four powerful antennas, MR2600 can cover a maximum area of 1500 Sq Ft, that is, a small house. Nevertheless, the signals are strong thanks to QoS, beamforming and MU-MIMO technologies the router integrates, you can connect up to 45-50 devices without the network failing down.

Security Features

Similar to its coverage, there are only a few security features available with Motorola MR2600. These include guest access, WPA3 protocol, VPN-passthrough, kid’s profiles and WiFi pausing, which work in combination to keep your home network safe and secure. But if you have multiple devices in your small business, consider subscribing to a premium third-party security by Bitdefender or Tenda-Micro.

Conclusion

Costing just below $100, it’s one of the best budget-friendly devices that gives out a versatile and reliable performance. Its security features and coverage could have seen some improvement, but the consistency and stability it offers in terms of speeds, you can stream anything on your smart TV without fuss. However, the lacking features have pushed it to the penultimate position.

8. Best Budget Option: TP-Link Archer AX21

Last but not least, presenting you with the cheapest option that won’t leave you awestruck with the features, and isn’t the fastest router out there but gives you WiFi 6 dual-band support for under $100. Armed with 802.11ax and a quad-core CPU, the router showed decent signal strength and good throughput in my testing. Let’s discuss in detail what more this router has to offer.

Why is it suited for TV streaming?

Powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, Archer AX21 has got everything the WiFi 6 support, MU-MIMO, OFDMA, and signal beamforming. However, the lack of 160MHz channel transmissions is the only drawback of this budget router. It does, however, ingrain five Gigabit Ethernet ports to deliver a lag-free TV streaming experience over wired connections.

In my tests, the lack of 160MHz channels is somewhat compensated by the latest networking technologies like MU-MIMO, OFDMA, and beamforming, it took a few seconds to load the online shows. Although I could complete watching my “watch-later” videos on YouTube without many issues, there were some inconsistencies on platforms like Netflix and Amazon prime.

Speeds & WiFi Coverage

TP-Link Archer AX21 had a decent performance in my throughput tests. With the 200 Mbps Cox plan in place, its download score of 187 Mbps and 87 Mbps in the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz proximity tests was faster than many models in this price range. At the same time, upload speeds for respective bands were around 58 Mbps and 24 Mbps.

5 GHz: 1201 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps

In the 30-foot test, the routing device failed miserably, with speeds dropping down by a massive 65%, the slowest amongst the bunch. This indicates potentially weaker antennas of Archer AX21, and despite its theoretical range of 2000 Sq Ft, it could only cover 1100-1200 Sq Ft in real life.

Now coming to the connections capacity, despite weaker antennas, I could connect up to 25 devices to the network courtesy of networking technologies like MU-MIMO, OFDMA and beamforming.

But the good thing about AX21 is that it’s OneMesh supported, which means you can pair any compatible WiFi extenders and create a more flexible network that covers your entire home.

Security Features

TP-Link Archer AX21 ingrains some basic security tools like guest access, WPA3, and access control to give out basic protection to your network and connected devices. There are also a few parental controls like network pausing, scheduling pausing and monitoring the online time of the connected devices.

However, this is one of a few routers that doesn’t offer HomeShield malware protection or parental controls for a subscription. Similar to my previous recommendation, you might need to subscribe to a third-party antivirus on your connected device.

Conclusion

Archer AX21 is a good bet if you want to configure a WiFi 6 network without spending much. There are multiple limitations, like the lack of 160MHz channel transmissions or HomeShield Pro security and parental control features. But with a user-friendly app, its installation is a cinch and also delivers a decent throughput performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Verdict

Streaming is all about speed and perhaps multiple-device connectivity if you want simultaneous streaming for several people. And my top picks have got these in abundance. With my eight recommendations, I hope you find the perfect router based on your needs. But if you still are confused, here are the best picks for you:

• The best streaming wireless router for any settings, be it home or workspace, would be Netgear Nighthawk RAX200, with features like a quad-core processor, tri-band connectivity, and others that translate to quality performance.
• If you have a budget constraint yet need a decently powerful and reliable routing device, Linksys MR9610 should be your go-to pick.
• Lastly, if you need the cheapest option, go for TP-Link Archer AX21. At a price much lesser than $100, you get dual-band WiFi 6 connectivity and decent throughput speeds.

Saying that, I’d like to wrap up my guide to the best wireless router for streaming TV and multiple devices.  Let me know in the comments below which model you have opted for. With that, goodbye and take care!