For 2011 here are our choices for the best wireless N routers available. These picks include new routers and bestselling reliable routers that are still popular a few years after their initial release. These picks are based on customer reviews, specifications, value, and ordered by price.
New Release Wireless Routers for 2011
In this section we’ll review 3 of the more popular “new release” routers for 2011 and then give you a list and specification chart for our top ten. If you’d just like to see our comparison, then see our best wireless routers top ten tab above.
NETGEAR N750 450 Mbps Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4000
The N750 received the editor’s choice award form PCmag.com. While it hasn’t received perfect ratings from all customers it is a great high-end option for those looking for stability and performance. It’s a dual band router which means it runs on both 2.4GHz and 5.0 GHz to give you the best speeds and range available. Another cool feature to the N750 is that it has Readyshare USB which allows you to wireless share a USB drive over your network with other PCs and Macs. The router offers wireless speeds of up to 450Mbps for demanding applications like large file transfers, HD video streaming, and multiplayer gaming, with total wireless bandwidth up to 750Mbps.
Security includes parental controls, Wi-Fi Protected Access, Double firewall protection (SPI and NAT firewall), and Denial-of-service (DoS) attack prevention. The N750 also comes with a lifetime limited warranty.
Cons: Only 2 spatial streams.
Here’s a chart that shows the various features for this new line:
Cisco-Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-N Router
The E4200 is another great high-end router we finally got to see in the first quarter of 2011. Slightly more popular than the N750, the E4200 is lower in price and offers transfer rates up to 300 + 450 Mbps speed for a premium home network experience. It’s dual-band, which you’d expect at this price range, and has Speedboost (Full 3×3 MIMO antennas) which Linksys claims gives it better antennas which help to increase it’s overall range and effectiveness (the E2500 and E1200 do not include this feature).
Other features include Gigabit Ethernet, Built-in USB Port and UPnP Media Server, and Home Theater Ready.
Overall we feel that the E4200 is the best router available in the $100-$150 range. We would have liked to see a better warranty, Linksys only gives you a 1 year limited warranty, but it’s still a quality product that should last you a long time. Here’s another comparitive/informational chart on this new line from Linksys:
ASUS Black Diamond Dual Band Processor, Hardware NAT, 5 Internal Antennas, Fast Gigabit Ethernet and 128MB DDR2 Wireless Router (RT-N56U)
The Asus Black Diamond Dual Band Wireless Router is another reliable product that Asus added to their line this year. The RT-N56U received an editor’s choice award from CNET in March 2011 and is already in Amazon’s bestselling list for networking.Technical details include Effortless Multitasking for Multiple Users, Giga Fiber Internet Support, 1x WAN port, 4x LAN ports for 10/100/1000 BaseT, Port: 2x USB 2.0 ports, 2.4 ~ 5 GHz; Data Rate: 802.11n – up to 300Mbps data rate; Wired Performance: WAN to LAN: up to 900Mbps; LAN to LAN: 1Gbps, WAN to LAN throughput over 900Mbps; Standard: IEEE 802.11b; IEEE 802.11g; IEEE 802.11n, Ai Radar: Omni-directional Detecting, Antenna: 2x internal PCB antenna for 2.4G application with peak gain=3.8dBi, Antenna: 3x internal PCB antenna for 5G application with peak gain=5.1dBi, and directional transmitting. A 2 year manufacturer’s warranty is given with the purchase of this item.
Overall: If you’re looking in this price range you shouldn’t pass up the Black Diamond Dual Band Router for Asus. It’s sleek, easy-to-use, has great range, and speed.
Top 10 Wireless N Routers 2011
Finally, here’s our list of the best wireless N routers for 2011:
| Product | Price | Details | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medialink - Wireless N Router - 802.11n - 150 Mbps - 2.4 Ghz - NEW Design w/ Internal Antenna | E-Z Connect Setup Wizard Guides Through Step By Step, Wireless Data Transfer Rate: 150 Mbps, ncludes 4 Port Ethernet Switch, Wireless Access Point, and Firewall. | Not Listed | |
| Cisco-Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-N Router | Ports: 1 x 10/100/1000M WAN; 4 x 10/100/1000M LAN, modulation 802.11b: CCK, QPSK, BPSK , 802.11g: OFDM, 802.11a: OFDM, 802.11n: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, Internal Antenna, dual band wireless support. | 1 Year parts and labor | |
| ASUS Black Diamond Dual Band Processor, Hardware NAT, 5 Internal Antennas, Fast Gigabit Ethernet and 128MB DDR2 Wireless Router (RT-N56U) | Data rate Up to 300Mbps, network protocol: Automatic IP ,Static IP, PPPoE(MPPE supported), PPTP, L2TP, ports 1 x 10/100/1000M WAN; 4 x 10/100/1000M LAN, antenna: 2 x internal antenna for 2.4GHz application with 3.8dBi gain, 3 x internal antenna for 5GHz application with 5.1dBi gain, and 2 x USB 2.0. | 2 years | |
| D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Gigabit Wireless Router | Standards IEEE 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.3, 802.3u, ports 4 x Gigabit LAN Ports, 1 x Gigabit WAN Port, USB port, Up to 300Mbps data rate, 3 External Antenna. | 1 year | |
| Belkin N150 Wireless N Router | speeds up to 150Mbps, MultiBeam technology for a high-powered signal throughout your home, | 2 years | |
| Linksys E1200 Wireless-N Router | Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), WEP, Wireless MAC Filtering, WPA2, 1 x 10/100M WAN; 4 x 10/100M LAN, and Internal Antenna. MIMO antenna technology, speeds up to 300 Mbps. | 1 | |
| Cisco-Linksys WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband Router (Compatible with Linux) | standards IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g, Wi-Fi Protected Access2 (WPA2), WEP, Wireless MAC Filtering security, 1 x 10/100M WAN; 4 x 10/100M LAN ports, Up to 54Mbps data rate, 2 x External Antennas. | 1 year | |
| D-Link DIR-601 Wireless N 150 Home Router | Up to 150Mbps, 1 x 10/100M WAN; 4 x 10/100M LAN ports, and External Antenna. | 1 year | |
| Netgear N900 | Wireless Dual Band Gigabit N Router delivers 450 + 450Mbps for combined wireless speeds up to 900Mbps. Includes ultimate range for 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz connections from Netgear for larger homes. | Localized by country of sale. | |
| Linksys E2500 Advanced Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-N Router | standard IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, security WEP, WPA, WPA2, ports 1 x 10/100M WAN; 4 x 10/100M LAN, 2.4GHz/5GHz, internal antenna. | 1 year | |
| NETGEAR N750 450 Mbps Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4000 | Ports: 1 x 10/100/1000M WAN; 4 x 10/100/1000M LAN, Wireless Data: Up to 450Mbps, simultaneous dual band, and ready-share USB | Lifetime | |
| NETGEAR DGND3300 RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Router with Built-in DSL Modem | Dual-band wireless N technology, standards WAN (ADSL): ITU 992.1 (G.dmt) Annex A, ITU 992.2 (G.lite), ITU 992.3 ADSL2(G.dmt.bis), ITU 992.5 ADSL2+, Automatic Quality of Service (QoS) for reliable Internet, voice and gaming applications, and NetGear Green compliant. | 1 Year parts and labor | |
| Linksys E3200 High-Performance Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-N Router | Modulation: 802.11b: CCK, QPSK, BPSK , 802.11g: OFDM, 802.11a: OFDM, 802.11n: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, internal antenna, ports 1 x 10/100/1000M WAN; 4 x 10/100/1000M LAN, rates up to rates up to 300 + 300 Mbps speed, dual band, Linksys Speed Boost, advanced security, built in USB port. | 1 year | |
| Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR3700 | Standard: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, security WPA/WPA2—PSK, WEP, WPS, SPI and NAT firewall, DoS attack prevention, ports 1 x 10/100/1000M WAN; 4 x 10/100/1000M LAN, Simultaneous Dual Band - 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz operation, ReadyShare USB Port, | 1 year |
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