Best Wi-Fi router in 2021 - TP-Link, Keenetic or Xiaomi?

Only a few buyers will be guided by exactly how a Wi-Fi router looks. For most people, it is somewhere in the corridor, almost without attracting attention. However, some will still appreciate the design of TP-Link and ASUS products. Like it or not, but these are real monsters that stand out against the background of similar devices. It cannot be said that they are able to decorate the interior of the apartment, but they can definitely interest. Especially ASUS, which implemented RGB-backlighting. It is not surprising that the manufacturer calls its router gaming. It is really the best choice for gamer.

As for the other two models, they look more familiar. At the same time, Keenetic also has a gray body color, which is extremely atypical in our time. And it should be noted that the Xiaomi product will take up more space at home. Simply due to the fact that the Wi-Fi network in the case of it is created using a larger number of antennas.

It is immediately evident that TP-Link and Xiaomi received a huge number of antennas. This will especially surprise those who still use a router with one or two antennas. Are they really all involved in receiving and sending data over the Wi-Fi network? In the case of TP-Link, yes. Xiaomi has a slightly more interesting design. One of the antennas of this router is dedicated to interacting with the Internet of things. This means that all kinds of smart home sensors will receive a separate channel. If you have them, then such a router will be the best choice! As for the Wi-Fi network, the other six antennas are supported.

Our comparison shows that the cost of a router does not depend on the number of antennas. Otherwise, the price tag of ASUS and Keenetic products would not be so impressive. These devices use only four antennas. However, all sorts of tests show that this is enough for them. Especially if the operation of the router is meant in an ordinary apartment or a private house, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich is not amazing.

A few words need to be said about the transmitter. This is an important part of any such device. In part, it depends on him what the coverage area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Wi-Fi network will turn out to be. In this regard, all four routers are approximately equal. Three of them have a transmitter power of 20 dBm. And only TP-Link has this parameter slightly increased. This means that this model will be of interest to those who are going to place it in an old panel house with thick walls.After the purchase, such people will definitely say that the device has an excellent price-quality ratio.

Not every reader of the site iquality.techinfus.com/en/ suspects this, but any Wi-Fi router works with approximately the same processor that is built into a modern smartphone. If it turns out to be powerful enough, then the data will be transmitted as stably as possible. It also depends on the chip how many devices can be in the created Wi-Fi network.

It should be recognized that the Keenetic product is based on the most low-powered platform. Alas, the dual-core MediaTek MT7621A is barely enough for the functionality laid down here. And if a dozen devices connect to the router, then serious problems can arise. Especially if at that moment the built-in torrent client also starts downloading and distributing something. Not surprisingly, this model lacks support for the most modern Wi-Fi standard.

TP-Link and ASUS use almost identical ARM processors. Three cores with a decent clock speed are more than enough to handle all the processes. It is all the more surprising that Xiaomi decided not to waste time on trifles. She introduced a powerful six-core chip from Qualcomm into her creation. However, this is easily explained.Remember the extra antenna for the internet of things? Such a productive processor is needed, among other things, for the signal from it to be processed without any delays and in a constant mode. After all, the safety of the apartment depends on this. In a word, one should not be surprised that the owners of a smart home often write in their reviews that the Xiaomi router is able to boast an optimal price-quality ratio.

Such devices are often used for wired connection of all kinds of equipment. In particular, not every desktop PC has a Wi-Fi module. Not to mention the fact that some people prefer to play on the wire in order to achieve the lowest ping. That's why it's so important to make sure your router has plenty of high-speed connections.

It is extremely difficult to determine the winner by this parameter. It is much easier to understand who is the underdog. Alas, this is a product of the beloved Xiaomi company. On its rear panel there are three gigabit LAN ports instead of the usual four. By the way, the Keenetic WAN port can be turned into the fifth LAN connector by using the corresponding switch in the web interface. This is necessary for those cases when the router will be operated without connecting an Internet cable.

All the models we are considering can be classified as mid-budget price segment. In this regard, it is not surprising that on their case there was a place for USB connectors. And most often they belong to high-speed standards.Somewhere they are used for one purpose, somewhere else. We will talk about this a little later, when it comes to functionality. In the meantime, we note that the Xiaomi router is the only one that has not received a single USB port. It is sad. Because of this alone, some consumers will refuse to buy it.

Basically, routers are bought to create a home Wi-Fi network. With this task, almost all the devices we are considering cope perfectly. At least if we talk about the 802.11ac network and in the 2.4 GHz band. The signal is successfully caught even outside the room in which the test is being carried out, as there are no special claims to the data transfer rate. At the same time, of course, TP-Link shows itself a little better, since a larger number of antennas allows it to provide the widest coverage.

The Keenetic product at this moment is unpleasantly surprising. Despite the very high cost, it does not support the latest 802.11ax standard. Or Wi-Fi 6, it is also called that. In the line of this company there is a router that understands it, but it costs even more, and its purchase will seem trite unreasonable to many! On the other hand, does everyone need this standard? Firstly, in order to realize all its capabilities, you need to connect to a high-speed tariff, and not every provider offers it.And even if the tariff in the operator's line exists, its registration may be impossible specifically in your home. Secondly, Wi-Fi 802.11ax is not yet supported by all devices, and even if they understand it, gadgets often do not at all seek to take advantage of its main advantages. However, top-end smartphones and PlayStation 5 have Wi-Fi 6. If you have any of this, or there are plans for a corresponding purchase, then it’s better not to look in the direction of Keenetic.

It should also be noted the maximum supported speed of receiving and transmitting data in a Wi-Fi network. Oddly enough, in this regard, the Xiaomi product with its seven antennas is inferior to TP-Link and ASUS. However, do not rejoice at the declared figures. In practice, it is impossible to achieve 4804 Mbps. This speed is influenced by a variety of circumstances. Therefore, the three routers are approximately equal in their capabilities. And only the weakest Keenetic Ultra KN-1810 shows itself worse than the rest. But he can easily cope, for example, with broadcasting an online video stream in 4K resolution, even if it has a high bitrate. Problems, as mentioned above, only start when multiple devices are connected. For example, when watching such a video on two TVs or smartphones at the same time.

I am glad that modern devices of this kind are easily configured. At least if we are not talking about a Xiaomi product. Yes, in this device the process is also almost completely automatic.But the interface here is made in Chinese! You have to use the browser's built-in translator. After that, you can only be glad that the functionality of the router is greatly reduced due to the lack of a USB port. In any case, you don't want to regularly visit the web interface to use this or that feature. The exception is people who are well acquainted with the English language, because it is into it that the translation is carried out in the most adequate way.

As mentioned above, the router from ASUS is positioned as a gaming one. That is why in the web interface you can change the color of its backlight, or turn it off completely. There are other game features here as well. For example, in the appropriate operating mode, the device tries to greatly reduce the ping. Other features include connection to two additional providers. This can be done either through LAN ports or via a USB modem. You can also combine a pair of wired connectors to connect to one operator to increase speed. Allows the router to create a DLNA server. And pretty much anything else, if you like. Practice shows that the USB port is ready to recognize not only the drive, but also, for example, a printer. However, it is better to stop our story on this, otherwise it can go on for a very long time.

As for Keenetic, its firmware will satisfy almost all ordinary consumers. Let's start with the fact that there is a handy torrent client running in the background. You can track the download of files in the web interface, through the program for Windows and in the mobile application. Also, the device easily creates a DLNA server. Supported by a router and USB modem connection.In this regard, Keenetic is even slightly ahead of the competition, because it has two USB ports - no hub is needed. You will not find anything unusual in the web interface. Yes, connected devices can be given a particular priority. But, for example, purely gaming technologies are not supported by this model.

The server can also be created based on TP-Link Archer AX73. However, there is no torrent client here. And the offer to subscribe to the full version of the mobile application is also embarrassing, for which they will ask 499 rubles every month. Thanks, but it's better to use the web interface then. You can enable link aggregation, play around with security, activate Time Machine, and more. However, the limitation becomes noticeable very quickly. For example, the router does not support a USB modem. Also, it makes no sense to connect a printer to the corresponding port. There are also all sorts of software flaws, but they are gradually corrected by firmware updates.

The most expensive device in this comparison is the ASUS product. This is not surprising, because it is also the most functional. Also, it is its web interface that is most pleasing to the eye. It also offers gaming options. So it turns out that even at such a cost, we can safely say that the price-quality ratio turned out to be quite good.

Keenetic is cheaper.And this is the case when the router deserves the money spent, even despite the slightly reduced functionality. Especially if you regularly download torrents. As for the two remaining competitors, their cost causes even more pleasant feelings. But the arsenal of their capabilities will not suit all of our readers. And Xiaomi will also force you to use the translator built into the browser (you will have to forget about the mobile application altogether).

A rare case when three devices at once became leaders in the same number of nominations. At the same time, according to the average assessment, the TP-Link product wins. However, the advantage is so small that it can be ignored. Therefore, we recommend choosing between this router and the gaming model from ASUS. You should lean towards the latter if your budget is not too limited, and also if you regularly buy new portable devices.

You can also think about buying Keenetic Ultra. This Wi-Fi router is also equipped with support for a number of modern technologies. But everything spoils the impossibility of creating a wireless network of the 802.11ax standard.

As for Xiaomi, this is a clear outsider, despite the penultimate place in the ratings. Yes, in China, many people use this particular device. But in our region, the option without a Russian-language web interface seems unacceptable. And the functionality of this model is not as wide as we would like.