Best Mesh Wi-Fi Routers for 2026: Eliminate Wi-Fi Dead Zones for Good
Key takeaways
- Editor s note, May 13, 2026: On March 25, the Federal Communications Commission issued a notice that the sale of new foreign-made routers will be banned going forward.
- Best mesh router overall Netgear Orbi 870 $1,000 at Amazon 9.2/10 CNET Score CNET Score CNET provides expert, unbiased reviews of products and services.
- Why I like it: When it comes to mesh routers, I m generally looking for two things: strong performance and the ability to maintain it at long distances.
Editor s note, May 13, 2026: On March 25, the Federal Communications Commission issued a notice that the sale of new foreign-made routers will be banned going forward. Virtually every Wi-Fi router available for purchase in the US meets the FCC s foreign-made criteria. As of April 22, Netgear and Eero are the only consumer routers that have received an exemption. All the other routers we recommend on our best list have previously received FCC approval, but there s a risk that they won t be able to receive software and firmware updates after Jan. 1, 2029. CNET is reporting on the ongoing router ban news, and, with the exception of Netgear and Eero, we recommend that you hold off on purchasing a router until we learn more about the software extension and which router brands get exemptions.
Best mesh router overall Netgear Orbi 870 $1,000 at Amazon 9.2/10 CNET Score CNET Score CNET provides expert, unbiased reviews of products and services. When we assign a score, we use a scale of 1-10. Each product we score is evaluated by criteria specific to its category with most assessing pricing, quality, features and performance.
Why I like it: When it comes to mesh routers, I m generally looking for two things: strong performance and the ability to maintain it at long distances. The Orbi 870 checked both of these boxes. It ranked in the top five of any Wi-Fi 7 router for throughput, packet loss and jitter, and it spread that connection beautifully over the CNET lab when we paired it with a satellite router. At $700 for a two-pack, it s not exactly cheap, but you won t find many tri-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh routers for less.