As an entrepreneur, you depend on technology to keep your business connected and running efficiently. An often overlooked investment that forms the backbone of your tech stack is a dedicated small business router. This expert guide will explain what to look for when choosing a router and provide personalized recommendations of the top options on the market this year based on your unique connectivity needs and budget.
Routers designed explicitly for commercial environments differ from standard home models by offering better reliability under load, more control over network resources, tailored security protections, and advanced monitoring/troubleshooting capabilities. While not essential, upgrading to commercial-grade hardware ensures the non-stop stable connectivity your business depends on.
Our router recommendations below focus on six key purchasing criteria – speed, range, connectivity, advanced features, security, and affordability. By matching your operational requirements to the strengths of each system, you can determine the best choice to meet your needs.
The 6 Best Routers For Small Business
#1 Synology RT6600ax – Top Performance
The feature-packed Synology RT6600ax
is ranked the top overall small business router due to its best-in-class wireless performance, advanced networking capabilities, and robust security protections.
This high-end WiFI 6 router utilizes the latest 160MHz channel support to deliver blistering wireless speeds up to 6Gbps – fast enough to handle even the most demanding use cases like 4K video editing or massive file transfers. Coupled with its 2.5Gbit WAN port, the RT6600ax keeps your business at the cutting edge of wired and wireless connectivity speeds.
While wicked fast, what sets the Synology router apart is its sophisticated networking feature set allowing unprecedented control over your business network:
- VLAN support lets you segment devices into separate virtual networks by department or usage profiles to restrict access and contain threats
- Traffic control and quality of service policies guarantee critical apps like VoIP calls always get priority
- The built-in VPN server enables secure remote access for telecommuters and remote offices
- Granular parental controls can regulate access by time, usage quotes, and content types
- All policies are centrally managed via an intuitive browser-based interface
With over 500 five star reviews on Amazon, businesses praise the RT6600ax for its commercial-grade reliability under load, extensive customization options, and excellent technical support. Photographer Jose B. says "Even with 30 devices connected the router has not slowed down once. I can access all my files and servers from anywhere in the world thanks to the VPN integration."
With its unmatched performance and battle-tested reliability, the feature-rich Synology RT6600ax is our choice as the best overall small business router on the market this year.
#2 Netgear Nighthawk X4S – Best Value
The Netgear Nighthawk X4S
offers the perfect blend of fast wireless performance, robust connectivity, and advanced Quality of Service controls to satisfy most small business environments at an affordable cost.
By utilizing four external antennas and MU-MIMO technology, the Nighthawk X4S can blast dual-band WiFi to up to 45 devices at once topping out at a swift 2.53Gbps – plenty fast for most typical business connectivity needs like video calls, cloud software, and social media tools.
The router really excels however by including excellent wired connectivity and network management options:
- 4 x Gigabit LAN ports allow connecting devices like computers and NAS drives directly via cable
- 2 x USB 3.0 ports enable connecting printers and memory sticks to be shared by networked devices
- Advanced QoS software ensures VoIP and video calls receive priority over bandwidth-hogging tasks like OS updates
- Beamforming+ focuses wireless signals towards client devices rather than broadcasting in all directions
Amazon buyer M. Choi, owner of an 8-person real estate agency remarks, "We have not had a single bandwidth complaint from staff since upgrading to the Nighthawk X4S. Being able to prioritize our VoIP system was a gamechanger."
With its well-rounded combination of fast wireless throughput, excellent wired connectivity, and advanced traffic management capabilities, the Netgear Nighthawk X4S offers outstanding value making it our #2 pick for cash-strapped small business owners.
#3 Netgear Nighthawk RAX70 – Fastest Throughput
Topping out at an astonishing 6.6Gbps, the Netgear Nighthawk RAX70
is hands-down the fastest WiFi 6 router available making it the top choice for throughput-hungry businesses.
The Nighthawk RAX70 is powered by a quad-core 1.5Ghz processor and leverages eight WiFi streams via four antennas supporting 1024 QAM modulation – cutting edge wireless specifications pushing speed to the limits. Memory-intensive environments like creative studios will benefit greatly from lag-free transfer of massive files across the network.
While blazing fast, the RAX70 doesn‘t skimp on connectivity either with its 4 x Gigabit LAN ports for hardwired devices and USB 3.0 port for shared storage. MU-MIMO support allows up to four devices to transmit simultaneously while OFDMA more efficiently packs data across channels.
owns a boutique audio production studio with three audio engineers on staff. He says, "I regularly transfer multi-GB Logic Pro project files across the network and the Nighthawk RAX70 doesn‘t even flinch – it has cut session setup times in half thanks to its incredible WiFi speeds. The reliability has been rock-solid too."
With bleeding edge WiFi 6 performance that can handle anything you throw at it, the Netgear RAX70 is the natural choice for small businesses needing uncompromising wireless throughput.
#4 Linksys EA6350 – Best Budget
The Linksys EA6350
delivers surprisingly robust connectivity and coverage at an affordable cost making it our budget pick.
While not the fastest router out there, the Linksys EA6350 provides sufficient performance for most general business workloads – up to 300Mbps on 2.4Ghz and 867Mbps on 5Ghz bands. The four Gigabit LAN ports offer plenty of capacity for wired devices as well.
Helpful features like beamforming focus the antenna signals towards actively transmitting clients rather scattering in all directions resulting in faster speeds at longer distances – important for small offices and retail stores.
Easy guest networking lets you provide WiFi to customers without compromising security while still keeping your business devices firewalled. IP camera manufacturer Hutt Systems says on Amazon, "Rock-solid connectivity across our 4000 sqft showroom floor. We routinely have 50 clients browsing our demo cameras with no bandwidth issues whatsoever."
While best suited for general office environments and not large file transfers or networks with 50+ devices, the Linksys EA6350 delivers excellent value for money making it our budget small business router pick.
#5 Netgear Orbi Pro SRK60 – Best Coverage
For small businesses situated in challenging spaces like warehouses, historic buildings, or retail shops with dense interior fixtures, the Netgear Orbi Pro SRK60
mesh system delivers commercial-grade connectivity across immense distances ensuring no dead zones.
Unlike traditional routers broadcasting from a single point, the Orbi Pro uses multiple nodes that relay signals between one another blanketing even the largest open spaces with high-speed WiFi – eliminating once and for all spotty connections and inconsistent speeds.
Employing dedicated backhaul radios that only communicate between nodes and client radios that only connect with devices, the tri-band Orbi Pro avoids any bandwidth contention issues with speeds topping out at 3000Mbps. Support for advanced VLAN, traffic shaping, and firewall policies deliver commercial-grade security as well.
The Orbi Pro mesh system comprises of a main router unit and satellite nodes that can cover up to 5000 square feet out of the box and can further be expanded with additional nodes – perfect for expansive warehouses or multilevel buildings.
Richard S. owns two large furniture showrooms and remarks "The Orbi Pro finally solved our patchy WiFi issues across both floors of our 6000sqft building. Connectivity is flawless everywhere now and I can monitor bandwidth usage per department with VLANs."
For small businesses situated in challenging large spaces like factories, distribution centers, and historic commercial buildings, the mesh-based Netgear Orbi Pro delivers flawless connectivity no matter how far you roam making it our top long-range recommendation.
Asus RT-AX88U – Top Features
The Asus RT-AX88U
balances superb wireless performance and expansive wired connectivity with gamer-centric tools making it the ideal router for tech-focused small businesses.
Based on the latest WiFi 6 standard, the Asus RT-AX88U blazes away at speeds up to 6000 Mbps thanks to innovative 1024 QAM encoding and OFDMA efficiency improvements. Eight Gigabit LAN ports offer extensive options for hardwired devices as well.
While wicked fast, where the RT-AX88U truly stands out lies with its unique value-added features:
- One-click WTFast game acceleration prioritizes gaming traffic reducing lag by up to 70% ensuring frustration-free multiplayer sessions
- Active connection monitoring presents real-time graphs and long-term analytics tracking bandwidth utilization for every device
- AiProtection LE by Trend Micro provides always-on threat scanning and intrusion detection safeguarding your network
- ASUSWRT UI dashboard centralizes controls typically spread across apps into one responsive web interface
PC repair shop owner Jacob T. reports "I switched to the Asus RT-AX88U router primarily for the deeper insight it provides into the network activity on my public WiFi network and it has already helped me identify and block a suspicious device that was aggressively scanning endpoints."
With its leading WiFi 6 throughput, expansive connectivity, and value-added network visibility/security tools, the Asus RT-AX88U is our top recommendation for tech-oriented small businesses.
How to Determine the Best Router Match
Choosing the right router for your environment requires balancing key factors like coverage range, traffic capacity, number of client devices, security requirements, and budget. Focus on routers strong in areas most critical to your business.
Shop owners, creative studios, trucking depots and other physically expansive workplaces should place a premium on robust signal strength picking mesh systems like the Netgear Orbi Pro SRK60. Teleconferencing technology companies, law firms, and non-profits relying on smooth video calls will benefit most from advanced traffic shaping and QoS controls found in routers like the Netgear Nighthawk X4S.
Businesses should factor in both wired and WiFi devices needing simultaneous access and choose routers rated to handle at least 25% beyond their projected growth for breathing room. Consider staggering OS updates and large file transfers during off hours if experiencing bandwidth constraints. Those dealing with financially sensitive client data or specialized media should explore routers offering VPN servers, malware scanning, and content filtering like our top pick, the Synology RT6600ax.
Ultimately any router promoting robust connectivity via commercial-grade hardware backed by responsive customer support will provide good value if matching primary requirements. Shop around as budget allows but focus spending on reliable throughput and range first before non-essential extras.
