Since the release of the 6GHz channel for wireless routers, the latest technology to look for is WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E.
However, to make use of the latest WiFi 6 protocol, we also need the latest devices which support it. So, other features like intelligent mesh and tri-band channels are also worth looking for.
The best free routers are generally bundled with the fastest broadband plans as well, so expect to pay more to access the latest gadgets.
At a glance: best wireless routers
The best wireless routers come with the latest technology, including the most recent WiFi 6 and 6E protocols, as well as dual or tri-band channels, and intelligent mesh.
| WiFi protocol | WiFi bands | Intelligent Mesh | Security | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vodafone Ultra Hub | WiFi 6E | Tri-band | Yes | WPA3 |
| TalkTalk eero Pro 6 | WiFi 6 | Tri-band | Yes | WPA3 |
| Community Fibre Linksys WiFi 6 | WiFi 6 | Dual-band | Yes | WPA3 |
| Virgin Media Hub 5/5x | WiFi 6 | Dual-band | Yes | WPA3 |
| Sky Max Hub | WiFi 6 | Dual-band | Yes | WPA3 |
| Hyperoptic Zyxel Hyperhub | WiFi 6 | Dual-band | Yes | WPA3 |
Verdict: the best free router
The best free router is the Ultra Hub provided with Vodafone Pro II broadband packages. It supports WiFi 6E so users can benefit from the newly released 6GHz spectrum and mitigate congestion from nearby networks on crowded 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
However, to benefit from the latest technology, customers also need devices that support WiFi 6E which so far are fairly few and far between, although it's likely devices released in 2023 and beyond will now adopt the latest protocol.
For most households tri-band routers, like the eero Pro 6 offered by TalkTalk, may offer the best wireless upgrade as they offer an additional 5GHz channel to improve signal performance.
Finally, intelligent mesh systems, which are found on most of the latest routers, including the BT Smart Hub 2 and Sky Max Hub, enable customers to seamlessly extend their wireless network around a larger home, or where thick walls are causing signal degradation, are worth having.
WiFi boosters that use intelligent mesh are often an extra paid upgrade, but are sometimes included for free, for example with Sky's Max Hub router upgrade, or Virgin Media's Gig1 and Volt plans. We've reviewed many of these WiFi guarantees here.
Vodafone Ultra Hub
Vodafone's new Ultra Hub is provided free with their Pro II broadband packages and is the only router that supports the latest WiFi 6E technology.
WiFi 6E supports the newest 6GHz WiFi band, which means more airwaves for wireless signal and less interference than on crowded 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels.
The only downside to such advanced wireless technology however, is WiFi 6E can only be beneficial to people who also have WiFi 6 compatible devices.
Customers will need to have the latest devices too, such as the Google Pixel 6 or Samsung Galaxy S21 and S22.
Recently released laptops and computers may support WiFi 6E, but for example only Apple devices released in 2023 support it, and it's not yet supported on the iPhone.
Vodafone's Ultra Hub also comes bundled with a Super WiFi 6E booster, which uses intelligent mesh to extend a wireless network around a home, and a 4G broadband back-up device too, so customers can switch to Vodafone's 4G mobile network if their fixed-line broadband goes down at any point.
Vodafone Pro II broadband is one of only a handful of broadband plans that come bundled with a whole home WiFi guarantee.
The following Vodafone broadband plans come with the Ultra Hub:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Pro II Full Fibre 74 | 73Mb average | £39 | Free | 24 months |
 Offer: £2 off for Vodafone pay monthly customers | |||||
|
Pro II Full Fibre 150 | 150Mb average | £41 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: £4 off for Vodafone pay monthly customers | |||||
|
Pro II Full Fibre 500 | 500Mb average | £45 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: £4 off for Vodafone pay monthly customers | |||||
TalkTalk eero Pro 6
TalkTalk provide an Amazon eero Pro 6 with their Full Fibre 500 and Full Fibre 900 broadband packages.
The eero Pro 6 is a WiFi 6 router with tri-band channels, meaning it provides connectivity over one 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands - this doubles the amount of airwaves available for wireless data to be sent over.
The router supports speeds of up to 1Gbps and each device covers up to 560 square meters. Eero is an intelligent mesh system however, so customers just need to use additional eero Pro 6 routers to extend their network.
TalkTalk Full Fibre 900 comes with two eero Pro 6 routers as standard, and customers on Full Fibre 500 can sign up to Total Home WiFi for £6 per month for an additional eero.
The eero Pro 6 also boasts a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, so the router connects compatible smart devices and works with Alexa voice control.
The following TalkTalk broadband plans come with the eero Pro 6:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Full Fibre 500 | 525Mb average | £35 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Free setup and P&P | |||||
|
Full Fibre 900 | 944Mb average | £45 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Free setup and P&P | |||||
Community Fibre Linksys WiFi 6 Intelligent Mesh
London-based Community Fibre offer a range of Linksys routers with their broadband plans, with the newest WiFi 6 Intelligent Mesh offered on most plans.
The Linksys WiFi 6 router provides the latest WiFi 6 technology on dual-band channels, so one 2.4GHz band, and one 5GHz bands.
Linksys is also an intelligent mesh system, which again, means customers only need to purchase additional devices to seamlessly extend their network around a larger home.
Community Fibre also offer a paid-for subscription, Premium WiFi, which includes additional devices and an engineer installation for around £6 extra a month, although this is restricted to their 1Gb and 3Gb plans.
The router boasts six internal antennae and supports up to 800Mbps wireless network speeds.
The following Community Fibre broadband plans come with the Linksys WiFi 6 dual-band router:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
150Mb Fibre Broadband | 150Mb average | £17.99 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: Installed in 48 hours + Free setup | |||||
|
300Mb Fibre Broadband | 300Mb average | £21 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: Installed in 48 hours + Free setup | |||||
|
1Gbps Fibre Broadband | 920Mb average | £26 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: Installed in 48 hours + Free setup | |||||
Virgin Media Hub 5
Virgin Media's Hub 5 was announced at the end of 2021, and has been rolled out to new and existing customers on their Gig1 broadband plan throughout 2022.
It also supports WiFi 6 (802.11ax) connectivity, but only supports dual-band wireless on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels.
It's made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic which may appeal to customers keen to buy from companies committed to reducing their carbon footprint, but the real power of the Hub 5 is inside, supporting speeds of up to 10Gbps.
The Hub 5 is a notable upgrade over the previous Hub 4, with more internal antennae the Hub 5 can support more devices connected at the same time, while expanding coverage and boosting speeds, with lower latency and reduced interference from neighbouring wireless networks.
The Hub 5 is one of few routers that support multi-gigabit speeds, bundling a 2.5Gb Ethernet port for lightning fast wired connections. It also upgrades the security to WPA3 over the common WPA2 of more standard devices.
Like the Hub 3 and Hub 4, the Hub 5 also supports Intelligent Mesh and works with Virgin's WiFi Max service, which comes free with Gig1 and Volt bundles.
Customers living in Virgin Media full fibre areas, including those opting for Gig2, will get the Hub 5x, a similar device that's built for the different connection.
The following Virgin Media broadband plans come with the Hub 5:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Gig1 Fibre Broadband | 1.13Gb average | Free for 3 mths, then £34.99 |
Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Black Friday: 3 months free + 3 months free Disney+ Standard + No setup fee (was £35) (Ends 08/12/2024) | |||||
|
Gig1 Volt Fibre Broadband + Weekend chatter | 1.13Gb average | £49.99 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: No setup fee (was £35) + O2 mobile SIM with 6GB data, unlimited minutes and texts | |||||
Sky Max Hub
The Sky Max Hub was released in July 2023 as part of a premium add-on called Sky WiFi Max.
Sky WiFi Max is the provider's new whole home WiFi guarantee, with improved minimum speeds of 25Mbps on full fibre plans.
However, the Sky WiFi Max add-on includes the updated Sky Max Hub router as well, so customers only get the latest router if they're willing to pay extra for it.
The Sky Max Hub offers a number of improvements over the standard Sky Broadband Hub however, as it supports WiFi 6, has updated WPA security, and also supports mesh using the Plume WiFi Pod system just like Virgin Media.
It's a useful addition for customers who also take Sky Stream or Sky Glass, as both these devices support WiFi 6. However, it's not yet available to customers who bundle Sky broadband with Sky Q.
The Sky Max Hub can be added for an extra fee from just £3 per month on any Sky broadband plan, however the following full fibre deals offer the fastest wireless guarantee:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Full Fibre 150 | 150Mb average | £27 | £5 | 24 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
Full Fibre 500 | 500Mb average | £29 | £5 | 24 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
Full Fibre Gigafast | 900Mb average | £42 | £5 | 24 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
Hyperoptic Zyxel Hyperhub
Launched in July 2024, Hyperoptic now offer a new Zyxel WiFi 6 enabled Hyperhub to all customers, regardless of the package they choose.
The new Zyxel EX3301 supports the latest WiFi 6 protocol, or 802.11ax, and offers dual-band wireless channels covering speeds up to 1200Mbps.
The router also comes with updated WPA3 security, four 1Gbps Ethernet LAN ports, one USB port, and two digital phone line ports.
It also supports mesh, and users can take Hyperoptic's Total WiFi for an extra £7 per month and get an additional Zyxel Mini Hub to boost coverage around a larger home.
The new Hyperhub is a good upgrade on the previous WiFi 5 devices and is available on any plan, including these popular options from Hyperoptic:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Superfast (24 months) | 158Mb average | £27.50 | £19 | 24 months |
|
Ultrafast (24 months) | 522Mb average | £33 | £19 | 24 months |
Other routers
We've not covered all broadband providers in this list as we've focused on the latest and most popular routers.
However, some we've missed out aren't necessarily bad or not very good, as we'll look at quickly below.
BT
The BT Smart Hub 2 is the latest router from BT and is offered across all of their broadband plans.
However, it first launched in November 2018, so doesn't have the latest WiFi technology. Instead it supports up to WiFi 5 (802.11ac) and has dual-band wireless channels.
It does support intelligent mesh, and users can extend their networks either by purchasing Complete WiFi discs, or signing up to the Complete WiFi Guarantee for £10 per month.
While the BT Smart Hub 2 will be more than adequate for most homes and most devices, it is started to feel a little dated with the advancement of WiFi 6 and now WiFi 6E with the release of the 6GHz channel.
Read more in our BT broadband review.
Plusnet
The router offered by Plusnet to their broadband customers is a repackaged BT Smart Hub 2 device, so customers are getting premium equipment.
Unlike BT however, Plusnet Hub's don't support mesh and it's not possible to get a WiFi guarantee from the provider.
NOW Broadband
Since becoming 'powered by Sky' in June 2024, NOW Broadband now provides Sky Broadband Hubs to customers on all packages, which is the same device given to those who subscribe directly with Sky.
Like Sky as well, NOW Broadband customers can also upgrade to the Sky Max Hub listed above, although add-on prices are slightly higher at around £6.50 per month. Overall though, this is a good update for NOW Broadband who previously offered older repackaged Sky Q hubs.
KCOM
For customers living in and around Hull, KCOM now provide the Lighthub 2.0 router with all broadband packages.
The Lighthub 2.0 offers WiFi 6 support, along with intelligent mesh, and can also be bundled with the Smart WiFi whole home WiFi guarantee for additional WiFi 6 access points.
The Zyxel EX 5401, the router behind the Lighthub 2.0, also has updated security supporting WPA3 encryption.
Basic routers
Very basic routers are now being phased out amongst many broadband providers, with full fibre technology delivering speeds that demand greater performance from the wireless router to ensure customers get to experience the speeds they're paying for.
This means we've seen more budget providers including (the now sold to TalkTalk) Shell Energy Broadband introduce WiFi 6 devices, and NOW Broadband integrate more closely with parent company Sky.
For customers who are signing up to 100Mb+ full fibre deals, and especially those with ultrafast and even gigabit packages, the wireless router can become the bottle neck, with intelligent mesh systems almost vital for larger homes where lots of users are battling for coverage and bandwidth.
It's not surprising then that many of the UK's fastest broadband plans now come with the latest routers, and even bundled WiFi boosters, while even the more basic, budget deals, are being sold with WiFi 6 and mesh supporting devices.
Certainly, when we start looking at powering multiple phones, tablets, computers and smart devices at once, that's when we can run into issues with basic routers, so it's down to a customer to assess their needs and work out whether one of the provider routers listed in this guide would be more appropriate for them.
However, even customers with basic routers can get better speeds from their home broadband: find out more about improving your broadband speeds, and how to upgrade your router.
Summary: Which wireless router is best?
While the WiFi 6E router provided with Vodafone Pro II plans is the best in the market, it comes down to whether customers have WiFi 6E compatible devices to use with it.
Older devices, which is most pre-2023 devices, won't be able to make use of the WiFi 6E protocol and will run over WiFi 5 anyway, making the most advanced routers a little unnecessary.
More devices support WiFi 6 however, including iPhone 11 and later, Huawei P40 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S20 and later, the Sky Stream Puck box, as well as the Sky Glass TV set, and a number of recent laptops and tablets.
Yet, despite the Virgin Hub 5 supporting WiFi 6, their latest device release, Virgin Stream box, only supports WiFi 5.
Overall then, while the latest and most advance routers can help to improve our broadband speeds and extend our wireless coverage, to get the most benefit from them we also need the latest devices.
At least for a while then, this means WiFi 5 routers will be more than adequate for most homes, but to really speed up broadband it's worth looking at specific router upgrades that can be more powerful.
Remember, too, that even routers with enhanced security will need setting up properly to ensure the safety of the home broadband network, so find out more about how to protect your wireless router.
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