Report: The Best Wireless Routers for Customer Satisfaction

Craig Johnson | November 19th, 2021

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A new study on wireless routers provides some valuable insight into what customers think about the top brands.

J.D. Power’s 2021 Wireless Router Satisfaction Report ranks devices made by different manufacturers. The ratings are based on 10 factors including Wi-Fi range, ease of setup, reliability, upload/download speeds and more.

Which Wireless Router is #1?

The report is based on the responses from 1,256 current owners of wireless routers who were queried in September and October 2021.

Here are some key findings from the report which graded the devices on a 1,000-point scale:

With a score of 859, Asus ranks first in customer satisfaction among wireless routers. TP-Link (855 comes in at #2.
Overall customer satisfaction with wireless routers increased almost by 60 points from 826 last year to 884 in 2021.
The most heavily weighted factor in the study, Wi-Fi range satisfaction, saw a 20-point increase (851) compared to last year.

Here Are the Best Wireless Router Brands According to Customers

Wireless Router	Score
Asus	859
TP-Link	855
ARRIS	853
Motorola	847
Linksys	840
Netgear	839
Industry Average	844

“The year 2020 was a rough one for router manufacturers as many more people were working from home and noticing the limits of their Wi-Fi router,” Ian Greenblatt, managing director at J.D. Power, says in a news release. “This led to a decrease in overall satisfaction. Customers are now settling in and appreciating their wireless connections. The study results also show an increase in customer service satisfaction, meaning that customer service representatives are doing a solid job at resolving customer issues.”

I’ve had to buy a few wireless routers in recent years. I’ve used the Netgear AX1800 model and the Linksys AC1200. Here are some tips on buying a wireless router.

What To Know Before You Buy a Wireless Router

Check for device compatibility: Not every router works with every device. You can usually find out which devices your router works by reading the packaging or manufacturers website.
Go over the specs carefully. If you’re not careful, you could get a router with specifications that you don’t need or can’t use. For example, I once bought a great wireless router that had only three Ethernet ports. I needed at least four. (Fortunately, I was able to return the item.)
Read the reviews: Aside from price and performance, reading the reviews will tell you a lot of helpful information like how easy the router is to set up and whether you’ll need to download an app to adjust its settings.

Here are some ways you can boost your Wi-Fi signal.