Best Wifi 6E routers: Should your IT department upgrade?

Wifi 6 has become an industry standard, so chances are your IT department uses it. However, wifi 6E promises to reduce wifi congestion even further with its new 6GHz band.

This raises the question: Should your IT department upgrade to the wifi 6E technology? The answer is, it depends. If you require:

• Higher network speeds with 6GHz band technology
• More secure wireless connections with WPA3 encryption
• Better performance in high-density environments
• More reliable connectivity for hybrid work setups

Then, investing in a Wi-Fi 6E router can make sense. If you’re considering making the switch, this article can help. We’ve listed the best wifi 6E routers based on their performance, security features, performance, and pricing.  Before we review the best routers, let’s look at the key considerations when investing in a wifi 6E router.

3 key considerations when investing in a wifi 6E router

These are the three key considerations before buying a wifi 6E router:

1. Assess your office needs

Assessing your office needs includes estimating the number of devices connected, the size of your office, and your future needs.

1. Number of devices connected: Calculate how many devices will be connected to the wifi 6E routers simultaneously. If you have many connected devices in your office, look for a router with a high device limit.
2. The size of your office: Wifi router providers always mention the coverage of their routers on their websites. However, depending on the size of your office, you may need to expand the coverage through access points or mesh systems. 
3. Scalability: Not only should you consider your current bandwidth but also the years to come. Look for routers that support mesh networks and allow you to add more access points.

2. Features of the wifi 6E router

Depending on the price and purpose of the wifi 6E router, the features may vary. Some of the key features to look for include:

• Multi-gigabit WAN & LAN ports: Multi-gigabit ports provide faster wired connections, which is important in demanding environments.
• Mesh network support: Mesh network support allows you to extend your network coverage through multiple access points, which is important, especially for enterprise environments.
• Quality of Service (QoS) controls: QoS ensures that critical applications, such as video meetings, receive the necessary bandwidth to run at high speed by prioritizing network traffic.
• MU-MIMO support: With MU-MIMO, a single router can transmit data simultaneously to multiple devices, reducing network congestion and improving performance.
• IoT support: If you have IoT devices in your office, ensure that the router is compatible with them and offers IoT security features.
• Ethernet ports: Ethernet cables connect a router to a computer, server, printer, or other network device. Make sure the router has enough Ethernet ports depending on how many devices you want to connect using Ethernet.

3. Brand reliability, warranty, & security

For enterprises, security should be a top priority in a wifi 6e router.

Companies like NETGEAR and ASUS have cloud management apps that allow you to manage firmware updates, monitor threats, and monitor traffic analytics. Although these apps are suitable for basic network management, they lack advanced security features.

Companies like Cisco offer enterprise-grade routers, which can be monitored with third-party tools like Atera, giving IT teams access to AI-driven threat monitoring, advanced analytics, and remote troubleshooting.

Another thing to check before buying wifi 6E routers is the warranty. The router providers often list the available warranty on their product pages, such as NETGEAR here:

NETGEAR’s one-year limited warranty

Best Wi-Fi 6E routers & access points for IT departments in 2025

Let’s now move to the main subject of the article, which is the best wifi 6E routers and access points for IT departments. After doing our research and reading customer reviews, we found that the six best options are:

1. NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 – Best overall wifi 6E router
2. ASUS RT-AXE7800 – Best budget wifi 6E router
3. NETGEAR WAX630E – Best high-security wifi 6E
4. Cisco Meraki MR57– Best enterprise-grade wifi 6E
5. NETGEAR Orbi 960 Series – Best mesh wifi 6E router system
6. TP-LINK Archer AXE75 – Best for small IT setups

As you can see, we categorized them to make it easier for you to select the right one.

1. NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 – Best overall wifi 6E router

NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE500 is our choice for the best overall wifi 6E router, thanks to its powerful tri-band performance, speeds of up to 10.8Gbps, and cyber threat protection powered by Bitdefender. NETGEAR mentions in a Reddit thread that this model delivers reliable connections for up to 60 devices across 2,500 sq. ft. 

While it’s one of the most expensive wifi 6E routers, it’s also one of the fastest. The Nighthawk RAXE500 comes with unique features, such as link aggregation, multi-gig LAN and WAN capabilities, and support for OFDMA and MU-MIMO.

2. ASUS RT-AXE7800 – Best budget wifi 6E router

If you have a small IT setup and are looking for a budget wifi 6E router, the ASUS RT-AXE7800 might be your best bet. It costs $229.99 and offers connectivity speeds of up to 7.8 Gbps, link aggregation, and basic router security. This model supports mesh expansion through Asus’ AiMesh system, which means you can extend coverage across a larger area.

The ASUS RT-AXE7800 is not designed for large office use due to the limited high-bandwidth capabilities and lack of advanced security.

3. NETGEAR WAX630E – Best wifi 6E access point

If you’re looking for access points (APs) to extend your existing wifi coverage, the NETGEAR WAX630E is a great choice. These APs are designed for SMBs and come with PoE++ support, tri-band connectivity, and security features like WPA3, VLAN, and multi-SSID.

One Reddit user commented on this model: “The WAX630 has been outstanding. The range has been the best I have experienced with APs. I have had no failures, no downtime, and no reboots needed for over six months now.” To deploy and manage these APs, they need to be connected to a network switch or business router with both internet access and power (if using PoE).

4. Cisco Meraki MR57 – Best enterprise-grade wifi 6E

For enterprises that need coverage for large areas and the industry’s best security technology, the Cisco Meraki MR57 is undoubtedly the best choice. It offers 7.8 Gbps aggregate speed, dual 5 Gbps Ethernet ports, PoE support, and full-time Wi-Fi location tracking.

The Cisco Meraki MR57 offers fully cloud-based management, and you need a Cisco Meraki license for that. Although it comes with an extra cost, the cloud app offers benefits like real-time insights into routers, automatic firmware updates, traffic analytics, and enterprise security. The notable security features are 802.1x, native Active Directory integration, and built-in DNS security.

5. NETGEAR Orbi 960 Series – Best mesh wifi 6E router system

NETGEAR Orbi 960 Series is a wifi 6E system which provides unparalleled speed and reliability while being highly secure. This model is a mesh router that can be extended by adding additional satellite units for greater coverage.

While the Orbi 960 Series is overkill for individual users, it’s a great choice for offices that need multi-gigabit (10.8Gbps) speeds, support for up to 9,000 sq. ft., and wide coverage for 200 concurrent devices.

The NETGEAR Armor cloud app includes a suite of security tools, such as data breach monitoring, on-the-go VPN, and virus and malware protection.

6. TP-LINK Archer AXE75 – Best for small IT setups

Small businesses looking for an affordable wifi 6E router should consider the TP-LINK Archer AXE75. At $179.99, it offers wifi speeds up to 5.4 Gbps, making it a solid choice for offices with moderate network demands.

Like the ASUS RT-AXE7800 (a comparable alternative), the Archer AXE75 lets you extend coverage through TP-Link’s OneMesh Extender. On the security side, the AXE75 comes with WPA3 encryption and firmware updates through the TP-LINK Tether application.

How to select the right wifi 6E router for your IT department

Still not sure which wifi 6E system to pick? I created the following checklist to assist you:

✅ Identify your IT team’s needs: Start by estimating how much coverage you need and for how many devices. Also, consider future scalability.

✅ Decide your budget: Your budget will largely determine the wifi 6E system you can invest in. Standalone wifi 6E routers are more affordable, while mesh systems provide better coverage. 

✅ Prioritize features: Depending on your team’s size and your budget, prioritize features like mesh capability, cloud management, multi-gigabit ports, and QoS controls.

✅ Compare different brands: Compare the features, security, pricing, and performance of different brands, like NETGEAR, ASUS, Cisco, and TP-LINK.

✅ Check security & cloud management: Each company has different cloud management apps for managing the security of routers. Compare their features and price points.