The best routers, according to hackers
15 routers recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
- Most recommendedMikroTik router59 people recommend it
- Built to lastLinksys WRT54Gowners report a median of 18 years
- Least regretGL.iNet travel router54 recommend, 5 criticize
All routers
- MikroTik routerRecommended for detailed control and strong performance per dollar, with a steep learning curve and a clumsy interface that suits people who already know networking.59recommend
- GL.iNet travel routerSmall travel router that handles hotel captive portals, runs OpenWrt and reaches home services remotely; critics prefer re-flashing stock OpenWrt.54recommend
- Ubiquiti UniFi Travel RouterLets you bring your home network and WiFi to hotels, with built-in Teleport support, at about $80. Critics note it uses older Wi-Fi 5 and lacks SIM or eSIM support.35recommend
- OpenWrt OneRecommended as fully supported open hardware that runs OpenWrt well out of the box. Main caveat: dual-band only, with no 6GHz and few ports.34recommend
- Ubiquiti UniFi 5GRecommended as a cheap, unlocked 5G router that works on any major US carrier and as failover internet. Main caveat: limited bandwidth, and the outdoor model is directional.17recommend
- AVM Fritz!BoxPopular home router and modem, easy to configure through its web interface and well supported with updates. Caveat: no VLANs or extra SSIDs for advanced users.15recommend
- GL.iNet Flint 2Recommended for its full OpenWrt support and root access, plus solid, reliable performance. Common caveat: weak Wi-Fi range through walls.15recommend
- Linksys WRT54GPeople recommend it for its long-lasting hardware and open firmware that let owners install OpenWRT. The most common caveat is that its hardware is outdated and slow by modern Wi-Fi standards.14recommend
- Ubiquiti Dream MachineRecommended for easy management, near-instant failover and hands-off updates. Caveat: IDS/IPS throughput is limited to 3-4Gbps on the Pro model.10recommend
- eero mesh Wi-Fi systemMesh Wi-Fi system that people say works reliably and performs well; the main caveat is cloud dependence, limited configurability and paywalled features.8recommend
- UniFi Cloud Gateway MaxPeople recommend it as a home or small office router that also handles firewall duties and replaces a separate Cloud Key. Critics say cloud management is awkward during setup.7recommend
- Protectli VaultSmall x86 firewall and router boxes that people run for years with regular updates, with coreboot firmware and many network ports. Most models lack built-in WiFi.6recommend
- Banana Pi BPI-R4People recommend it as a 10G router board with hardware-accelerated networking, suited to PPPoE links and simple router, firewall and DNS setups.6recommend
- Turris Omnia NGPeople recommend it for its two 10 Gbps SFP+ ports and WiFi 7 support, plus open hardware design and software that runs NixOS. No critics were found.6recommend
- Ubiquiti UniFi routerRecommended for policy-based routing, DNS filtering and a straightforward setup. Common caveat: it lacks some features, such as conditional routing for ipsets.5recommend