# High‑End Routers Aren’t Worth the Price

- Topic: tech
- Source: [Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/2305411/why-you-dont-need-expensive-high-end-router/)
- Published: 2026-11-07
- Original: https://www.engadget.com/2305411/why-you-dont-need-expensive-high-end-router/
- Language: en
- Image: https://www.engadget.com/img/gallery/why-you-dont-really-need-an-expensive-high-end-router/l-intro-1793041101.jpg

## At a glance

- High‑end routers cost over $500 yet most homes never reach their 19 Gbps speeds
- Budget models under $100 cover the FCC’s 100 Mbps broadband benchmark and typical usage
- Wi‑Fi 7’s 320‑MHz channels require compatible devices and offer only theoretical gains
- Premium routers help with VR streaming, large file transfers, gaming, and dense smart‑home networks

## Sources

- [Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/2305411/why-you-dont-need-expensive-high-end-router/)

## The story

High‑end routers such as Netgear’s Nighthawk RS700S cost more than $500 and boast speeds up to 19 Gbps, but most households never use that capacity. A budget model under $100 can handle the vast majority of home networking tasks, because a router cannot exceed the speed of the ISP’s plan. The FCC’s broadband benchmark of 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up means a cheap router only needs to carry that bandwidth without bottlenecking. Key features for a budget router include gigabit Ethernet ports, parental‑control apps, Wi‑Fi 6 or better, and adequate whole‑home coverage; a mesh system may be preferable for larger houses. Wi‑Fi 7 offers 320‑MHz channels in the 6 GHz band and can double throughput, yet it only benefits users with compatible devices, and the advertised speeds are theoretical. High‑end routers are justified only for specific use cases such as wireless VR streaming, large file transfers across the home network, low‑latency gaming or live streaming, and dense smart‑home setups. For most users, knowing the plan speed, choosing Wi‑Fi 6, ensuring gigabit ports, and matching coverage to space will suffice, keeping costs well below $100.

> Summary by Daily Read Bytes. [Read the original source](https://www.engadget.com/2305411/why-you-dont-need-expensive-high-end-router/)