Best Wired Router: 6 Top Wired Router Reviews 2022 | Guide & FAQs

We’ve got you covered if you’re looking for the best wired router to buy in 2022. In this article, we’ll look at the features to consider when choosing a wired router and our top picks for the best models on the market.

As the world increasingly moves online, a good router is essential for anyone who wants to stay connected. A wired router connects your devices to the internet using physical cables, providing a fast and reliable connection. They don’t have lag time or buffering issues, so playing massive games on the server or transferring a significant amount of data will never be interrupted by slow connections again!

Another reason to have wired routers is that they offer faster speeds than wireless routers because they don’t rely on weak signals to generate any distance between devices in your house or office. Also, they provide more security than wi-fi routers. 

When choosing a wired router, there are several important factors to consider. 

• First, you’ll want to ensure that the router is compatible with your devices and your internet service provider. 
• Second, you’ll want to consider speed and range. 
• Finally, you’ll want to consider security. 

Wired routers tend to be more secure than wireless routers, so a wired router is the best choice if security is a concern.

If you are in the market for a new wired router, you may be wondering which one to buy. There are many different wired routers on the market, and it can be challenging to know which one is right for you. 

We will give you an overview of the different types of routers available on the market and our top picks for the best wired router to buy.

6 Best Wired Routers Reviews

1. TP-Link ER7206 Multi-WAN Professional Wired Gigabit VPN Router 

The TP-Link ER7206 is a powerful wired router perfect for businesses or homes with multiple devices. With four WAN ports, it can easily handle large amounts of traffic. The integrated Omada SDN platform makes it easy to manage your network from anywhere.

The TP-Link ER7206 has many security features, including firewall policies, DoS defense, and IP/MAC/URL filtering. If you are looking for a robust and secure wired router, the TP-Link ER7206 is an excellent option.

VPN:

The TP-Link ER7206 supports up to 100x LAN-to-LAN IPsec, 50x OpenVPN, 50x L2TP, and 50x PPTP VPN connections. This makes it an excellent option for businesses or homes that need to connect to multiple devices securely.

Omada Software Controller:

This Wired Router comes with the Omada Software Controller. This makes it easy to manage your network from anywhere. The Omada app gives you centralized control of your network. You can also use the Web UI to access your network from any computer.

Flexible Port Configuration:

With four WAN ports, the TP-Link ER7206 can easily handle significant traffic. You can also use the port configuration to optimize bandwidth usage.

Advanced Security Features:

The TP-Link ER7206 has many security features, including firewall policies, DoS defense, and IP/MAC/URL filtering. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses or homes with multiple devices.

Pros and Cons of the TP-Link ER7206

Pros:

• 4 WAN ports
• Supports the Omada SDN
• Easy to configure and monitor
• Secure VPN
• Comes with a limited lifetime warranty

Cons:

• No USB port
• No Mounting Option

Verdict:

The TP-Link ER7206 is an excellent choice for those who want more internet access without sacrificing network speeds. It also helps reduce network bottlenecks by automatically switching between connections when one becomes crowded, so there are never too many streams coming through simultaneously! This advanced networking device features functions such as Bandwidth Control, Port VLANs (ports that identify what kind of TV tuner they serve), UPnP, firewall, and many more!

2. MikroTik hEX S With SFP Port (RB760iGS)

The hEXS Gigabit Ethernet router from MikroTik is perfect for locations where wireless connectivity isn’t required. This router is perfect for small to medium-sized business networks, offering excellent speed and security. It has a very powerful dual-core 880 MHz CPU and 256 MB RAM, which makes it capable of handling all the advanced configurations that RouterOS supports – including PoE output on the port.

In addition, this device features 1.25GBit/s SFP cage compatibility, so you can boost your network’s speeds with an extra fiberpunk connection if needed. The router supports IPsec hardware encryption, providing up to 470 Mbps speeds. In addition, the router comes with The Dude server package, an incredible network monitoring tool. Finally, the MicroSD slot on the router provides improved read/write speed for file storage and the Dude server.

Ports:

The MikroTik hEXS Gigabit Ethernet router has five individual 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet ports. These ports support automatic cross/straight cable correction (Auto MDI/X), so you can use straight or crossover cables to connect to other network devices. Additionally, one SFP module cage supports 1.25G modules – meaning you can upgrade your network’s speed with an extra fiber connection if needed. Lastly, there is a MicroSD slot for expanding built-in storage and a USB type-A port.

Router Os:

The MikroTik router operating system is based on the Linux v3.3.5 kernel, which comes with firmware version 639-2 that can be easily upgraded to 640 by using the “Auto Upgrade” option in the GUI interface.

The Dude App:

The new Dude network monitor from MikroTik is a great way to ensure you know what’s going on with your networks. It’ll automatically scan all devices within specified subnets and draw and lay out the map of these networks for easy monitoring; it also monitors services like routers or IPTV boxes in case they stop working properly!

Pros:

• high speeds of up to 1.25Gbps.
• Can be PoE powered
• affordable
• Dude App

Cons:

• challenging setup for some users
• possible intermittent packet loss
• bandwidth management can be challenging to configure

Bottom Line:

The MikroTik hEX S Gigabit Ethernet router is powerful yet affordable. It has many features usually found only in high-end commercial routers, making it ideal for any home or office user looking to Cos renew their Internet connection without breaking the bank!

3. TP-Link ER605 | Multi-WAN Wired VPN Router

The TP-Link ER605 is a high-speed wired VPN router that supports up to 4 WAN connections and 16 VPN tunnels. It is designed for small or remote offices and has a built-in firewall and ACS filtering for easy penetration and blocking settings.

The router also has VLAN and VLAN routing capabilities, making it easy to segment your network into different subnets. The TP-Link ER605 also has a number of security features, including advanced ACS policies, DoS defense, IP/MAC/URL filtering, and more. The Omada Cloud-based SDN controller enables centralized management and deployment of the TP-Link ER605. ZTP‡ eliminates the installation and maintenance of truckloads.

Load Balancing function:

With the multi-WAN Load Balancing function, your data streams are distributed according to how much bandwidth each of you has available. This way, more resources can be put towards delivering quality service and higher speeds!

Security Features:

The TP-Link ER605 has several security features, including an SPI Firewall, VPN Passthrough, FTP/H.323/PPTP/SIP/IPsec ALG, DoS Defense, Ping of Death, and Local Management. These features work together to protect your network and data from potential threats.

Ease of Use:

The TP-Link ER605 is easy to use, thanks to the Omada Cloud-based SDN controller. ZTP‡ eliminates the installation and maintenance of truckloads. The router also has a user-friendly web interface that makes it easy to configure and manage your network.

Pros:

• Excellent performance
• Easy to use
• Good security features
• Regular firmware updates

Cons:

• Some users have reported issues with the web interface

4. TP-Link SafeStream TL-R600VPN Gigabit Broadband Desktop VPN Router

Overview:

Tp-Link is known for a networking company from China which builds networking types of equipment. Tp-Link SaveStream is very affordable and cheap wired router; it is best for home purposes.

Here are some features of SafeStream TL-R600VPN:

Protocol:

It supports simultaneously 20 IPSec VPN tunnels and 16 PPTP VPN tunnel.

Firewall:

It has SPI firewall and DoS which protect the network from external threats, attacks, and hackers.

Security:

It has the capability to block any DOS service attacks like TCP/UDP/ICMP flooding, and other threats.

It also comes with MAC/IP Domain filtering functions which prevent from the viruses.

What you get inside box:

1. Wired VPN Router TL-R600VPN itself.
2. One power cord
3. An Ethernet Cable
4. Resources CD
5. Installation Guide

Some Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• 4x Gigabit Lan ports and 1 Gigabit port for high-speed wired connectivity.
• Awesome remote management system.
• It supports 20IPsec and 16PPTP tunnels.
• 3DES, AES128, DES, AES192, AES256 encryption.
• It has great lightning protection.

Cons:

1. Lack of firmware update.

Final Words:

Overall this is a decent wired router. If you want to buy a wired router for home use, then this TP-Link SafeStream will be an excellent choice because it is solid and thoroughly reliable.

5. Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway (USG) – Best For Small Business

Overview:

Ubiquity is an American technology-based company. It has been building wireless networking products since 2005.

Now, let’s talk about ubiquity Unify Security Gateway wired router. It is one of the best-wired routers in its category.

It has great features for everyone whether you are a regular user or an advanced user.

Here are some features of Ubiquiti unify router:

1. Controller:

It has Unifi Controller software for integration and management, also comes with its latest version V4.x.

2. Security:

It offers firewall to protect the network and data from hackers and other attacks. It is an advanced firewall feature for better safety and performance.

3. Vlan:

Since It supports VLAN, that means it can create the virtual network which allows you to manage network traffic and its security.

Now, Pros and Cons of Ubiquiti unify wired router.

Pros:

• It comes with 3x Gigabit Ethernet ports.
• Line Rate up to 3 Gbps for 512 Packets.
• 10,00000 Packets per second for 64-bytes.
• It performs the fanless operation.
• It can be set up in bridge mode.
• VoIP port allows you to use as a second Wan port.

Cons:

1. It doesn’t have FQDN-based VPN.

Final words:

This is out of the box and an excellent wired router. You can set up an Unifi controller for SOHO network. Simply, You can buy it.

6. Ubiquiti Networks Edgerouter Pro 8-8 Port Router 2Sfp (ERPro-8) – Best For Gaming

Overview:

I would say this Ubiquiti network Edgerouter pro Is an impressive and the fastest wired Router. It has pretty much everything that an enterprise level routers have.

And it is very easy to set up. Once you use this type of enterprises class networking equipment, I promise you; there will no place for modern consumer class of routers like (Linksys, D-link, etc.).

See some great features of Ubiquiti Networks Edgerouter Pro.

1. Rack Mountable:

Ubiquiti Edgerouter pro is a rack mountable and has 2SFP ports. Moreover, 6 Ethernet ports, It also offers 2M packets per second comes with robust software called Edgeos for higher performance.

2. Management:

Edgerouter pro supports and controlled or managed by UNMS. UNMS stands for Ubiquiti Network Management System. UNMS is a very intuitive and great controller for managing this wired Router.

3. Connectivity:

Since Edgerouter pro has 6 Gigabit ports and 2 Rj45/SFP Gigabit ports which make connectivity very strong and improve overall speeds of your internet connection.

Let’s talk about some pros and cons here.

Pros:

• 8 Gbps packets 512 bytes
• Intuitive Ubiquiti EdgeOs for Mangement.
• Rj45 Gigabit 6 routing ports, 2 SFP ports.
• Data Transfer Rate up to 8 Gbps.
• As of Starting point, It has default firewall configuration.
• For better performance, you will get 2 GB Ram and Dual-core (x64 architecture) processor.

Cons:

• Ubiquiti Networks Edgerouter Pro is bit loud.

Final Words:

Overall this Wired Ethernet router is excellent with the firewall. Believe me; you will get terrific speed with this unit. I would say it is a high-quality product for reasonable price.

Let’s see some points here which make wired router better than a wireless router.

Advantages:

1. Speeds:

One of the main factors of buying a wired router is its speeds. Since the connection type is “wired” and comes with gigabit ports (Modern routers), no doubt you will get remarkably faster internet speed if compared to wifi.

A wired ethernet connection gives up to 100Gb/s with the Cat6 Cable. As speed depends on the cable, you are using. The fastest one is Cat7 on the market which introduced recently.

2. Security:

Wired security is considered stronger than the wireless one. Why? Since it is wired connection, so nobody has access to connect. There is no other way of accessing internet without a cable.

On another hand, where wireless is allowing people to connect wirelessly. It means less secure connection than wired.

Disadvantages:

1. Workability:

Flexibility is not going to be that good if compared to a wired connection.

Of course, A wireless network offers better flexibility as you can access and connect your wireless devices to it directly via wifi.

However, a wired router requires a cable (Ethernet). Also, you have to keep your computer and router at the same place.

2. Multiple Connection:

This is another issue with a wired connection. Unfortunately, It depends on the Ethernet ports your wired router has.

Suppose, Your wired router has eight ports, it means you’re likely to connect only eight devices or PCs to it.

But, Wireless routers allow you to connect multiple devices whether it is your laptop, mobile, printer, etc. at the same time via wifi.

Other things to know, also What features to expect in an excellent wired router.

Let’s point out them one by one.

1. Routing:

How fast hardware accelerates path, depends on base forwarding. Suppose it has Layer-3 base it means you will get 2 million packets per second for 64-byte packets.
All Modern wired router comes with this Layer-3 base forwarding.

2. Processor & Ram:

All Routers have processor and Ram, which enhance the overall performance of a router or internet. This is another considering point before buying a wired router.

3. Ports:

Everyone knows Gigabit is 10x faster than Ethernet. So, It would be better if a router has Gigabit ports. However, routers come with both ports like 1x or 2x Gigabit ports with Ethernet ports (4x, 6x, 8x Ethernet ports).

Wireless Routers Vs. Wired Router

Let’s see what the differences are:
And, the comparison should be like this:

1. Router connection
2. Installation
3. Compatibility
4. Safety

Wired Connection Speeds:

However, speeds may vary, and it depends on the connection you made. I found three ways to connect a wired router to your computer.

Ethernet:

These days the ethernet cables are too fast, depending on which cable you choose, it may be Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a or new one Cat7, and speeds you get with these cables are different ( 1Gbps to 10Gbps).

DSL Or ADSL (Phone-line):

DSL or ADSL connections is not that fast if compared to ethernet. It provides speeds 1Mbps to 128Mbps.

Powerline Adapter:

Powerline networking uses electrical wiring of our homes as a wired network, just plug it into a power outlet. In other words, you might say it sounds like outdated technology. However, Powerline adapter is a very cheap solution. Though, you get speed upto 1200Mbps.

Wireless Router connection speeds:

Similar to cable standards, there are wireless standards too. You might have heard about IEEE 802.11 (a/b/g/ac/ad).

• IEEE 802.11: Released in 1997, frequency 2.4 GHz, Max speed 2 Mbps, and range (20m ~ 100m)
• IEEE 802.11a: Released in 1999, frequency 5/3.7 GHz, Max speed 54 Mbps, and range (35M~120M)
• IEEE 802.11b: Released in 1999, frequency 2.4 GHz, Max speed 11 Mbps, and range (35M ~ 120M).
• IEEE 802.11g: Released in 2003, frequency 2.4 GHz, Max speed 54 Mbps, and range (38M ~ 140M)
• IEEE 802.11n: Released in 2009, frequency 2.4/5 GHz, Max speed 900 Mbps, and range (70M ~ 250M), also knowns as Wi-Fi 4.
• IEEE 802.11ac: Released in 2013, frequency 2.4/5 GHz, Max speed 5400 Mbps. (Most Popular), also known as Wi-Fi 5.
• IEEE 802.11ad: Released in 2012, frequency 60 GHz, speed 7200 Mbps.
• IEEE 802.11ax: Released in 2020, frequency 2.4/5 GHz, speed 10.53 Gbps, also known as Wi-Fi 6.

Installation:

I would say, installation of a wired connection is bit simple and quick than a wireless connection, as you need to connect your computer to the wired router via ethernet cable. Whereas, wireless connection setup takes a bit more time to set up.

Compatibility:

The wired connection requires devices which support the ethernet or HomePNA. Most modern computers like Microsoft surface or Macbook air don’t come with the ethernet ports. In this case, you can use Ethernet LAN Network Adapter. Whereas, wireless connection requires only Wi-Fi supported devices, if you have an older desktop computer, then you should use a USB wireless network adapter.

Safety:

As we know, wireless networks are less secure because they are accessible from public space. Even though they offer encryption (WPA, WPA2, etc), but compared to the wired connection, they are not as secure as wired connections.

How To Bridge Wired Router? Step-by-Step Guide

We need two wired routers if we want to extend the network. It also increases the numbers of ports which will help in connecting more devices. Thus we don’t need any network switch or hub.

Step 1:

First of all, you need to connect your wired router to the computer using an Ethernet cable.

Step 2:

Now, We will access our router, to do so put an IP address of your router into the address bar of your browser and hit enter. Now, you will be on the login window, just type a User name and a password there.

(Note: You can check your router’s default IP address, Username and password on the backside of the router or check in router’s manual). Most wired routers use the default IP address as http://192.168.1.1).

Step 3:

After login into your router, it’s time to access the LAN (Local area network) address and DHCP pool in the network configuration settings. Not down those numbers because we’ll use them later. Now close the router window.

Step 4:

Take your second wired router and connect it to the computer via Ethernet cable, and repeat step 2 and reaccess your router.

Step 5:

This time try to find the security tab and navigate the WAN (Wide Area Network), type there those numbers (first wired router) which we wrote down before. But make sure the DHCP pool you enter here should be different or outside of the first router’s DHCP range.

For instance, Suppose first router’s DHCP pool is 192.168.100-200, then choose something like this 192.168.1.40 or anything else which should not be inside first router’s DHCP range.

Step 6:

Now, find LAN setup and turn off the DHCP.

Step 7:

Open wireless configuration setup and type a different SSID name, which should be unique from the first wired router.

Step 8:

Go again in the security settings and create any strong password and use WPA or WPA2 encryption.

Note: You should write down everything you changed during this process.

Step 9:

Turn the second router off, and connect the main router and second router via ethernet cable.

Step 10:

Turn on the second router. You’re done!

Check Linksys Wired router community for connecting two wired routers.

How To Use Wired Routers with VPN?

The main reason for Using a wired router is security and safety. So, it is better to buy a router which has VPN (Virtual Private Network) capabilities, right?

The wired routers which come with built-in VPN make your home or business wired network connection more secure.
Take a look at what TechRadar says about VPN Security and free Vpn services for a wired router.

What is the difference between home and business wired routers?

It’s always been an excellent choice to use wired routers for home and business if security is your main priority.

However, it depends on users who will be using, suppose you want to buy a wired router for home, then you can buy any basic routers because you don’t need that much security that a business wired router typically provides, again it depends on your needs.

Whereas, business users need more secure and more feature-packed wired routers.

Business routers are mainly high in quality, provide more LAN ports, more durable, built-in VPN, firewall, and expensive if compared to home wired routers.

How to turn the wired router into wireless?

There are a few ways you can do to turn your wired router into the wireless network and easily share your ethernet connection with all your devices. However, I only found one of the best methods which I am going to share with you below.

You can do so by setting up a wireless router with a laptop. It allows your laptop to create a WIFI hotspot.

However, some modern laptops like windows’ ultrabook and apple’s Mackbooks don’t have ethernet ports. In this case, you have to USB Ethernet adapter or connector, which can convert the ethernet to a USB port.

After connecting your laptop via ethernet cable, create a mobile hotspot and share the connection with all your devices.

Here is a complete guide here.

What is an Access point? How do you connect it with a wired router?

Guys, An Access point is nothing but a device which creates a wireless LAN (local area network) or WLAN. It is used by people who have a big house or office etc. You can connect an access point to a wired router, hub or Ethernet switch using an ethernet cable.

Suppose, you live in a large building and you can’t access wifi because of the router’s range. In that case, you can set up wireless access via ethernet cable.

Troubleshooting of Wired Routers: Slow wired connection through a router?

As I said earlier, The Local area network (LAN) which we create from a wired router is more reliable, secure, stable and quite faster than a wireless router. However, sometimes we might have faced some operating issues with a wired router. So, If it happens to you then how will you troubleshoot a wired router by yourself.
Here are five steps you need to perform to troubleshoot your wired router.

1. Press and hold a “Reset Button” which you find on the rear side of the router. Router’s lights will dim during the process. Now, turn it on after the reset.
2. Open the web browser and make sure connection is fixed, if it doesn’t function, then you should restart your router.
3. Remove all the cables which are connected to the wired router and other devices.
4. Turn the router off and remove the power cable from the back. Wait for 30 seconds.
5. Plug all the cables and turn your wired router on, and wait until all the lights illuminate (including power, network, and internet).

That’s all.

Best Wired router for Xbox One

I think Ubiquiti Networks Edgerouter Pro 8 is an ideal router for Xbox one. I am using it for the last year, I don’t have any problem with this unit, Although, it is quite fast and easy to set up.

If you’re like me who uses smart tv, VoIP Vonage box, sound receiver, media center, Wifi access point, powerline adapters, multiple ip cameras, and many more, so, it won’t be possible if I use a single wired router which comes with only 4, 6 or 8 ports. Thus, I had to use a 16 ports Gigabit switch to make this possible.

Conclusion

The TP-Link ER605 is an excellent choice for a reliable and flexible VPN router. It is easy to use and comes with a number of security features that will keep your network and data safe.