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The other day my kids were watching TV and a commercial came on. “I thought we had Hulu Plus so that we didn’t get commercials,” said one.
“This isn’t Hulu, it’s TV,” I responded.
The oldest grabbed the remote and tutted, “Let’s just fast forward past them, then.”
“You can’t do that. It’s live TV.”
They both stared at me, unsure what to do in this uncertain world of old-school content. Streaming has become a fact of life when it comes to listening to music as well as watching movies, sports and TV shows. In fact, more consumers stream content than use over-the-air signals or cable boxes than ever before. But for streaming to work, you’ve got to have a router that’s built to optimize traffic for it.
Here are the best routers for streaming in 2019:
Amplifi Gamer’s Edition
Before the AmpliFi Gamer’s Edition finishes setting up your network, it gives you the option to create a low-latency gaming network or choose a network that’s optimized for throughput. (That option provides a faster network that’s perfect for streaming media.) The onboard GeForce QoS (Quality of Service) mode filters traffic depending on how you’ve prioritized the app. You can also optimize individual devices for gaming or streaming. Beyond the black base unit, the mesh points in the Gamer’s Edition have also been redesigned. Instead of the magnetically attached antenna, the units are now matte black lozenges that can rotate 270 degrees. It’s more aesthetically pleasing, and the rotation works surprisingly well to dial in a better signal. Overall, the performance is just as good as with AmpliFi’s base product, with the LCD on the main router and the signal strength indicators providing a wealth of data without ever having to open the app. When you do open up the app, it provides a ton of information and lots of options.
Razer Sila
Razer has developed one of the fastest routers on the market, and it’s not just great for gaming but also gives you the option to create a network that’s perfect for streaming media. It helps that the Razer Sila can cover up to 9,000 square feet with three routers chained together in mesh mode. And with the in-app optimization, you can make sure that that signal is superfast and optimizes your network for exactly what it needs. The multichannel signal utilizes radar-sensing hardware to hop on normally restricted channels to extend your network even further. And if you’d like to optimize how your signal is used, whether to prioritize gaming, streaming or voice, you can do that right from the Razer app. It might look understated (other than the green LED logo on the top of the unit), but in operation the Sila is anything but demure.
Plume
Plume offers a network that’s markedly different from anything else on the market. Rather than making you dive into the app and manually select how you want your network to behave, it watches your network traffic and improves itself over time. Do you like to stream shows in the evening? Plume knows and will make sure the streaming devices you use the most are prioritized. Do you usually listen to a news broadcast in the shower in the morning? Plume will provide enough bandwidth for that stream. Their ultrafast hardware also offers full Internet-of-Things protection for all of your devices, plus ad blocking, plus adaptive traffic monitoring, plus one-time-use guest wireless networks, plus content monitoring for the kids, plus an intuitive app—all of which should cost a lot. I’ve had as many as three devices in my house at one time just to do the things that Plume does with a handful of plug-in mesh devices and a subscription. But for just $99 for the first year, you can get a superpod and two mesh adapters that can cover a 1- or 2-bedroom home in smart, adaptive Wi-Fi and be safer online.
Google Wifi
I’ve found little that can match Google Wifi’s stability and reliability, or compare with its feature-rich app. I could dig up speed ratings and tech specs, but all of the technical data in the world pales in comparison to one shining fact. Never, not once, has anyone in my house complained about there being a problem with the Wi-Fi when Google Wifi was in action. Anyone who’s played IT tech at home knows that is a nearly incomprehensible feat. There are no hiccups, no laggy moments, no wandering around the house trying to find the “sweet spot” for speed. Grab a three-pack and you’ll never have to worry about your wireless network again. It’s a perfect network. Sure, it may not have the discrete optimization options that some of the other routers on this list have, but when you’re providing a rock-solid network that “just works,” you really don’t need to mess with options. The best kind of network is the one that stays out of your way.
