Readers' Choice 2021: Wireless Routers and Network Attached Storage

A fast internet connection paired with a slow, unreliable home network is like being forced to drive a Ferrari on a pothole-strewn, bumpy road. Suffice it to say, you’re not going to be happy with the experience. Smooth out those speed bumps by connecting the right router to your network. Choices abound, whether you have a humble abode or need to provide coverage to every corner of your mansion.

Meanwhile, if your devices are slowing to a crawl because they're packed with files, or you're concerned about losing data from a device crash or fat finger, consider getting a network attached storage (NAS) device to store and back up your files.

Whether you're in the market to upgrade your router or invest in an NAS device, here are the brands that our readers recommends.

Readers' Choice Routers for 2021

When purchasing a new router for your home, you need to consider a few things. First, do you use the router that your internet service provider (ISP) is offering? You don’t have to. While the ISP's router might seem like the simplest way to go, it’s generally not the best way, according to our readers. Next, you must decide if a standalone router can provide adequate coverage, or if you need a mesh Wi-Fi system with nodes spread throughout your home to provide fast, reliable connections everywhere.

If a standalone router is all that's necessary, consider Asus, which has now won our Readers’ Choice award every year for the last decade. Asus received top ratings on nearly every satisfaction measure in our survey, including a 9.0 for overall satisfaction on a scale from 0 (extremely dissatisfied) to 10 (extremely satisfied). Asus has landed between 8.9 and 9.1 on this measure every year since 2015, an impressive show of excellence and consistency.  

Asus had the top marks on nearly every other satisfaction measure in the survey, including ratings of 9.0 or above for satisfaction with reliability (9.1), setup (9.0), ease of use (9.0), and likelihood to recommend (9.0). Asus’s rating of 8.0 for satisfaction with support was lower than these other measures but still best in the category.

TP-Link, which had the second highest overall satisfaction rating (8.7), shared the top spot in satisfaction with reliability and ease of use among standalone router brands. TP-Link bested Asus and all other brands in satisfaction with value (8.8).

About a third of respondents (34%) told us they use a whole home mesh Wi-Fi system. This year, Amazon-owned Eero, one of the pioneering companies in mesh networks for the home, wins its first Readers’ Choice award in the category. Eero received an overall satisfaction rating of 9.2, making it the only company to receive a rating on this measure of 9.0 or higher.

Eero also topped the survey on nearly every other measure, including ease of use, where it earned an impressive rating of 9.6. Its ratings for satisfaction with setup (9.3) and reliability (9.3) are also notable.

TP-Link and Asus tied for second place; they both received an overall satisfaction rating of 8.8 among mesh network brands. TP-Link also tied Eero on satisfaction with setup, reliability, and likelihood to recommend, an important measure of customer satisfaction. TP-Link blew away the competition on satisfaction with value with a rating of 8.9, nearly a point ahead of its closest competitor, Asus (8.1). Google won our Readers’ Choice award for mesh networks from 2018 to 2020, but its overall satisfaction rating this time (8.7), while unchanged from last year, fell behind Eero, TP-Link, and Asus.

For more, read The Best Wireless Routers and The Best Wi-Fi Mesh Networking Systems.

Readers' Choice Network Attached Storage for 2021

In 2012, we introduced the Network Attached Storage (NAS) category to our satisfaction surveys, and Synology took the top prize. It's repeated that victory every year since, including this year, where it earns a 9.4 overall satisfaction rating.

Only two other companies—QNAP and Western Digital—received at least the requisite minimum number of survey responses to be included in our survey analysis. Both companies were more than a full point behind Synology on overall satisfaction, with QNAP garnering an 8.3 and Western Digital an 8.1.

As it did last year, Synology also earned the top mark on every other satisfaction question that we asked. Its highest rating was a near-perfect 9.6 for satisfaction with reliability, a critical aspect of NAS devices. Readers rated Synology 8.9 or better on various aspects of NAS usage, including file storage (9.5), media storage (9.4), backup (9.2), media access across the internet (9.2), file access across the internet (9.1), and sharing files and media with others who aren’t on the user’s home network (9.0 and 8.9, respectively).

When readers need help, Synology is there to support them. Satisfaction with technical support rated an impressive 8.8 in a measure where even the best companies in any Readers' Choice category tend to rate much lower. (Western Digital only received a 7.3 on this measure.)

For more, read The Best NAS (Network Attached Storage) Devices.

Full Results

The PCMag Readers' Choice survey for Routers and Network Attached Storage was in the field from March 15, 2021, to April 5, 2021. For more information on how our surveys are conducted, read the survey methodology.

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