Best Routers for Google Fiber: Ranked and Reviewed (2022)

Choosing the right router for google fiber is important if you want to get proper speed. In this guide, I ranked and reviewed the 8 Best Routers for Google Fiber, along with our top 3 choices, so you can pick the best one for you.

Google Fiber is an emerging broadband internet technology that utilizes fiber optics cables to provide 1 Gbps internet speeds provider to its customers. The fiber optic cables transfer data via light, thus offering better speeds than other traditional cable or DSL connections.

Google Fiber will support all smart technologies within your workplace or home and it’s a reasonable, reliable, and speedy alternative to antiquated cables.

So, for this emerging fiber optics service, you need a router for its smooth working and great performance.

But buying a perfect router for Google fiber can be a daunting task; because of the vast range of products on the market. So, to lessen your struggle, in this buyer’s guide I’ve mentioned the best routers for google fiber that will enhance your internet speed. Moreover, here is a small ultimate guide for beginners, to consider “5 Major Things” while buying a router for google fiber.

Google Fiber Router Buying Guide: 5 Things to Consider

MU-MIMO feature:

MU-MIMO is the abbreviation for multi-user, multiple-input, and multiple-output that works to provide equal bandwidth to all the devices that are connected to the router. However, traditional routers make a single queue of incoming requests from different devices which reduces internet speed.

On the other hand, MU-MIMO split the available device requests into 3 to 4 queues and provides them equal bandwidth in chunks; thus, you’ll get faster internet speed. The number of queues or users a WiFi router can serve depends on the WiFi standards. If you’re using WiFi 5 the number of queues or users will be four but if you’ve WiFi 6 the number will be increased to 8.

Built-in modem:

It’s vital that the router you buy must have a built-in modem to get the fastest wireless Internet throughout your home. So, a built-in modem router serves as the best router for Google fiber, first, it doesn’t create any clutter of multiple devices near the router, as you can enjoy equal speed in your whole home; no matter how far you’re from the router. Second, it would be budget-friendly to buy a built-in modem router rather than buying a modem and router separately.

Bandwidth:

A router is integrated with different WiFi protocols such as WiFi 5 or 6 each protocol support different frequencies/bands. If you have a dual-band router, it supports both 2.4 gigahertz GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. However, in the case of the Tri-band router, it broadcast three signals; two signals on the 5 GHz band and one on the 2.4 GHz band. some routers include the 6-GHz band.

In the case of WiFi 6 standard, these routers are only limited to 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands; while WiFi 6E is the only router that offers a 6 GHz band. The 2.4 GHz band constitutes 11 channels; each channel is 20 MHz wide. While the 5 GHz band constitutes 45 channels; each channel creates 40-MHz or 80-MHz wide that works to transmit more data.

The ultimate 6 GHz band will support 60 channels, and each of them is 160 MHz wider. The main difference between 2.4 and 5 GHz is that 2.4 GHz offers a longer range, however, 5 GHz offers faster speeds along with strong bandwidth.

Mesh network:

A Mesh WiFi networking system consists of a central hub that works by connecting to the additional satellites/nodes that you placed around the home to extend your WiFi range. It extends radio signal by using nearby nodes around the area that works together to extend the network; perfect for larger households between 2,000 and 4,500 square feet.

So, if you have a large home, thick walls, and dead spots, or you want strong coverage in your garden, then a mesh WiFi router works best for you. However, buying a mesh system router might be a little pricier and smaller than typical single-router setups. But they’ll surely boost the coverage and network reliability of your router.

To create a mesh network, you’ll need to connect different routers at different spots of your home/workplace to cover the whole area. Before buying a WiFi extender make sure that which mesh your router supports such as Asus supports AiMesh and TP-Link supports OneMesh technology.

WiFi standards:

WiFi standards are vital for the security of your router because all traffic of your home/workplace goes through it, and devices are connected to it. So, security standards like Wired Equivalent Privacy and Wi-Fi Protected Access must be present in your router to protect your data against hackers or cyber threats.

The minimum standard WPA2 offers strong encryption but can’t protect against vulnerabilities. However, WPA3 works well to protect against vulnerabilities and offers opportunistic wireless encryption that provides a separate decoding key to each device connected with the router. So, if any device on the network is checking traffic it can’t decode that data.

Moreover, WPA3 is the toughest WiFi standard; hackers can’t crack passwords, as they can’t offline dictionaries to search for possible passwords. So, must keep the focus on this WiFi standard point before buying the best router for Google Fiber for your home/workplace.

What Are The Best Routers for Google Fiber?

1. Ubiquiti Networks Edgerouter

For those people who’re looking for a basic, robust Gigabit best router for Google fiber then this Ubiquiti Networks Edgerouter is one of the fastest and most reliable routers that you’ve ever seen. This EdgeRouter is specially designed for advanced network users and definitely meets their requirements; no matter if it has a single band.

The single band of this router doesn’t affect its working; delivers a smooth 1 Megabit file transferring/uploading speed without any lagging. This compact and quiet product offers dynamic security, routing, and other management features that make it a perfect router for smoothly running your home network.

Its multi-ports option will let you enjoy the high-speed internet that you crave for streaming your 4K HD movies or games. EdgeRouter will prove to be the best choice for you as it also supports the SSH feature and includes a 3rd party Wireguard VPN that protects your data; thus, offering a secure and fastest VPN connection.

One of its advantageous pros is the ‘traffic analysis’ via DPI feature that allows you to check how much bandwidth is utilized by each device. Moreover, this real-time display, also let you know what applications are searched by other devices and you can also restrict specific applications for some devices.

2. Google Mesh WiFi – AC1200

It is suitable for those users who want to maintain a reliable internet connection throughout their homes. The 3 routers pack of this Google router allows you to cover a 4500 Sq ft area and is pretty easy to set up via its Google Home app.

Moreover, it shows compatibility can be added with any Nest WiFi system, and its multiple Gigabit Ethernet ports allow you to enjoy the fastest speed. The 3-unit kit of this router system is cheaper than other expensive options. Moreover, its discreet and sleek design easily blends with your home interior.

Offer a parental control feature that allows you to monitor your children’s Internet activity via its Google Home app. You can also restrict access to various sites that would be inappropriate for your children. You can also set up a guest network manually or via the voice command feature for one-time Internet access.

Each Google router device includes 3 Ethernet ports so that you can also enjoy wired connectivity. A detailed setup and installation video of this Google router is available on its Amazon link.

3. NETGEAR Orbit Tri-Band Router

This Netgear router offers a wide coverage area of around 5000 Sq ft which makes this router ideal for workplaces/offices. Its Tri-Band frequency allows you to enjoy a data transfer rate of around 3000mbps on up to 25 connected devices. This NetGear Mesh router system offers NetGear Armor built-in antivirus that protects your data/information and ensures that all devices are protected against malware attacks.

You can easily set up this router via the Orbi app which allows you to monitor connectivity speeds and modify settings. This router also supports beamforming technology that works to gather Internet signals towards one connected device; a more stable and reliable connection.

The tri-band of this amazing router offers a 2.4 Gigahertz frequency on one band and 5 Gigahertz wireless frequencies on the other band. So, with such an immense number of frequencies, you’ll be able to enjoy great performance even in dead or low-speed zones of your home.

Moreover, it also offers guest networking, parental controls, Google voice control support, and many others! Its 9 inches tall and 6 inches wider design makes this product better in looks than its previous models with antennas.

4. eero 6 Plus Router

This best router for Google fiber supports WiFi speeds up to 1 Gigabit, without any premium subscription for just $299. However, when you subscribed to the eero 6+ premium version, you’ll enjoy 160 MHz channel speed throughout your home/workplace.

Its TrueMesh technology works well to channel traffic to reduce drop-offs and dead spots in your home. So, you can enjoy enough speed for streaming, video calling, and much more; even at dead spots areas of your home.

The eero app of this router allows you to set up the router within a few minutes and you can also manage your network from anywhere. No matter if you’re traveling, you can still keep an eye on your children’s internet activity, and browsing history, and restrict specific apps for kids via the eero app.

Its firmware updates automatically thus it helps to keep your network safe and secure from malware threats. However, you need to get a separate subscription if you want access to online security and additional network management features. It has a built-in smart home hub that makes it compatible with Thread and Zigbee devices via Alexa. So, you don’t need to spend extra money on purchasing separate hubs.

5. Mikrotik Routerboard RB2011

This best router for Google fiber is the best-to-buy product if you want to use Google Fiber without purchasing or connecting the Network Box. You can purchase this budget-friendly product to replace your old network box that doesn’t support Google fiber. The incredible feature of this product is its 10 Ethernet ports that allow you to connect 10 devices with this single router.

So, that your entire home can enjoy wired network speed without any lags at the same time. At such an affordable price, this Mikrotik RB2011 offers a great combination of features and customizability. Moreover, its builds-in durable OS offers dynamic routing, hotspot, firewall, MPLS, VPN, and other advanced quality features.

It is integrated with a new Atheros 600MHz and 74K MIPS networking processor that offers 128MB RAM. The 5 Gigabit LAN ports, 5 fastest Ethernet LAN ports, and SFP cage offer dynamic performance to all devices connected with this router.

The LCD panels allow you to manage all the functions of this router conveniently. It supports passive output capability on the last Ethernet port (ETH10), which means it allows you to power other devices by simply connecting it with a regular Ethernet cable.

6. Gryphon Guardian Mesh Router

This Gryphon Guardian is the best router for Google fiber and is specially designed for those people having small homes and low-budget. The size of this router is just equal to your palm but this little device allows you to control your entire network. By using the Gryphon app, which is easy to install, you can easily set up and maintain your network.

The app allows you to check network security, parental settings, and many others! the 2.4 and 5GHz bands work simultaneously to provide you great Internet surfing experience. Moreover, you can create a mesh network by placing more Gryphon Guardian routers around your house; connect the first router to your modem and the other router with the first one. All these routers work more wisely than your standard Wi-Fi system by balancing the workload of traffic on each device.

The Gryphon Guardian routers mesh offers great performance and security against intrusion and malware threats. Thus, it protects your all devices from unwanted influences and offers equal blazing speed. If you want un-matched advanced internet protection then you’ve to subscribe to cyber-armor, that only offers a free trial for 6 months. Its brilliant parental control allows you to filter content, browse the history, safe search, and limit internet time for specific devices at such an affordable price.

7. TP-Link Archer C2300 Router

It offers the latest MU-MIMO technology, beamforming, link aggregation, and dynamic performance than other routers. This router can be conveniently installed and includes a 1.8GHz dual-core processor along with a 64-bit CPU having 2 co-processors. All these features work simultaneously for smoother performance and dynamic multi-tasking.

With its ultra-fast 802.11AC support it let you enjoy a faster WiFi connection and 4K videos even in dead spots of your home. The MU MIMO feature makes this router compatible with Windows 98SE, XP, Vista, or Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, MAC OS, UNIX/Linux, Internet Explorer 11, Firefox 12.0, Chrome 20.0, Safari 4.0, and many others! Moreover, it also allows compatibility with your existing cable or DSL modem.

Also offers Vonn Server that allows you to set up a personal VPN server for browsing the web and accessing files without any paid subscriptions. The beamforming feature of this WiFi makes interlinks all devices and focuses the main router’s signals toward them.

This WiFi distribution feature equally divides speed between newer and older devices for offering dynamic performance and reliability. Moreover, the Link Aggregation feature combines two ports from the four Gigabit LAN ports that double WiFi speeds from 1 Gbps to 2 Gbps for just $70.

8. OnHub Wireless Router

If you want a modern-looking and budget-friendly wireless router, then this OnHub router is the best choice for just $70. At such an affordable price, this cylinder-shaped router can handle more than 100 devices and offers wide coverage of around 2500 Sq ft.

The router constitutes 2 Ethernet ports along with a USB port that allows you to transfer data at 1900mbps speed. This dynamic speed of this router allows you to stream HD movies, play online games, and smooth content creation without dropping signals or buffering. It supports dual-band frequency; the 5GHz band delivers 1300mbps speed and 2.4GHz delivers 600mbps speed.

As this best router for Google fiber is designed by Google, you can quickly set up and manage this router via Google from the App store. The 13 powerful antennas of this router combine to offer reliable coverage even in low-coverage places in your home. This app allows you to monitor the activities of the connected device such as internet browsing activities.

Also, you can prioritize more bandwidth to a specific device for faster speed than other devices. It allows you to set up a separate guest network that helps your friends to connect with the network easily and you can also share devices such as your Chromecast.

Wrapping Up!

I’m sure that after getting through this ultimate buyer’s guide, you’ll be much more aware of the major things that you must consider while buying a router for Google Fiber. I assure you that all these products are highly recommended routers for Google fiber and offer great connectivity than other traditional routers.

Moreover, for beginners, we suggest buying the EdgeRouter which would be a perfect choice for your home. However, for experts, we suggest buying the Google WiFi system.

On the whole, I would say that these best routers for Google fiber offer commendable features and functioning and after buying any of these routers, you wouldn’t regret it.

Further Reading on HABytes: Check out Best Routers for Small Apartments and Best Routers for Apple Devices.

Image Credit: Amazon/HABytes

This article was originally published on Nov. 6, 2022