Best router for Comcast in 2022

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Budget pick

The best budget router for Comcast

TP-Link Archer AX50 Wireless Gigabit Router

Things to Consider when purchasing a router for Comcast

Comcast’s Xfinity service will work with almost any router out there. The only time you have to worry about compatibility is when the router comes with a modem or has one built-in. Still, there are a few things you need to be aware of before you go on the search for the best router for Comcast.

Comcast Xfinity router vs third party routers

So, just about any router out there will work with Comcast Xfinity. The question then becomes if you should go with a third-party router over the one they provide.

Comcast has plans from 25Mbps up to Gigabit Pro, which is up to 3Gbps in some locations. When signing up for the Xfinity service, you’ll have the option to rent a modem and router for them for $14/month. That does get a bit pricey, adding up to almost $170/year.

While expensive, going with Comcast’s router does have its advantages. For example, Comcast’s customer service will take care of any problems with the router. You also get better warranty support, and we can’t say the same for all third-party routers.

On the flip side, a third-party router is certainly more appealing. If you aare tech-savvy and like to tinker with router settings and custom features, a third-party router will always be the more attractive option. You end up saving a good bit of money in the long run, and of course, you get 100% ownership of the router.

Will any router work with Comcast?

Like we said before, almost any router will technically work with the Xfinity service. This makes finding the best router for Comcast a bit easier since you don’t need to worry too much about compatibility issues.

Again, as long as you are using the modem provided by Comcast and your third-party router, you should be good to go. Be aware that there are a few routers out there that come with a modem or have one built-in. Some of these are approved by the Xfinity service, while others are not.

You are better off staying away from these devices rather than dealing with the hassle of setting them up.

Look out for router and cable speeds

Now that you are on the hunt for the best router for Comcast, the first thing that you need to consider is speed. Comcast Xfinity plans can go from 25Mbps up to 3Gbps depending on the locality. As such, you need to make sure that you get all the equipment that matches or is above the speed of your internet connection.

For the router side, even if you’re going with a lower-tier plan, your best bet is to go with a Gigabit router. This is because most of the latest and greatest routers out there now use Wi-Fi 6, which automatically makes them Gigabit routers.

A Gigabit router will have more bandwidth than most of the cheap routers out there that are under $50. You can take advantage of a Gigabit router if you have a fast internet connection, or even if you transfer a lot of files from something like a NAS server.

To sum it up, if a Gigabit router isn’t something you need, just get a router that is 50-100Mbps faster than your internet connection. This way you’ll avoid any bottlenecks.

The same goes for Ethernet cables. If you’re connecting your TV, consoles, home theatre setup, or Desktop PC via Ethernet, you’ll need the right cables. There are CAT5 cables out there that are 100Mbps, while CAT6 cables can easily support Gigabit supports.

What are the different types of routers?

Apart from speed and the number of features, routers can be differentiated by the method they use to talk to their devices. When it comes to consumer tech, there are two main types of routers out there that you want to worry about.

• Single Routers: Most of you will be familiar with a single router. This plugs into your modem via an Ethernet cable, then communicates with all of your devices either via Wi-Fi or a hardwired Ethernet connection.

• Mesh Routers: Mesh Routers are a relatively recent development in the world of Wi-Fi and home internet. A Mesh Wi-Fi system has a central hub that talks to other access points scattered across the home. These points are also called nodes.

As you can probably imagine, Mesh Wi-Fi systems provide more coverage, as they have more access points. They are excellent if you want a stable Wi-Fi connection all across your home without dropping speeds.

On the flip side, single routers are easier to set up and tend to be more reliable. Mesh Wi-Fi has gotten affordable, but single routers are still the best value out there right now.

Best router for Comcast: understanding the specs

For the most part, you are now aware of what to look out for when buying the best router for Comcast. However, a lot of the specs can be confusing to many people, so we’ll quickly go over those just so you are better informed.

Wi-Fi standards explained

Currently, all of the new routers on the market work with the Wi-Fi 6 or 802.11ax standard. To take advantage of Wi-Fi 6, you need to have devices that have a Wi-Fi 6 chip built inside. Wi-FI 6 serves as the successor to Wi-Fi 5, also known as the 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi 6 is up to 4 times faster than its predecessor, and also happens to be more efficient. Keep in mind that a Wi-Fi 6 router will still be backward compatible with most of your devices that use Wi-Fi 5. It’s just that you won’t be able to achieve the theoretical maximum speeds.

OFDMA & MU-MIMO

Wi-Fi 6 is mainly faster because of the optimization and refinement of these two technologies. MU-MIMO (Multi-user, Multiple Input/Output) allows Wi-Fi 6 routers to communicate with more devices efficiently. It gives 8 concurrent Wi-Fi streams spread across different devices.

OFDMA is quite similar. It allows data to travel more efficiently across multiple devices from one single transmission. Both of these technologies are actually what makes Wi-Fi 6 better than its predecessor.

Dual-Band Wi-Fi

Most older routers out there use the 2.4GHz band for communicating over Wi-Fi with different devices. The 2.4GHz band can be a bit slow, but it has great signal integrity and is quite reliable. However, the 5GHz band is much faster, and also has access to a wider bandwidth.

Dual-band routers support both of these channels. This allows you to connect the high-priority devices to the 5GHz band. Other devices such as tablets, kindle, printers, and smart home accessories can all connect to the 2.4GHz band

Splitting devices across both bands frees up a lot of space on both channels and prevents you from experiencing slowdowns caused by devices on the other band.