Early Black Friday router deals: Upgrade to mesh or Wi-Fi 6 at a holiday discount – CNET

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

It’s still expensive, but you can currently save $50 on a 2-piece Netgear Orbi AX6000 mesh router setup, bringing the cost down from $700 to $650. With full support for Wi-Fi 6, a tri-band design with an extra 5GHz band for system transmissions, and a WAN port capable of accepting incoming wired speeds as high as 2.5Gbps, the AX6000 is Netgear’s fanciest Orbi system — and it remains the fastest, best-performing mesh router we’ve ever tested. 

Netgear tells me this deal will be live through Nov. 30, which is Cyber Monday. I might hold off on clicking the buy button to see if a better Orbi offer emerges by Black Friday, but I haven’t heard of any other AX6000 deals just yet. At any rate, if you’ve been waiting for a sale on the fastest, most reliable mesh we’ve ever tested, this is the week.

Read the Netgear Orbi AX6000 review.

Linksys

I haven’t reviewed this particular model, but one of my CNET predecessors on the Wi-Fi beat was a fan of an earlier version of it back in 2017, calling it “a just-right router for small homes.” This one, the Linksys MR8300, is nearly identical to that one — an AC2200 router with four antennas and two 5GHz bands. 

What’s best about it is is the triband design, and the fact that you can use it with other Linksys Max Stream devices to create your own mesh network. The extra 5GHz band will help keep speeds fast across your entire home should you choose to go that route. Now, ahead of Black Friday, you can get it for $30 off at Best Buy, where it boasts a review average of 4.6, with over 1,000 five-star reviews.

Netgear

It doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6, but the AC1200 version of the Netgear Orbi is still a solid and dependable mesh router, and it impressed us with surprisingly strong signal strength when we tested it out at the CNET Smart Home. Back then, I called the two-piece version of this system a terrific value at $129 — now, as an early Black Friday special at Walmart, you can get the three-piece version with an extra range extender for just $99.

A three-piece mesh system like this one is the best way to cover a large-size home with a steady, reliable Wi-Fi connection, and $99 is as low a price as you’ll ever see for a well-reviewed, name-brand option like this one. If your home Wi-Fi network has a lot of ground to cover and you’re sick of dead zones, then this is a deal worth pouncing on. Note this is appearing out of stock to some CNET staff, but not others, so availability (and maybe price) may depend on your location.

Read our Netgear Orbi AC1200 review.

TP-Link

The Archer AX20 is one of TP-Link’s entry-level Wi-Fi 6 routers. With a dual-band design and AX1800 speeds, it isn’t going to be a game-changer for your entire home network, but it’ll still help you notch slightly faster Wi-Fi performance from any Wi-Fi 6 devices you might own, which might make it a sensible upgrade for anyone who just bought a new iPhone. 

The router usually sells for $130, but TP-Link has it marked down to $100 as an early special for Black Friday week.

TP-Link

This TP-Link mesh router is basically the exact same thing as Eero 6, at least as far as specs are concerned. Both are AX1800 systems that support Wi-Fi 6, and both three-packs typically sell for $270. But starting later today, you’ll be able to grab TP-Link’s system for $230, which saves you $40. The deal wasn’t live yet as of 10am ET, but I’ll keep an eye on it and update this space when it’s up.

Don’t care about Wi-Fi 6? The TP-Link Deco M5 system is last year’s Wi-Fi 5 model — that three-piece system usually costs $170, but it’s available right now for $150, saving you a cool $20.

Netgear

The usual starting price for this high-speed Wi-Fi 6 router is $300, which is admittedly pretty steep for a dual-band model that doesn’t have an extra 5GHz band. Sit tight, though, because on Saturday, Nov. 28 (the day after Black Friday), Best Buy will have it marked down by 50% to a sale price of $150. That’s a pretty darned good deal for a router capable of hitting top speeds as high as 4.8Gbps.

Linksys

If you’re not looking for a router upgrade, and instead, just want a good deal on something simple and functional, then you might consider the Linksys EA6350. It’s a pretty basic Wi-Fi 5 router, but it’ll get the job done for browsing and light streaming. 

Starting on Saturday, Nov. 28 (again, that’s the day after Black Friday), Best Buy will offer it for $55, which is $15 less than the current sale price and $35 less than the usual retail price.

Amazon

Amazon-owned Eero released two new mesh routers this fall: the Eero 6 and the Eero Pro 6. Both include full support for Wi-Fi 6, but the Eero Pro 6 boasts faster top speeds and it adds a second 5GHz band for dedicated backhaul transmissions between the router and its range-extending satellites. That’s a key upgrade if you want your mesh router to make the most of Wi-Fi 6.

The Eero Pro 6 isn’t cheap at $599 for a three-pack, but that’s less than you’ll spend for other high-end, triband mesh routers that support Wi-Fi 6, including our top picks such as the Asus ZenWiFi AX and the AX6000 version of Netgear Orbi. And, if you’re willing to wait a couple of extra days for delivery, Amazon will include a free Fire TV Cube for folks who purchase through the link below. That’s a leftover deal from Prime Day, but it’s a good offer for a mesh system that held up well in our tests.

Read our Eero Pro 6 review.