Top 10 Best Dual Band WiFi Routers in India for Home & Office

During a time when the internet seems to be the only constant thing in our life, WiFi routers have become an essential item for those who can’t live without the internet.

For everything we now need the internet. Our whole life is getting digitalized.

From interacting with people to booking tickets for movies or flights, everything is done through the internet. The ‘e’ for electronics is getting added to everything.

Moreover, this pandemic has further shown us the importance of the internet. Now from doing online classes to doing office work from home, ordering groceries, and other essential items, we are using the internet for everything.

Thus having a wifi connection at home or the office really helps to do all the work smoothly. And for that, a wifi router is required.

What Is A Wifi Router?

This device helps you to connect all your devices like mobile phones, tablets, laptops, TVs or printers, etc. to the local internet service that is available in your area.

It is the middleman between your internet and the LAN. It receives information from and transmits information to the internet. 

How Is A Router Different From A Modem?

You cannot just have an internet connection with a router. You also need a modem for that. Without a modem, you will have a LAN but no internet connection for your devices.

In simple words, a modem brings the internet connection from your local internet service provider to your router, and then the router connects your devices to that internet connection.

A modem provides the Ethernet cable output that you can plug into any router and get an internet connection.

Benefits Of Having A Wifi Router At Home Or Office

Easy internet connection – A wifi router allows you to connect to the internet anytime or 24/7 without the hassle of any wires.

Mobility – If you have a wifi router at home you can have an internet connection anywhere within your home.

Gone are the days of sitting in one place and doing work because you will get the internet only on your computer through wires.

You can do all the work from any of your mobile devices like laptops, phones, etc. if you have a wireless router.

Multiple connections – With the wires, the days of having an internet connection only on one device are also gone.

Now with a wireless router, you can connect as many devices as you want, based on the power of the router.

Each device will run smoothly and will get connected to the router using its distinct IP address.

These are some of the most basic benefits that you can get from a wifi router.

How Will You Choose The Best Wifi Router? (Buyers’ Guide)

Look into the below-mentioned factors while choosing a Wi-Fi router.

Wifi Standards – Wifi Standards are related to the speed that a router provides. It’s best to look for the latest standards i.e. 802.11ac which can give you support for even gigabit speed.

Not only with the new devices, but these routers are also compatible with the older ones.

Wifi Speed – Always remember that manufacturers will tell you about speed which may rarely occur in some labs under ideal conditions. You will hardly see them in some realistic situations like our home or office.

However, you can always go for the latest wifi standards which can give you the maximum speed.

Wired Interfaces of Routers – Some routers are connected to broadband while some to ethernet or USB. So before buying a router check what kind of connectivity you require.

You can opt for a wired ethernet connection, and the best one can provide you a speed of 1 Gbps or you can also go for USB connection. USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 is much faster than the old USB 2.0.

Compatibility with Broadband Provider – Routers need to be connected to a broadband provider.

So always choose something which will be compatible with your broadband services. The speed of both the broadband and the router should match.

Wifi Bands – Routers generally have two wifi bands 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. These are called dual-band wifi routers.

There are also some tri-band routers available. But for domestic purposes, it is advisable to use a dual-band.

For geeks, check this article to know more about Dual Band wifi routers.

MU-MIMO Facility – This feature in a router provides higher-speed data and also if multiple devices are streaming videos at the same time using the same router then it’s a great advantage.

Router Antennas – Some routers have antennas outside the case. Those may not look good, but they catch strong signals. There are other routers that have internal antennas, though they look elegant their signal remains weak.

Routers with antennal antennas that had no position adjustment provide the best coverage.

Beam-Forming Feature – Some advanced routers have this feature, which helps to deliver strong signals and higher speed.

It enables the router to concentrate the signal toward some specific device instead of spreading the same signal over a whole area.

Wifi Security – Having internet security is very important otherwise there is a high chance of leaking your personal details like bank account details or card details.

Make sure whatever router you are buying, uses at least WPA2 protocol.

Nowadays, manufacturers also include other safety features like you can add extra encryption, blocking unwanted users, etc. So buy a product that suits your safety needs.

So, these are the few points that you should always consider while purchasing a Wi-Fi router.

List of 10 Best Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Routers With Long Range for Home & Office in India

Our verdict:

These wireless Wi-Fi routers are excellent for medium to heavy usage like watching movies online in HD/4K resolution, and streaming/playing online games, and have stable coverage with maximum range.

You can consider them for both home & office use.

TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Router

It is a dual-band router that operates with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and the latest 802.11ac wifi standard. This is the best wifi router in India for your home if you’re buying it for entertainment & gaming purposes.

The wifi standard speeds up the data transfer up to 1.75 Gbps. The 5 GHz band provides 1300 Mbps whereas the 2.4 GHz provides 450 Mbps.

It has 3 outside detachable 5dBi antennas serving the 5 GHz band along with 3 internal antennas serving the 2.4 GHz band.

There is a multifunctional  USB 2.0 port.

The router is equipped with full Gigabit connectivity. It has one Gigabit WAN port and four Gigabit LAN ports.

Some other features are –

• Guest network – Creates a separate guest network for the visitor and thus keeps the main network safe.
• Parental control – Parents can restrict the access time and contents for those devices used by their children.

The device is easy to set up and can be controlled using the Tether app which is available on both Android and iOS phones.

Pros –

• Overall it is one of the best choices for online gaming or HD video streaming purposes.
• The high-quality antenna technology helps to maintain high speed over a large area.
• Using the USB port you can share files or media with other devices on the network or can use a local printer.
• The whole Gigabit connectivity provides 10 times faster speed than a standard ethernet connection.
• For safety purposes, it has the advanced IPv6 protocol.

Cons –

Wifi Signal Range.

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Tenda AC10 Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit WiFi Router

It is a smart dual-band wireless router with full Gigabit connectivity.

The 2.4 GHz band supports 300 Mbps and the 5 GHz band supports 867 Mbps.

There are four 5 dBi Omni-directional antennas, which provide great coverage and multiple devices can work smoothly using the router.

It comes with three LAN Gigabit and 1 WAN Gigabit port.

It has the latest 802.11ac wifi standard which supports Gigabit speeds.

With its 1 GHz CPU and 128 MB DDR3, you can smoothly enjoy video streaming and gaming.

Some of its other smart features are –

• Parental control, 
• Universal repeater mode, 
• Wifi schedule,
• Signal power adjustment, 
• Bandwidth control,
• WPS,
• Blocking system, and 
• Smart LED lights.

Pros –

• It has MU-MIMO and beam-forming technology which ensures higher speed and stronger signal.
• The router can support more than 30 devices on its network.
• In case you forget your username or password, it can migrate your PPPoE username and password from the router.
• Overall this router delivers the exact speed and range which is perfect for domestic use and is also available at an affordable price.

Cons –

• In case of any problem finding a service center for this company can be a problem.

Verdict: One of the best wifi routers in India for streaming games online or watching 1080p/4K resolution videos on OTT services like Netflix, and Amazon prime.

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Asus RT-AC59U Dual Band Gigabit WiFi Router

This one is perfect for online gaming, HD video streaming, or media sharing.

This device is powered by 5th-generation wifi with the latest 802.11ac chipset.

It has two bands and four omnidirectional antennas. The 2.1 GHz band supports 600 Mbps whereas the 5 GHz band supports 867 Mbps.

The router has full Gigabit connectivity. It is equipped with 4 Gigabit LAN ports, which can speed up to 4 Gbps simultaneously.

It also has a USB 2.0 port for sharing media and files with other devices on the network.

Other notable features are –

• Parental control,
• AiDisk,
• SSIDs, and
• Supports MOD IPTV.

The ASUS Router App helps you to set up your router, manage network traffic, diagnose connection issues, and even in updating the firmware without any help from any PC.

You can use a VPN server to access data with an encryption connection.

Pros –

• The Gigabit LAN ports deliver 10 times more speed than a standard ethernet connection.
• This device is perfect for smart TVs, game consoles, cable boxes, media players, NAS storage devices, etc.
• You can apply security settings on all the devices that use the network of this router.

Cons –

• It takes time to reboot in case of making changes in the settings.

Verdict: This is also one of the best coverage wifi routers in India.

Must check out: Best Wi-Fi Mesh Network Systems for Home & Office

Netgear R6220 AC1200

This Netgear smart Wi-Fi router has an 880 MHz processor along with 128 MB of flash memory and 128 Mb of RAM.

This is a dual-band router with two external antennas, which provides a strong signal. The two 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands support 300 Mbps and 867 Mbps speed respectively.

It is equipped with 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 1 USB 2.0 port.

Out of 5 Gigabit ports, there are 4 LAN ports and 1 WAN port.

There are multiple safety features on this device.

• Supports IPv6
• WPA / WPA2 – PSK
• Double firewall protection – SPI and NAT firewall
• Denial of Service (DoS) features in case of any forced entry.

The device can be controlled using the Nighthawk app.

It can support more than 8 devices.

Pros –

• It is highly equipped with safety measures.
• The router also provides the parental control feature to restrict the access time and some content for children.
• This device is very suitable for domestic use.

Cons –

• Sometimes the internet speed can get a bit unstable.

Verdict: Our choice for the best wifi router with the maximum range in India. Perfect for both heavy domestic & office use.

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D-Link DIR-1360 Dual Band Router  

D-Link is another brand well-known for its routers.

It is a dual-band router that does not require a modem.

Along with the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, it also has four external antennas that are Omnidirectional in nature.

The router has dual-core processors.

It comes with four LAN Ethernet ports and one USB port.

The router provides a speed of 1300 Mbps.

The device comes with a power button, reset button, and WPS button.

It is a mesh wifi router, hence very suitable for large homes or offices.

Pros –

• It has voice control and parental control features.
• The device automatically gets updated and is virus protected.
• Since the antennas are Omnidirectional so you can move them in different directions to catch the strong signal.

Cons –

• Does not have Gigabit connectivity.

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D-Link DIR-819 Dual Band Router 

Here is another one from D-Link, but this is a bit different from the previous one.

This black color dual-band router has three external antennas.

The router can provide a speed of a maximum of 750  Mbps.

the two bands, 2.4 GHz supports 300 Mbps and 5 GHz supports 433 Mbps.

It has an advanced QoS Engine that optimally distributes traffic between the two wireless bands so that it can deliver better performance.

With the AC750 technology, it can provide great coverage.

The router has 1 WAN port and 4 LAN ports along with a USB port.

The device can operate at 0 to 40 degrees of temperature and 10 to 90 percent non-condensing humidity.

It supports multiple standard IEEE –

• IEEE 802.11ac, 
• IEEE 802.11n, 
• IEEE 802.11g, 
• IEEE 802.11b, 
• IEEE 802.11a, and 
• IEEE 802.3u.

Pros –

• Combining the speedy ethernet ports and dual-band technology this router is perfect for online gaming, HD video streaming, large media file transfers, and much more.
• It has the WPS feature so that you can safely add any device to the network.
• The device is compatible with all broadband internet service providers.

Cons –

• The external antennas are fixed, not flexible.

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Netgear R6080-100INS AC1000

Netgear has given us another great product that is perfect for live games, HD media streaming, etc. We found this to be the best double antenna Wi-Fi router in this price segment.

This is also a dual-band wifi router with AC1000 technology.

The two bands – 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz support 300 + 700 Mbps speed.

There are two external antennas that help in getting strong signals.

The router needs to be controlled using the Netgear Genie app.

It supports 802.11ac wifi standards.

At the back of the device, you will get 4 ethernet ports, one Internet port, one DC port, a power button, and a reset button.

The device is mainly for domestic purposes and has great coverage so you can easily use it in a large house.

It works with all N150, N300, N600, and AC devices.

Pros –

• The device creates a guest network for other devices to keep the main network safe.
• Due to the two simultaneous bands, there is no interference in the speed even when multiple devices add to the network.
• The AC1000 wifi along with the dual technology provides such high speed that multiple devices can stream HD-quality video simultaneously without any latency.

Cons –

• Covering too wide a range can be a bit difficult.

Verdict: Our recommendation for the best dual-band wifi router for long-range in India. Excellent for domestic use like watching movies, online gaming, etc.

Tenda AC5 V3 AC1200 Wireless Dual-Band WiFi Router

Amidst all the black routers here is one white router from Tenda.

This smart wireless router has the 802.11ac Wave 2.0 standard.

The AC5 technology along with the dual bands can offer data transmission at a maximum speed of up to 1167 Mbps.

The 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands support 300 Mbps and 867 Mbps speeds respectively.

The 1 GHz high-frequency CPU along with a 28 nm processor helps to provide a stable internet connection.

It is equipped with 4 flexible antennas along with 3 LAN ethernet ports and 1 WAN ethernet port and a WPS button for safety purposes.

The device can be locally as well as remotely managed by the Tenda Wifi App.

Pros –

• The presence of MU-MIMO and beam-forming technology helps it to deliver a 20% faster internet connection with a strong signal.
• You can easily migrate the ISP username and password from the router in case you forget.

Cons –

• Sometimes speed can be a problem.

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TP-Link AC1200 Archer A6 Smart WiFi Router

TP-Link is one of the best wifi router manufacturers in the market.

This stylish-looking black color dual band wifi router comes with many first-class features.

It supports both 802.11ac and 802.11a standards.

The two bands, 2.4 GHz with 300 Mbps and 5 GHz with 867 Mbps, can provide up to a maximum speed of 1200 Mbps.

It has 4 external antennas and one internal antenna and together they provide a stable wireless connection with strong signals.

The device is equipped with Gigabit connectivity and has 4-gigabit ethernet ports and one internet port. 

Its MU-MIMO technology helps to achieve 2 times better internet connection than a normal router and its beam-forming technology helps it cover a wider area.

It can be easily controlled using the tether app.

The device supports Access Point mode to create a new wifi access point.

Pros –

• It has both MU-MIMO and beam-forming technology.
• The device has both internal and external antennas.
• This is a mesh wifi router that helps to eliminate the wifi dead zones within its coverage area.
• At the back, you will find the WPS button for safety purposes.

Cons –

Minor stability issues.

It is the best 5GHz gigabit dual-band MU-MIMO wireless router below 2500INR in India.

D-Link DIR-806 – AC750 Dual Band Wireless Router

The last one on the list is a simple dual-band wifi router from D-Link.

This easy-to-set-up router can provide up to 750 Mbps data transmission rate and has 3 fixed external 5 dBi antennas.

It has four 10 / 100 Mbps LAN ports and one 10/100 Mbps WAN port.

The device is equipped with a built-in firewall system.

It is ideal for home use and is perfect for video streaming and online gaming on multiple devices.

Pros –

• The router provides WEP, WPA, and WPA2 security.
• It supports VLAN for IPTV.

Cons –

• The external antennas are fixed.

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Our review and selection process for the best dual-band gigabit long-range routers are:

• Routers with gigabit connectivity are selected.
• We tried to add models having MIMO or MU-MIMO technology.
• Models with the maximum stable coverage.
• Routers have their own smartphone app for seamless user control without a login on their web interface.
• Customer feedback was also taken into consideration.

Some FAQs:

Is dual-band Wi-Fi router better?

Yes! Dual-band wifi routers are far better than normal ones. They’ve better range and signal strength. Also, they have got a 5 GHz connection for ultrafast internet.

Which router has the best 5 GHz range?

TP-Link AC1200 Archer A6 Smart Wi-Fi Router has one of the best 5 GHz ranges among other brands. It has antennas and the 5 GHz range is >10 feet. It can provide a connection to rooms up to 450sq meters.

What is the advantage of dual-band Wi-Fi?

There are several advantages of dual-band Wi-Fi some of them are strong & stable signal strength, longer range, etc. Apart from these, there are some key technologies that you’ll get like MU-MIMO & gigabit connectivity.

Does dual-band router decrease speed?

No, not at all. In fact, they increase the speed of the internet by utilizing 100% of the bandwidth provided by your ISP in the plan.

Does 5GHz Wi-Fi go through walls?

Unfortunately, 5GHz signals are not as effective as their counterpart 2.4GHz signals in penetrating solid objects like walls. There will be a signal loss if the wall is made of concrete and steel reinforcing bars.

Can I use both 2.4 and 5GHz at the same time?

If your router has Mu-MIMO technology, then you can seamlessly use 2.4 and 5 GHz at the same time. Your smartphone will auto-reconnect between the two signals.

Should I use 2.4 or 5GHz Wi-Fi?

For heavy gaming, downloading, using SaaS, web apps, and watching high definition 2k/4k videos, it’s recommended to go for 5 GHz, and for work-from-home tasks, normal browsing, and watching websites you’re good to go with a 2.4 GHz router.

Conclusion

Having a wifi router is very essential during this pandemic period when we are constantly sitting at home and using the internet for everything, the whole day.

Mobile data packs do not provide that unlimited usage facility that you can enjoy if you have a wifi connection at home. 

Binge-watching your favorite series or roaming between Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube for the whole day is not possible without having a wifi router.

Also having a wifi router means you have to spend less on recharging your mobile data packs.

So, go ahead and check the list, study the important factors that need to be considered and get a router for yourself.