The Problem With Buying for Today
When you buy a router, you buy for the house you have and the number of devices you own right now. In three years, your house will have more devices, and your needs will be different. If you bought cheap, you will buy again.
Future-proofing does not mean buying the most expensive thing you can find. It means understanding which parts of your network become bottlenecks as your needs grow, and spending money where it will save you replacing things later.
What Changes Over Five Years
More devices. The average home had 8 connected devices in 2020. In 2025 it is more like 20. This trend is not slowing. Smart devices, extra streaming boxes, multiple laptops, tablets, phones, and visitors all add up. A router that handles 10 devices comfortably might struggle with 25.
Higher demands. 4K streaming is normal now. 8K will be normal before the end of this decade. Video calls are not going away. Online gaming is getting more demanding. The “good enough” speed of today will feel slow sooner than you expect.
Better standards. Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is standard on new phones and laptops. Wi-Fi 7 is arriving. If you buy a Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) router today, you are already two generations behind. Your devices will still work, but they will not be able to use the faster, more efficient technology they have built in.
What Is Worth Spending On
1. A good router with Wi-Fi 6 or better
This is the single most important purchase. A good Wi-Fi 6 router will handle more devices, provide better range, and last longer than any Wi-Fi 5 router. You do not need Wi-Fi 7 yet (it is early and expensive), but do not buy anything older than Wi-Fi 6.
Look for:
- Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) as a minimum
- At least 4 Ethernet ports (you will use them)
- USB port for attaching a drive or printer (handy even if you do not use it immediately)
- Multi-user MIMO and OFDMA — these are the features that help the router handle many devices at once without slowing down
2. Ethernet cabling where you can
If you own your home, running Ethernet cables while it is easy (during renovations, while the TV is being mounted, while chasing cables for anything else) will pay off for decades. Even one cable to the TV, one to a home office, and one to a central ceiling point for a Wi-Fi access point will dramatically improve your network.
If you cannot run cables, at least plan where you might want them. Leave a cable access point in the wall. Run a conduit so you can pull cables later without ripping up floors.
3. A modular approach
Avoid “all-in-one” boxes from your ISP. The combined modem-router-WiFi-access-point that your ISP gives you is the cheapest thing that meets their minimum requirements. It is not designed for a house with 25 devices.
Instead, separate the jobs:
- Modem: Your own modem (not the ISP’s combined box) gives you control and avoids rental fees
- Router: A good standalone router
- Wi-Fi access points: If your house is large, wired access points (dumb boxes that broadcast Wi-Fi, connected to the router by Ethernet) are better than mesh and cheaper in the long run
This approach lets you upgrade one piece at a time instead of replacing everything when one part becomes obsolete.
What Is Not Worth Spending On
“Gigabit-ready” marketing. Almost every router made in the last five years supports gigabit speeds on its wired ports. The marketing is meaningless.
Tri-band mesh. Dual-band is enough for most homes. Tri-band helps in very dense areas (apartment buildings with 50 overlapping networks) but most people will not notice the difference.
Gaming routers. They are regular routers with a black angular case and RGB lighting. The “gaming” features (traffic prioritisation, VPN support) are available on regular routers for less money.
8-antenna monsters. More antennas do not mean better signal. Router manufacturers put them on to look impressive. A well-designed router with internal antennas often works better than one with eight external ones.
The Five-year Rule
Here is a simple way to decide whether something is worth buying:
Will this still be good enough in five years?
If the answer is “probably not,” spend the extra money now. If the answer is “yes, I will not need better than this,” buy the cheaper option.
This rule works for routers (buy Wi-Fi 6, not Wi-Fi 5), for cabling (buy Cat 6 or Cat 6a, not Cat 5e), and for switches (buy gigabit, not fast Ethernet).
The worst purchase is the one that seems cheap today but needs replacing in two years. The best purchase is the one that costs a bit more and is still working well when you stop thinking about your network entirely.
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