![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/wifi_router_on_desk.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nSet up a fast home network without breaking the bank.<\/p>\n
Last updated: 20 Apr 2026<\/p>\n
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Need to know<\/p>\n
CHOICE tested 12 wireless routers that you can use with the NBN<\/p>\n
Three budget routers that cost under $300 performed well for the price<\/p>\n
Four expensive models scored over 70%, earning a CHOICE recommendation<\/p>\n
The internet is an essential service but the cost of entry can get pretty steep. A router alone can cost well over $500, depending on your home network needs.<\/p>\n
What happens if you\u2019re setting up a new house or replacing a router that\u2019s reached the end of its life? Don\u2019t bust out the second mortgage calculator just yet. There are some solid, affordable wireless routers available.<\/p>\n
They may not be the fastest or have the best performance for data-hungry households, but these budget routers can still deliver good internet speeds and stability at an affordable price.<\/p>\n
CHOICE router reviews are free to read as part of a paid partnership with NBN Co. All CHOICE testing and reviews are conducted independently by experts.<\/p>\n
Bandwidth vs speed in budget routers<\/p>\n
Bandwidth is one of the main limitations that you\u2019ll probably encounter with a budget router. It\u2019s important to understand what it means as this may affect your home network performance.<\/p>\n
When internet service providers (ISPs) and the National Broadband Network (NBN) talk about internet speeds, they really mean download speeds and bandwidth. Using a 500Mbps plan as an example, this means:<\/p>\n
Speed: A single device (e.g. a laptop) can reach download speeds of 500Mbps if nothing else is connected and active on the network.<\/p>\n
Bandwidth: 500Mbps worth of data to be shared between all of the devices that are connected and active at the same.<\/p>\n
So, if four devices are connected to your 500Mbps network at the same time, each one can access 125Mbps download speed. The ins and outs are a bit more complex but that\u2019s the gist.<\/p>\n
Text-only accessible version<\/p>\n
500Mbps NBN connecting to a single device in a home can deliver a maximum download speed of 500Mbps for that device.<\/p>\n
500Mbps NBN connecting to four devices in a home can deliver a maximum download speed of 125Mbps per device.<\/p>\n
This is a technical example that doesn\u2019t factor in the range of devices and their networking capabilities, typical evening speeds, content being consumed on each device etc. Actual performance will vary.<\/p>\n
Modern budget routers are usually quite good at delivering a fast, stable connection to a single device (assuming you have a high-speed plan). Bandwidth can become a bit of an issue when you start connecting a lot of devices.<\/p>\n
Most have enough bandwidth requirements for a handful of devices used by a typical family, like smart TVs, phones laptops and maybe a few smart appliances including cameras and smart lights.<\/p>\n
Bandwidth can become a bit of an issue when you start connecting a lot of devices<\/p>\n
But these routers start to struggle under the weight of a busy network with lots of devices demanding high-speed connections at the same time. We\u2019re talking multiple devices streaming 4K video, lots of online gamers and people transferring large files while working from home.<\/p>\n
Our performance test includes a multi-client assessment for scenarios like these. So, if you live in a bandwidth-heavy household, check these results in our review<\/a>.<\/p>\n Budget router limitations<\/p>\n Budget routers tend to limit the bells and whistles in order to keep costs down, which can impact performance, depending on your needs. For example, they don\u2019t tend to perform very well over long distances or through obstructions like walls, floors and other objects around the house.<\/p>\n They don\u2019t tend to perform very well over long distances or through obstructions<\/p>\n Features and functions are usually pretty limited compared to more expensive models and most don\u2019t have tri-band support. This means budget routers are limited to the 2.4 and 5GHz networks, while higher-end options can connect to the superfast 6Ghz wireless band.<\/p>\n The best wireless routers on a budget revealed<\/p>\n These Wi-Fi 7 wireless routers offer the best bang for your buck. Note that all three fell just short of earning a CHOICE recommendation.<\/p>\n Text-only accessible version<\/p>\n Best budget wireless routers<\/p>\n TP-Link Archer BE230: Price: $197. Type: Wi-Fi 7. CHOICE Expert Rating: 71%. Performance: 66%. Ease of use: 77%. Parental controls: 80%. Obstructed range: 45%.<\/p>\n TP-Link Archer BE400: Price: $299. Type: Wi-Fi 7. CHOICE Expert Rating: 71%. Performance: 69%. Ease of use: 69%. Parental controls: 80%. Obstructed range: 54%.<\/p>\n Asus RT-BE58U: Price: $299. Type: Wi-Fi 7. CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%. Performance: 63%. Ease of use: 78%. Parental controls: 80%. Obstructed range: 45%.<\/p>\n Obstructed range results contribute to the performance score.<\/p>\n TP-Link Archer BE230<\/p>\n CHOICE Expert Rating: 71%<\/p>\n Price: $197<\/p>\n Performance score: 66%<\/p>\n Parental controls score: 80%<\/p>\n TP-Link\u2019s Archer BE230 isn\u2019t exactly the fastest kid on the block. But you\u2019d be hard pressed to find another router that performs this well for less than $200.<\/p>\n This \u201clittle router that could\u201d is more than capable of handling typical day-to-day tasks for smaller households of about two to four people. Video streaming, online gaming, general web browsing and so on shouldn\u2019t cause any problems.<\/p>\n Speeds and stability are consistently good (74%) when multiple devices are connected and active. You can jump on Fortnite while someone else is streaming 4K video on the TV and another person is doom-scrolling TikTok without issues like lag, dropouts or buffering.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not that great at maintaining a strong signal through obstructions (45%). Things like walls, windows, floors and other objects will impact speed and stability, so this may not be the best wireless router for larger homes.<\/p>\n Read the full TP-Link Archer BE230 review<\/a>.<\/p>\n TP-Link Archer BE400<\/p>\n CHOICE Expert Rating: 71%<\/p>\n Price: $299<\/p>\n Performance score: 69%<\/p>\n Parental controls score: 80%<\/p>\n Need a little more speed without breaking the bank? If TP-Link\u2019s Archer BE230 doesn\u2019t have quite enough grunt for your needs, take a look at its big brother \u2013 the BE400.<\/p>\n Specifications and performance results are almost identical to the BE230, but the extra $100 does deliver a decent performance boost on the 5GHz band. It claims to be twice as fast as the BE230, and it did indeed deliver better results during our single device data transfer test.<\/p>\n It also maintains a much stronger signal through obstructions (54%) and should be a good option for medium-sized households working on a budget. Though it\u2019s still worth looking into a simple mesh network or Wi-Fi repeater if this router can\u2019t quite broadcast to every corner of the house.<\/p>\n Read the full TP-Link Archer BE400 review<\/a>.<\/p>\n Asus RT-BE58U<\/p>\n CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%<\/p>\n Price: $299<\/p>\n Performance score: 63%<\/p>\n Parental controls score: 80%<\/p>\n As far as performance goes, this Asus router falls a little short of the TP-Link models above. However, it\u2019s still a solid performer that may be worth picking up during a decent sale.<\/p>\n Speeds are OK across the board and it does a good job of retaining a stable connection when multiple devices are online (73%). Though performance really takes a hit when the Wi-Fi signal encounters obstructions (45%), limiting its usefulness to apartments or small properties, rather than large homes.<\/p>\n Built-in support for Asus\u2019s proprietary mesh network technology, AiMesh, may also be useful if you\u2019re setting up a mesh system using Asus equipment. Home networks are easier to configure if you stay in a brand\u2019s ecosystem.<\/p>\n But in that case, you\u2019re better off saving a little more money for the far superior Asus RT-BE88U. It earned a CHOICE recommendation but with a recommended retail price of $599, it\u2019s not what you\u2019d call budget.<\/p>\n Read the full Asus RT-BE58U review<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tPeter Zaluzny is a Content producer in the Digital home team. He covers everything from home entertainment and personal safety devices to tech for your car and mattresses.
\n\t\t\tPeter Zaluzny is a Content producer in the Digital home team. He covers everything from home entertainment and personal safety devices to tech for your car and mattresses.
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tp-link-archer-be230.jpg\")
TP-Link Archer BE230 ain\u2019t bad for under $200.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tp-link-archer-be400.jpeg\")
The Archer BE400 offers more grunt for an extra $100.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/asus-rt-be58u.jpeg\")
Asus RT-BE58U is also a decent contender.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-Peter-Zaluzny-web-96x96.jpg\")
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\nPeter enjoys cutting through the nonsense to help people understand the products they\u2019re considering to buy. He helps consumers make educated, informed decisions.
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\nPeter has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wollongong.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\nPeter enjoys cutting through the nonsense to help people understand the products they\u2019re considering to buy. He helps consumers make educated, informed decisions.
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\nPeter has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wollongong.\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Set up a fast home network without breaking the bank. Last updated: 20 Apr 2026 Need to know…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619168,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-619167","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}