How we choose products

1. Start from the official spec sheet

We collect each product’s specifications from the manufacturer’s own pages, datasheets and manuals: Wi-Fi bands and channel widths, every Ethernet port and its speed, processor and memory where they matter, and the maker’s coverage and device claims. If a number can’t be confirmed from an official source, it stays out. Where two official pages disagree, we say so and either show both figures or use the more conservative one.

2. Check it against the standards

We read the numbers the way the standards define them: Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 and IEEE 802.11be for Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.3 for Ethernet speeds, DOCSIS from CableLabs for cable modems, and the MoCA Alliance for coax networking. Then we call out the traps:

• A speed class such as BE9300 adds up the maximum theoretical rate of every band. No single device gets that number.
• Coverage and device counts are the maker’s best-case claims, not results.
• A fast internet (WAN) port can sit beside slower LAN ports, which caps your wired devices.
• A 6 GHz band only reaches devices that support Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7.

3. Match it to real setups

A good router for an apartment can be the wrong choice for a long, multi-story house. We match products to your connection type and plan speed, your home’s size and floors, the wiring you already have (Ethernet, coax or none) and the Wi-Fi generation of your devices.

4. Check approval and support

• Provider device lists for modems, such as Xfinity’s, Spectrum’s and Cox’s, with the date we checked them.
• The FCC’s Covered List and router Conditional Approvals, with dates.
• The maker’s published update and end-of-life policy, stated as the maker states it.

5. Fact-check every claim twice

Each factual claim in a guide is checked against its official source when the guide is written, then checked again by a separate review that sees only the claim and the source link. Where the two disagree, we go back to the source and correct the guide. Anything neither check can confirm is cut.

6. Weigh value and track record

We favor makers with clear documentation, a published update policy and a solid warranty. We mention owner-reported patterns only when they are widely documented. We don’t show prices; a product that can’t cover your home or carry your plan isn’t good value at any price.

7. Keep it current

The Updated date on a guide changes only when its content changes. Provider lists and FCC status change often, so we re-check them monthly, and we replace discontinued products.

What we don’t claim

We haven’t lab-tested or speed-tested the products we cover, and we never present spec-sheet research as test results. If we add our own measurements in future, they will be labelled as measurements, with the method published.