Best Wi-Fi router brands for small businesses in South Africa

South Africa’s small-to-medium businesses have a wide assortment of Wi-Fi routers from which to choose to keep devices in their offices connected to the Internet.

Fast and reliable broadband connectivity is a must for businesses that want to be productive and competitive in the digital age.

However, the broadband package itself is just one part of the equation — you need to have a way for employees and customers to use it.

A fixed Ethernet connection might be preferable in certain situations, but laying cables around an office takes time and effort.

In addition, some devices — including the latest high-end thin-frame laptops — no longer feature LAN ports, which will require buying adapters with Ethernet ports.

A high-performance Wi-Fi network ensures employees and customers can easily connect across a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

However, cheaping out on your Wi-Fi router can result in low speeds, patchy coverage, and other connectivity frustrations.

Routers are also among cyberattackers’ most frequently-targeted devices, so security features cannot be underestimated.

When it comes to buying a high-quality router for your business, it is essential to consider the following:

• Wi-Fi 6 capability — The latest connection standard available in South Africa can support speeds of up to 9.6Gbps across the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
• LAN ports for running fixed connections — For essential devices and extending networks across greater distances, the number of LAN ports and their speeds are a critical factor.
• Multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) — Advanced router technology that uses multiple antennas to multiply capacity.
• Security features like WPA 3 — Keeps your network protected from eavesdropping. Larger enterprises may wish to look into enterprise-grade authentication functionality.
• Built-in storage or expansion port — Allows for easily sharing files over a wireless network.

Below are four of the industry’s most reputable Wi-Fi router brands with a range of devices

Asus

Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer AsusTek Computer Inc. was started in 1989 by four former Acer hardware engineers.

While it is well known in the gaming and professional community for its motherboards, graphics cards, and laptops, it also offers high-performance Wi-Fi routers.

These include models like the Asus ZenWiFi Pro XT12, which packs a 2.0GHZ quad-core processor and 1GB RAM.

It supports speeds up to 4.8Gbps on two 5GHz bands and 1.1Gbps on 2.4GHz, as well as dual 2.5Gbps LAN and WAN ports.

The router also supports mesh connectivity to link multiple Asus mesh-capable routers together.

The router has a three-year warranty and is available from Incredible at R9,999 for a single unit or R17,999 in a double-pack.

Netgear

The US-based network equipment company was founded in 1996 in San Jose, California, the largest city in the country’s tech-mecca, Silicon Valley.

One of its most noteworthy achievements in this space was launching the world’s first Wi-Fi 6E router that could use 6GHz spectrum at CES 2021.

Netgear offers a wide range of wireless products, including the Orbi mesh Wi-Fi range for homes and businesses.

A good example of a high-performance router in this range is the Orbi AX6000, which comes with a price tag of R31,389 for a double-pack from Makro.

This router boasts up to 6Gbps speeds over three bands, capable of supporting multiple 8K/4K video streams simultaneously.

TP-Link

From its founding in 1996, Chinese company TP-link rapidly grew to become the world’s largest computer networking product manufacturer.

Its extensive network product portfolio includes wireless routers, modems, switches, IP cameras, power-line adapters, print servers, Wi-Fi extenders, and smart home devices.

The company is one of a handful of major wireless networking companies that makes its own in-house products instead of outsourcing to original design manufacturers (ODMs).

The TP-Link Archer range boasts a variety of options, including the high-end AX6000 with support for over 5.9Gbps across two bands.

Among its best features is its I/O, with eight Gigabit-speed LAN ports alongside a 2.5Gbps WAN port, as well as a USB-A 3.0 and USB-C port.

Ubiquiti

The youngest company on the list, having only been founded in 2003, US-based Ubiquiti quickly became renowned for its long-range radio cards.

The capabilities once allowed a group of Italian amateur radio operators to set a world record for the longest point-to-point links established using 5.8GHz spectrum — 4–5Mbps over 304km.

Ubiquiti’s routers have sleek and unobtrusive designs, making them well-suited for a professional office environment.

For larger offices, the UniFi 6 Pro access point supports dual-band connectivity with up to 300 devices at once and a 5.3Gbps aggregate throughput rate.

At the time of publication, FirstShop was selling one of these units for R3,670.

Now read: We extended a Wi-Fi network over half a kilometre for less than R3,000 with impressive results