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Best router for Verizon Fios in 2024

Do you wish your Fios connection was even faster and more reliable? An upgrade to any of the best routers for Verizon Fios will do the trick

Updated: Oct 19, 2023 11:50 am
Best router for Verizon Fios in 2024

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On a global scale, the average internet speed is 113Mbps on fixed broadband, according to Ookla. In the United States, finding an affordable and fast internet plan isn’t that big of an issue, unless you live in a rural area. Verizon is one of the top internet providers in the States.

If you already enjoy your fiber connection, finding the best router for Verizon Fios can make that experience even better. That is where this guide should come in handy. You can still get the same excellent internet speeds with our recommendations for the best router for Verizon Fios. It will also end up saving you money.


Best router for Verizon Fios: top picks


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Things to consider when purchasing a router for Verizon Fios

Verizon Fios uses fiber optic cables instead of coaxial cables. This fiber-optic service (aka Fios) is faster, more reliable, and generally better all-around. Before you go looking for the best routers for Verizon Fios though, there are a few things worth keeping in mind.

Will any router work with Verizon Fios?

The short answer is yes, just about any router that is above the speed of your Fios connection will work fine. So, the cheapest Fios plan offers 300Mbps, while the top-of-the-line plan will get you a Gigabit connection (Up to 940Mbps downloads). As such, going with a Gigabit router is your best bet.

When you go through with your purchase, Verizon will send a technician to set up the ONT box in your home. This terminal is what provides your router with an internet connection. The ONT box usually has an ethernet connection so you can connect a router but ask the technician before the setup is finished.

From there, things are simple. Just run a compatible ethernet cable (one that supports Fios speeds) from the ONT box to the router. You can ask the technician to do all of this for you.

Verizon Fios router vs third-party routers

Now that we know that you can just about any router with Verizon Fios, the question then becomes if you should do so. 

For the most part, going with your own router will save you a lot of money in the long-run, and also helps you to get familiar with router settings and a bit of DIY, if that’s your jam.

We need to acknowledge that a lot of people will also get the TV plan that is usually free from Verizon (depending on the locality). Fios TV uses a coaxial connection to the router, so that poses a bit of a problem. However, you can get a MoCA adapter to fix this issue.

This adapter has an ethernet port on one end, and coaxial output on the other. This way, you can just use a regular ethernet cable to connect to your TV.

There’s one thing left to consider. If you buy a separate router from a third-party company, you’ll need to deal with their warranty service if things go south. If you go with the Verizon router, they’ll send you a replacement if something irreparable happens to the router.

Cable and router speeds

Now that you’ve decided to go on your hunt for the best routers for Verizon Fios, there is one last thing that you need to consider: speed. The lowest tier Fios plan costs $39.99 and will get you a 300Mbps connection. The highest tier costs $89.99 for the Gigabit connection.

Needless to say, you’ll need fast equipment to take full advantage of those incredible speeds. Even if you’re going with the 300Mbps connection or lower from Verizon, going with a Gigabit router is a safe bet. Especially if you’ll be transferring a lot of files from a local network.

Even if you don’t get a Gigabit router, at least get one that’s at least 50-100Mbps faster than your actual connection. You’ll avoid the dreaded speed bottleneck this way. The same goes for ethernet cables.

Ethernet cables mostly look the same, but speed is a major differentiator. For example, Cat5 ethernet cables max out at 100Mbps, while Cat6 cables support Gigabit speeds. There are more examples such as Cat6A (10Gbps), but a Cat6 cable is all you need for your Gigabit connection.

What Type of router should you look for?

There are thousands of router options on the market. When shopping for the best routers for Verizon Fios, these are the two types of routers you need to keep in mind.

Single routers vs mesh routers

A single router is what we’re all familiar with. This plugs into the modem, or the ONT box in our case, with an ethernet cable. This does restrict the placement of the router, but you can get around that with a longer cable. 

Keep in mind the Wi-Fi will be stronger near the router, as usual. Of course, some routers have better range thanks to external antennas.

On the flip side, Mesh routers or Mesh Wi-Fi is a newer development. This system uses a router as a central hub and comes with different nodes that act as access points scattered throughout your home. This is great if you need Wi-Fi that covers a larger area.

Your devices will connect to the nearest node by default. Amazon’s Eero and Google Wi-Fi are great examples of a Mesh Wi-Fi system. The cost is usually higher though, and setting up is more involved in some cases. 

Best router For Verizon Fios: understanding the specs

Generally, you are now aware of the basics of what you need to look out for when it comes to buying the best router for Verizon Fios. However, there are still some specs that we need to go over that might be confusing to new buyers. 

What are Wi-Fi standards?

When you go out to buy a new router, you’ll quickly start to read about Wi-Fi standards. Things like 802.11ac Wi-Fi sounds like jargon to most. Here’s what it means:

The number “802” represents computer networks, while the “.11” part is for Wi-Fi or WLAN. This entire number is usually followed by suffixes such as “802.11ac” or “802.11ax”. These indicate the speed and Wi-Fi protocol of the router. 

Wi-Fi 5 uses 802.11ac, while Wi-Fi 6 uses 802.11ax. As you can probably imagine, Wi-Fi 6 is faster and more reliable. Most new devices such as phones, PCs, and laptops these days will have support for Wi-Fi 6.

If your devices don’t, a Wi-Fi 6 router is still compatible, but it won’t deliver the maximum speed that it can output.

Some unfamiliar specs

The reason that Wi-Fi 6 is faster is because of improvements in two major technologies: MU-MIMO and OFDMA. MU-MIMO (Multi-user, multi-input/output) allows Wi-Fi 6 routers to communicate with up to 8 devices at the same time. That is double what previous-generation routers were capable of doing.

OFDMA is a technology that can allow data to travel to multiple devices from a single transmission. The combination of both of these things allows new routers to get the most out of every single transmission.

What about dual-band Wi-Fi?

This is something more people might be familiar with. You might have heard of 2.4GHz and 5GHz connections. Essentially, these are different protocols used by your Wi-Fi connection to carry data to and from your devices.

In practice, a 2.4GHz connection provides wider coverage and better signal integrity. On the other hand, 5GHz Wi-Fi is faster thanks to more bandwidth. A router with dual-band Wi-Fi can use both.

If your device has a 2.4GHz connection, the router will switch to that. A device that supports 5GHz Wi-Fi will use that instead if your router supports it.

Ethernet and USB Ports

Last but not least, you need to look out for ports on your router. Apart from portable devices, you are better off using a hardwired connection on almost everything else. This includes NAS servers, PCs, Consoles, TVs, etc. Doing so will provide better speed and stability.

Make sure your router has enough ethernet ports so you can hook up all of your devices. If you run out, you can always go and buy an ethernet switch separately. Routers these days also come with a USB port. This is so that you can connect an external hard drive and treat it as sort of an online file server. 

Best router for Verizon Fios

TP-Link AX6600 WiFi 6 Gaming Router

TP Link AX6600 WiFi 6 Gaming Router

Frequency Band

Tri-Band

Wi-Fi Protocol

802.11ax Wi-Fi 6

Ports

1x 2.5GbE LAN/WAN, 3x GbE LAN, 1xGbE LAN/WAN, 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0

External Antennas

8

Pros
  • Terrific value for Tri-Band
  • Exceptional speeds
  • Wide coverage
  • 2.5Gb Ethernet Port
  • Supports Mesh Wi-Fi
Cons
  • QoS requires subscription

For your money, the TP-Link Archer AX90 is by far the best Wi-Fi 6 router out there. Considering this is a tri-band router, it is relatively affordable. It also looks sleeker than a lot of the gaming routers out there, and the performance is up to par with routers twice the price.

So, this Wi-Fi 6 router features Tri-Band. One of the 5GHz bands is rated at 4804Mbps, and the other is rated at 1201Mbps. The 2.4GHz is rated at 575Mbps. Rest assured, speed is not an issue here. Since this is a Wi-Fi 6 router, it also features MU-MIMO and OFDMA. 

Apart from the performance, the connectivity is quite impressive here as well. We get Dual WAN ports, the first one is 2.5 Gigabit and the other is a 1 Gigabit port. These are WAN/LAN ports. As for the standalone LAN ports, we get three of them and they support Gigabit speeds. 

If you are somehow fortunate enough to have a connection higher than 2.5Gbps, then you can use the 2.5G port to connect to your modem or ONT. If not, that port will come in handy if you want to connect it to a NAS server for the best possible performance.

Apart from that, coverage is also quite good. The eight high-gain antennas do a great job of covering your entire house, and range anxiety is not an issue here. Other than that, the operating temperature is rated at 40°C. While it does go higher than that a lot of the time, signal stability is not an issue. 

The only problem is that some of the features like QoS are locked behind a monthly paywall. For Fios users, that’s not much of an issue, since their broadband connection is already quite fast.

All in all, this is the best router for Verizon Fios that we’d recommend to most people.


Netgear Nighthawk WI-Fi 6 Router (RAX70)

Netgear Nighthawk WI Fi 6 Router RAX70

Frequency Band

Tri-Band

Wi-Fi Protocol

802.11ax Wi-Fi 6

Ports

1x GbE WAN, 4x GbE LAN, 1x USB 3.0

Antennas

2

Pros
  • Great security features
  • Superb performance
  • Decent coverage
  • Voice controls
Cons
  • Lacks 2.5 Gigabit port

If its security features and high-tier performance are what you’re looking for, then the Netgear Nighthawk RAX70 is what you need. While this high-end router is more expensive than a lot of the options out there, it’s well worth it for advanced users.

Appearance-wise, the Nighthawk RAX70 looks quite different compared to other routers out there. The external antennas blend into the main body of the design and give it sort of a seamless uniform look. It is also quite small and compact, making it easy to hide and store away. 

While it doesn’t look like it would have good range, it punches above its weight. It can cover a 2500 sq. ft house with ease, which is great considering the compact size of this router.

Performance-wise, you would only expect good things from Netgear. This Tri-band router can provide a combined total speed of up to 6.6Gbps. While that theoretical number is a bit optimistic, Netgear makes sure that this router will never feel slow with a Gigabit connection.

That’s why it’s the best high-end router for Verizon Fios. You can connect up to 40 devices, and the four Gigabit LAN ports allow for a wired connection as well. You can set up personal cloud storage as well with the help of the USB port.

Apart from that, Netgear’s app allows you to monitor data usage, monitor security settings, and easily set things up. Their cybersecurity protection is quite good as well.


TP-Link Archer AX50 Wireless Gigabit Router

TP Link Archer AX50 Wireless Gigabit Router

Frequency Band

Dual- Band

Wi-Fi Protocol

802.11ax Wi-Fi 6

Ports

4x GbE, 1x USB 3.0

Antennas

4

Pros
  • Compact and simple design
  • Great performance for the money
  • Coverage is quite good
  • USB 3.0 port
Cons
  • Misses many security features

It’s great to talk about tri-band routers and high-performance network equipment, but most people looking for a router just happen to be your average consumer. They are looking for something reliable and fast. Of course, something affordable would be the cherry on top.

That’s why the TP-Link Archer AX50 is such a popular wireless router. While it lacks a few bells and whistles, it has enough features to please the advanced users, while being stable and easy to use to satisfy the average consumer.

This is also one of the cheapest dual-band Gigabit routers out there. Regardless, it does feature both MU-MIMO and OFDMA thanks to Wi-Fi 6. Because of that it has better performance and is also more efficient than its predecessors. 

In terms of ports, you get access to 4 Gigabit LAN ports, and a WAN port to connect to your Fios ONT box. The setup process is quite easy as well, thanks to the TP-Link app. In terms of speed, this Gigabit router maxes out at 3Gbps.

Coverage is quite good, and it has features such as QoS and robust parental controls. Some features such as game optimization and network monitoring are missing, but that’s fine given the price.

Like other routers on this list, we also get a USB 3.0 port so that you can set up your cloud storage server. This gets the job done, but while using it for Time Machine with macOS, it can get a bit buggy. 

To sum it up, this is the best router for Verizon Fios if you’re looking for a great value.


Amazon eero 6+ 

Amazon eero 6

Frequency Band

Dual- Band

Wi-Fi Protocol

802.11ax Wi-Fi 6

Ports

4x GbE, 1x USB 3.0

External Antennas

4

Pros
  • Dual-band works well
  • Performs well for Mesh Wi-Fi
  • Easy to set up
  • 160MHz channel bandwidth
Cons
  • Quite expensive

Mesh Wi-Fi systems at one time were hard to set up, expensive, and required you to be a bit tech-savvy. Fortunately, now that big players like Amazon and Google have entered the space, things have gotten much better than before. The Amazon Eero 6+ is a great example of that.

Of course, a Mesh Wi-Fi system like this does have its quirks. For example, The Eero 6 Plus is affordable, but it can get expensive when you start getting more repeaters/extenders. Also, wired Gigabit connections tend to be a bit slower than competitors.

Nonetheless, the Eero 6+ manages to outweigh the cons. The entire point of a Mesh Wi-Fi system is for it to be convenient, reliable, and out of your way. Amazon has done an admirable job in that regard.

Setting up is easy through the mobile app. You get over-the-air updates as well, making sure your network is always secure. Switching between the dual bands is easy and convenient as well. 

We also see some advanced features such as a 160MHz channel, a built-in smart home hub, and support for Alexa. The focus is convenience here, and the features deliver wholeheartedly on that front.

If Mesh Wi-Fi interests you, the Amazon Eero 6+ is the best router for Verizon Fios.


TP-Link Archer AX10000

TP Link Archer AX10000

Frequency Band

Tri-Band

Wi-Fi Protocol

802.11ax Wi-Fi 6

Ports

1 x 2.5GbE WAN, 8x GbE LAN, 2x USB 3.0

External Antennas

8

Pros
  • Highly impressive performance
  • Superb range and coverage
  • Easy and fast setup
Cons
  • Bulky

If you are someone who needs a premium gaming router with Tri-Band channels, then the Archer AX10000 is what you are looking for. While this router is quite expensive, it has a lot of features that make up for it.

First off, the performance is immediately impressive. You can get a combined speed of up to 10Gbps out of this router. Both 5GHz channels are rated at 4804Mbps, and the 2.4GHz channel is rated at 1148Mbps. 

Performance is not the only highlight here. We get gaming-focused features such as a game accelerator that detects and optimizes the network while gaming. You also get a tonne of ports, including a 2.5Gbps WAN port and 8 Gigabit ports. We also get USB 3.0 ports, one of which is Type-C.

You also get features such as QoS, anti-virus, and parental controls. All of these are included with the TP-Link Homecare subscription, and that comes free when you buy this device. 

Other than that, you can also create a Mesh Wi-Fi system with a supported range extender. That’s a lot of features, and they almost make up for the high cost of entry. 

The design is a bit tacky, and this thing is large and heavy, so you’ll need a dedicated space to store it away.

If you can look past that, then this is the best gaming router for Verizon Fios, hands down.


Verizon Fios router FAQs

Can I use my own router with Verizon Fios?

As long as your router supports the speeds of your Fios connection, you can use almost any router on the market. Stick with Gigabit routers for the best experience possible

Is it worth upgrading Verizon router?

Upgrading or using your own router with Verizon Fios is fully worth it. It ends up saving you money in the long run and you might get even better performance out of that experience.

Is the Fios G1100 a good router?

The Fios G1100 is a good enough router to get you up and running. However, it is not a Wi-Fi 6 router and there are better performing alternatives out there for less money.

Is Fios 200Mbps enough?

For most people, a 200Mbps Fios connection is more than enough. This connection will support up to 5 individual streams and be enough for both gaming and streaming. Still, a Gigabit upgrade to Fios does not cost that much.

Final word

Verizon Fios is one of the best internet services you can get in the United States. While this service is not available all across the country, those fortunate enough to have it, regard it highly. Hopefully, this roundup on the best routers for Verizon Fios helps in upgrading your online experience.


Shaun, with a computer science degree and 15 years of computer experience, has been passionate about competitive FPS gaming since the mid-2000s.

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