The Best Early Black Friday Deals on Wi-Fi Mesh Systems and Routers

Now that Black Friday is closing in, the deals on wireless routers and Wi-Fi mesh systems are already heating up! We’re here to bring you the absolute best ways to boost your home’s internet speed and coverage without breaking the bank. After all, deep sale expertise is what we do! Whether you’re upgrading to a powerful router for smooth streaming or setting up a mesh system to eliminate dead zones, we’ve got you and your holiday shopping list covered.

And don’t forget to check out the Best Early Black Friday Deals Available Now.

This is an all-time low price for the Eero 6+ Wi-Fi mesh system, which delivers fast, seamless coverage for homes up to 4,500 square feet, making it ideal for families and remote professionals who need reliable internet across large areas. Simple to set up and effective as a home automation hub, it boasts support for the latest Wi-Fi 6 tech, although some features require a subscription. “This versatile system installs in minutes,” notes John R. Delaney, rating it “Excellent” in our Eero 6+ review and awarding it the Editors’ Choice for Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems.

At $100 off, the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro Tri-Band Mesh System is an excellent solution for larger homes, providing strong Wi-Fi 6E connectivity with coverage of up to 5,500 square feet. It’s perfect for families or remote workers, offering quick installation, multi-gig Ethernet support, and built-in parental controls via the Deco app. “The XE75 Pro turned in respectable results in our throughput performance tests,” notes John R. Delaney. With an “Excellent” rating in our TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro review, it offers great value, especially at the discounted price of $299.99.

The Netgear Orbi RBKE963 Wi-Fi 6E Mesh System offers unbeatable performance and coverage, making it ideal for large homes needing fast, reliable internet. With its blazing Wi-Fi speeds, multi-gig connectivity, and easy setup. “It’s easily the fastest mesh system we’ve reviewed to date,” says John R. Delaney. With over $500 discount, the Orbi RBKE963 is a top choice for users who demand high-end specs and performance, earning an Editors’ Choice award and an “Outstanding” rating in our Netgear Orbi RBKE963 review.

The Wyze Wi-Fi 6E Mesh Router Pro offers a solid solution for households with many connected devices. It supports fast 5GHz throughput, multi-gig Ethernet, and USB connectivity and comes with free network security software. Ideal for users seeking easy setup and reliable coverage across larger homes (up to 4,000 sq. ft.), it’s an excellent choice for students, remote workers, or gamers. “It’s a breeze to install and manage using the Wyze mobile app,” says John R. Delaney, who rates it Excellent with an Editors’ Choice award in our Wyze Wi-Fi 6E Mesh review. Why not grab one for 27% less?

The Asus RT-AX86U is a solid Wi-Fi 6 router tailored for gamers and heavy internet users. With speedy close-range performance, multi-gig LAN ports, and specialized game acceleration features, it addresses the needs of gamers and families. “Its robust parental controls and malware protection are strong additions,” says John R. Delaney in our Asus RT-AX86U review. While it excels in performance and ease of use, it lags in long-range tests. The router earned an “Excellent” rating, though it faces stiff competition from pricier models. That said, this $60+ in savings is worth a long look.

The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro is an exceptional gaming router offering blazing-fast speeds, extensive coverage, and a suite of gamer-friendly features. Ideal for gamers and home professionals needing reliable, high-performance internet, it excels in areas like throughput and security with lifetime software for protection and parental controls. “The GT-AX11000 Pro turned in excellent scores on our file transfer tests,” says John R. Delaney, giving it the Editors’ Choice award and rating it “Outstanding” in our review. At a 20% discount, it’s a solid investment for gamers seeking top-tier performance.

The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 is a cutting-edge tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router, perfect for tech enthusiasts and early adopters seeking to future-proof their networks. It supports the newly available 6GHz band, delivering faster speeds and reduced congestion. “The RAXE500 is the most technically advanced router we’ve tested,” says John R. Delaney, who rates it “Excellent” in our Nighthawk RAXE500 review. It offers strong throughput and excellent performance, including multi-gig LAN ports and file transfer speeds. If you’re willing to pay for top-tier speed and security (with a $130 discount, of course), it’s a solid investment.

You don’t want to miss out on our Black Friday hub for up-to-the-minute deals on the tech you want most.

Mesh & Router FAQs

Hi, I’m Tom Brant, a deputy managing editor for hardware at PCMag. I have more than a decade of experience testing and evaluating consumer tech products of all kinds. That includes Wi-Fi routers and Wi-Fi mesh systems, so here are my answers to three of the most frequently asked questions about buying a new router or mesh system, especially around a sales event like Black Friday. 

Do Router and Mesh System Prices Drop on Black Friday?

Yes! However, routers and mesh systems from major manufacturers like Asus and TP-Link are almost always discounted by 20% or more from their MSRPs. If you see a router or mesh system price drop by more than that amount, it’s a good time to buy it. But if not, there’s no special urgency to buy a router or mesh system during a Black Friday sale. 

We always rate the value of routers and mesh systems based on their MSRPs. So if you find a significant discount, and a high price is one of the only drawbacks we found when we tested a specific router or mesh system, Black Friday sales are a great opportunity to buy it.

Are Mesh Systems More Expensive Than Routers? 

It depends. Aside from a few pricey contenders, most mesh systems are only slightly more expensive than a combination of a router and a range extender. Wi-Fi systems range in price from less than $100 for a single-node system to at least $300 for a setup that can cover a 3,000-square-foot house with three or more nodes.

The pricing looks higher with mesh systems because, in most cases, you’re paying for at least two devices: the router, and at least one router node that forms the mesh. Most systems, in fact, come with two nodes, so you’re buying three devices in total. If you break it down per device, you’ll most often find that they cost only a little more than you’d pay for a similarly powered router and range extender solution. That’s especially true now that we’re seeing prices coming down on mesh systems in general, even the newer models compatible with Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7.

Do Wi-Fi Mesh Systems and Routers Support Wi-Fi 6?

Mesh Wi-Fi systems are designed to extend the range of your wireless coverage. These systems comprise several networking components: a main router, which connects directly to your modem, and a series of satellite modules, or nodes, that get placed throughout your house. They are all part of a single wireless network, and they share the same SSID and password.

Most new models support Wi-Fi 6 or later, and you should definitely take advantage of that if your client devices support recent Wi-Fi versions. Wi-Fi 6 (also called 802.11ax) is an evolution of 802.11ac technology that promises increased throughput speeds (up to 9.6Gbps), less network congestion, greater client capacity, and better range performance courtesy of several new and improved wireless technologies. Be sure to check out our speed tests and primer What Is Wi-Fi 6?

About Tom Brant

Deputy Managing Editor

I’m the deputy managing editor of the hardware team at PCMag.com. Reading this during the day? Then you’ve caught me testing gear and editing reviews of laptops, desktop PCs, and tons of other personal tech. (Reading this at night? Then I’m probably dreaming about all those cool products.) I’ve covered the consumer tech world as an editor, reporter, and analyst since 2015.

I’ve evaluated the performance, value, and features of hundreds of personal tech devices and services, from laptops to Wi-Fi hotspots and everything in between. I’ve also covered the launches of dozens of groundbreaking technologies, from hyperloop test tracks in the desert to the latest silicon from Apple and Intel.

I’ve appeared on CBS News, in USA Today, and at many other outlets to offer analysis on breaking technology news.

Before I joined the tech-journalism ranks, I wrote on topics as diverse as Borneo’s rain forests, Middle Eastern airlines, and Big Data’s role in presidential elections. A graduate of Middlebury College, I also have a master’s degree in journalism and French Studies from New York University.

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