How we work

How we pick products

The short answer first: we do not test products in a lab, and we do not pretend that we have. This page sets out exactly what the recommendations in our guides are based on, so you can decide how much weight to give them.

What we don't do

We have no lab, we don't buy dozens of routers to compare under controlled conditions, and we get no press samples. Any site that tells you "we tested 40 routers" without showing you how, where and with what method is telling you a story. We would rather tell you where our recommendations actually come from.

So you won't find scores out of ten here, "best overall" rankings, or performance charts measured by us. Those numbers would be made up.

What the selection is based on

• The manufacturer's published specifications. Wi-Fi standard, bands, port count and speed, claimed coverage. Anyone can check them on the datasheet.
• Price band. A device that costs three times as much rarely solves a problem three times better. We look for the point where spending more stops being noticeable.
• Availability in your market. A product you can't buy where you live is useless. That is why the lists differ between the language versions of this site: they are not translations of each other.
• Fit with the problems we see. Tests run on RealMbps repeat the same patterns: fast lines throttled by Wi-Fi, homes with thick walls, old devices that can't keep up. We recommend products that address those problems.
• Longevity. We prefer hardware the manufacturer still updates, on standards that won't be obsolete within a year.

Why we also say who it is NOT for

Every entry carries an explicit "not for you if". It is the most useful part. A mesh system in a one-bedroom flat is wasted money, a higher-category cable on a 100 Mbps line changes nothing, and an extender placed where the signal is already weak makes things worse. If you don't need the product, the most useful thing we can do is say so.

How we handle mistakes

Specifications change, models get discontinued, prices move. Every page carries its update date. If you spot a wrong figure or advice that makes no sense, write to us: we fix it and the date changes.

What about the money?

Some links are affiliate links and earn a commission. They influence neither the selection nor the order: the detail is in the affiliate disclosure. The person writing these pages has a name: who writes this.