Comcast, like most cable ISP services, provides most of its subscribers with a basic all-in-one modem solution that combines an Internet gateway with a router. If you have a more complicated home setup, you don’t have to rely on Comcast Xfinity’s provided unit to deliver reliable Wi-Fi coverage through your house. Instead, you can plug in a standalone router or whole-home mesh unit into your provided gateway — or even replace the supplied modem with your own combo model — for better speeds, boosted coverage, increased security, and improved reliability. Here are some of the best routers for Xfinity subscribers.
Best all-in-one modem, router, and mesh combo
Netgear Orbi CBR750
- Combines router, modem, and mesh system
- Support for Wi-Fi 6
- Great for larger spaces
- Expensive
Why you should buy this: You want a simple all-in-one unit that combines a modem, router, and mesh network for seamless connectivity.
Who’s it for: Tech enthusiasts living or working in a larger home.
Why we picked the Netgear Orbi CBR750:
Netgear's Orbi CBR750 follows the same design as the company's other whole-home mesh system, meaning it's not the most compact offering on the market. However, the Orbi CBR750 integrates a cable modem into its body, and what you give up for a larger unit you make up for with larger tri-band internal antennas that reliably delivers Wi-Fi 6 coverage through your home. Add on satellite units, and you can blanket a home, office, or workspace up to 7,500 square feet with Wi-Fi coverage.
Netgear promises speeds just shy of 1Gbps for Xfinity subscribers, so this modem will work for most cable plans up to 1Gbps. The Orbi CBS750 is based on the latest DOCSIS 3.1 specifications, which can deliver 2.5x faster speeds and 10 times faster download speeds than the prior DOCSIS 3.0 standard. Home users will appreciate simple and easy-to-use controls through the Orbi companion smartphone app, which allows you to adjust many of the router’s settings, set up a guest network, and subscribe to optional security feature upgrades.
With this router, you do not need to rent nor provide your own modem to connect to Xfinity service.
Best router for gaming and streaming
Asus AX6000
- Wi-Fi 6 support
- Lifetime Internet security included
- Can be converted to a mesh network
- Capable of gigabit speeds
- Relatively expensive
- External antennas can be unsightly
Why you should buy this: You need a fast router that’s highly customizable for your needs.
Who’s it for: Gamers, streamers, and those enjoying digital entertainment at home.
Why we picked the Asus AX6000:
Though Asus is marketing the AX6000 as a gaming-centric device, you don’t need to be a gamer to appreciate this highly configurable Wi-Fi 6 router. It comes with plenty of configurable settings, and home users will appreciate that this particular model comes with a lifetime subscription for Internet security, which means that no costly optional add-on is necessary. Still, this router supports some advanced technology as well, including beamforming, adaptive QoS, and MU-MIMO to give gamers, streamers, and digital entertainment consumers the best speeds possible at home.
The big downside with this advanced unit is that there are four external antennas, which makes it less elegant for minimalist homes that are more focused on design. If you don’t mind the look, you’ll have access to plenty of Ethernet ports on the rear, support for up 6,000Mbps speeds, and an expandable configuration with Asus’s AiMesh technology that allows you to pair multiple Asus routers together to create a whole-home mesh system should your home or needs grow in the future.
With this router, you'll still need to either rent or provide your own modem to connect to Xfinity service.
Best affordable Wi-Fi 6 router
TP-Link Archer AX50
- Inexpensive price for Wi-Fi 6 support
- Advanced security features included
- Reliable coverage
- Support for link aggregation tech
- Uninspired design
Why you should buy this: You’re on a budget but want a router capable of Wi-Fi 6 speeds.
Who’s it for: Any home Internet user.
Why we picked the TP-Link Archer AX50:
Don’t let this budget router fool you. Even though it’s one of the more affordable models on our list, TP-Link manages to impress with its Archer AX50 router, delivering Wi-Fi 6 support at an affordable price point. The Archer AX50 is loaded on features, in fact, delivering strong app support with plenty of parental controls, a lifetime subscription to advanced security features that would have cost extra money on some rival models, and strong signal strength and reliable Wi-Fi 6 coverage.
The Archer AX50 comes equipped with four Ethernet ports on the rear, four external antennas supporting two Wi-Fi bands, and even support for more advanced capabilities, like beamforming, link aggregation, MU-MIMO, and QoS, making it great for homes with basic and even advanced users.
With this router, you'll still need to either rent or provide your own modem to connect to Xfinity service.
Best Wi-Fi 6E modem
Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300
- Stylish, futuristic design
- Wi-Fi 6E support
- Tri-band Wi-Fi with speeds up to 7.8Gbps
- Expensive
Why you should buy this: You’re a tech enthusiast who needs the latest technology and the fastest speeds.
Who’s it for: Gamers, streamers, and smart home owners.
Why we picked the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300:
The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 is a premium router that delivers future-proof features that is sure to delight tech enthusiasts, gamers, and smart home owners who crave fast speeds. The Nighthawk RAXE300 delivers up to 7.8Gbps of speed to your devices with its tri-band antenna design that’s housed in a futuristic wing-shaped design. Not only does this model support Wi-Fi 6E for fast wireless, but it also comes with plenty of multi-gig ports with link aggregation on the rear for speedy wired connections, making it ideal for gamers and streamers. Netgear claims that this router is designed for advanced applications, like augmented reality, 4K and 8K streams, and performance gaming. The router can blanket a home up to 2,500 square feet with a reliable Wi-Fi signal.
Netgear also offers a more advanced version of the RAXE300 in the form of the RAXE500. The latter is able to top out with 10.8Gbps speeds, but it comes with a steep premium. The RAXE300 is chosen on our list because it balances advanced capabilities with a more wallet-friendly price tag, and given that most homes aren’t yet wired for multi-gig speeds, you still won’t even come close to the capabilities of the RAXE300. Like other Netgear routers, this model comes with a companion smartphone app that gives you access to more security settings, parental controls, and additional router features.
With this router, you'll still need to either rent or provide your own modem to connect to Xfinity service.
Best router for Xfinity phone service
Motorola MT7711
- Can be used with wired Xfinity voice service
- Integrated modem built-in
- Affordable price
- Limited to Wi-Fi 5
Why you should buy this: You need a three-in-one unit to handle your data and voice services from Xfinity.
Who’s it for: Xfinity home users who still rely on a voice service.
Why we picked the Motorola MT7711:
The Motorola MT7711 is a three-in-one unit that combines your Xfinity data and Xfinity voice service along with a router that’s capable of broadcasting your Wi-Fi signal. Ideally suited for homes that still rely on a wired phone line, the Motorola MT7711 comes with dual phone jacks on the rear of the unit.
To keep the price more affordable, the Motorola MT7711 is limited to Wi-Fi 5 and support for speeds up to 400Mbps, which shouldn’t be a problem for most users given that the average home broadband speed in the U.S. is just one-quarter this. Still, if you’re on Xfinity’s gigabit plan, you may want to select a router with more capable speeds that can take advantage of your pricey service. The Motorola MT7711 still comes with relatively modern specifications, including support for 24x8 DOCSIS 3.0 standard.
With this router, you do not need to rent nor provide your own modem to connect to Xfinity service. Given that Xfinity charges about $15 per month for equipment rental, purchasing this modem means you break even in just one year, and anything over a year means you’re saving money.
Best router for simple setup
Google Nest Wi-Fi
- Simple installation and setup
- Google Assistant integration
- Ability to expand coverage
- Contemporary design fits any decor
- Somewhat expensive
- Single ethernet port
Why you should buy this: You need a simple to set up and simple to manage mesh Wi-Fi network
Who’s it for: Anyone!
Why we picked the Google Nest WiFi:
Setting up a Wi-Fi network can be an intimidating task. Fortunately, with modern routers and mesh systems, that generally isn’t the case today, and Google makes the setup even more seamless on the Google Nest WiFi. Similar to some of its contemporaries, the Nest WiFi relies on a simple, touch-based user interface to both set up and manage with the companion Google app. And the brilliant part about the Nest WiFi is that it can grow with you – if your house grows or if you find that your office has moved to a different corner of your home, you can add additional nodes to blanket your space with reliable wireless coverage free of interference and dead zones.
The Nest WiFi works with Google’s smart assistant, and it comes with a built-in speaker allowing you to play music, control your smart home, or ask the Google Assistant to perform tasks like looking up the weather forecast for the week.
With this router, you'll still need to either rent or provide your own modem to connect to Xfinity service.
Xfinity Wi-Fi router buying guide and FAQs:
- Do I need Wi-Fi 6 support on my next router?
- What is DOCSIS 3.0 or DOCSIS 3.1?
- Should I invest in a whole-home mesh router?
- What routers are compatible with Comcast Xfinity?
Do I need Wi-Fi 6 support on my next router?
In general, most home users will be fine with a Wi-Fi 5 router, given that the majority of home broadband plans won’t be able to take advantage of the full features and speeds of Wi-Fi 6 yet. However, if you want to be future-proof, purchasing a modem with support for Wi-Fi 6 or the newer Wi-Fi 6E standard can give you many benefits. The standard can handle more simultaneously connected devices, for example, making it ideal for larger families or owners of smart homes, and it comes with better security. Unless you’re on an Xfinity plan with speeds greater than 400Mbps, you won’t find much benefit in the speed department with a Wi-Fi 6 router, and it may be better to save that money and just purchase a Wi-Fi 5 router. Wi-Fi 6E enhances the Wi-Fi 6 standard by adding support for an additional 6GHz band to avoid interference and improve latency.
What is DOCSIS 3.0 or DOCSIS 3.1?
The DOCSIS standard is only relevant if you’re choosing a modem-router combo unit on our list, like the Motorola MT7711 or the Netgear Orbi CBR750. DOCSIS is a cable standard that works to determine what speeds your modem will get. In general, DOCSIS 3.0 is fine for today, but if you’re looking to purchase your own modem and intend to hold onto the unit for a few years or even a decade, going with DOCSIS 3.1 will be the safer bet. DOCSIS 3.1 devices are capable of delivering faster speeds than DOCSIS 3.0, though like the debate between Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6, these speeds are dependent on your service plan.
DOCSIS 3.1 modems are up to ten times faster than the prior generation, and these are suited for gigabit speeds. If you want a gigabit plan from Xfinity, you’ll definitely want a DOCSIS 3.1 modem or modem-router combo. The newer standard will come with better security, but the downside is that it will cost more.
Should I invest in a whole-home mesh router?
Given that the cost for a whole-mesh mesh router has dropped in price in recent years, owners of larger homes may want to consider investing in this router-based technology to get reliable Wi-Fi coverage throughout the home. Even if you live in a relatively more compact space, the layout and materials used in the construction of your home could result in dropped signals, dead zones, and even slower speeds and latency. A mesh network addresses that by allowing you to extend your Wi-Fi coverage with additional nodes that you can place throughout the house – or even extend your Wi-Fi coverage from the home to the garage or the work shed.
Mesh networks are very easy to set up with companion smartphone apps, and they provide a lot of flexibility for larger homes or houses with a multitude of devices that need to connect. Because mesh networks broadcast off of the same network (SSID) ID, you don’t need to switch between different networks as you traverse your home, making it reliable and easy.
What routers are compatible with Comcast Xfinity?
Unless you’re buying a modem-router combo, you can pretty much select any router for Xfinity home Internet service. These include standalone routers and mesh routers. Essentially, anything with an Ethernet port will work, and what you’ll need to do is plug your router in, connect your router to your modem via an Ethernet cable, and begin the set up process to get your router online.
Though not necessary, home Internet users may want to look for routers with more advanced capabilities, like parental controls, devices that support guest networks for extra security if you have visitors, and QoS if you have a streamer or gamer in your home.
