10 Best Fios Routers 2024 in the US

The telecommunications giant, Verizon,  offers its customers a package that includes phone service, Internet, and television, in a product called “Fios”. “Fios” stands for Fiber Optic Service--it provides services by means of fiber optic cable, which is quicker and more reliable than when using copper cable, as in a phone line, as in DSL. Verizon offers routers that have connectivity via coaxial cables and Ethernet cables, as well as wireless routers. (If you have an Internet speed of 100 Mbps or higher, you also will need an Ethernet cable, which you connect from the white WAN port on your router to an Ethernet outlet in the wall, or from a microfilter.) Besides Verizon, you may also get Fios service from the company Frontier, who also provides a bundled telephone and Internet service. There are a number of manufacturers of the routers that allow you to use the Fios service--we’ll examine the specs on the various devices.

Verizon Fios Router by Actiontec (Model MI424WR, Rev. I)

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a Fios router. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of Fios router,

• See useful tips about that type of Fios router,

• Read reviews of different Fios routers, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of Fios router, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

What is a router? A router is a device that can connect several computers in your home or office so that they communicate with each other. It allows you to create a network of devices. But, in order to get Internet access, you will need to plug the router into a modem, which then connects this network of devices to the Internet.

• Modem and Router: The word “modem” is a contraction of the words “modulator/demodulator”. It was originally used to encode (= modulate) information, transmit it over phone lines, and decode (= demodulate) it on the other end. A modem is necessary for connecting your computer to the Internet. For convenience, many manufacturers of Internet connectivity products have combined modems and routers in one device. It saves you the effort of buying (or renting from the Internet provider) two separate devices: a modem and a router. Most of the Fios routers will be both routers and modems.

• Revisions: You'll notice the Verizon Fios routers being assigned letters, to indicate the number of revision, for example, the Verizon Actiontec MI424WR Rev. D, F, or I. The best is to get Rev. I since it is the latest and has the most networking features. If you buy a lower version, you can't upgrade it, other than getting the later model.

• Routers for only Frontier or Verizon: It is important that you make note of whether the router that you purchase is suitable for your Fios provider. There are routers that are suitable for both Frontier and Verizon, but there are also products that work only with Frontier, or with Verizon. The Verizon Fios Actiontec MI424WR Rev I Router is suitable with both providers--but the Frontier Fios G1100 Router is suitable only for Frontier service.

• Placing the WiFi router in the home: It is recommended to place the WiFi router in a central location in the home, so as to allow wireless Internet access to as many devices as possible without suffering any “blind spots”. Keep the router away from microwaves, metal objects, brick or cement walls, which may disturb the WiFi connection. If you see that you have spotty coverage in some areas, you may have to use a WiFi extender.

• Wireless Internet from the router: A dual-band router gives you more options for wireless home networking. It allows for two bands of Internet signals: both at speeds of 2.4 GHz frequency and 300 Mbps (=Megabits per second, the rate of the data transfer) and 5 GHz frequency and 433 Mbps.  The 2.4 GHz is meant for lower speed usage, but longer distance, while the 5 GHz is meant for shorter distance, higher speed usage. There will be separate passwords for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, printed on the router.

• Wireless security: You’ll see specifications on wireless routers for the type of protection that they offer. You protect your wireless signal from your router by using a password. There are various ways of encrypting the password, to make sure no one can use your router without your consent. You probably don't want other people using the wireless connection—the more users, the slower the connection will be. You will see the following security protocols in use on your router:

  • WEP--Wired Equivalent Privacy Wifi encryption--This is a security algorithm that provides data confidentiality over WiFi similar to that you would have over a wired network. This has been superseded by:

  • WPA--WiFi Protected Access, an upgrade on the WEP protection, employing Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP),

  • WPA-PSK (WPA Pre-shared key), and

  • WPA II (= WiFi Protected Access II) with AES (= Advanced Encryption Standard, which superseded TKIP). This is the latest and most secure, with greater levels of encryption, after weaknesses were discovered with the WEP encryption.

• Parental control: Some routers allow parents to perform content filtering and control the sites which their children can access. The parents can block certain types of content with password protection, and monitor their children’s Internet history.

• Indicator lights: You’ll see a number of indicator lights on a Fios Router For instance, on the Verizon Fios Router Actiontec MI424WR Rev I, you’ll see the following:

  • Power--This light will indicate that the device is receiving power.

  • WAN/LAN--These stand for “Wide-Area Network” and “Local Area Network”. WAN will be a network over a large area, such as a city, while LAN is service over an office or school. LAN will typically be at greater transmission speeds, however, and are typically less congested. The WAN cable is an Ethernet cable running from your router to the Ethernet jack in the wall. This is necessary if you are signed up for faster Internet service, greater than 100 Mbps. The LAN cable is to be used to hook up your computer to the router.

• Network Connectivity: If the router also allows for wireless connectivity (as most do nowadays), there are a number of wireless local area network (WLAN) channels that are allowed for wireless Internet connectivity. They are known as the 802.11 standard—which started in 1999 and is constantly being upgraded for greater encryption and security. They are distinguished by the suffix (letters a-n). The router will have one of these letters in the suffix, to indicate at which frequency it operates. Here is a summary of the major service types:

• 802.11a: This works at 5.725-5.850 GHz frequencies and up to 54 Mbps (Megabits per second) speed. The range will be up to 50 feet.

• 802.11b: This works at 2.400-2.4835 GHz frequencies, and at 11 Mbps speed. The range will be up to 150 feet.

• 802.11g: This extends the data rate of WLAN devices. It runs to a distance of 50 feet, has a speed of 54 Mbps, and a frequency of 2.4 GHz.

• 802.11n: This standard works at a range of 175 feet, at speeds of 300-450 Mbps, and a frequency of 2.4 -5 GHz. The Wireless Broadband Router MI424WR Rev I uses 802.11n technology.

• 802.11ac: This standard works at a 5 GHz band, and a speed of up to 1 Gbps.

• The number of ports: You will see routers with options for attaching a number of devices by means of Ethernet cables. They will have anywhere from 1 to 4 Ethernet ports, to hook up other devices. The devices that are connected to the router can communicate with each other. Thus, you can send a print command to a wireless printer via the router, without a physical connection between the two devices.

• Actiontec is a maker of broadband Internet solutions, wireless networking products, gateways, DSL modems, routers, and more. Their corporate headquarters is located in Santa Clara, California.

• Frontier Communications, founded in 1935, is a provider of Internet, TV, and phone services for business and residential customers. They are the fourth largest provider of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet in the US, and have their headquarters presently in Norwalk, Connecticut.

• Arris is a telecommunications equipment manufacturer, based in Suwanee, Georgia. They were founded in 1995. They presently make equipment for video processing, Broadband Internet delivery, access networking, and more.

• Verizon is a telecommunications company, which is a subsidiary of AT&T after they were compelled in 1983 to break up the Bell System into seven smaller companies, each serving another section of the United States. Besides telephone service, Verizon also provides Internet and video.