Moving sucks. Beyond the actual physical labor of lugging couches and mattresses, there’s the always hectic process of getting your new home connected to the world. No one loves corresponding with cable companies and internet service providers, nor their fees when it comes to renting necessary equipment for modern life.
I’m adamantly opposed to renting a wireless router from an ISP. A solid router pays for itself in a few months — Renting is just shoveling your money into a corporate money pit out of sheer laziness for Wifi connectivity.
That said, wireless routers are the biggest headache in the world. I’m not sure I’ve ever plugged one in and said “Wow, that was a great user experience! So smooth! Can’t wait to pack this thing up and use it again when I move!”
When I recently moved apartments in Los Angeles, I was presented with the old “rent or buy” wireless router dilemma. I needed Wifi fast and didn’t want to pour through retail options. So I went to Amazon for a good Wifi network deal. After going down an exhaustive rabbit hole of Amazon reviews, I purchased one of the most popular wireless routers on Amazon and couldn’t be happier with the decision.
The Securifi Almond is lauded by users as one of the best wireless routers on Amazon for good reason: It’s stupidly simple to set-up compared to your old school Netgear options. Thanks to a touchscreen LED screen, you don’t need a laptop or Internet browser to set it up — a huge plus in an era where the laptop stays at the office.
All you have to do is plug a hot ethernet cable into your Almond, tap “Wireless Settings” to find the default network information + password, and boom — All your Wifi enabled devices are good to go. You can customize your network name on the wireless router itself thanks to a touchscreen keyboard. It took me a couple extra seconds to use the keyboard and customize thanks to my fat fingers, but I can’t really complain about the seamlessness of the process.
Total time from unboxing to full Wifi connectivity on my phone? Two minutes. Easiest wireless router set up ever.
I was streaming Spotify and Netflix within 10 minutes of plugging my Almond in.
It’s the easiest wireless set-up I’ve ever experienced.
Other key features: The range on the Almond is extensive, reaching well into my yard and driveway. It can actually be used as a Wifi extender, if you’re looking to connect all parts of your property, like a garage or shed in a dead zone. Also: The Almond app lets your control the network remotely, perfect if you’re giving a neighbor one-time access or using it for an Airbnb and don’t want all your guests to have the network info. It pairs with Amazon Alexa to control Home/Away modes (“Alexa, please turn off my Almond so I’m not tempted to make memes while trying to go to sleep”) and features voice-activated parental controls and guest networks.
It also has WiFi triggers that give instant notifications for when devices join or leave your network. And device blocking capabilities! It also synchs effortlessly with other smart home devices in your household, like a NEST thermostat.
Honestly, I’m blown away by the Almond, especially for the price: cheap on Amazon for a router that’s lightning fast. If you need even more power because you live in a house with an Overwatch eSports team, there’s a dual band Gigabit options with the same functionality.
12,500+ reviews and an average rating of 4.2 stars on Amazon for a very good reason.
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The BroBible team writes about gear that we think you want. Occasionally, we write about items that are a part of one of our affiliate partnerships and we may get a percentage of the revenue from sales.