The most popular Wi-Fi 6E router of 2026 feels like a sick joke

Released Oct 11, 2026, 7:30 AM EDT

Monica J. White is a reporter with over a years of experience in covering innovation. She developed her very first PC almost 20 years back, and she has actually considering that developed and checked lots of PCs.

PC hardware is her primary beat, and graphics cards and the GPU market at big are her primary location of interest, however she has actually composed countless posts covering whatever associated to PCs, laptop computers, handhelds, and peripherals. From GPUs and CPUs to headsets and software application, Monica’s constantly going to geek out over all things associated with computing.

Beyond her deal with How-To GeekMonica adds to TechRadarPC GamerTom’s GuideLaptop MagSlashGearWhopand Digital Trendsto name a few. Her supreme objective is to make PC video gaming and computing friendly and enjoyable to any audience.

Monica invests a great deal of time elbow-deep in her PC case, as she’s constantly making upgrades, screening something, or outlining out her next construct. She’s the go-to tech assistance individual in her instant circle, so she’s never ever out of things to do. Whenever she has extra time, you’ll discover her video gaming till the early hours and socializing with her pet dog.

I’ve seen excellent routers. I’ve seen bad routers. I’ve seen routers that were simply therewith absolutely nothing unique about them, which may perhaps be the very best kind of router.

I’ve never ever seen anything like the Davolink Minions router, and that thing is presently offered out all over due to the frustrating buzz surrounding it.

This Minion went viral, and now everybody desires one

One passionate post was all it took

Of all the important things I ever believed I ‘d see, this one would’ve never ever entered your mind.

I’ve seen video gaming routers(which aren’t constantly remarkable) that appear like WALL-E. I’ve seen travel routers that appear like a small box. I’ve seen it all, however this? A Minion-shaped router?

Why? I’m sorry, I need to ask. why?

No matter the existential crisis this little duo of routers sent me into, yes, they’re genuine, and yes, they went viral. They went so viral that you can’t even purchase them any longer, except purchasing from resellers at a high markup.

All of it began with an unnoticeable X post from Charles Lohr, who declared to have actually evaluated it completely. Lohr called it “one of the best possible Wi-Fi 6E routers money can buy.”

… And then it totally exploded.

From a forgotten item to a wanted gizmo

I expect that lots of people need to have had the very same response as I’ve had actually, considered that the post built up countless views, drawing attention from lovers who had not become aware of the gadget.

Davolink, the business behind the Minions routers, is a South Korean networking business that mainly made devices for services before branching off into customer hardware. The business formally introduced these certified Minions monstrosities in 2023, and there are 2 designs: Kevin, the taller Wi-Fi 6E AXE5400 router, and Bob, the smaller sized Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 variation. You can utilize them individually, or together as a mesh system. No, I’m not joking.

What actually got individuals curious was more than simply the ludicrous style. Beneath those overalls, among the Minions was concealing some major capacity.

The specs are remarkably helpful for the cash

That’s a great deal of Wi-Fi for something using overalls

I nearly dislike myself for stating this, however these things are in fact excellent. In regards to worth for the cash, if absolutely nothing else. (Not any longer. While the rest people have the RAM-pocalypse to thank for horrible rates, these Minions have actually been scalped as Pokémon TCG does.)

Kevin, the taller Minion, is really a quite capable tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router, with assistance for the 2.4 GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. It’s ranked for a combined theoretical bandwidth of 5.4 Gbps, with approximately 2,402 Mbps on each of the 5GHz and 6GHz bands. You likewise get 160MHz channel assistance, WPA3 security, and a 2.5 Gbps WAN port.

That’s a reputable set of specifications, particularly when you think about that Kevin was costing simply $63 on Amazon before going viral, below its initial list price of approximately $129. And the specifications equated to strong efficiency, too.

The funniest part is that Kevin in fact carries out well

I can’t think I needed to compose that

As cursed as that may appear, the Kevin router is in fact strong. As in, it’s been evaluated and considered to be that method; I’m not simply stating it due to the fact that I like Minions (I do not).

RTINGS evaluated this curiosity of a router and really stated that it’s a “very good router for an apartment or condo.” The customers applauded its excellent peak speeds and 4K streaming abilities, just grumbling about not having enough LAN ports and requiring some vertical clearance.

The publication even compared Kevin to some more standard routers, and considered it to be a feasible choice for individuals who do not always desire whatever to be Minion-shaped and simply desire a strong router. What a time to be alive.

The Minion does have a couple of regrettable constraints

A routine router wins

Luckily, this thing does have some drawbacks, or I ‘d have lost all of my staying faith in mankind.

For beginners, there’s the previously mentioned issue of just having one 1Gbps LAN port, which is quite restricting if you’ve got several wired gadgets. Sure, there’s a 2.5 Gbps port, however that’s for WAN.

RTINGS likewise kept in mind that Kevin’s speeds dropped significantly at longer ranges, so it’s not matched for bigger homes.

The mesh performance includes another catch, since Kevin does not in fact deal with other EasyMesh-certified routers. Rather, you’re restricted to match it with Davolink’s smaller sized Minion, Bob, which does not have the 6GHz band completely.

This thing is getting scalped and cost a markup

What on the planet …

I believed I ‘d reached the extremely depths of torment simply seeing these routers, however then, I visited where I might purchase one.

Forget Amazon. The old Amazon listing is still live, however it’s entirely offered out.

I examined eBay, and lo and behold, there they were: some Kevins and one only Bob Minion up for grabs.

The Kevin offers for around $300, which is more than double its initial rate, and an entire lot more than the rate it offered for in September 2026.

I’ve seen scalpers handling GPUs, however this? This thing is the RTX 5090 of the router world.

Possibly routers need to be a bit more outrageous

As much as I’m complaining the truth that these routers even exist, I can’t assist however value it, too. Perhaps I ‘d have chosen a various style, however hey, lastly there’s a business out there that attempted to do something various rather of choosing “sleek and unobtrusive” or “I’m a gamer, and I’ll shout about it all I want” in regards to visual. I ‘d like to see more enjoyable routers, something absolutely goofy and unapologetic.

I think that’s what these Minions are. It’s simply an embarassment that none people will have the ability to purchase them.

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