Looking for a new wireless router can be an intimidating experience for a lot of and may often end with spending much more money than is essential. With the incomprehensible alphabet soup of router specifications, numerous numbers large and small, and pushy salesmen itching for the money, buying a new bit of hardware for a wireless broadband setup could be a frightening experience. But it doesn’t need to be, with only these few basic pieces of information you can now confidently enter the electronics section and make a purchase that is right for them.
A need for speed?
While a quicker internet connection is definitely an ambitious goal and really should be on top of anyone’s list, actually increasing that speed includes many strings attached. Simply buying the priciest router won’t guarantee a faster web browsing experience. So put the 100 router down, leave behind the ledge, and do some homework.
Many internet providers and countries have restrictions on how many MB per second (MBPS) you should use, that means that even if you buy the fastest router available your browsing speeds might be no faster than your next door neighbour’s. Discover how many MBPS you are eligible because of your provider and apply that to the type of router you would like.
Decide what you are primarily making use of your broadband for. Are you simply checking emails and a little bit of web browsing? Or are you streaming videos and downloading large files? Does anyone within your house play online videogames that require a superfast connection? There is no need to obtain a super high speed router if you will simply be using a fraction of its capabilities. Talking about super high-speed routers, precisely how could they be classified?
The most general term for routers has evolved with three different letters accompanying each generation (technically you will find four generations, but you almost never see the first generation anymore). From oldest and slowest to newest and fastest, the letters you are going to see associated with speed on a router are b, g, and n. These generations complement with similar labels for modems, if you have a modem from the b generation, getting a router from the g or n generations will not boost your speed by any means. However, using a modem in the n generation and using a g router will slow your house broadband down, so be sure your hardware matches.
The following important label you will see is the GHz, which is either 2.4 GHz or 5GHz. While they have slight differences, both generally work the same way nor is outright much better than the other. A number of other electronic devices such as your phone, garage door opener, etc. might operate on 2.4 GHz, that could cause interference together with your 2.4GHz router. However, outside of this inconvenience, the 2 technologies work basically the same, and also the 2.4GHz routers are usually quite a bit cheaper.
Finally, prior to going in to the store you are also likely to wish to evaluate the specifications of all of your existing hardware, as well as your modem as well as your computer. Does your laptop have only one internal antenna in it? You don’t have to purchase a router with 3 or 4 antennas if you will only be using half of them. However, getting a router with 2 antennas whenever your computer has four could make you only using half of your signal capabilities.