When you first look into the market, at the different wireless routers available, they may seem very similar and it might strike you that there’s very little difference between the different options. In reality, each router has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and it’s important to look at a number of considerations. This article will look at speed, popularity, warranties, compatibility, style and look, and your budget.
The Speeds of Wi-Fi Routers:
Normally, no Wi-Fi router is likely to publicise its throughput speed in megabits per second. The older models on the market had stop speeds of 11 megabits per second. Slightly newer routers in the middle of the market are 802.11g, with 54 megabits per second of capacity for connectivity. The newest and still newer sets of routers in the market are 802.11n, offering speeds up to 450 megabits per second. There’s no point in going for 450 megabits per second router if you can only achieve 8 megabits per second on your connection. It really is a matter of matching the price benefits and the speed benefits. You won’t get more speed out of your connection just because you put a high-capacity router on it, unless the router was the bottleneck in the first place. Consider the cost as well as the speed, and also the capacity of your connection, to start with.
Popularity:
It’s often a good idea to go with the crowd when it comes to buying products. The most popular models on the market will tend to be those with the fewest faults and the best reputation. If you look for the bestselling options and the sales figures of different Wi-Fi routers, you’ll probably get a head start on which one to go for on your budget.
Getting a Warranty:
Just about every Wi-Fi router that you could buy will come with a warranty. However, the terms and conditions in these warranties will be wildly different; the better the warranty, likely the better the product. Go for a company that has full confidence in their hardware, and you are likely to get a good product.
Compatibility with Network Adapters:
It’s quite a good idea to go for the same brand of Wi-Fi router as your network adapter. Sometimes, the protocols are optimised for interaction between same-branded devices and, therefore, you may get better performance. Indeed, the testing of compatibility between same-branded items will certainly offer some benefit. If you have built-in Wi-Fi, then there may be certain Wi-Fi router models that are best suited to it, and it might be worth reading a few reviews.
The Style and Size of your Wi-Fi Router:
It may seem that the style and look of the Wi-Fi router are pretty insignificant and inconsequential. However, a router will be sat by the place near your main telephone point, and it’s good to have something that looks okay. If you are a stylish household, then you may want to get a router that goes with your décor. Routers are vastly different in terms of their dimensions, too, and you may only have a small space on which you can place it. For example, if you have a certain tiny shelf that you have earmarked in order to provide maximum Wi-Fi coverage from an elevated router position, you may want to go for a smaller device in order to facilitate this.
Your Budget:
It’s important to understand your budget before you go out and buy a router, because there is a massive range when it comes to what you will have to pay. In reality, the benefits of the most expensive routers over the medium-range routers are not that great, unless you are looking for top-performing internet connectivity and have extremely fast speeds. These days, there are connections available with one gigabit speeds, and these are the kinds of connections that the top routers will justify the most.
Have I Got a Wi-Fi Router Problem?:
To ascertain whether you have a Wi-Fi router problem, you have to understand whether there is a bottleneck being caused – either in the wired connections or Wi-Fi connectivity. Normally, the grading of the router – in regards to the speed it can pass – can be a good indication as to whether that is the case. If you got a router that came with your internet connection, it will likely be fast enough, unless you subsequently had a massive upgrade to a faster speed.
Why Would I Want a Premium Router?:
You may want a premium router in order to pass the signal further with better antennae, or to decrease the bottlenecks that an older router is causing in terms of speed and performance. One of the biggest reasons people opt for another router is because of Wi-Fi interference from other devices in their home – or from other internet connections in the area. Most Wi-Fi routers work on the 2.4 GHz frequency range and, therefore, there can be a lot of traffic in the airspace if there are a lot of devices competing. Additionally, baby monitors, Wi-Fi boilers and so on can interfere dramatically with connections. A premium router may have several bands on which you can operate, and, so, you may be able to change the frequency and, therefore, reduce the interference caused by these factors.
Summary:
Getting a Wi-Fi router is not always a big deal, because you can get them fairly cheap these days; but it is important to ensure that you get something appropriate to your needs in order to get the maximum benefits from your internet connection.
