Tips For You To Choosing the Best Wireless Router

A router is the magic box that lets you distribute your Internet connection to a variety of devices throughout your home, including desktop computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets, smart TV sets, and streaming media devices such as Apple TV, Roku, and Google Chromecast.

If you’re like many families these days, a typical evening at home might look something like this: you catching up on the latest made-for-Netflix series in the living room, one of your kids gaming upstairs, and your spouse uploading a vacation’s-worth of photos on Flickr in the kitchen.

Wireless also eliminates the clutter that cables brinAnd while wired Ethernet connections are typically faster and more secure, you’re better off with a wireless connection if you want to move around your home, using laptops and other mobile devices. g.

Here’s what you need to know to go shopping for a wireless router.

1.Love the One You’re With or . . .

 

If your Internet service provider (ISP) is your cable company, then your router will plug into a cable modem, which provides your link to the Internet. For other services–such as Verizon FIOS–the router may be combined with a broadband modem in a single box that your provider supplies when you sign up.

Besides an obvious reason—say, your router is broken—you might also consider a new model for the following reasons:

1. You don’t want to continue to buy or rent a router from your service provider.

2. You already have a broadband modem directly connected to a single computer, but want to be able to go online with multiple devices.

3. Your router has only wired connectivity, but you want to go online with wireless devices, such as a laptop or tablet.

4. Your existing router is too slow or its wireless range is too short to reach important places in your home.

2.Sip or Gulp: Types of Wireless Routers

The most basic decision you’ll need to make is whether to get a bigger or a smaller model, size being measured, in this case, by speed and range (also known as throughput).

Until recently, Consumer Reports tested and rated both 802.11n and 802.11ac routers. But falling prices for the latter have rendered the former all but obsolete. Routers using 802.11ac are significantly faster than those using 802.11n, especially at close range. The only reason to get 802.11n is if you are on a really tight budget and you can get one for a steal.

The size and layout of your home will also affect performance. Before you go shopping, you should do an assessment of your house or apartment: the overall size, the building materials used, and where the router will be located vis-a-vis your media.

Drywall, plaster, and hollow doors will interfere with your router’s performance; even uninsulated doors and floors can cause signal degradation. But the biggest offenders are aluminum studs (found in office buildings and modern apartments); insulated walls and floors; glass; and solid brick and stone. The more floors, walls, and windows of any kind in the way, the worse for the signal.

For more information on getting a stronger WiFi signal throughout the house, read this article.

3.Important Considerations

The Router Limits

 

A router with top speed won’t necessarily improve the streaming performance of Netflix and YouTube videos. Across any network, data only moves as fast as the slowest connection. In most cases, the slowest connection for Internet traffic is the one between your house and your Internet service provider.

Booster Club

You can sign up for a faster connection from your service provider if you like. Unless you pay for connection speeds in excess of 100mbps, you’re unlikely to run up against the performance capabilities of most routers.

Frequent Houseguests or AirBNB Host?
If so, use the guest network, which is available with all the routers we tested. It’s a second network that provides online access without you having to give guests your regular security password, giving them access to your primary network.

How Much Security Do You Need?
You should secure your router with a password using WPA2 encryption. You’ll normally need to enter the password into each wireless device you use just once; afterwards, the device will remember it. Security is especially important if you live in close proximity to others, such as in an apartment building or a crowded urban area.

4.Features to Consider

LAN Ports

LAN ports are used to connect a computer to the router using an Ethernet cable.

USB Ports

USB ports on a router are used for connecting to a flash drive, external hard drive, or a USB printer if the router has a built-in print server.

Quality of Service (QoS)

Also called Media Prioritization or Traffic Control. If you’re the type who likes to play with your computer settings, you might appreciate the flexibility this feature offers. You can optimize the router’s performance depending on what you’re doing at a given time. For example, you can change the settings to work best for streaming videos, making Skype calls, playing games, or streaming music. It will give those applications more of the bandwidth so, for example, your Netflix movie doesn’t pause and rebuffer because someone in your house is downloading a large file.