Buying Guide: How to Choose a Wireless Router
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\r\n A wireless router is a critical piece of hardware in a home local area network, or LAN. It can also be troublesome and difficult to install and maintain. Looking carefully for the best wireless router can be helpful for those who want to profit from a wireless high-speed Internet connection in the home or a small business, or anywhere else that wireless routers are used. With so many wireless routers available on the market offering so many different features and advertised speeds, selecting the right router for a home or business can be challenging.here are some common steps to help you choose a wireless router that will be a good fit for your wireless network.\r\n
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\r\n\r\n On top of the problem of just selecting a router is the complexity of Wi-Fi technology itself. Wi-Fi is a tricky beast and subject to so many varying factors and environmental fluctuations. If there are many other wireless routers in your proximity, you face potential signal interference, especially on the more crowded 2.4 GHz band, a frequency that wireless routers use to transmit and receive data. Certain building materials, multilevel homes, glass partitions and household devices that operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency like microwaves, baby monitors, and cordless phones can all degrade wireless performance.\r\n
\r\n\r\n Businesses often spend thousands of dollars to hire wireless networking professionals to perform site surveys to determine the best equipment and means to deploy a wireless network. It is small wonder that home and small business users who may not have these professionals at their disposal can feel frustrated about purchasing, setting up and maintaining a wireless router and their own wireless networks!\r\n
\r\n\r\n To add to the confusion, routers manufacturers now offer a new generation of wireless routers. These routers feature the latest 802.11x technology; 802.11ac—a step up from, 802.11n as it offers higher throughout speeds and better range. Sounds great, but does 802.11ac currently deliver any gains over 802.11n? Do you need a lesser expensive single-band router or a more expensive dual-band? Do you need to upgrade or purchase an 802.11n router? What benefits does 802.11n give? Does a higher-end router mean better Internet connectivity? What about IPv6—is it best to get a router that supports IPv6? These questions as well as factors like security, parental controls and extra features such as the ability to connect USB printers and external storage drives to a router for sharing in your personal network, are all considerations to weigh when deciding to purchase or upgrade a router.\r\n
\r\n\r\n It's best to get familiar with what you in particular need from a wireless router before you shop rather than relying on anecdotal customer reviews on websites such as Amazon. While you can get a general feel for other customers' experiences with a particular router, Wi-Fi is so fickle and performance can vary from one home to another. Just because someone had a terrific (or miserable) experience with a particular router does not necessarily mean you will have the same experience. Professional reviews in controlled environments, like those I perform in PCMag's labs, are a better source for help in deliberating over which router to choose.\r\n
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\r\n\r\n Here is a checklist and some information to help you in your search of the perfect router for your networking needs: \r\n
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\r\n\r\n Decide on speed. Make sure the router will support an existing Internet connection (Cable, DSL, etc.)\r\n
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- \r\n Look at Mbps, or megabits per second. For the latest routers, the theorethical limit is 600 mbps; most up-to-date routers support 300 mbps (802.11N standard). The previous standard (802.11G) is 54 Mbps. Check the manufacturer's documentation or ask a knowledgeable salesperson about the specifications.\r\n \r\n
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\r\n\r\n 2.4 GHz, 5GHz and non/concurrent dual-band:\r\n
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- \r\n If you need to use G and N devices at the same time, a dual-band router will help to avoid interference: you can connect a G device to 2.4GHz, and an N device to 5 GHz.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n
- \r\n Remember that the concurrent dual-band router and dual-band client wifi adapter don't always mean double speed. If your PC has only one Wi-Fi adapter, you can only connect to one band at a time. Even if you have 2 adapters, under Windows it doesn't give you double speed, only the maximum of either.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n
- \r\n 5GHz gives weaker signal compared to 2.4GHz, especially at longer distance from router.\r\n \r\n
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\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ignore (Most of) the Success and Horror Stories Told by Others\r\n
\r\nCountless consumers post opinions of their particular wireless Internet router to blogs, message boards, retailer Web sites and elsewhere online. For most brands of routers, a confusing mix of positive and negative anecdotes awaits you. Due to the complexity of home networking today, any given brand of wireless router that performs flawlessly in one person's home network could fail miserably in yours. Bottom line: Don't let someone else's experience, good or bad, sway your decision too much.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Brand Matching with Network Adapters\r\n
\r\nConsider purchasing a wireless Internet router of the same brand as at least one of your wireless network adapters. The benefit is a small one, but sometimes vendors will optimize communication protocols of their own equipment; you may see slightly higher performance. Vendors may also more thoroughly test compatibility with their own equipment. If you don't own any adapters (or newer laptops with built-in wireless), consider purchasing all of your WiFi gear together from the same manufacturer.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Size and Style\r\n
\r\nIn many households, wireless Internet routers are installed in a visible central area of the residence. Purchasing a stylish router can make this an attractive addition to the decor that you will be proud to show family and friends. Routers vary in both size and shape. If you plan to install the router in a confined space, ensure you pick one with a suitable form factor. Small business owners and others interested in portability may likewise consider the class of "travel router" products.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Cost and Budget\r\n
\r\nManufacturers sometimes offer rebates or other discounts from the full retail price of their wireless routers. Like an automobile, even if a router is last year's model, you may still find one with all the essential features you need. Shop around and you're more likely to land a good value for your money.\r\n\r\n Warranties\r\n
\r\nWireless Internet router manufacturers always provide a warranty package together with their equipment. The length and terms of these warranties vary widely. A better warranty may indicate a manufacturer more committed to support their products, while a lesser warranty could indicate a somewhat lesser standard of product quality or reliability. Always consider wireless router warranties when making your purchase decision.\r\n\r\n
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\r\n\r\n Other Considerations\r\n
\r\n\r\n If you are looking for a router that you don't want to upgrade anytime soon, consider going with one that supports IPv6. While conversion from IPv4 to IPv6 networking appears to still be some time coming, a router that supports IPv6 will help you keep your network intact when your ISP transitions over to IPv6 as well.\r\n
\r\n\r\n Some routers also offer extras such as SD card slots, (D-Link DIR-827, is an example) and USB ports for printer sharing and external drive sharing, including routers from Cisco, Belkin and Western Digital). If those are features you want in your network, look for routers that support those features.\r\n
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