What to Pay Attention To in a Wireless Router
As you probably use your phone’s cellular network to get in touch towards the digital world when you’re on the move, when you’re in your house, your Wi-Fi network is one of the backbone of your own digital life. Consequently, it’s pretty important to make sure you find a Wi-Fi router that fits or exceeds your expectations – and another that can last no less than a couple of years before needing to get replaced.
Not even really sure just what a router does? For the uninitiated, the Wi-Fi router is essentially these devices which will take the wired connection to the internet from the modem and transforms that signal into a wireless one – which you can use to gain access to the Internet from any Wi-Fi enabled device (smartphones, computers, tablets, etc.) in variety of that signal.
Unfortunately, getting a router isn’t necessarily as elementary as simply on the way to an electronics store and pulling the very first router you discover out of the box. That’s due to the fact that there are numerous of different kinds of routers available – and those several types of routers can have a array of different features (number of bands, parental controls, security, physical ports, smart capabilities, etc.), many of which might be necessary to you, and many of which may not.
Since there are numerous things to consider when purchasing a router, we’ve put together this handy guide. Keep reading for more information, so that you can make your right decision with regards to purchasing one.
Speed
A very high-speed Internet connection is necessary today. So is a router that could satisfy the demands of the multi-device household. Here’s things to look for while you shop for a completely new one.
When viewing router specs, you’ll visit a number/letter designation like “802.11ac.” The letters at the conclusion identify the Wi-Fi standard.
The newest standard is ac. It works with earlier standards, so a mobile phone or some other device that operates on an earlier version of Wi-Fi will still work.
Many newer TV sets are ac compatible, so they’re ready for 4K TV streaming. Even when you don’t want to stream 4K content today, it could appear sensible to future-proof your computer by picking out the ac router now.
Next-Gen (or ac Wave 2) routers come with a technology called MU-MIMO (which is short for Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output). Because the name implies, this feature was designed to improve Wi-Fi performance in households with multiple users.
A dual band router broadcasts about the original 2.4Ghz spectrum, plus the newer 5GHz band. This will effectively let there is a fast lane and slow lane, both capable of handling traffic simultaneously. A tri-band router adds an additional fast lane.
A router with a dual-core or quad-core processor can “think” faster, processing an incredible number of instructions per second. It will help the router swiftly manage visitors to multiple devices.
Many routers also let you do something called traffic shaping, using QoS (Quality of Service) settings that enable you to make choices about how precisely you desire available bandwidth to get parceled out – for instance, make movie streaming a high priority on movie night.
MU-MIMO
You’re probably wondering, what exactly is MU-MIMO? It may be a little technical, but MU-MIMO represents “multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output,” and basically depends upon allowing a product to speak with multiple devices simultaneously. Traditionally speaking, routers could only really get in touch with one device at one time. Sure, they may appear to be making contact with multiple devices, but really they’re quickly firing off data packets to different devices, one at a time.
MU-MIMO changes that. Instead of only sending data packets to one device at the same time, MU-MIMO basically allows a router to talk with multiple devices at the same time, as though each device had their own personal router.
MU-MIMO comes in a number of different configurations. There’s currently 2×2 and 4×4 MU-MIMO, making reference to the amount of streams a router supports at any given time. 8×8 MU-MIMO can also be about the way, but it’s still in its initial phases.
There are some limitations to the. To begin with, MU-MIMO only supports downloads – not uploads – and it’s spatial, and therefore in case you have multiple devices near one another, they’ll share the identical stream.
LAN Ports
LAN ports are widely used to connect your personal computer on the router having an Ethernet cable. Many internet-connected smart-home devices, such as Philips Hue and Samsung SmartThings, need a LAN port-connected hub to perform. If you require more LAN ports compared to the built-in ones, it is possible to expand the number available with the help of an Ethernet switch.
USB Ports
USB ports on the router can be used for connecting to your memory stick, an hard drive, or even a USB printer in the event the router carries a built-in print server.
Security
It’s only natural to be interested in privacy once you begin beaming personal data with the air. Advanced routers offer several layers of protection that ought to ease your mind.
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) is definitely the current protocol for securing wireless networks. Seek out ultra-secure WPA2 capability inside a new router. Most routers provide customizable firewall protection, which enables you to set rules for which information and facts are allowed in your network, which assists keep out spyware, malware and viruses. A denial-of-service (DoS) attack can slow as well as terminate your network connection. Many newer routers offer additional protection from this kind of malicious hack.
For those who have frequent parties or houseguests, choose a router that allows you to setup separate guest access, which means you don’t need to share your own password with anyone. For those of us who work towards business trips or from your home business office, it’s also a good idea to search for a router with a secure virtual private network (VPN) connection that can help keep confidential work communications safe.
Parental Controls
If you have kids, you should strongly consider investing in a parental control Wi-Fi router. Let’s face the facts: The Web could be a bit ugly sometimes, as well as if your kids aren’t the type to actively look for damaging websites, today it’s pretty easy for your kids to come across something they probably shouldn’t see.
There are non-router-based parental controls on the market, but a number of them probably aren’t as secure as they ought to be, and merely might not exactly get the job done in addition to a router can. Using a smart router, for instance, parents can set the sorts of content they believe their kids should and shouldn’t have the ability to see, even separating content in line with the person who’s accessing the Internet.
Visiting questionable sites isn’t the only real issue with regards to kids online. Kids these days will also be spending a lot more time on the devices. With a dedicated parental control router, parents can set timers for specific devices and users, allowing them to access the web at certain times, and block them at other times.