How to choose a new router
Here are the most important factors to consider when upgrading
PLENTY OF PEOPLE overlook it, but your router is crucial to the quality of your home network. The router provided by your ISP (internet service provider) is often relatively basic, so it’s often a good idea to get a better alternative. But what exactly should you be looking for when buying a router?
One of the first things to consider is the size of your home. How much coverage do you need? Not every router is powerful enough to cover a large home. For any router, check its spec sheet for “Wi–Fi range” or a phrase like it, or the home size it’s intended for, to gauge capability.
You’ll also have to consider the type of home you have — old buildings with thick walls are likely to present more of an obstacle than newer houses, for instance. Use an iOS app like Wi–Fi Deadspot (Free, App Store). Walk around your home with the app open, and it notes any areas with poor Wi–Fi reception. These would be better served by Wi–Fi extenders, mesh router nodes, or powerline adapters.
NEED FOR SPEED
Many service providers advertise impressive–sounding speeds, but these are theoretical, based on ideal situations, and may not reflect how you use the router. Walls and floors will impact the speed, for example. More antennas on a router generally means better speed and range, but that’s not the only factor, so check the router’s spec sheet for indications of other performance boosts on offer.
A router can do more than just beam internet access around your home — various other devices can be connected directly to it to be shared. For example, many routers have extra Ethernet ports on the back. These are useful if you want to hook up a network printer so that any family member’s device can make paper documents, for example.
Similarly, some routers come with one or more USB ports on the back. One use of these is to plug in a USB hard drive to use as shared storage. Some routers even support Time Machine backups over your network.
Another useful port on the rear of your router is the Ethernet plug. Wi–Fi is all well and good, but it cannot compare to connecting your devices with an Ethernet cable, which will give much greater speed and reliability. When you’re looking for a router, make sure you get one that offers Gigabit Ethernet speeds (which is often written as 10/100/1000).
Many routers offer a whole host of extra features. In recent years there’s been an increase in “tri–band” routers. Before this, most routers would offer access on two channels: one in the 2.4GHz band, another in the 5GHz band. Tri–band routers usually provide an extra 5GHz channel, which helps if you have lots of devices to connect. Another factor to consider is whether you need a mesh router. These have multiple “nodes” that each act as their own router to aid range, and are useful in a large home with lots of dead spots.