What Specs Do you Need to Compare with In Selecting the Proper Wireless Router?

A wireless router is an important piece of hardware for a home local area network, or LAN. It can also be troublesome and difficult to install and maintain if you select the wrong type of router or choose one that doesn't meet our needs. Looking carefully for the best wireless router specs 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.

Here are some common specs and steps to help you choose a good and proper wireless router.

Speed Ratings

Wireless routers typically advertise their speed in megabits per second (Mbps). Older Wi-Fi models offer 11 Mbps, mid-range 802.11g routers 54 Mbps, and the latest 802.11n routers claim up to 450 Mbps. You may be tempted to only look at those routers with the highest Mbps rating. However, consider that the actual performance you will achieve in practice typically averages much, much lower than the maximum rating shown on the package. Furthermore, even high speed routers cannot directly speed up your Internet connection. The extra speed boost from a faster router may not be worth the extra cost.

Find out whether your client devices all support 802.11n standard. If all of them do, you are safe to choose an 802.11n router. If they don’t, and have 802.11g instead, keep in mind that when an N device is used at the same time with a G device, effective speed is greatly reduced.

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. Remember that the concurrent dual-band router and dual-band client Wi-Fi 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, but only the maximum of either. 5GHz gives a weaker signal compared to 2.4GHz, especially at longer distance from the router.

Evaluate Signal Strength

Different wireless routers are rated for different signal strengths. Even for a small apartment, signal strength can be an issue even with the most-up-to-date router. Figure out which one fits your network needs. Signal strength is best evaluated by real-life tests, and not from the manufacturer’s published specifications. Try to spot for the obstacles in an interior home environment, as well as the specific distance that the signal will need to go for use in any particular part of the building.

In households or small businesses, wireless Internet routers are installed in a visible central area. Purchasing a stylish router can make this an attractive addition to the decor. Routers vary in both size and shape. If you plan to install the router in a confined space, make sure to pick one with a suitable form factor.