Introduction

A wireless router may be a device that connects to your home or office modem, in order that you’ll connect multiple devices, typically wired and wireless to your internet connection at an equivalent time. Beyond the essential provision of wireless internet within your home or office, there are many additional features that should be considered when watching buying a replacement wireless router. Please see below for the foremost common features of wireless routers, and skim on for detailed explanations of what those features are, and the way they’ll benefit you.

Range

The range of a wireless router may be a measurement of how far (typically in feet) the signal of the router will travel. This measurement is usually determined during a lab-type setting, so you’ll usually expect a touch less range when setting one up in your home or office. many various things will affect the range of your router, from the physical placement near a wall or window to interference from other devices like cordless phones or baby monitors. Most good wireless routers are capable of broadcasting your signal to a variety of around 150 feet indoors, assuming typical household conditions.

Certain wireless routers just like the D-Link DIR-655 are capable of signal range up to 300 feet in your house, again – assuming perfect conditions. The range also will be suffering from the sort of antenna the router uses to broadcast the wireless signal. For more information about how antenna design affects wireless signals, see the antenna section below.

Single Band or Dual Band

When trying to find a wireless router, you’re getting to encounter two differing types – single-band and dual-band. The ‘band’ is the wireless frequency at which your wireless router outputs its’ signal, and can either be 2.4 or 5GHz (Gigahertz). As you would possibly have guessed, dual-band routers will broadcast your wireless signal on both the two .4GHz and 5GHz bands, thus supplying you with a more robust and quality signal.
Although a dual-band router will allow you more options for delivering wireless signals in your home or office, the 5GHz signal frequency has some caveats. Firstly, the 5GHz frequency won’t let your wireless internet signal travel as far as a 2.4GHz frequency signal will. Since commonest household appliances don’t operate within the 5GHz frequency range, you’ll run into less interference which is good, but you will not be ready to cash in on that signal from too distant. the opposite downside to the present, is that not all wireless devices are capable of accepting a 5GHz wireless signal, so not every device you own can cash in on the added frequency.

If you’ve got tons of other wireless devices in your home, or sleep in a crowded area, you are going to require to select a wireless router with a dual-band. The added level of signal quality will help to deliver your wireless internet signal to your laptop or phone without getting involved with the remainder of the signals moving through the airwaves. Picking a router that gives dual-band technology is suggested – Although not every device can cash in on the 5GHz band, having both bands broadcast means you will be ready to serve a wireless signal no matter what’s connecting to your router.
A, B, G, N
Wireless signals are available in a couple of different standards, known commonly as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n. because the letter gets higher, the signal quality increases, with n being the most recent standard in wireless technology. Most new devices are going to be capable of connecting via 802.11n, but you’ll be wanting to form sure when fixing your wireless router that you simply can account for older devices you’ll have also. Since some devices still use the older but more popular 802.11g standard, you’ll be wanting to form sure you’ll broadcast both the new 802.11n signal, also because of the older 802.11g and beyond.
802.11a – 802.11a is an IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps and an operating frequency of 5GHz.
802.11b – 802.11b is an IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 11Mbps and an operating frequency of two .4GHz.
802.11g – 802.11g is an IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps and an operating frequency of two .4GHz.
802.11n – 802.11n is an IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of up to 540Mbps and utilizes MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technologies to extend signal quality.

Security

When you are fixing a wireless network at your home or office, you would like to form sure you’re taking your wireless security seriously. Picking a wireless router that’s capable of implementing the favored security protocols will make sure that you’ll set up a secure wireless network that will not leave you vulnerable.
The most common sorts of wireless security protocols are WEP, WPA, & WPA2. Each offers certain advantages and requires a special sort of passcode to permit access.
WEP – WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) may be a security protocol for wireless networks which will protect data via encryption over radio waves using the point-to-point transmission. A pre-shared key (PSK), or passcode, is employed to permit communication between the wireless router and therefore the endpoint (your laptop or computer).
WPA – WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) is analogous to WEP, however, WPA further protects your wireless data transmission via encryption. WPA uses a key almost like WEP, but the advantage of using WPA over WEP is that the key’s automatically encrypted, making that far more difficult for your passcode to be decoded.
WPA2 – WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) is analogous to WPA, but geared toward people requiring the very best level of wireless security. WPA2 offers a way stronger encryption service by using AES or Advanced Encryption Standard.
Most wireless routers on the market today will offer WEP, WPA, and WPA2, with some routers adding additional levels of security. When it involves keeping your wireless network secure, it’s getting to come right down to your implementation of security measures more so than which router you select to shop for.

USB Functionality

Some wireless routers like the Netgear WNDR4500 include a USB port which will be used for added functionality. you’ll prefer to connect the Netgear WNDR4500’s USB port to a USB thumb drive to simply share files on your network(also referred to as NAS – Network Attached Storage), or maybe attach a printer onto the router, then access that printer wirelessly from any pc or laptop connected to your wireless network. albeit you do not have an immediate need for this functionality immediately, if you’ll, pick a router that features a USB port thereon. Always future proof whenever you can!

Wired Ports

In addition to providing a wireless connection, most wireless routers also will provide wired ports, in order that you’ll physically connect a close-by computer to the router. Computers that are physically connected to your router will enjoy increased speed and reliability, so if you’re ready to, it is often an honest idea to urge a router just like the Medialink Wireless N Router that also has LAN ( or Local Area Network) ports in order that you’ll physically connect your computer to your router.
If you discover a wireless router without local network ports, confirm that it’s actually a router and not just an access point. An access point is extremely almost like a router, and should even look similar, however, the access point will only provide a wireless connection, and not the extra functionality needed to permit your computer to access the web wirelessly. If you have already got a wireless router in your home or office, you’ll use an access point to supply a further source of wireless, goodbye as your main router provides the essential routing functions for your home network

Antenna Design

When choosing a replacement wireless router, you would like to require into consideration the sort of antenna design the router uses, which can either be internal or external. Aesthetically, tons of the favored manufacturers are now choosing an indoor antenna that’s housed within the body of the wireless router.
While an indoor antenna may look a touch ‘cleaner’ than having a little external mast type antenna sticking up from the highest of your router, the external mast type antennas generally provide better performance and range than a router with an indoor antenna.

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MIMO

MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) may be a fairly new technology found in new routers which can enable you to urge better speed and range from your wireless router, by allowing the wireless router to broadcast and receive multiple different signals directly. to offer you a far better idea of what MIMO is and the way it affects your wireless router’s performance, imagine what proportion better highway traffic flows when there are five lanes for traffic rather than only one. this is often an equivalent principle that permits MIMO to extend a wireless router’s speed and performance.

IPv6

Since the web is expanding exponentially every day, the availability of unique addresses is rapidly running out, which means at some point soon, we’re getting to need to start using IPv6 addresses. You needn’t worry about the technical differences between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, just play it safe and confirm that if you’re getting to purchase a replacement wireless router – confirm it supports IPv6.