If you’re a broadband customer, you likely received a free router when you first signed up for your Internet connection. Fast forward a few years and that same router is probably still plugging away at its job.
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Yet those little utility boxes have seen quite a bit of technological improvement over the past few years. Purchasing a new router may well justify the expense.
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First consider whether you need a router with or without an integrated modem. Entry-level WLAN routers running the current fastest standard (802.11n) are available without an integrated modem for as little as 60 dollars.
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Yet if you don’t already have a modem on hand, you’ll end up having to buy one anyway. It’s not that the 20-dollar purchase price is a killer, says Andreas Nolde from computer portal chip.de. It’s the fact that hooking the two devices up to work together can be a hassle.
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Complete solutions also prevent cable thickets from forming. For users looking only to surf the Internet, a device with four Ethernet ports is sufficient.
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Those needing better performance will want devices with the faster Gigabit Ethernet technology, says Thomas Jell from hardware maker Netgear in Munich. Data travels up to ten times faster, quick enough even for the needs of gamers.
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Dual band is one interesting optional feature: It means the wireless network can be set up to work with either the commonly used 2.4 Gigahertz signal frequency or the relatively little-used 5- Gigaherzt range. In residential complexes where many WLAN routers are running in close proximity, the 2.4 Ghz range can become overloaded.
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Switching over to the 5 Ghz range can be like switching onto an empty highway. One important point: not just the router, but rather all devices on the home network have to be compatible with both radio bandwidths.
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The fastest WLAN standard is known as…