Today, the government offices, companies, banks, schools, colleges, and all other places have a router. Internet is like a basic need these days without which you cannot survive. Do you have a wireless router at your home or office? Yes, you will have one for the effective workflow.
In many companies, employees find it difficult to transfer files and documents due to internet issues. Most of us do not pay attention to minor things while buying a new router for homes or offices. This mistake often disturbs our workflow.
10 Things To Consider When Choosing A Router
There are some important things to consider while choosing a router. They are as under:
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Choose Between the Single or Dual-Band
Wi-Fi routers come in 2 kinds. They are either a single band or dual-band. Single-band router works on a frequency of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. Dual-band router works on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The only difference between a single and dual-band routers is that dual-band routers have better network coverage and connectivity.
Tablets, computers, and notepads work on 2.4GHz while smartphones and laptops work well on 5 GHz. If your area has many people staying there, select the best wireless router as it can give better network connectivity.
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Life Of The Router
A router is used by many employees in the company. People use Wi-Fi connection for various tasks such as gaming, downloading files and online streaming of content. In addition to that, the router is connected with numerous devices at one time. One of the major things to consider while choosing a router is the life of the router.
More load on the router will naturally reduce its speed. If you find that the router is delivering slow connectivity, it is necessary to buy a new one.
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USB Connectivity
A USB port is essential today in homes as well as offices. We have thousands of things to do with the help of a Wi-Fi connection. You have to download the images, send files and documents to the clients, and other tasks.
Every home and office have different devices such as thermal printers, modems, and hard disks. These devices connect well with the router for better performance. While buying a router, you must see that it has one USB port.
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The Positioning of The Wi-Fi Router
The location of your router also plays a vital role. Normally, people choose higher places to keep their router. The reason is that you will get the maximum network coverage from the top place.
Further, you can use heat map software to increase network coverage. You can also buy power-line adapters along with the new router to increase network coverage. These adaptors help you to connect o Wi-Fi even from the remote corners of the home or office.
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Actual speed
No manufacturer gives the actual speed of the router on the packages. Most of the boxes containing routers show theoretical numbers which only special team of technicians know. To know the real speed, you must go through the customers’ reviews. You can get a more precise idea by reading the user reviews.
It is necessary to read the user reviews as the manufacturers may give the speed of testing routers on the boxes. In this way, you can choose top quality and fast running wifi router.
- RAM And Processor
One of the most important things to consider while choosing a router is the processor and RAM. We do a lot of tasks with the help of Wi-Fi such as playing online games, online video streaming, and others.
There are 3 types of processors in routers. They include single-core, double-core, and quad-core. It is better to choose a router with a dual-core processor. It can manage more data. Apart from that, you must select the router with RAM of at least 128 MB.
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Standard of Router
Whenever you buy a router, check its standard. You must purchase the router with standard 802.11ac. This is better and faster than the routers with standard 802.11n. You can transfer images, files, documents, and videos quickly with the help of router of 802.11ac standard.
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No router from ISP
Many people prefer buying routers from ISP (Internet Service Provider) because they are available free of cost. But it is not a good idea to buy a router from ISP as it does not have good speed. In most of the cases, the internet service providers provide slow routers or the ones with standard 802.11n. These routers have a lot of connectivity issues and do not show proper performance in the corners of offices, malls or homes.
It is a better idea to purchase the router from a reliable manufacturer after checking some factors like range, single or dual-band and standard.
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Use Old Router
If you buy a new router, do not throw away your old router. Instead of throwing old router, you can buy a powerline adapter and connect it with your old router for extension of the network. In this way, you can get network even from the old routers and reuse them for some small online activities.
Bandwidth
It is important to check the bandwidth of the router while purchasing it. The routers are available in different bandwidths such as AC1200, AC5400 and AC1900. You must buy the router with a bandwidth of at least AC1200. Any router lower than this bandwidth is not updated and gives slower speed than the other routers.
Conclusion
These are the most important things to consider while choosing a router. Considering these factors will help to stay away from old and outdated routers. If you are the beginner and want a smart router for faster Wi-Fi connection, pay attention to every minute details stated above.
Buying a router is a long term investment and you must do it effectively by searching for some important things. Wi-Fi connection is necessary for daily life and so is the router.