How Do I Choose the Best Wireless Router?

Choosing the right wireless router can make the difference between a house or business where the Internet works and one where productivity is low and frustration is high because websites take minutes to load instead of seconds. While range and power are two large considerations when considering different wireless routers, there are other technical specifications to think about, as well. The router’s wavelength and security measures also are essential to measuring what router is best for your home or business.

A wireless router’s speed is one of the easiest considerations to measure, because most manufacturers proudly display this measurement on their product packaging or website. Speed on a wireless router is measured in megabytes per second (Mbps). The higher this number, the more information the router can process in a single second.

The next seemingly obvious measurement for the best router is range. This is only seemingly obvious, however, because one component of the router’s true range is the wavelength. On most packages or manufacturer’s website, an estimated effective range will be listed for the wireless router. Before purchasing a router, it is best to measure where the router will be placed and how far out the signal will go, to see if that range is adequate for your needs.

Security on a wireless router is more difficult to ensure than on a wired router. To alleviate this problem, getting a wireless router with enhanced security measures is often the best choice. If the router has continuous firmware upgrades, which will usually be posted on the manufacturer’s website, this will help keep the family or business safe from anyone trying to hack the router and, eventually, the computers connected to it.

Along with router updates, check to see if the router includes firewall protection. Firewalls ensure that access is limited to and from the router. Although they can get annoying sometimes, especially if you are trying to add a new computer to your network, firewalls help keep the network safe.

As of 2011, there are four wavelengths available for wireless router units: a, b, g and n. The wavelength is commonly marked on the product description as 802.11 followed by a letter, such as 802.11n. Each wavelength has a different speed and range rating.

The first two wavelengths, 802.11a and 802.11b, were created in 1999. The former has a better speed rating than 802.11b, but 802.11b has better range. The next wavelength invented, 802.11g, was released in 2003. This wavelength combines the range of 802.11b with the transfer speed of 802.11a. The newest one, released in 2009, is 802.11n, which has the best speed and range ratings out of all the available wavelengths.