Table of Contents
Introduction
Step 1. Calculate the maximum speed of your Internet. You can do this by contacting your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or checking your account information. Internet speed, generally measured in megabits per second (Mbps), determines the minimum speed of your router.
Step 2. Search for local internet service providers. There may be better alternatives than the ones you are already using, and your current local ISP can determine the type of router you are using.
Some ISPs can directly rent and purchase a router/modem combo that is compatible with the service they offer. Renting will get more expensive in the long run, but it’s a good option for people who can’t afford to replace or upgrade hundreds of dollar routers every few years.
Step 3. Find out if you already have a modem. If you’re starting from scratch, you’ll need to buy a modem and router. The modem interacts with the Internet access point (such as the physical cable) while the router connects to the modem to carry the Wi-Fi signal.
If you already have a modem from another service provider, check with your current ISP to see if it works with your services.
You can buy combo modem and router units at a lower price, although these units are usually more expensive to repair or replace.
Step 4. Describe your budget. It’s easy to spend a lot more money than necessary on a router and modem. Knowing how much to spend (and how much to pay) can remove some of the high-end routers from your search.
Overall, you can generally expect to spend around $ 200 total on a good quality modem and router.
Keep in mind that your budget should be a bit flexible as a router that exceeds your budget could be worth the price in terms of reliability and performance.
Step 5. Determine the amount of space you want the router to cover. A great way to do this is to find out where the modem needs to be (say, where the wired connection is), and then from that point, go to a room or area where you can get the signal from the router received that must arrive.
Walls and floors prevent a radio signal. This means that you need a modem with a higher signal strength for a multi-story or multi-story area than for a smaller room (e.g., an apartment or a classroom).
If you have many floors or a large area, you will likely need to buy extra than one router and home them on the similar net.
Step 6. Make a note of each device your router supports. By writing a list of devices that will connect to the router (e.g., phones, computers, consoles, etc.), you can determine the size of the router because you need a large router to support multiple active devices at the same time and vice versa
In general, a small, average-performing router can handle a group of standard computers performing low-bandwidth operations. At the same time, you need a more powerful router for high-bandwidth operations and other devices (such as printers).
Also, consider how you plan to use the Internet, as occasional surfing and light work requires much less processing than games or constant file transfers (such as uploading and downloading).
Step 7. Understand what the speed and range of the modem mean. It can be tempting to buy the fastest face-value router you can afford. However, your modem can provide the maximum speed of your Internet connection (for example, 100 Mbit / s). Some other belongings to keep in mind are the following
Advertised Speed - A complete combination of all speeds on all modem brands. This is the number given in the product description of your router. Since most devices cannot connect to more than one tape simultaneously, this number is a technical error.
Maximum speed: this value determines the maximum speed at which your plans can use the Net. For example, a modem that wires a speed of 800 Mbps will not help a device that can only reach 400 Mbps achieve a higher maximum speed.
Router Range – The maximum range of your modem determines how far away it can be while receiving a usable signal. It would help if you chose a router with a strong password for larger areas or buy a mesh network system that uses multiple routers spread out over the place.
Step 8. Bound your search to routers in the “N” and “AC” types. Each router has a numerical rating of “802.11,” the international standard for Wi-Fi. However, the letter (or two letters) before the router’s model number refers to its version and, therefore, the maximum speed.
For best performance and compatibility, purchase a router with “AC” in front of the model number.
Designations A, B, and G are careful obsolete.
Step 9. Make sure your modem supports WPA2 encryption. There are many different types of security, but WPA2 is the latest and, therefore, the most secure version of encryption. All routers marked with “AC” must support WPA2 encryption.
Avoid WEP and WPA as both will be obsolete in 2006.
If you cannot find the WPA2 certification on the router package or functional page, contact the manufacturer or customer service and ask about the encryption supported by the modem.
Step 10. Search for a specific router. When you’ve narrowed your search to find specific models, do an in-depth search for ratings, user reviews, and usage reports. This will give you the best likely idea of how the router will perform in the circumstances where you will be using it.
This is also a decent time to call your local ISP and ask about their optional routers.
When reading the reviews of other users, pay close attention to the bad ones. These are usually the most revealing errors on the router, especially when other users have the same criticisms.
If your particular router model has overwhelmingly positive reviews and bought by a large user base, it is likely a good choice.
Step 11. Talk to customer service. If you want to buy your router in a store, someone from the technical department can help you. You may be able to provide other personal or other information about the performance of the modem.
Specifically, ask them about the response rate for the model you selected. The lower the number, the better.
If you are ordering your router from a place like Amazon or eBay, you should find a physical store with the same model and call the customer service team to inquire about the router’s performance.