What should I look for when buying a WiFi router?

There are steps you can take by yourself to ensure your router is up to the task of providing your home or business with a flawless connection. To make this easier, the expert team at The Wifi Specialist have assembled their top tips for buying your WiFi router. This will help you to answer the question: what should I look for when buying a WiFi router?

Understand your service provider

Your internet service provider (ISP) connects your home or business to the internet. They will usually provide you with a router when you begin your deal with them. These routers are typically basic models that quickly become outdated. Or, you may choose your own brand of router to ensure you are getting the best speeds and coverage.

When you are purchasing your own WiFi router, you need to understand the speeds that are being provided by your ISP. If you buy a router than can provide the fastest speeds, but your ISP does not provide a connection that lives up to these capabilities, you will be wasting money. In this situation, a more powerful router will not benefit you until you upgrade your connection. So, always ensure your router matches up to the speeds offered by your ISP.

Compare WiFi standards

When shopping for a router, you should always consider the wireless standard being offered by the device. Outdated and basic routers will still use a IEEE802.11a or 802.11b connection standard, but modern devices can provide much higher speeds. If your router is using an out-of-date wireless standard, your speed will be suffering.

The latest WiFi standard is 802.11ac, and it is seen in a majority of new routers. 802.11ac allows you to enjoy speeds of up to a Gigabit. This is much faster than the 600Mps maximum speed that was seen in old routers that used the EEE802.11a or 802.11b standards.

Check security capabilities

When you are buying a router, you should always ensure that you are getting the highest level of security when you are browsing the internet. This is especially important for business WiFi connections as they store sensitive data. Hackers often try to exploit wireless internet connections, because they are open for anyone to try to connect to.

You should make sure that your router uses WPA2 security standards at the very least. This is the second generation of WiFi Protected Access Protocol. However, even if your router meets this level of security, you may not be fully secure. Each device on your network will also require WPA2 security. For professional WiFi security services, contact The Wifi Specialist.

Choose the best WiFi band

Choosing the best WiFi band for your internet needs will help you select the perfect router for you. WiFi routers typically come with either a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band. However, many modern routers are dual-band, which gives you the option to choose from either WiFi band. We highly recommended these routers for their versatility.

Some WiFi routers go even further by having two separate radio antennas, which means they can set up two individual WiFi networks. Each network will be on a separate WiFi band, allowing you to reduce traffic and increase your speeds when there are multiple users connected to your network. There are even some routers that are tri-band. These devices have two 5 GHz bands, allowing them to create three WiFi networks.