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Your internet connection may be the most important convenience item you have in your home. Routers are your link between the internet connection and the devices that use it, and having a good router means your phones, laptops, tablets and smart appliances will communicate quickly like you need them to. A good router is key to the speed your data transfers, and with so many available options, finding the right one for you can be a complicated affair! We have done the work for you and put together this guide to help you decide.
Where modems are responsible for connecting your home to your internet provider, a router allows for your devices to connect to the internet from your provider. Think of it as a hub or station that you can connect your phones, computers, tablets and smart appliances too. There are three main router types for you to consider: wired, wireless and modem router combination devices. To help you compare and see which one is right for your home network, we have broken them down below:
Wired Routers: These routers have ports which allow you to connect to the internet via a cable. Cable data speeds are generally faster than those sent over Wi-Fi, so these are great for home or office networks where you have one or more computers you wish to connect for fast data transfers.
Wireless Routers: These allow your computers, tablets, phones and smart appliances to connect via Wi-Fi to the internet. Wireless routers usually also have connection ports up to three computers you wish to connect directly to the router. Wireless routers offering Wi-Fi technology are the perfect solution for homes where multiple family members have multiple devices and devices like smart phones that can't plug directly into the router. They are available in two frequencies: 2.4 and 5 GHz bands:
2.4 GHZ Wireless Frequency Routers: Routers using this frequency sustain better distances and offer a stronger signal further away from the router.
5 GHz Wireless Frequency Routers: Routers using this frequency, are ideal for people who will do a lot of gaming and downloading. This frequency is less crowded as less appliances run on on this frequency, which means much faster speeds.
Modem Router Combination Routers: This handy combination makes setup much easier. Having two devices in one not only saves you a lot of space but means your modem and your router will work seamlessly together.
Based on all the consumers' reviews we've scanned, these are the top things they mentioned about their new stuff:
NETGEAR: Founded in 1996 and headquartered in San Jose, California, NETGEAR primarily designs and manufacturers computer networking equipment.
Linksys: Linksys, owned by parent company Belkin, sells networking hardware products to homes and small businesses. They are located in Irvine, California.
ASUS: Taiwanese manufacturer ASUS draws their name from Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. In 2013, they were the world’s fifth largest PC and networking equipment vendor by unit sales.
TRENDnet: TRENDnet has been manufacturing networking hardware since their founding in Torrance, California in 1990.