Important Tips in Buying a Wireless Router

A wireless router is an electronic device used to connect multiple Computers in a network. The wireless router is also capable of sharing one Internet connection to any device or Computer connected in a network.

If you are planning to setup a home network, there are some important aspects you must consider before purchasing a wireless router for your project. Most of the wireless routers in the market today look the same but these routers have their own specifications different from each other.

Here are the important things you must look into when purchasing your wireless router.

The speed rating of a wireless router is important in order to achieve the best performance for your network. The speed rating of wireless routers are usually in Mbps or megabits per second. The early models of wireless routers comes with an 11 Mbps speed while the mid range models which are known as 802.11g routers has a speed rating of 54 Mbps. The Draft N routers which are the latest models are advertised with a speed of 300 Mbps. In this case, most buyers tend to choose those routers with the highest speed rating.

But this should not be the basis since in reality the actual speed you will achieve with these routers is actually lower than the maximum speed indicated in these devices. In addition, high speed wireless routers do not significantly boost up your Internet connection as you may be expecting. So why spend more money with those high speed routers if you won't gain the maximum speed they claim.

Some of the models or brands of wireless routers are very popular. It means most consumers are buying such brand. Maybe there is a point in judging the performance of these popular models based on the number of consumers buying these models. If you tend to go along with the popularity of these popular models of wireless routers, you may check with online retailers on the sales ranks of these models.

Most products come with a warranty package from the manufacturers. Make sure to read carefully the terms and conditions of the warranty package. Also check the how long they can provide the warranty. The best warranty you can get from a manufacturer means that they are more committed in providing support to their equipMents and that their product is of higher qualities. Consider the warranty whenever purchasing your wireless router.

Mostly wireless routers installed at home are installed in an area which is visible. Though it is not so important in terms of functionality but the size and design of your wireless router can add up some attraction in your home. Wireless routers come in different sizes and designs. If you are going to purchase one, choose a good design and size suitable to the interior in your home so you could be proud to show off to your friends.

Brand matching between the network adapters you are using with the wireless router can sometimes help in achieving the best performance in your home network. Some manufacturers tend to provide optimization with their products.

You may find significant performance when using the same brand in your home network setup. Besides optimized performance you will surely have no problems in terms of compatibility. If you haven't purchase anything yet for your home network project, it is advisable to purchase all necessary equipMents with one manufacturer.

One of the most basic things in purchasing a wireless router is your budget. With so many varieties of wireless routers in the market today, you can surely find an affordable one with features suitable for your home network. Look around the shops and you will more likely find a good buy for your budget.

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Wireless Routers Buying Guide

Router Functionalities

Firewall

Firewalls are ideal for home networks. They help in protecting home use Computers by stalling the destructive efforts of other official websites and potential hackers. This software or hardware device Filters the information coming through the internet connection, flagging the information that is not to be allowed through. You can find some such models at:

VPN Pass through

VPN pass through feature of routers allows traffic between the endpoints and does not support one of the endpoints. This feature is ideal for routers of home use or small office setups; they are less expensive than a router with full VPN that supports the endpoints.

DHCP server

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers can be impleMented for windows based system. The server automatically assigns an IP adDress to the Computer's TCP/IP stack software.

Wireless Access Point

The performance of your network will depend on signal strength of the wireless access point. Before you position it, find out the exact location from where it will give the maximum network range.

DSL Modem

Digital Subscriber Line modems are Faster than regular modems and can use the existing phone lines. Both internet connection and phone lines for telephone calls can be used simultaneously.

Voice over IP gateway

VoIP routers have both wireless networking feature and telephone terminal adapters. With this feature the network can access both Internet and voice communications.

Protocols

These are formats for transferring data between the various devices. The protocols determine the various aspects of the data like compression types, delivery and retrieval by devices and error checking. The standard protocols differ in their various features, so in order to communicate with other computers correct protocols must be selected.

Internet Protocol (IP) enables unique adDressing for computers.

When used with transport control protocol, it is referred as TCP/IP.

The newer IP version 6 is referred as IPv6. This version adDresses 16 bytes in length.
DHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol assigns dynamic IP addresses to devices on a network.

Routing Protocols

The information packets have to be routed by a series of routers to get to its destination. Latest routers automatically exchange route information with other routers through the use of routing protocols.

While configuring the router on your own, you have to choose what types of routing protocol you have to install and configure.

RIP version-1: It is a dynamic protocol and automatically figures routing tables on its own, thus manual inputs are not required.

Encryption Standards

This feature configures the virtual private network, encryption hardware advanced integration modules and the network modules.

Data Encryption Standard - applies 56-bit key to 64-bit block of data. This is the most commonly used encryption standard. A single key is used which is very difficult to break.

Triple DES (3DES) - applies 3 keys in succession making it more difficult to break the code.

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) will be the next encryption standard for commercial transactions in the private sector.

MD5

SHA 1

Modulation

There are many standards of modulation. The most commonly used types are:

QAM: Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, a dominant modulation technique for high speed digital signals.

CCK: CompliMentary Code Keying is a modulation scheme to operate in data speeds up to 11Mbps in the RF band.

OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency division multiplexing modulation is used for even higher speeds of 54Mbps.

DSSS: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum use wideband signals that are not easy to detect and resists jamming attempts.
Security

Today no home and office network is secure. To counter the hacking efforts of hackers, look for good built-in security functionalities. These will ensure that your system doesn't slow down, those within the range of your wireless are not able to view your files, emails, instant messages, usernames and passwords. Depending on the security features you can also block spams, illegal activities with your internet connection and prevent loading of dangerous software.

This however doesn't mean your network is completely secure.

Some steps that can be taken are:

Enable WEP, wired equivalent privacy encryption provides security to WLANS. The WEP keys encrypt the data stream.

Turning on WPA encryption. The Wi-Fi protected access adds on the authentication and encryption features WEP explained above.

TKIP, Temporal Key Integrity Protocol covers up for the encryption weaknesses of WEP.
WPA2 protection is the latest one and provides high level of protection.
Enable wireless MAC Address Filtering.

WEP Encryption length

The WEP encryption is based on a combination of secret user keys and system generated values. The key encrypts and de-encrypts the data that is transferred between the access points and the clients. There are two versions:
The earlier version supported 40-bit encryption; the key length was 40 bits and 24 additional bits of system generated data, thus a total of 64 bits.
Easy decoding of 40 bit WEP encryption encouraged vendors to go in for 128-bit encryption. 128-bit encryption has a key length of 104 bits.

Antenna Type

The omni directional antenna of routers broadcast 360degrees around the router. Position them in such a way that you can make the most of the radiating signals.

External antennas can add strength significantly, thus giving a wider range and increased network performance when compared with the performance of in-built antennas.

Detachable antennas disable 802.11a lower band communications when detached. On attaching the antenna the lower band is enabled. Thus they can be screwed into the device and can be upgraded easily.

The third type is the internal integrated antennas. These antennas are built-in, and hence cannot be changed or directed.

Brand Name

Wireless routers are still evolving, and at this Infant sTAGe it will do good to stick to one brand. Switching between brands can lead to compatibility problems. Linksys and Netgear wireless routers are among the few companies that have the highest wireless router ratings a company can get.

Linksys

Linksys wireless routers are easy to install and are reputed to give good performance and signal range. The various features that the router supports are protection from hackers with NAT technology, VPN pass through, and can encrypt all wireless transmissions. Most of its models have excellent performance and extremely useful support features. Some of the features are the firewall and routing capabilities, MAC address filtering and virtual server support. Most of the models are easy to configure with the browser-based configuration.

Netgear

Netgear wireless routers have not only superior looks but also good signal strength and wider range. Security features are good and are taken care of with WPA-PSK, WEP (128-bit). Netgear markets wide range of wireless routers for home networking as well as business networking. The selling factors are ease of use, reliability, quality and security.

Apple

Customers loyal to this brand can go in for wireless routers of this brand; they are however priced higher than models of other brands with similar features. Security and support features are good.

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What to Consider When Buying a WiFi Router

Does modern technology scare you?

Does the shear magnitude of technological terms and specifications make you cringe?

Do you need a router to connect several Computers to the Internet at the same time? Don't know where to start?

Don't worry we are about to reveal everything you need to know and more about wireless routers and what to look for when you are buying. We'll try to keep it as simple as possible and answer all your questions too.

Lets start with what a router is. A router allows you to create a home network. What this means is that each of the Computers in your house can connect to the Internet at the same time. If you are a more advanced router user you may even want to use it to connect your Computer to other computers or other hardware, but that's a discussion for another article.

Living in a world with so many computers probably means every household is likely to have more than one computer. This leads to the need for a home network, where each family member can use the Internet without having to take turns. If you get a wireless router (WiFi router), and you should, it can also really clear up the clutter of wires. In turn, a wireless router also gives access to laptops, providing great freedom and flexibility to work anywhere you want. If you're using a smaller wireless router in a hotel you may even be able to work poolside. Now that's some incentive!

Here are some things to consider when buying a router:
Will this router work for your operating system (Windows, Apple, Linux, etc.)? Is it Fast enough? Look for an N or g router (802.11g for example). Does the router you are interested in have reasonable range (if it's wireless)? Check On-line or with your local retailer to make sure the router you choose meets the above specs

In closing, a router is a powerful tool for any computer user. You will likely find many uses for it. It can even be configured for use with printers, fax machines, and many other pieces of computer hardware. Most routers provide largely the same features, so just be sure you know the answers to the questions in the bulleted list and you will be on your way to being a router aficionado.

wireless router with usb

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Buying The Best Wireless Router For Your Needs

Buying The Best Wireless Router For Your Needs

Selecting the best wireless router for your setup can be a challenging task for a great number of people. This article aims to teach you some basic features to look for when purchasing a wireless router.

What type of user are you?

The first step to finding the best wireless router for your needs is knowing what type of user you are. Here are a couple questions you can ask yourself to find out. How often do you use your Computer? What do you do on your Computer? Do you use the Internet on a regular basis?

I have reduced the types of users into three groups to keep things simple. There are the beginners, the average users, and the heavy users. The beginners are people that are new to wireless networking. They will generally use their Computers to do simple tasks like read emails. The average users are people who have been around computers for a while and might have a non wireless network. The heavy users will have been using computers and networks for quite a while. They are users who require high speed connections for downloading a lot of information online. Gamers are also a good example of heavy users.

What features will you need?

Now that you've identified what type of user you are we can move on to selecting the features that you will be using. I will not give a highly detailed description of features since there are so many but I will discuss the important features to look for. The most relevant features you will be looking at are Speed, Range, Reliability, and Ease of Use.

Beginners might like to buy a kit such as the D-Link Wireless-G Starter Kit (DWL-922C) or something similar. It comes with an Airplus G wireless USB adaptor, and a 2.4 Ghz wireless router. It is cheap, comes with everything needed to create a simple wireless network, and it is extremely easy to setup. This kit will provide a wireless network that's range will suit the majority of small to medium sized homes. It is also surprisingly reliable for the price.

The average user will be looking for reliability rather than blazing speed. They will want a stable connection that rarely cuts out. For average users I recomMend the Linksys WRT54GS. It is compatible with lots of other network components and is also quite reliable. It's range and performance are highly ranked compared to other wireless G routers. It is fAirly priced for what you will receive and it is quite easy to setup and secure.

Heavy users require both speed and reliability. I can be quite frustrating for an online gamer to get disconnected from the game or always being a step behind the competition due to the poor speed of their wireless router. If you are a heavy user I would recomMend that you purchase one of the newer wireless N routers. The D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Router is one of the best wireless routers around right now. It is extremely Fast and reliable.

Adding it all up

Hopefully this article has taught you a thing or two about wireless routers. It should help you find a router that is in your price range and that fulfills all your wireless needs. Remember, you don't always need to spend more money to buy a product that has features you will never use.

Buying a Wireless Router - How to Choose the Best One

Buying a Wireless Router - How to Choose the Best One

With all the information available to consumers today, the choice of a wireless router that meets your needs and can be very reliable overwhelming. All the different companies that make products they sell routers at prices comparable to similar research - you must use the high performance of the Linksys router or maybe go with the D-Link router with a better review? perhaps one other company has the best product for you, but you've never heard offirst. The most important factor that must also respect the power that matches your needs better wireless.

That said, the definition of "best" for each person is different. Some people are in a router, 10 Computers in a specific time or for someone else might be set for maximum coverage, or looking for the easiest way to handle looking for. What is better for a user can not be right for someone else's wirelessneeds.

If you are looking for some guidance on choosing a router, you should look into some reviews to see what other consumers are saying about the routers you are looking at purchasing. The main things that you should condier when purchasing: reliability, range, ease of installation and the data transmission speed. As Mentioned before, the definition of the "best" would differ depending upon what things you value the most from the router you are buying - value, speed, reliability etc.

For the basic user the best wireless router would probably be one of the routers that are geared to beginners. These have everything you would need for a hassle free installation and usage. These are ideal for home usage generally and are often very affordable.

For the average user the most important consideration is often the reliability of the wireless router signal. The average user is often between the two extremes of wireless users, looking for stability of signal combined with the above average performance.

The best router for the hardcore users of wireless computing is often a high performance router capable of handling a heavy load. Using a router for gaming purposes, having a stable and uninterrupted connection as well as speed to support Fast data transfer is critical.

Depending on what your needs are, taking a look at a wireless router review can give you a good idea of the strong points and weak points of different wireless routers and help you make an informed decision on what is best for you.