What You Should Check Before Buying A Router?

The router is the gateway to the internet. It does two ways communication through the fiber-optic cable and brings internet to your house. These days, most routers are equipped with Wi-Fi technology. As a result, you don’t have to physically connect your smart devices with the router and you can use them wirelessly.

In the market, there are many types of routers available at different price points. But, you cannot pick any of them randomly from the shelf. Before buying any router it would be better if you do a little research about it. Understanding its capability and your need will help you pick the best router for your house.

• ISP compatibility

All routers are not compatible with all ISP providers. Before buying any router, you can check the list of routers approved by the ISP provider. Otherwise, your money will go down the drain if you learn that the router you have purchased is not going to work at your house.

For ease of understanding, you can contact your broadband service provider and get this list. This list is not that long and you will get much more information about compatible routers.

• Device support number

There are a limited number of devices you can connect with the router at a time. So, calculate how many devices you want to connect with the router first. For normal usage, 5 to 8 device connectivity is enough. However, if you want home automation, then you need to connect more devices with the router.

Similar to the device support number, check the range of the Wi-Fi. Having long reach will always be more useful. It will let you access the internet far away from the router. If the Wi-Fi range of the router is low then it could become very inconvenient in daily life.

• Newer wireless protocol

These days, wireless technology is taking giant leaps very frequently. For this reason, it would be better if your router is equipped with a newer wireless protocol. Currently, most routers available in the market are equipped with 3 wireless protocols 11ax (Wi-Fi 6), 11ac (Wi-Fi 5), and 11n (Wi-Fi 4).

Out of these three 11ax (Wi-Fi 6) is the newer wireless protocol. Any router equipped with this protocol delivers superior speed and connectivity. So, any router equipped with this will serve you for a long time.

• Price

Last but not least, you should also check your budget for a router. Any router from an established brand will be a little price. At that same time, its Chinese version will be a lot less expensive. Just like any other device, a router is also a device. The more feature you want from it, the more expensive it will be.

Hence, spending money on this device blindly, won’t be a good decision. Do the necessary research before buying any router and purchase it according to your requirement. This way your router will be worth every penny. Technology is developing rapidly and you need to spend your money wisely.

A router is an important device for an internet connection. For this reason, you need to purchase it carefully. Higher-end routers generally give better performance. They offer more speed and better Wi-Fi connectivity.