Home Wireless Networks - Part 1: Wireless Routers and how to chose them

Wifi. We love it at coffee shops and book stores. It’s not at all difficult to set up at home. The only reason it’s confusing it because the manufacturer’s make it seem that way. Once you stream Netflix from the comfort of your bed, you’ll never want to be tied to a modem again. Here’s what we’ll cover in this post...

1. Finding the best wireless router for your needs (and what is a Router anyway)

Vocabulary you need to know! (So you don’t get confused or taken by the Best Buy people)

Throughput - Information over the internet is divided into parts called packages. Throughput is the amount of these packages that are successfully transferred to your computer in a given time. It is measured in Megabits per second or Mb/s.

Net Bit Rate - The Maximum amount of USEFUL information that can be sent over your router’s connection. The Gross Bit Rate is everything that is going over your router’s connection. These are also measured in Mb/s.

802.11 g and n - Don’t worry too much about the 802.11, it is just the name the inventors gave to the wireless technology. The G and N refer to the range, speed and strength of the router. there is also an 802.11a and 802.11b, but as the technology improves, the older versions are added into the newest, so G broadcasts in 802.11a/b and G, and 802.11n does a/b/g and N. N is the latest and strongest signal. We’ll get into this later in the post.

Finding the best wireless router for your needs:

So you want to go wireless, eh? The first step is to have internet in your home. Once that’s done, you can get started broadcasting internet signal through your entire property. First, what is a router? It is a networking device that manages incoming and outgoing connections to the internet. Think of it as an usher, the website you want to go to is like the show you want to see, and the website URL you enter into Internet Explorer/Firefox/Safari etc, is the ticket. You show your “ticket” to the “usher” who shows you to your seats at the “show”. So how is that different than the modem the cable/DSL company gives you when they install services? Not only does it bring internet content to your computer, but it can also send people on the internet to your web server (we can talk about that later). Also since you want the convenience of wireless connectivity, the router also has to act as a “bouncer” with a firewall to protect your computer from harmful content and security features to restrict people from accessing your wireless network. A wireless router does a great many things, but not everyone who manufactures them does it correctly. So depending on your needs and funds, here are some things to think about and a list of good routers I recommend.

Things to look for:

Signal strength: How big is your house? Do you have an adobe house or masonry or good ol’ drywall? Are you trying to connect one floor or multiple? All of these questions should influence which router your buy. I was setting up a network at a client’s house that was large and made of adobe/masonry. The customer did well and bought a Wireless N router, the strongest signal available to combat the thick walls and size of the adobe house. The goal was to work upstairs with the laptop, but the signal would not reach. Even the strongest signal would not fill the whole house with signal. they eventually repositioned it closer to the upstairs and got good signal both upstairs and down. This is just an example of local WiFi complications. If you’re a numbers person, here they are.
So, if you have a smaller house, you might be able to get away with Wireless G. If you have a mansion, go for the Wireless N. The first set of numbers ( Max Range) is what you need for the size of your house, the second two sets are what you need to think about in reference to what you want to do sans-wires. If you are an email checking/chatting/web surfing person, then you won’t have to go beyond Wireless G, but if you play games over the internet, upload and download data, stream movies etc., you’re going to want the robust Wireless N.

Those are the main considerations. Other things you might consider are if you have a laptop and desktop. You want good wireless signal for the laptop, but for the wired desktop, you want good connection speed as well. Some routers have Gigabit (1000 Megabit per second) ports in the back for desktops while others have 10/100 Megabit per second connections which are not as fast. Some routers offer the ability to hook up a network printer so anyone on the network can print without being wired into the printer. Some routers are just prettier than others and you have to keep with your decor. It happens...

So once you have a list of all you need your router to do, here is a list of brands I’ve come to trust.

1. Apple Airport - Surprise! Apple is the top of my list like everyone else! Airport is easy to set up and use. They have sturdy hardware and they only make 802.11 N capable routers (remember, the latest version also supports all previous versions), so you’re getting the strongest signal. They have a Mac/PC application (Airport Admin Utility) that makes administering it so simple. They are more expensive than other routers, a lot more expensive, so I’ll make with the more cost effective ones.

2. Linksys - (also might go by Cisco, one and the same) - These are probably the most widely used routers. Since the WRT54G model, which were introduced in 2002 and are STILL running people’s home networks, Linksys hardware has earned the trust of its users. I’m typing this post getting to the internet with help from my Linksys WRT310N. Look at some of the “best wireless router” lists on the web. Under the Apple Airport, the next few models will undoubtedly be Linksys models. You couldn’t go wrong with any of them.

The runner up models are as follows:

3. D-Link
4. Buffalo

Now, If you buy one of these, I’ll help you, but the prescription to your problem will be to buy a better router. These are the worst.

1. Netgear
2. Belkin
3. Other generics...

So, I’ve given you a lot to think about. I will leave you with your thoughts and the task of picking your perfect wireless router.

Next Post: How to set it up the way the big computer people don’t want you to know about.