Everyone wants to be reliable and fast internet, and a good router can help. The trick is figuring out how this complicated mess of standards, confusing acronyms, and sci-fi-sounding features translates into better Wi-Fi in your home. Join us as we lift the curtain to reveal pertinent facts about Wi-Fi, routers, mesh systems, and other jargon. Hopefully you’ll eventually be better equipped to buy a router.
Updated April 2023: We’ve added Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7, the latest broadband speed updates, upgraded our minimum recommendations, and added a new section. explanation of SSID.
Table of contents
Gear Readers Special Offer: Get One 1 year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you wish). Sign up to help fund the work we do every day.
Who is your Internet service provider?
Internet service providers (ISPs) connect your home to the Internet, and they usually send you a modem and router (sometimes in one device). The modem connects your home to the wider internet, the router connects to the modem, and you connect all your gadgets—wired or wireless—to the router to access that connection. ISPs usually charge you for this equipment, and their routers are usually at a basic level in terms of performance and features. The good news is that by law, ISPs are no longer allowed to force you to use their equipment or charge you for use your own hardwarealthough you may still have to return their item to avoid being charged.
We mainly look at using your own router in this guide and using your ISP’s modem. By using your own, you can save money in the long run, but you can also enjoy faster Wi-Fi, better coverage, easier configuration, and extras like parental controls and guest Wi-Fi networks. We’ll go over your router options, but whichever system you decide to use, check compatibility with your ISP before you buy. You can also search ISP forums to find posts where people discuss using different routers and modems. Doing a little research before you shop can save you a lot of headaches.
What kind of router do you need?
Photo: Netgear
many Ways to make your Wi-Fi fasterand buying a new router is one of the most obvious. To help you decide which router to use, calculate the rough area of your house before you begin.
Single router
The simplest solution for most people is to choose one single router or a combined router and modem. Keep in mind that this device will have to be plugged into an outlet or your existing modem via an Ethernet cable, which limits where you can place it. The Wi-Fi signal will be strongest near the router and will fade and slow down as you go further. If possible, place the router in a central location indoors and outdoors.
Routers should always determine coverage in square feet, but certain types of structures—thick walls, insulation, and other devices—can interfere with the Wi-Fi signal, so don’t Expect to enjoy full speed Wi-Fi at longer distances. Powerful routers with wide coverage are usually large devices with lots of external antennas, but they are often very expensive.
Grid system
If you have a large house and want solid coverage in your garden, or you have thick walls and specific dead spots with your current setup, mesh Wi-Fi could be the answer. word. grid system includes a central hub, which connects like a single router, as well as additional satellites or nodes that you can place around the house.
Devices connect to the internet via the nearest node, so you can achieve wider Wi-Fi coverage and more reliable connections in different areas by adding a button. Just remember that each node will need a power outlet. Mesh systems are typically more expensive than single router setups (although not always), but they enhance coverage and reliability, and they often boast additional features and control options. They also tend to be smaller than regular routers and are often designed to blend in with your décor.
Most mesh systems are scalable, and some manufacturers allow you to link individual routers to create a mesh, so you can start with a single router and add more. another route if needed. Just make sure you understand which devices are compatible. For example, any AiMesh-enabled Asus router can work as part of a mesh system, but TP-Link’s OneMesh technology only allows you to add compatible Wi-Fi extenders—you routers cannot be linked together.
Alternatives to the New Router
Photo: Eskay Lim/Getty Images
If your problem is more related to coverage and you have a single problem room where you want to improve your Wi-Fi or a specific device that needs a faster connection, then you may not need to buy new router. Try one of these alternatives. Each has its own technical challenges and potential problems. Even if successfully implemented, they won’t come close to the convenience of a good grid system, but they’re all much cheaper.
Ethernet cable
Before Wi-Fi was common, we relied on Ethernet cables to connect computers and other devices to routers. Ethernet connections are faster, more stable, and much more secure than Wi-Fi (or any of the other options we recommend here). The drawback is that the device you want to connect needs to have an Ethernet port and you have to run a cable from the router to the device. If you need to run Ethernet cables to multiple points, use an Ethernet switch. With a switch, you can plug in one cable from your router and run several cables out to different devices. Anyone looking to get the best performance out of a mesh system should also consider running an Ethernet cable between the main router and nodes to create a wired backbone that keeps your devices connected to the bands. Free Wi-Fi.
Power line adapter
Sold in pairs, power line adapters transmit internet signals through your electrical wiring. You plug one into a power outlet near your router and connect it with an Ethernet cable, while the other powerline adapter plugs into a power outlet in the room where you want faster Internet. They can be a good solution if you have a console or smart TV in the living room at the back of the house, but your router is in the front lobby, for example. Unfortunately, the efficiency depends a lot on your wiring.
MoCA (Multimedia via Coax Alliance)
If your home has coax cables installed (probably for cable TV), you can use them to create a reliable wired network that offers high speeds and low latency compared to Wi-Fi. You can buy a router, network adapter, or Wi-Fi extender that supports it MoCA standard. Like powerline adapters, this can be a great way to get an internet signal to a smart TV, game console, or desktop computer that doesn’t have a strong Wi-Fi signal.
Wi-Fi repeater
You can use a Wi-Fi repeater to transmit Wi-Fi from a router a bit further and potentially boost the signal in dead spots. These devices are a good solution for some, but they can be inefficient, prone to interference, and often create a different named subnet than your regular Wi-Fi.
Access points
If you don’t mind a challenge and have a spare old router lying around, you might consider configuring it as an access point or using it as a Wi-Fi extender. This can be especially effective if you can connect it to your main router via cable, but configuration can be tricky.
Photo: Getty Images
There are a lot of things to consider when you are trying to decide on the speed of your router. The maximum speed of your internet is determined by your ISP. Internet speed is expressed in Mbps (megabits per second). The global average fixed broadband speed is 79 Mbps for download and 34 Mbps for upload, according to Speed test of Ookla. Most ISPs will state the maximum speed or give you a range—300 Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload, for example—but what you actually get is often less than the maximum. (especially upload speed) and it should be shared among all your Internet service providers. devices are connected.
