Jamie McKane
MyGaming Journalist
This is what you need to know before buying a router
These are the things you should know before buying a new router.
These are the things you should know before buying a new router.
This is what you need to know before buying a router
- Thread starter Jamie McKane
- Start date
DarthRiven
New member
Nah dude, this article isn't all that helpful. In the opening paragraph it's stated that this guide helps the kind of people who only think of their routers as "the little grey box that helps you get onto the internet". For people like that, the difference in transfer speed between 802.11g and 802.11n is going to be absolutely nothing, as the bottleneck will be their internet speed. Similarly, the difference between 2.4GHz and 5GHz is going to be nothing, as the only place where there will be a meaningful difference in the amount of 2.4 and 5 devices will be a company that had a slew of 2.4 devices set up; home routers have been using 5 for several years now, so there should be equal crowding on both bands. The security thing is SORT of useful, but I haven't seen a router that only supports WEP in over a decade, and WPA1 is just as safe as WPA2 in South Africa. If someone is dedicated enough to go for hacking you, WPA2 is not going to make a difference, and for the rest of the people, WPA1 is just as good.
The MAJOR differences is in the software and features that come with a router; quick setup, bandwidth control, DHCP limiting and address reservation is MUCH more important to me than whether the theoretical maximum of my router is 300MB/s or 450MB/s even though my DSL line is only 4Mbps.
The MAJOR differences is in the software and features that come with a router; quick setup, bandwidth control, DHCP limiting and address reservation is MUCH more important to me than whether the theoretical maximum of my router is 300MB/s or 450MB/s even though my DSL line is only 4Mbps.
I think this article is very weak and misguided as it assumes that your everyday user is only considered with Internet access and not wireless access inside the home. This means the argument of "you don't need high speed wireless" is moot as users are streaming video across devices in their homes.
These days most people have a few static devices in the house and at least 2 devices per person. So if you consider a medium family size 2 parents, 3 kids and their friends that come over, this can easily exceed the capabilities of a home router/AP combo that are designed to handle 10 - 15 devices concurrently.
These days most people have a few static devices in the house and at least 2 devices per person. So if you consider a medium family size 2 parents, 3 kids and their friends that come over, this can easily exceed the capabilities of a home router/AP combo that are designed to handle 10 - 15 devices concurrently.
Avantar
New member
The wireless router/Internet industry was my bread and butter for many years. Ranging from setting up high-sites for farm - and rural areas to our ISP, doing the networking for shopping malls, businesses and even houses. Sure newer technology has surfaced since. A few paragraphs will not teach you what you will need to know about routers and even less when it comes to wireless routers and AP's
My opinion is just that if you need a proper wireless LAN (home network) then get someone that knows what they are doing to install it for you - because there is actually a lot to know and consider. My router/switch of choice would be CISCO and if on a budget: Mikrotik or Ubiquity. Apart from Ubiquity, CISCO and Mikrotik is not typically for the everyday user but provides you the freedom of setting up proper security, routing, NAT and firewall rules.
If you only need a router for Internet use, plug it in and that is its only use. Pick your brand from TP-link down to Linksys(Probably my everyday-man-router choice) Still password protect it at least. Learn basic port forwarding for access from outside to some devices and disable ports not in use....Going too far already- sorry.
Not even going any further with this. For LAN (Home network) a wired network is still the best and the most stable connection. (imo) It is worth the effort. Especially copying files from one device to the next. No harm in having wireless AP's in the mix for your phone and tablet, etc...
Back on topic: If you do not know much about routing, wireless protocols, NAT, firewalls, network security, QoS, port forwarding, etc. Get someone that does to do your bigger than average home network or even small business. If the requirement is only Internet connection to your one pc - most 'modems' are plug and play with simple routing capabilities and security. Do expect fluctuating results and possible frustration if multiple users with multiple devices want to only use the Internet via a wireless connection and you are not too clued up.
My opinion is just that if you need a proper wireless LAN (home network) then get someone that knows what they are doing to install it for you - because there is actually a lot to know and consider. My router/switch of choice would be CISCO and if on a budget: Mikrotik or Ubiquity. Apart from Ubiquity, CISCO and Mikrotik is not typically for the everyday user but provides you the freedom of setting up proper security, routing, NAT and firewall rules.
If you only need a router for Internet use, plug it in and that is its only use. Pick your brand from TP-link down to Linksys(Probably my everyday-man-router choice) Still password protect it at least. Learn basic port forwarding for access from outside to some devices and disable ports not in use....Going too far already- sorry.
Not even going any further with this. For LAN (Home network) a wired network is still the best and the most stable connection. (imo) It is worth the effort. Especially copying files from one device to the next. No harm in having wireless AP's in the mix for your phone and tablet, etc...
Back on topic: If you do not know much about routing, wireless protocols, NAT, firewalls, network security, QoS, port forwarding, etc. Get someone that does to do your bigger than average home network or even small business. If the requirement is only Internet connection to your one pc - most 'modems' are plug and play with simple routing capabilities and security. Do expect fluctuating results and possible frustration if multiple users with multiple devices want to only use the Internet via a wireless connection and you are not too clued up.
DarthRiven
New member
100% agreed with you, man. I haven't been in the IT business at all, but I've struggled with wired and wireless networking from Windows 98 through to 10 (Linux included) and you're right on the money.
