How To Choose A Wireless Router: Wi-Fi Knowledge Guide

Today, with the popularity of Wi-Fi applications, Wi-Fi has become a key tool for us to connect with the outside world. However, for the majority of netizens, what kind of wireless router can they choose to better meet their Wi-Fi application needs in home environment? In previous surveys, it was found that many netizens were not very clear about this issue. Then, I hope that the following related introductions can provide some help for these netizens in the choice of wireless router for home network.

With the rapid development of Wi-Fi technology, there are more and more smart devices supporting interconnection, and various networking devices represented by smartphones, tablet computers and smart home products are also rapidly emerging. The network has brought many challenges, and it has put forward higher requirements for the wireless router that supports the role of “home network hub”.

  – says Andrew Dunn, Vice President of Marketing at Zentro Internet.

Although there are many factors that affect the Wi-Fi signal, in addition to some natural factors such as obstacles and walls that will directly affect its coverage, the performance and quality of Wi-Fi transceivers such as iot routers and terminal wireless network cards and other issues are also important.

Factors to consider when choosing a wireless router

First of all, it is recommended that consumers should pick wireless routers from well-known brands, so that there will be better guarantees in product quality, quality and after-sales service.

Otherwise, even if you buy some uncertified “high-power” routers, or routers produced by informal manufacturers, although you can have through-the-wall Wi-Fi, the excessive wireless power output will be harmful to their health. In addition, when the power is amplified, the signal noise will also be amplified, and the signal quality may still not be guaranteed.

Second, the number of antennas is not the key to improving wireless coverage. Because, through the actual test, it is found that there are many wireless routers with two antennas, because the wireless power amplifier module is added, the signal coverage is often wider than some three-antenna routers. This is the same as judging the signal of the router cannot rely solely on the built-in and external antennas.

Therefore, when purchasing a router for your home network, you cannot simply use the number of antennas to measure the breadth of its coverage.

What’s more, try to understand the details of the parameters of the wireless router. For example, by mastering the brand, frequency, memory, cache and other internal parameters of the wireless RF chip, you can examine the performance and scalability of the router from the side, as well as whether the router uses more advanced wireless signal search algorithms and higher transfer speed like 10gb router that offers 10g internet, or even through inquire about the product disassembly test conducted by professional evaluation agencies to gain an in-depth understanding of more details of the router.

11N or 11AC, Which should I choose?

When it comes to Wi-Fi, you must have heard the terms 802.11n and 802.11ac, which are all wireless transmission standard protocols approved by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Just as our mobile network has been upgraded from 4G to 5G, wireless standards are also evolving rapidly, from 802.11a/b/g/n to 802.11ac, and even 802.11ac Wave 1 and 802.11ac Wave 2 subdivision.

When consumers pick wireless routers, they will also see router products labeled AC1200, AC1600, AC1750 or AC1900 for sale, and now there are many new routers such as AC2350, AC3200, AC5300 and AC6000. Although the above rate label is actually only the sum of the theoretical wireless rates of dual-band or tri-band on the 11AC router, the theoretical rate of continuous refresh is still really staggering.

Looking at the overall wireless market, according to recent statistics, wireless routers with specifications above AC1800 account for 45.9% of the total market. The mid-to-low-end router market is facing a large decline of more than 40%, while the high-end wireless routers such as 2.5gb routers maintain a continuous growth.

It should be said that with the increasing trend of Wi-Fi applications, especially the rapid popularization of streaming media such as online video and live broadcast applications, traditional 802.11n routers have long been unable to meet user’s further pursuit of wireless network quality. 802.11ac router has gradually become the standard of today’s home wireless networking.