Introducing wireless networking to the home has many advantages for the home user. With the full roll out of wireless technologies allowing high-speed wireless entrance the take up by manufacturers has increased giving more options and more reasons to make your household a wireless one. At the heart of the home wireless network is the wireless router.
There are many wireless routers on the shop today and choosing one based purely on price alone is not the best solution. In the following guide I will discuss some of the features that may be required when inspecting a wireless router for the home. Before persisting a basic insight of networking technology and the assorted speed capabilities of each is required.
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Cabled / Wired Networks Standards and Speeds
The three main speeds for wired connections are 10Mb (10 Megabits), 100Mb (100 Megabits) and 1Gb (1 Gigabit or 1000 Megabits). The speed is measured in megabits per second and the maximum speed for each is 10, 100 and 1000 megabits per second. In order to reach the desired relationship speed both devices must have a matching network port to allow connectivity via an appropriate network cable. It is worth noting that only Cat5e network cables are capable of 1 Gb connections. Most contemporary network enabled devices have network ports that have the quality to auto detect the relationship speed of the corresponding network port.
Wireless Networking Standards and Speeds
The current available standards for wireless networks are 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n. The relationship speeds of these standards have improved over time and are 802.11 - 2Mbps, 802.11a - 54Mbps, 802.11b - 11Mbps, 802.11g - 54Mbps, and 802.11n 100Mbps upwards. Wireless N is the latest addition and is becoming increasingly available to the home user. Some manufacturers advertise speeds of up 300Mbps for wireless N enabled devices but this speed is dependent on many factors together with the build of the construction and the thickness of walls etc.
Types of Wireless Routers
Essentially there are two major types of routers, those with modems built-in and those without. Routers without built-in modems need to be related to an existing broadband modem to allow connectivity to the internet. These two groups of routers are split into two types by the relationship types they handle Adsl and Cable (Uk). The strict router type is required for the corresponding relationship type. Before choosing to buy a router with a built-in modem it would be advisable to consult your Internet aid victualer (Isp) for compatibility advice.
Router Capabilities
Most routers have an interface that allows the user to conduct the functionality and features of the router. Although the layout and features can vary there are a few features that are considered a must when choosing a home wireless router.
Encryption and Security
When choosing a router protection should be a high priority. There are a few standards available for securing wireless connections but nothing less than Wpa2 should be used to prevent unauthorised entrance to a wireless network or use of a home internet connection. Wep is no longer strong sufficient to gather connections.
Mac Address Filtering
A Mac address is given to each network capable expedient when manufactured. Each network card or wireless network expedient has its own globally unique Mac Address. Some wireless routers allow these addresses to be entered into the routers allow list. Once enabled, devices that have not been added to the router allow list will be unable to join together wirelessly to the network.
Firewall
Most good home wireless routers have built-in firewalls to prevent unauthorised entrance to the network via the internet. It is a good idea to consist of this feature in any router purchase.
Port Forwarding, Gaming and Application Access
Sometime exact applications or games on a computer may use exact ports to join together to the internet. This feature allows forwarding of the required ports to the required location on the network. Consult the industry instructions on setting up this feature.
Other features
Wireless routers can consist of many features depending on the level and price of model purchased. Some extra features can be available and may be required in confident situations. People who work from home may need Vpn entrance to the workplace and may need a router that is compatible with the employer's network requirements.
If entrance is required to devices when away from home then this also needs to be considered. Port forwarding may be required and some routers will allow the setting up of dynamic Dns catalogue information allowing easy entrance via an internet web browser.
On many routers entrance times can be set to allow devices to join together to the internet at confident times during the day. This can be a beneficial feature for parents wishing to limit entrance times for children.
When purchasing a wireless router, protection and execution should be the two choosing factors. If shopping on a funds always get the top protection and fastest wireless entrance speeds available within your price range.
Once setup the a good wireless router opens the door to connecting a collection of devices to the home network giving entrance to media files and the internet verily and from anywhere with the home or even garden.
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