Wireless Router Buying Guide

We separate marketing from reality to outline the specs and features you need in a wireless router.

Looking to set up a network in your home so you can connect all your PCs to your broadband Internet service, share data files, and stream audio and video between rooms? Don’t know what equipment you need? Confused by the spec charts for the gear you know you need? Skeptical of the pie-in-the-sky performance claims? We can help.

We’ll assume you already have broadband Internet access (via DSL, cable TV, or whatever solution you might have). The next thing you need is a wireless router that will go between your broadband Internet device (i.e. your DSL or cable modem) and one of your PCs. (Or between your modem and data switch if you already have a more elaborate network). We’re suggesting a wireless model because you don’t want to string Ethernet cable around your home unless you absolutely have to; besides, a wireless router is the best way to access the Internet using your smartphone. And if you ever discover you absolutely must have a wired connection, the router will have a built-in switch to handle it.

Features and wireless networking standards

Now let’s talk about the features you should look for in a wireless router. Just like smartphones, new wireless networking standards are coming out more often than ever. The current standard is 802.11n. Just about every router you can find on store shelves these days should comply with this standard, and this spec typically appears at the top of the list of features printed on the box, so it shouldn’t be hard to find when you go shopping.

There are, however, two new standards now in development that will soon make 802.11n old news: 802.11ac, and 802.11ad. The latter is still a few months off, but 802.11ac routers are already available, such as Buffalo’s AC1300, or D-Link’s DIR 865L. This new standard supplements 802.11n and offers considerably faster speeds, but the problem is that this standard isn’t supported by any of the devices most people currently own. So basically, if you get an 802.11ac router, it’ll probably still be backward compatible with all your 802.11n hardware, but you’ll have to wait for a while before you can get your hands on a device that can actually utilize your router’s 802.11ac capabilities.

Because of this rapid progress in wireless networking standards, if you have older wireless gear, you’ll want to make sure that any new router you buy will remain compatible with whatever previous IEEE standard your other hardware is based on (examples include 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g). And if you want further assurance that your wireless router will work with other wireless devices you already own (wireless network adapters, media-streaming boxes and so on), look for the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wi-Fi Certified logo. The alliance’s 300 member companies conduct extensive interoperability testing to ensure that products claiming to adhere to 802.11 specifications are in fact compatible.

Wi-Fi network speeds

You should take manufacturers’ speed declarations with a colossal grain of salt. For example, you’ll encounter many claims of “theoretical” maximum bandwidth of 300 or 450Mb/sec (megabits per second), but you’ll never see throughput that high in realistic environments in which walls, doors, appliances, and other barriers separate your router from its client devices. When transferring files using TCP/IP (the most common file-transfer protocol that Windows computers use), you’ll more likely achieve speeds of 100Mb/sec at close range – much less than that at longer distance.

The 300Mb/sec claims aren’t fabrications; they’re just not based on real-world conditions. Fortunately, most wireless routers manufactured in compliance with the 802.11n standard should be capable of streaming high-definition video over a reasonable distance, provided there aren’t too many obstacles in the path between the router and its client.

All wireless routers have built-in switches for making hard-wired network connections, but cheaper routers will have switches rated at only 100Mb/sec. You won’t regret spending a few extra dollars to buy a model with a gigabit switch (that’s 1,000Mb/sec). A gigabit switch won’t make downloading files from the Internet any faster (the fastest cable modems currently deliver only 50MB/sec to 60Mb/sec), but it will make a significant difference in the speed at which you can move files across hard-wired network connections inside your home.

Wireless data security

Wireless networks are as insecure as they are convenient – if you don’t take steps to secure your network, just about any troublemaker within range can eavesdrop on your online activities, leech off your Internet connection, access any of the files stored on your computers, infect your systems with viruses, and cause all sorts of other problems.

If you’re operating an older router that’s limited to WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) security, however, you might as well not have any security at all. Cracking WEP security is literally child’s play. The router you buy should support at least WPA2 (the second implementation of the Wi-Fi Protected Access protocol), but every device you add to your network must also support WPA2 for this to work. Your network is only as secure as the least-secure device that’s connected to it.

Dual-band and tri-band routers

Manufacturers have sold dual-band routers for years, but now many are starting to roll out tri-band routers as well. What does all this ‘dual’ and ‘tri’ business mean? Dual-band typically means that the router is equipped with two radios: one that operates on the 2.4GHz frequency band, and one that runs on the 5.0GHz frequency band. This enables you to set up two separate wireless networks, which is nice to have if you want to use one network exclusively for transferring data files and the other for streaming media, for example. Make sure you read the fine print though – some dual-band routers only have one radio that can operate on either the 2.4GHz or 5.0GHz bands, but not both at the same time. Netgear’s WNDR4500 or Linksys EA4500 are both capable of running on the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands simultaneously.

Tri-band routers are a bit of a new thing, and chances are you’ll have some trouble finding one to purchase. If you’re reading this in 2014 or later however, tri-band routers will likely be ubiquitous by now. Essentially, these routers have a third radio that operates on the currently unlicensed 60GHz frequency band. Using a new technique to beam the radio signal directly to the antennas of connected devices (a process called beamforming) allows some of these routers to achieve data throughput rates of 7Gbps – considerably faster than the measly 300Mbps that 802.11n routers are capable of. 

If you’re only looking to get basic internet access and don’t need all these bells and whistles, you can save a bit of money by going with a single-band N router like the Securifi Almond, or a D-Link DIR-636. 

Quality of Service

Despite the label, Quality of Service (QoS) is not related to the quality of your Internet connection; rather, it’s a set of mechanisms within the router’s firmware that reserves certain resources for different applications. If you rely on a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service, such as Vonage, for telephone service, QoS allows you to configure the router to assign that data flow higher priority. So if someone in your home is downloading a large file while you’re talking on the phone, the quality of your call won’t degrade.

QoS can also be used to optimize your network’s performance with online games, video streaming, and similar applications. QoS can’t increase your network’s bandwidth or speed up your Internet access, but it can make the best use of the online resources you do have.

USB connections

The last router feature we’ll examine is USB support. You’ll find USB ports on many routers, but it’s important to find out what that port is used for. On some routers, it’s merely a means of transferring setup information (network ID and password, for example) from the router to a client via a USB memory key. Better routers will allow you to plug in a USB mass-storage device to add NAS (network-attached storage) functionality. Plug a large USB hard drive into your router and every device on your network will have access to that storage resource – it’s like having a cheap server. A good number of routers on the market have USB support, like Netgear’s WNDR4500 for example.

What to spend: price vs. performance

Let’s sum up with a discussion of prices. Depending on the type you get, you can spend anywhere from $35 to nearly $200 on a wireless router. 802.11ac routers will likely cost you a bit more, but the cheapest products will likely sacrifice advanced features such as Quality of Service, USB connectivity, and dual- or tri- radios. They might also be more difficult to set up and may not have strong tech support on tap. If you run into problems. If you don’t need those features and are confident in your own skills, those shortcomings won’t matter.

A cheap router that delivers subpar performance, however, is no bargain. Product reviews will give you a hint as to what you can expect, but setting one up in your own home is the only sure way of knowing how the router will perform in your unique environment. When you buy yours, make sure the retailer you do business with offers a liberal return policy if you’re not satisfied.