If you want to connect to the internet using your computers and other wireless-enabled devices at the same time, you will need an item called “Router”. However, it is not easy to buy a good router because you need to consider some features that they have. There are many products available out there and from one unit to another bring their own advantages and features for different purposes.
A wireless router is a device that can make your wireless-enabled devices like (laptops, smartphones, game consoles, tablets, etc) connect to the Internet Wirelessly. Once you have them installed and running, you can build your own home or office network, it can also help to transfer data between computing devices and multiple devices can use your Internet connection simultaneously at the same time without cable at all.
The following are some of the best wifi routers for 2016 ;
The TP-Link TL-WR841N is not only a great for home use but it also ideal for larger network environment like home office networking. With its maximum speed of 300Mbps, you can easily do many different things, for example streaming HD videos or music on Youtube, uploading photos on social media sites, video chatting and so forth. The device has been equipped with Two 5dBi antennas so the wireless robustness and stability will increase significantly. It also comes with parental control function so parents can control children’s internet activities, restrict access to some websites or give a limit for the time of browsing.
The NETGEAR N150 WNR1000 allows you to share your internet connection to other wireless devices quickly and secure. It is easy to setup and use on your computer or Smartphones, Tablets, iPad or iPhone can connect to this router within seconds. Its Wi-Fi protected setup feature will make your connection more secure at the push of a button. There are Fast Ethernet 4-Port switch so you can connect up to 4 devices and its Basic Wireless (2.4GHz) connection is great for many applications like browsing your favorite websites, read email, access social media websites, and much more.
The ASUS RT-N66U is the most powerful wifi router in the world because it can delivers brilliant performance as well as coverage range. It will allow you to quickly and easily setup your network, user access can be customized and check your signal strength. It can increase the speed of your WiFi up to 50% (about 900Mbps) for 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz wireless data transmission rate so it’s very ideal for many tasks like watch HD video streaming, multiplayer online gaming, and so forth. This router also feature Built-in Wi-Fi amplifiers that can make its coverage signal reaches dead area, perfect for larger homes, buildings, or split-level home.
The N750 WiFi Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Router is an Ideal choice for those of you who want to build a network for medium to large homes. Besides its excellent UI, this product also works with almost all wireless devices (you can connect several devices at the same time) and has excellent coverage too. You can enjoy many things with it, from MultiPlayer games, multiple streaming and access the internet with as secure & reliable connection. It easy to setup, has faster WiFi Speed up to 750 Mbps, compatible with IPv6 and supports Win 8 too. If you know networking, this modem offers many great features so you can take full advantage from it.
The Linksys WRT54GL has 3 main functions, First, it can works as a wireless access points that allow users to connect wireless-G (speed up to 54Mbps) and Wireless-B (up to 11Mbps) devices to the network. Second, You can also find 4-port 10/100 Switch to connect extra devices at the same time. Connect up to 4 PCs directly or if you want to build a big network for small or home office or bigger environment, you can also attach more hubs and switches. and Third, the router function itself, that allow you to share high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection to other devices.. Once your computers successfully installed and linked to it and the Internet as well, your devices can communicate to each other so sharing resources or big files become easier. All your computers can also print (documents, photos) from one shared printer too.
The Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 brings more powerful features includes an easy and simple GUI so it’s easy to configure even for basic user. Very easy to setup, has good range and good signal quality too, has stable connection and with fast data transfer speed. Netgear also packs this router with Netgear Genie that allows you to manage, administer, update and tweak the settings quickly. You can connect more and more devices (phones, gaming systems, tablets, etc) to this router (up to 10) and each device can get the same speed. Also, you can find 2 USB ports that can be used for media sharing. If you want a router that can do everything for you, this router is the answer.
If you want to try something new with your networking system, you should try Securifi Almond that brings touch feature for the first time ever. With it, setup or installation can be done quickly and easily because it has super easy intuitive touchscreen. Besides its main function as a wifi router, the manufacturer also packs this product with range extender so you can extend the range of a router (compatible with various networking devices like from Netgear, Linksys, Apple, etc..). Many customers said that it is easy to set up, all you have to do is, connect your Cable/DSL modem then follow the instructions displayed on the screen then you’ll be online in less than 5 minutes.
The Linksys N150 wireless (E800) is a single-band wifi router with the support of IPv4 and IPv6, better known as dual stack. It’s an inexpensive router with excellent features and you can share your network resources to a variety of wired or wireless devices like notebooks, mobile phones, tablets and gaming consoles. It offers wireless high speed of up to 150Mbps and give you the best experiences for streaming video online or internet calls. It also has 4 LAN ports that can be used for wired connections to any devices that do not support wireless connectivity like printers, or PCs. Meanwhile to make your data and online privacy fully protected, it’s also packed with SPI firewall.
The Linksys WRT AC1900 is a dual band Gigabit router that is powered by 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and featuring 4 external antenna configuration. Designed to eliminate dead zones in multistory buildings and it’s an ideal choice for active online households and more than one user can use this router simultaneously for game online, streaming TV shows or transfer files quickly without having to worry about lagging interruptions. Users also can find 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports that can make your speeds much faster than standard Ethernet, USB 3.0 ports for wired-based connectivity and dual eSATA/USB 2.0 port that allow you to transfer large files without the wait. Linksys also packs this router with Smart Wi-Fi software that can help you to set up easily and control anything on your network.
Yet another great router from Asus, the RT-N56U that can delivers up to 1.000 Mbps data speed or 5x faster than other conventional Gigabit router. Can operate on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies and provides you faster and more secure connections. There are many excellent features included inside it and gives users the convenience and flexibility when operating it.. You can pair it with an USB multifunction printer then share your data between printer and scanner functions for all networked computers, also it comes with ASUS’s AiDisk that will become your personal FTP server that can be accessed anywhere, Ai Radar that can help you to detects the client locations easily and works automatically, Download master that let you download from Bit Torrent site directly to the router and much more. The RT-N56U setup is easy, just plug and play with CD free installation.
By upgrading your old to new router that has more powerful and complete feature, you can get several benefits like :
There are a lot of wifi router on the market, each has different power, access speed and technology. If this is your first time buying a router, and find it difficult to determine which one is the best for your needs, these are 3 basic tiers from a wireless router.
Basic : It is ideal if you want to connect up to 6 wireless-enable device. All basic online activities like email, browsing, download files or stream music can be supported. Access speed : 300Mbps-600Mbps
Premium : Supports at least 8 devices or more. All functions in basic routers can be applied in this tiers and you can also use it for multimedia purposes but but the picture quality that you will enjoy a bit low. Access speed usually between 750Mbps-1200Mbps
High Performance : Type of router is recommended for more than 10 wireless devices simultanously. In addition to personal use, it’s also an ideal choice for an office network, hospital, schools, etc. It covers all features in basic and premium routers plus you can play game or streaming HD movies in multi devices. Access speed up to 1600Mbps.
Other features to consider
Once you decide to buy or upgrade your router, there are some additional features that you should consider, as you can seen below.
Many wireless router also comes with USB ports.. It’s an important feature because with this port, you can share your wired printer or external USB hard drive to your network via USB.
Some current routers have also been equipped with applications that allow you to control the directly from a smartphones, tablets, etc. You can conveniently set passwords, change settings, setup parental controls, and see which devices are connected to your network.
A dual band router can delivers 2 wifi signals at the same time, 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Although they are running in different frequencies at the same time, they will not interfere to each other. Meanwhile with tri-band, 3 frequencies (2.4GHz and two on the 5GHz) run together so that speed of wifi will be faster, up to 2x faster than dual band.
Well if you are ready to buy or upgrade your router, you can see some of the best products above. Do not forget to adjust with the budget you have and read reviews from other users before you decide to place an order.. so the product that you have purchased can be durable and can be used for a long time.