The router can be a standalone device that plugs into your modem or may be combined with the modem itself into a single device.
But if your existing router is too slow, or its wireless range is too short to reach important places in your home, you may want a new one.
Especially now, when you may need reliable WiFi practically every waking hour of the day. There are two types of wireless routers in our ratings: traditional single-unit wireless routers and a newer type of router called a mesh router. Depending on several factors, including the size of your home and the building materials used, a single-unit wireless router may or may not be sufficient to spread WiFi into every nook and cranny.
Regardless of which router type you choose, getting a good WiFi connection can be as much art as it is science. But the biggest offenders are aluminum studs found in office buildings and some modern apartments , insulated walls and floors, glass, and solid brick and stone.
The more floors, walls, and windows of any kind in the way, the worse for the signal. Read more on getting a stronger WiFi signal throughout your house. WiFi Standards As of early the tech world is starting to transition away from the WiFi standard known as WiFi 5 toward WiFi 6, which is faster and boasts better support for more devices connected at the same time. For more on WiFi 6 be sure to read this article. Booster Club Internet service providers typically offer several tiers of service, and you can always upgrade your service if you find yourself needing more speed for apps like video calls or gaming.
Frequent Houseguests or Airbnb Visitors? In most cases, you'll just need to connect your router up using an ethernet cable to your computer and of course a connection to your phone line or cable socket, depending on the type of broadband you're using.
For example, on TalkTalk they are:. Once your router is working with your internet, it's time to set up the connection to work wirelessly with your devices. Most routers offer WPS for connecting computers, networked printers, game consoles and other devices you might want to hook up. This means you just need to tap the WPS button on the router and the same button or setting from the device's menu and hey presto, your WiFi will work with your external devices. It's a much better option than having to connect with your network password and also means if you change the password see next section , the devices will still be connected.
Whichever router you choose to replace your ISP-issued one with, you'll want to make sure it's easy to change the settings , such as the network's name to make it easier to identify, the password and privacy settings. Most router settings can be accessed by typing the router's IP address into your browser window, followed by the user name and password as detailed in the documentation. Some of the settings you should be able to change include the SSID name of your network, the password, the privacy options and security type.
Some allow you to apply parental controls and change the wireless channel if it supports multiple options. Routers use frequency bands to beam a WiFi connection to devices. There are three types of router - single, dual and tri-band - that support either one band, two or three at the same time. Single band routers operate on the 2. Routers with only one band are also cheaper than their dual or tri-band counterparts.
If you have a larger home and want solid coverage in your garden, or you have thick walls and specific dead spots with your current setup, then mesh Wi-Fi could be the answer. Mesh systems consist of a central hub, which connects just like a single router, as well as additional satellites or nodes you can place around the home.
Devices connect to the internet through the nearest node, so you can achieve wider Wi-Fi coverage and a more reliable connection in different areas by adding a node. Just bear in mind that each node will need a power outlet. Mesh systems are more expensive than single-router setups though not always , but they enhance coverage and reliability, and they often boast additional features and control options.
They also tend to be smaller than regular routers and are typically designed to blend in with your decor harmoniously. If your issue is more about coverage and you have a single problem room you want to improve Wi-Fi in or a particular device that needs a faster connection, then you might not need to buy a new router.
Try one of these alternatives. They each have their own technical challenges and potential issues. You can use Wi-Fi repeaters to spread the Wi-Fi from a single router a bit further and potentially boost the signal in a dead spot.
These devices are a good solution for some people, but they can be inefficient, prone to interference, and often create a secondary network with a different name from your regular Wi-Fi. Sold in pairs, power line adapters pass an internet signal through your electrical wiring. You plug one into a power outlet near your router and connect it with an Ethernet cable, while the other power line adapter plugs into a power outlet in the room where you want faster internet.
They can be a good solution if you have a console or smart TV in your living room at the back of the house, but your router is in the front hall, for example. Unfortunately, effectiveness depends heavily on your electrical wiring. The maximum speed of your internet is determined by your ISP. Internet speeds are stated in Mbps megabits per second. Most ISPs will state up to a certain speed or give you a range—like Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload—but what you actually get is often lower than the maximum especially upload speeds , and it must be shared between all of your connected devices.
You can check what download and upload speed you are getting by running a speed test in your browser. Generally speaking, if there are multiple people in the household streaming 4K video with several gadgets connected, you'll want at least Mbps, if not more. If you only have a few devices connected and are mostly just surfing the web, with some videos here and there, you'll be fine with 50 or Mbps.
If your internet connection maxes out at Mbps, then any device in your home connecting to the internet will be capped at that speed, even if the router supports much higher speeds.
The stated speed is the combined maximum, rather than the speed you can expect to reach with a single connected device. You will always get a lower speed in real-life conditions. They always begin IEEE The bit to pay attention to is the letters at the end. Wi-Fi 6 and 6E aren't just about faster speeds; they also offer increased capacity, efficiency, performance, and security.
You should know that if you get a Wi-Fi 6 or 6E router, your other hardware, like your laptop and smartphone, needs to support Wi-Fi 6 to truly reap the benefits of the latest standard. Different Wi-Fi protocols support different frequencies or bands. You'll mostly see routers that support 2. Price comparison shopping for routers requires patience and attention to detail.
Router A can cost twice as much as Router B, yet the differences between them may be critical to some people and immaterial to others. The primary factors that determine the selling price of a consumer broadband router are:. Wireless routers advertise their speed in megabits per second Mbps. The first consumer Wi-Fi models offered 11 Mbps, followed by mid-range Don't look only at routers with the highest Mbps rating.
The actual performance you'll achieve in practice typically averages lower than the maximum rating shown on the package.
The actual router speed is determined by factors such as the number of devices on the network, physical interferences that degrade the wireless signal, the distance between the connected device and the router, and more. For example, if an ISP provides 25 Mbps service, a router that delivers speeds exceeding 1 Gbps will only work at 25 Mbps.
The maximum speed of a network is determined by the router and the speed provided by the ISP—whichever is slower. So, if a router delivers ultra-fast speeds and your ISP provides a small amount of bandwidth, that lesser amount will be all that the router will deliver.
The same is true in reverse that is, a slow router will deliver slow speeds even if you have fast bandwidth.
To maximize the speed of your wireless network, buy a router that delivers speeds at least as fast as what your ISP provides.
Does your router need to reach a few rooms on one floor, or throughout a three-story home and a garage? This feature determines the strength of the router you need. Some standalone routers that come with one unit may or may not be able to deliver Wi-Fi throughout a whole home depending on how big the house is and how powerful the router is. If you're new to setting up a network or unfamiliar with technology, choose a router with an interface optimized for casual home buyers.
In general:. Choose the first type of wireless router if you want something cheap, because the convenience of the other kind is usually what brings its price up. Also, mesh Wi-Fi network systems usually use a mobile app, whereas routers that use the IP address method are often seen only with standalone devices.
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