How to pick out a wireless router.

While most customers prefer the ease of support from using a router from Tidewater Telecom, there are many reasons why a customer may want to purchase their own router. Anyone who has been down the networking aisle at a big box store knows how many different options there can be. This guide aims to clarify what you need and what you should be looking for.

Step 1: Determining your needs

The first step to making a wise purchse is to understand what functionality you need from your home network. So what sorts of questions should you ask during this stage?

Coverage area

One of the really common issues faced when setting up home wifi is the amount of space you need to cover. Think about every area in and around your home that you may want to watch TV, use the internet, or make calls. We’ll talk more about how this affects your decision later.

Speed needs

A really good place to start when assessing your speed needs is the speed of your internet connection. Since very few people use their home networks for any activities other than accessing the internet, your internet speed is usually the speed that you need to reach. For example if you have an internet speed of 100Mbps, it probably doesn’t make sense to spend extra on a router than supports 5000Mbps

Additional features

Many advanced routers are starting to offer features specifically designed to appeal to tech enthusiasts or people who run home businesses. Some higher end routers now offer built-in VPN hosting, NAS support, custom DNS and more. Don’t worry if those are unfamiliar, it probably just means you can save a few bucks on your next router.