Router 101

Your router is the center piece of your wireless network. It manages the traffic between your internet and all the devices you have! Your router has the ability to manage this traffic with not only your wireless devices but wired devices as well. Think about how many devices you have in your home....10? 20? More?? How many of them do you use simultaneously? You're router has a BIG job!

The Standards

The first WiFi standards were approved in 1999. How many devices do you think you had connect back then? The original standard was 802.11b. This worked with 2.4GHz but topped out at 11MB/s! RTC's starting speed todays is 25MB. The routers of 1999 would not allow you to utilize all the speed we're giving you. A router that only offers 2.4GHz is what we refer to as 'single band'. Even in 1999 2.4GHz frequency was starting to get congested. Lots of equipment operate on this frequency and it was interacting negatively with your WiFi connection. So they came up with 802.11a which works on 5GHz.

Today, Dual-band routers allow you to choose the best frequency (2.4 or 5GHz) for you and your devices. It took 10 years for this to happen! In 2009 802.11n became the new standard. Speeds for these routers topped out at 600Mb which is a lot more impressive than their 1999 relatives. While 802.11n allowed you to operate on a Dual Band system not every 'N' router would. But wait...there's more...

In 2014, 802.11ac became the latest and greatest standard. The new Wireless AC broadcasts and receives on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Wireless AC also boasts increased bandwidth - allowing you to connect more devices.

Technology is always changing. To have the best internet experience you need to make sure your router will support all that you’re trying to accomplish. As we continue to add more and more devices to our wireless network we may need to consider spending more on the gadget that manages all of these items - trafficking all the information from the internet to your smartphone, smart tv, tablet, gaming console, light bulbs, speakers, and the list goes on! We understand your internet experience is important so make sure you're investing in a quality router. Routers and WiFi standards continue to get better. How old is your router? Is it an AC? N? If you think it's time to replace that old router but you're not sure what's best for you give us a call! We're happy to help.

There's more to routers! We will continue with a short router series over the next couple of week!