What to look for in high-end gigabit wireless routers
When considering a new gigabit router for your small or large home, you need to find one that is best equipped to utilize the benefits of the ultra high-speed service. Among the things a high-performance router should have over a budget router are:
Separate speed bands
Wi-Fi routers typically have dual-band options, 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, which differ in terms of speed and range. Standard 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi is not as fast as 5GHZ but has more range and better handles interference, such as walls and solid objects. The 5Ghz band boasts higher speeds but has a lower range and is more prone to interference.
While you might have once had to specify which band you were using, new routers handle the changes between the two automatically, depending on where you are in the house, which device is being used and how many are connected to your network at once.
Beyond dual-band routers, you have tri-band routers that include one 2.4Ghz channel and two 5 Ghz channels. This allows the router to handle three separate channels of traffic at once, with one slow lane and two fast ones. Three-band routers are particularly good for bandwidth congestion when a lot of devices are connected to the network at once, all running bandwidth-intensive applications. If you are watching a 4K Netflix movie while one family gamer plays online and another kid is on YouTube, the right router combined with gigabit internet can avoid buffering and latency.
Multiple antennas
Whether they are visible or not, all Wi-Fi routers have a transmit and receive antenna, used to communicate wirelessly with laptops, smartphones and smart home devices, such as video doorbells. Some routers have a couple of antennas, while others may have as many as six.
Multiple antennas can create different Wi-Fi signal streams to share data, providing your devices more bandwidth and helping ensure there is no network slowdown. However, sometimes, the number of antennas isn’t as important as the software driving them. Certain specs will help your router handle transmitting and receiving data more efficiently, helping boost network wired and wireless speeds.
High-speed ethernet ports
Since older ethernet connections can slow your router down, ensure that your router has the highest-speed connections possible through gigabit ethernet ports. (There are also adaptor kits, such as USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter, to upgrade some ethernet connections, but they often aren’t an optimum solution and still may not get the internet speed possible with the proper ethernet connection.)
An old ethernet cable also might not be able to deal with gigabit speeds. These cables are rated as Cat 5, Cat 6, Cat 7, etc. The higher the number, the faster speeds it can handle. Ethernet cables above Cat 6 are shielded with ground foil to reduce interference or wireless signal pollution. Keep in mind that a longer cable also reduces internet speed.
A Cat 7 cable, for example, should be able to handle 100 Gbps speeds for up to 15 meters in cable length. Sometimes, a longer cable is required when dealing with a house with a lot of square feet.
Robust security features
Wi-Fi systems are easy to access for users and can also provide unwanted access for intruders if you don’t take precautions. Without strong security, you run the risk of having someone monitor your online activities, use your internet connection, access the files stored on your computers, infect your connected devices with viruses and do many other bad things.
Your gigabit router requires robust security features. At the very least, it should have the second level of Wi-Fi Protected Access protocol, WPA2. But even better is the third level of WiFi Protected Access Protocol, WPA3, with its enhanced security protections. It should let you set up a firewall and provide parental controls, shielding kids from the unsavory parts of the internet.
Some routers have additional, easy setup security features, including extra encryption capabilities, the ability to block unwelcome users from the network, the ability to see who is currently browsing on the network and more.
Use good Wi-Fi standards
Update all your connected devices to the latest Wi-Fi standards. Wi-Fi 6 provides the best wireless throughput speeds, adds support for the latest compression technologies, has new device pairing capabilities and better stronger security protocols. The Wi-Fi 6 router is also equipped to handle more devices on a network, with MU-MIMO capabilities. The catch is that all connected devices must also support Wi-Fi 6.
Part of your updating should be that you have all the latest operating software for your device and your computer has a sufficiently robust CPU to handle the speeds.
You should also update your router firmware and operating software so that you have the latest high-speed, security and Wi-Fi protocols.
Quality of service
Quality of service is a feature found on some high-end routers, prioritizing traffic so that the most critical traffic passes through first. The result is a performance improvement for critical network traffic. QoS technology can be used with VoIP phones or in LANs and WANs with high volumes of local traffic.
