Cheap Wireless Routers

A router is a hardware device that basically serves as a director for your network. It allows multiple computers to share an internet connection and communicate with each other. Wireless routers do this with a built in radio transmitter/receiver without having to be hardwired to a computer. Wireless N routers are the newer, more advanced wireless devices and typically can be up to 5 times faster than their predecessors. Wireless N routers can provide ranges 10 times higher than wireless B & G routers can.

Wireless N routers use the IEEE 802.11 N communication standard which defines how to design WLAN equipment so that they provide network management, security, range optimization, quality of service, reliability and a wide range of data rates. These standards allow us to have unlimited options in the hardware components we choose to purchase. For example, we can purchase a Linksys router but a Netgear wireless adaptor for our laptop because the IEEE 802.11 standard ensures that the two will work together for us. Without these standardization protocols, it would be impossible to have WiFi hotspots all over the place unless everybody was forced to buy the same brand of hardware that the shops were using.

Wireless N routers are faster and better able to handle bandwidth intensive applications than the Wireless B & G protocols. While B & G typically had a range of approximately 100 feet, wireless N routers are said to have a range of roughly 700 feet. Wireless N reports having speeds of 130 – 160Mbps and a maximum of 300Mbps. Keep in mind though, that in order for wireless n routers to transmit in full 802.11n mode, all devices connected to the network must be 802.11n. So if your laptop has an 802.11g wireless card, then the wireless N router won’t transmit to its full capacity. Wireless N devices can operate on 2.4 or 5GHz bands but, again, all connected devices must be 802.11n compliant in order to use the 5GHz. There is less interference with 5GHz and it’s much more effective penetrating obstructions such as walls, but using the 5GHz band significantly decreases the maximum range.

Most wireless N routers have two aerials allowing them to transmit dual signals giving considerably faster reception rates on network cards. People that live in two story houses would benefit from these routers due to their higher ranges. If you have a wireless g router and it’s on the second floor of your home, working in your basement may not be a viable option as the obstructed range is probably more than a wireless g router is capable of handling. The wireless N routers are built to handle such wide ranges.

The big issue with wireless N routers is that they are considerably more expensive than the others so users are more hesitant to buy them. The decision between wireless g and wireless n routers should be dependent upon your unique situation. If you have tried wireless g and there is too much interference or you can’t get a good signal no matter what you do, perhaps wireless n routers should be next on your list of things to try.