When we hire a rate, Internet providers usually give us a router. This network equipment that they put us in, sometimes does not offer us all the characteristics we need. The routers are currently Gigabit Ethernet so we can work with speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Currently most users have an Internet connection lower than that speed so it would not pose any problem in terms of the Ethernet section. On the other hand, regarding WiFi things could vary and fall short in some situations depending on the expectations we have. In this article we are going to find out if my operator router is good or if I should replace it with another that offers better features.
Why Wi-Fi is worse on a carrier router
Undoubtedly, the section in which our operator router can go more precisely is because we have more and more computers connected to the Internet. It is not like before, that we only had a laptop or desktop computer, a smartphone and a tablet connected to the network at home. Things have changed a lot, and in many homes we already have a Smart TV or an Android TV device with which we want to see multimedia content at ever higher resolution. When this happens, a large bandwidth is consumed, the router can be saturated and the rest of the devices will suffer.
As if this were not enough, new devices have been added such as smart plugs, IoT devices and home automation. In addition, more and more often we have video surveillance cameras for security reasons or to see what the little ones in the house or pets are doing. If in itself, an operator router complies justly, if we take it to the limit it may fall short. Here you have explained why the maximum speed does not reach Wi-Fi.
So do I have to change my router?
This question is already very personal and depends on several factors. We are going to list the most important ones:
- The specifications of the router.
- The number of users who use it at the same time.
- The devices that we have connected to the Internet.
- The contracted speed.
As for the specifications of the operator router that we are using, it must be at least Gigabit Ethernet. Today any fiber optic router that has been distributed to date fully complies with that section. On the other hand, in terms of Wi-Fi we could not say the same. The first ones that were distributed complied with the 802.11n or WiFi 4 standard, which implies that doing a speed test near the router on average we will not exceed about 60 Mbps. If we take into account that most of the fiber connections are 100 Mb from now on, we would be losing a lot of speed. Therefore, the minimum recommended would be to have a router that supports the 802.11.ac. standard. This is what is popularly known as Wi-Fi 5 and has support for both the 2.4GHz band (with WiFi 4 as standard) and also the 5GHz band (here with support for WiFi 5).
It may also be the case that you have an operator router that meets your needs, but does not do so in certain rooms. Then it is time to consider whether a change is necessary or a Wi-Fi repeater may be enough.
What if I have to change the operator router?
Here we would have to look for one that fits our needs. For example, there are gaming routers from the NETGEAR and ASUS brands intended for online gaming. Generally they are more expensive than the normal ones but they come with some special sections to play and a superior Wi-Fi section.
What we have to look for at least is a router that at least supports the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band. In that aspect we will start from the 802.11ac standard of Wi-Fi 5 although as prices are, now it is possible to buy one with the 802.11ax standard as it does not raise the price much. You also have to look at the number of antennas and that it uses Wi-Fi technologies such as MU-MIMO and OFDMA .
Finally, it is worth highlighting brands such as ASUS, NETGEAR, D-Link, QNAP and AVM with the FRITZ! Box that has a custom firmware . These offer greater support and more options such as WI-Fi scheduling, QoS to prioritize the type of traffic, the possibility of mounting a VPN server and more.
