Router Buying Guide
Last Updated on October 14, 2024
How to buy an Access Point or Router?
Need to purchase an Access point or router? Look no further than this guide. This should enable you to understand the fundamentals of what to keep an eye out for when you shop online for access points.
Checklist Before Buying Access Point or Router
Here’s a quick checklist of what to watch out for when sourcing AP’s. We’ll dive into the specifications of each one later on.
- Supports either 802.11n or 802.11ac
- Dual-band (supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz)
- The more spatial streams, the better (2×2 or 3×3 spatial streams)
- Appropriate SOHO or Enterprise
802.11n or 802.11ac Support
802.11n and 802.11ac are two newest standards, 802.11n debuting in 2009, and 802.11ac in 2014.
Do you really need an 802.11ac access point? Probably not. Yes, they do have some cool tricks up their sleeves to get us faster speeds, but only when conditions are absolutely perfect:
- You have room for 802.11ac’s super wide channels
- You have 802.11ac devices
- Devices will be very close (20 or 30 feet) to the access point
An appropriately outlined 802.11n system will perform superior to an appallingly planned 802.11ac system, so prioritize design and understanding over spending extra money on an 802.11ac network.
Dual-Band Support
The 2.4 GHz band is ending up barely less useful. Presently, we suggest giving 2.4 GHz support to similarity with more established gadgets, and 5 GHz bolster for more current gadgets, so you’ll need to buy a double band get to point that backings both 2.4 and 5 GHz.
Although 802.11n is a 2.4 and 5 GHz standard, many 802.11n devices support 2.4 GHz only. When taking the requirement for the AP, search for one of the 5 GHz principles to guarantee that it bolsters both groups.
| 802.11b/g/n | All 2.4 GHz standards, so it supports 2.4 GHz only |
| 802.11a/b/g/n | 802.11a is a 5 GHz-only standard, so it supports 5 GHz |
| 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11ac is a 5 GHz-only standard, so it supports 5 GHz |
More Spatial Streams
802.11n presented MIMO (multiple in, multiple out). Fundamentally, MIMO implies that we get numerous radio chain antennas to transmit and receive with. The more radio chains, the more profound the WiFi radio is, which improves it at precisely sending and accepting. This gets us greater dependability and speed.
On an access point, attempt to run with no less than a 2×2 radio, yet 3×3 is ideal. This will yield the best speed and execution, regardless of the possibility that you have a group of 1×1 and 2×2 clients.
SOHO or Enterprise?
There’s a major contrast between a SOHO (small office, home office) router, and an enterprise-grade access point. In a home situation, an Rs. 2000 SOHO router is an incredible decision and will deal with a couple of clients easily. In a genuine superior condition, a heap of off-the-shelf routers won’t perform well.
| Small Office/Home Office | Enterprise |
| 25 client Max | 100’s of clients (you run into channel limitations before AP limitations) |
| $30-100 each | $400-1000 each |
| Poor roaming performance (users might have to toggle Wi-Fi off and back on) | Better roaming performance |
| No band steering (users have to manually select the 5 GHz network) | Proper band steering (users are automatically put on the best band) |
| Few configuration options | Highly configurable for specific, high-performance network designs |
| Combines modem, switch, AP, and router functions | AP only |
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