Knowingly or unknowingly, your router is the unsung hero which is holding your smart home together, and knowing which router is best for home use will make your experience smooth and better.
We all depend on our home networks to keep us connected, entertained, and whatnot. In such an intense data usage world, a day without the internet becomes tough to lead. Hence, it is important to have a decent Wi-Fi router that can manage web traffic well.
Any user would be thrilled to know that the routers keep upgrading to better versions of themselves every day! Improved versions of the Wi-Fi standard called 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6, boast faster and serve a more efficient home network performance.
On top of that, there is a growing number of mesh router options that are well worth considering too. The interesting factor is, many of these mesh routers are far less expensive than previous router combos.
Before getting into details, let’s gather a short overview of what a router actually is.
Which Router is Best for Home Use in 2022
We have discussed in steps which router is the most reliable for home use here.
What is a Router?
Simply, a Wi-Fi router is an electronic device that sends data received from an Internet cable to other devices. It also acts as a wireless access point from which it shares data through the use of radio signals.
The router converts the data stream delivered by your internet connection into radio signals. These signals are received by Wi-Fi-capable devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets.
Most home routers are designed to provide Wi-Fi coverage within an enclosed space such as your house, apartment, or office. You may also use a router to provide Wi-Fi coverage throughout a larger area.
What are the Basic Factors that Make a Router Best for Home Usage?
Before you buy a wifi router for your home, keep the below factors in mind.
- Point a) Range
- Point b) Connectivity speed
- Point c) Lifespan of a Router
- Point d) Price
- Point e) Bandwidth
- Point f) Ports etc.
Moving on,
Types of Routers Available:
Below is a detailed explanation of the various kinds of routers.
a) RJ45 Input:
RJ45 is one of the most common types of connectors that many internet providers such as Hathaway, Airtel, Reliance, and Excitel support. RJ45 is used with ethernet cables. If your broadband provider uses these cables, then don’t confuse them with other types, you need a Wi-Fi router with RJ 45 input.
b) RJ11 Input:
RJ11 is a type of connector which is mostly used with telephone lines or landline phones. If you have internet access from a telephone line or service provider such as MTNL, BSNL, Airtel, etc. where you can use the same for calling and accessing the internet, then this type of input is what you need.
c) USB:
Have an internet dongle? In case you want to connect your internet dongle wirelessly with other nearby devices, then you need to buy a router that supports USB Input. This type of router is hard to find in recent times because the dongle era is almost on the verge of taking its leave, but it is always better to have an additional USB port on a regular RJ45 or RJ11 router.
d) Sim Card:
Sim cards are the most common medium to access the internet because they give you the freedom to access the internet anywhere and anytime. These kinds of wireless routers can convert your SIM into a hotspot point, yes you can do it with your smartphone too, but that is not a permanent solution.
These should have given you a rough idea as to what you might want to purchase according to your needs.
Some more factors that need to be kept in mind while purchasing a router for home usage are as follows:
Point 1) Your Router Should have a Multi-Core Processor and at least 128MB of RAM:
The hardware inside your router matters a lot, especially the processor and the quantity of RAM. Before picking a router, you must know whether it has a single-core, dual-core, or quad-core processor and its operating frequency. If you want a fast network, then your next router should have at least a dual-core processor.
Point 2) The Router that you Choose Should be Dual-Band or More:
Single-band routers are a thing of the past. Your router should be at least dual-band which means the router broadcasts the wireless signal on two frequencies if it is dual-band, or more if it is tri-band or more.
Point 3) Router Naming Conventions Should NOT be Taken into Account when Making the Buying Decision:
Do not buy an AC1750 wireless router instead of an AC1200 router just because of its naming convention. However, no matter what you choose, do not buy a router below AC1200.
Point 4) Your Router Should have a Smartphone App:
Having the smartphone app, preferably one that you can use from anywhere on the internet should allow you to be able to use it to view the working state of the router and manage the main features when you need to.
Point 5) VPN, Antivirus, Firewall, and Other Advanced Features:
Purchasing a router which has the advanced options of VPN servers, antivirus, and other security features that can protect your wifi network from malware and outside attacks has to be a very calming and worthy feature.
Point 6) Price of a Router:
The price of routers ranges from very cheap to extremely expensive ones. Your needs and budget will determine which kind of router you will purchase. Unless you need a top-tier router with the best possible performance, a router in the range of $100 or $200 will suffice.
Point 7) Smart Routers:
Not only routers are getting faster and more powerful, but they are also getting smarter. Features for letting you prioritize bandwidth for things like streaming movies and video games from a companion smartphone app have been introduced. They even update themselves automatically!
Point 8) Support for Mesh Wi-Fi:
Mesh Wi-Fi systems are on the main run now. All router vendors sell mesh Wi-Fi systems. Some manufacturers prefer to keep things separate and sell mesh Wi-Fi systems and routers as different products. While on the other hand, some manufacturers prefer to add mesh capabilities to many of their routers letting their users use them together with other products.
Final Thoughts:
The above are some of the most important features, besides many others, that need to be considered when you’re skeptical about which router is best for home use.
When it comes to determining what you need, your needs and budget are the most important factors. With so many options available from so many manufacturers these days, picking the right router shouldn’t be a problem.
