Buying and configuring a new wireless router can be a mind-numbing exercise.
Well start by getting to know the most important machine on your connection: your router.
It connects all your computers to one another, either through Ethernet cables or a wireless connection.
Some modems come with routers built-in, but this isnt always the case.
Your modem does not.
Your router gives each client on the connection its own IP address, which helps your router direct traffic.
Clients within the web link get alocalIP address, while your modem gets aglobalIP address.
Theyre not so ideal for devices you pick up and move around, like laptops and smartphones.
For those, we use a wireless connection (commonly known as wifi).
Wireless throughput
Throughput is the speed at which a router can transfer data.
The transfer speed of your wireless connection is dependent on the wirelessstandardit uses.
Consider an extreme example: TP-LinksArcher AX11000router.
That sounds like its orders of magnitude faster than a simpler router like itsArcher A9, an AC1900 router.
The Archer AX11000 arrives at this number two ways.
Why pay the surcharge?
Range
Wireless routers can only reach so far.
Heres where things get a little odd.
One option might work when the other does not.
That said, there are many other ways to connect to your web link from afar.
Most routers have four WAN ports.
These are called, appropriately,dual-bandrouters.
double-check your router is onDD-WRTs list of supported devicesorTomatos list of supported devicesif you want to go this route.
Dont stuff it in a cabinet or otherwise block it with a ton of crap.
See what everything feels like.
If youre satisfied with your routers performance, great.
Try seeing if one great router gives you the speed and range you need.
If not,you have plenty of other options.
Understanding your router is merely the first step in the process, but its an important one.
This story originally ran in 2011 and was updated in February 2020 with more current information.
