Solutions The Truth About Wi-Fi Routers Dual-band versus single-band, N versus G. What does it all mean? Here’s what you need to know about Wi-Fi routers before you buy your next one. By Mario Morejon
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lmost every broadband router destined for the home market these days has Wi-Fi capability. In fact, it’s been ages since we reviewed a router that didn’t include radios for wireless networking. That means you have a ton of choices when it comes to selecting the right router for your home or small business. How to choose the right one? Well, don’t go by the makers’ advertised speeds, which seldom have much to do with reality. Some vendors go as far as using the “300” megabits-per-second speed in the names of routers that can’t achieve anywhere near that throughput in the real world. Your best bet is to avoid any pitch that tells you about the speed of the router. Instead, you should look at many features that you might need and that might be buried deep down in the feature chart. Fortunately, the market
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is flooded with Wi-Fi routers, so finding a good one is simpler than you might think, if you know what you’re looking for. Here are ten things to consider. Is 802.11n (N) really that much better than 802.11g (G)? Yup. Believe it or not, the 802.11g Wi-Fi router, which uses a technology that has been around for seven years, is still popular, especially in the corporate world. Small businesses buy G routers because they are cheaper and perform adequately. Some 802.11g routers include specialized functions that are essential in business, such as powerful policy-based firewalls and threat-management features. But in the home, speed is far more important, and there the 802.11n Wi-Fi router is king. N routers often deliver as much as five times as much throughput as G routers in real-world testing.
