TP-LINK TL-R480T Ethernet LAN Wired Router - Black

Product Information

So far so good, but when multiple clients try to connect to the same radio, contention and interference can slow things down. This applies especially to 802.11ac – so a tri-band router contains two separate 5GHz radios, allowing twice as many devices to communicate simultaneously at full speed. A Wi-Fi booster (or Wi-Fi extender) is just that, it boosts the signal of your home or business’ Wi-Fi signal. Typically, a small device that you plug into an electrical outlet, it pulls in an existing Wi-Fi signal, amplifies it, and then broadcasts the stronger signal. They also have a misleading habit of adding up the speeds of different radios to come up with a total data rate. For example, if a router has a 2.4GHz radio that supports speeds up to 400Mbits/sec, plus two 5GHz radios rated at up to 867Mbits/sec, the manufacturer may tot these up to advertise a total speed of 2,134Mbits/sec. In reality, no single device will get a connection faster than 867Mbits/sec, and the real-world transfer speeds you see will probably be less than half of that. A wireless router, also known as a Wi-Fi hub, is a small, plastic electronic device supplied by your internet service provider that allows you to connect to the internet. It connects to your home broadband line and sends an internet signal from your home connection to your internet-connected devices. Read the full review: Meraki Go Router Firewall Plus Frequently Asked Questions What makes a router secure?

The pricing looks higher with these systems because, in most cases, you're paying for at least two devices, the router and a router node that forms the mesh. Most systems, in fact, come with two nodes, so you're buying three devices in total. If you break it down per device, you'll most often find that they cost only a little more than you'd pay for a similarly powered router and range extender solution. That's especially true now that we're seeing prices coming down on mesh systems, even the newer models compatible with Wi-Fi 6.

Eero Pro 6E

Keen gamers can get along with any kind of router but Asus’ ROG models come with a host of features that are designed to boost your experiences. The Eero Max 7 is a whole-home mesh Wi-Fi system that uses Wi-Fi 7 technology and high-speed ports to deliver exceptional throughput speeds. Wi-Fi 7 is still a draft wireless standard, and few devices other than routers support it. Still, if you'd like to future-proof your network, the Eero Max 7 is the way to do it. The system we reviewed, which has three nodes, managed more than 2Gbps throughput speeds in testing. The Max 7 also offers extensive support for home automation protocols like Zigbee, Matter, and Thread. Who It's For As with the Eero 6+, the Eero Pro 6E delivered fast throughput scores and strong signal strength in our performance tests. Both also offer the ability to control home automation devices and easy setup. But in return for a slightly higher price, the Eero Pro 6E adds multi-gig connectivity and support for Wi-Fi 6E. As more and more compatible client devices become available, this mesh system will let you take advantage of the relatively un-crowded 6GHz radio band without missing a beat. Who It’s For

Like most mesh networks D-Link thinks the best way to make changes to settings is through a smartphone app. This does work fine, although the initial setup is slightly more long-winded than it really needs to be. Rated speeds reach 4.8Gbits/sec over 5GHz and 1.1Gbits/sec over 2.4GHz and the router performed very speedily in our network testing at close range, although it did fall off at longer distances. Speeds are good. Not the fastest we tested but a generally solid performer which is impressive given the compact nature of these mesh nodes. They're a little bit larger than the D-Link Covr but beat that device easily on speed, in our tests.

Netgear Orbi RBKE963 WiFi 6E Mesh System

With a host of tools designed at optimising gaming traffic, including a LAN port that automatically gives priority to devices connected to it, a “Game Boost” mode that prioritises internet traffic going to and from recognised game servers, and built-in port-forwarding rules for over 70 games, this is a fabulous all-rounder. For the purposes of this guide a product will be deemed a success if it can hit the top speed of the broadband. However products that don't achieve that throughput aren't failures, especially when they focus on other important factors like price, device size and specialist features. However, there’s a big difference between a weak Wi-Fi signal and slow broadband speeds. If your broadband is slow even when your devices have full Wi-Fi signal, then the problem lies with your broadband service, not your router. A wireless router or Wi-Fi router is a device that performs the functions of a router and also includes the functions of a wireless access point. It is used to provide access to the Internet or a private computer network. Depending on the manufacturer and model, it can function in a wired local area network, in a wireless-only LAN, or in a mixed wired and wireless network. Wireless routers typically feature one or more network interface controllers supporting Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet ports integrated into the main system on a chip (SoC) around which the router is built. An Ethernet switch as described in IEEE 802.1Q may interconnect multiple ports. Some routers implement link aggregation through which two or more ports may be used together improving throughput and redundancy. [1]

With the Google Nest WiFi mesh system, you get impressive Wi-Fi 5 performance and three stylish nodes that pull double duty as Google Assistant smart speakers. That makes it a great choice for people who want a router and smart home hub all in one device to listen to music, place hands-free calls, and control certain smart products such as lights and cameras. If you're looking to future-proof your Wi-Fi network, you probably also dabble in home automation, and the Max 7 serves both needs proficiently. Most other people don't need to spend the kind of cash that Wi-Fi 7 requires right now, and will be just fine with a much cheaper Wi-Fi 6 mesh system. Wi-Fi mesh systems are easy to expand (with no current limit on the number of nodes you can add) and manage using your smartphone. From an app, you can disable Wi-Fi access to specific devices with the press of a button, or give certain devices network priority without having to log in to a complicated network console.

Before investing in a new router, think about how it will work with your internet connection. A few models have built-in ADSL2+ or VDSL2 modems, allowing them to connect directly to DSL or fibre broadband services. Most however just offer a WAN port, and expect you to provide your own modem. You’ll need to consider adding Wi-Fi access points if you need to provide wireless access in your office. Also, the USB port is only used for powering a small device and provides no connection support for network-sharing devices like a printer or a shared storage drive. Some do, yes, and you should insist on it in a new mesh system if you own client devices that support it. Wi-Fi 6 (also called 802.11ax) is an evolution of 802.11ac technology that promises increased throughput speeds (up to 9.6Gbps), less network congestion, greater client capacity, and better range performance courtesy of several new and improved wireless technologies, including Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). OFDMA improves overall throughput by breaking Wi-Fi channels into sub-channels, allowing up to 30 users to share a channel at the same time.