Router Basics
Your router is the glue that holds your home network
together. It connects all your computers to one another,
either through Ethernet cables or a wireless connection. A
router is different than a modem: your modem connects
you to the internet, while your router connects your
computers to one another. When you hook up your router
to the modem, however, you are then able to share that
internet connection with all of the computers on your
network. Sometimes modems come with built-in routers.
Router Basics
Devices that connect to your router—that is, the
computers, tablets, smartphones, DVRs, game systems,
and so on—are called clients. Each client on the network is
given an IP address, which helps your router direct traffic.
Clients within the network get a local IP address, while
your modem gets a global IP address. Global IP addresses
are like street addresses, while local IP addresses are like
apartment numbers: one lets you find the building in
relation to the rest of the world, while the other lets you find
the specific location within the complex.
Router Basics
These addresses make sure the right information from
the outside world gets to the right computer on your
network.
Routers have a number of different features, so we'll go through
some of the most common router specs and how they affect
your home network.
Most people have a mix of wired and wireless devices on
their network, so most of the discussion will focused on wireless
routers. Since wireless routers allow for both wired and wireless
connections, you can wireup when necessary, and connect over
Wi-Fi everywhere else.
Wireless Throughput
Throughput is the speed at which a router can transfer
data. The transfer speed of your wireless connection is
dependent on the wireless standard it uses.
The most common standards today are 802.11g and
802.11n (also known as "wireless G" and "wireless N",
respectively). Wireless N is faster than wireless G, though
routers that support wireless N are also more expensive.
Most new devices—like smartphones and laptops support
the faster wireless N.
Wireless Throughput
Wired Throughput
The wired half of your router will come in one of two
speeds: 10/100 Mbps and 10/100/1000 Mbps (also known
as "gigabit"). 10/100 routers are cheaper, but will not
transfer data between computers as quickly as gigabit
routers will. If you are only using your router to connect to
the internet, 10/100 is fine, since your internet connection
is probably slower than 100Mbps, meaning you will not be
able to actually take advantage of the router's full speed. If
you are transferring data between computers, however,
you may want to go with a gigabit router, since it will
transfer that data much faster than a 10/100 model.
Range
Wireless routers can only reach a limited area of
distance. If you have a big house and have the router on
one side, you might not be able to access the network from
the other side of the house. Your range, like your speed, is
determined by the wireless standard you use. Wireless N
has a longer range than wireless G, so if range is important
you will want to use wireless N.
Range
That said, there are many other ways to connect to your
network from afar. Wireless extenders (also called wireless
repeaters) are products you can buy that do exactly what
the manuals say to extend your network further.
Alternatively, you can buy a powerline adapter, which lets
you use your home's electrical wiring to hook a distant
device up to your router with an Ethernet cable (and thus
get a faster connection than wireless would allow for).
Number of Ports
Routers have two types of ports in the back: LAN ports
and WAN ports. Your WAN port hooks up to your modem
(which, again, is what connects to the internet), while
the LAN ports hook up to your computers and other clients.
Most routers have one WAN port, but you will need as
many LAN ports as the wired devices you have. If you
have more wired devices than can fit on a router, you can
plug them all in using a wired switch. A switch is like a
power strip for your router: it lets you plug in more devices
than the router originally allowed.
Number of Ports
Wireless Security
Unless you do not mind strangers eating your
bandwidth and potentially accessing your
networked files, you should always protect your wireless
network with a password. WPA2 is currently the
most secure type of wireless encryption, so make sure you
use WPA2 if you can. Some old wireless devices do not
support WPA, in which case you will have to use the less
secure WEP instead. Basically, every devices made in the
last four years supports WPA2 encryption.
Wireless Security
Sample Network Components
Specifications
