Broadband Routers Buying Guide

Broadband Routers Buying Guide

We're here to help you buy a new broadband router. We've got advice and information about all the latest broadband router. We discuss wireless and cable models, and all the features and specifications you need to look for.

The desire to have unlimited access to the Internet has spawned a whole industry dedicated to getting you online by offering hardware, software and services. Whether you are a home user wanting to make the most of your Internet connection or an organisation whose staff need to get online, you'll need all of these, including one or more routers to link your local network to the vast network that is the Internet.

However, you can't just buy any router and assume it will work for you. To make it easier for you to spend your money wisely, we answer the questions you should ask yourself before you buy:

Click on any of these links to get some valuable advice, and tips on how you can use PriceRunner to find the perfect broadband router.

Alternatively, go straight to any of these to read more:

What's my budget?

Getting the right broadband router isn't just a matter of setting your budget and then choosing the model with the most features that you can afford or one that looks nice. Having an idea of how much you want to spend will, though, give you one parameter in the equation.

You can buy broadband routers for as little as £20 or £30, but you may need to spend more to get all the features you want or to get a recommended product. You also need to budget for cables to link your router to any relevant equipment and may need to buy network adaptors for each computer.

What am I trying to connect together?

You can set up an Internet connection directly from a standalone PC using a modem. But you have to have the right kind of modem to connect to the Internet service to which you have subscribed. Any dial-up modem will work for dial-up Internet connections, but the much faster broadband services use a number of different technologies, and your modem has to match the one your service uses. To make this easier, broadband service suppliers often provide a modem when you sign up, and your support contract should cover this as well as the Internet side of things.

ADSL or cable

The main broadband services are provided by BT and other companies using BT lines, or by cable suppliers. Less common are satellite and wide-area wireless networks.

BT and its resellers provide what are known as ADSL services (which stands for asymmetric digital subscriber line and is sometimes erroneously referred to just as DSL). Without going into the complicated technical differences between ASDL and cable (and other) services, it's important that you know which you are using and that all equipment you buy takes this into consideration. You can't use an ADSL modem if you are using cable, or a cable modem if you have an ADSL Internet connection, and so on. If you are at all unsure about this, see the Help pages on your supplier's website.

Adding a router

A modem simply allows you to connect one PC to the Internet. If you have more PCs that you want to get online, you either need to get them each a dedicated modem and Internet connection, which won't be cheap, or find some way of sharing your existing Internet link. And that's where a router comes in.

A router links together two networks. Broadband routers are a subset of this, being designed to link together your network and the enormous network that is the World Wide Web or Internet. What you need to do is find a model that has the right connections on either side.

If you already have a local area network (LAN), then the router will act as a gateway between the LAN and Web, and you need to make sure it matches the standards on either side. If you don't have a LAN (or want to reconfigure what you have), then you need to consider all the equipment you want to hook up together. This doesn't just need to be computers that want access to the Internet. A router can also be used for connecting devices such as shared external hard drives and printers.

When a printer is connected to one PC on the LAN, this will always have to be switched on for anyone else to be able to print. Instead, look in the specifications to find a router with a print server function. Then you can attach the printer to the router and anyone on the LAN can use it. Some manufacturers may sell a separate print server that will work with their router if the router itself doesn't offer this feature.

Finally, check the specifications to ensure the router you are considering has enough of the right kind of ports for all your devices. If possible, consider buying one with spare ports in case your network grows in future.

Do I need an integrated modem?

You can add a router between your existing broadband modem and one or more PCs (and other devices). Alternatively, ADSL users can simplify their hardware setup by choosing a router with a built-in modem. Again, be sure to check the requirements on your supplier's website and make sure that the modem and digital signal protocols match what's required. You may be able to check specific models against a list from your supplier.

Should I choose wired or wireless?

If you've already got a broadband service, then sorting out the Internet side is a matter of matching the specifications. On the home/office side of things you have more choices to make, key among them being whether to connect everything via cables or to use a wireless solution.

Wired Solutions

If all of your equipment is close together or you have already got cables in place, then you can opt for the simple solution of a wired network. You can use the filters on PriceRunner to show routers that don't have wireless LAN capability. You'll then find many of the network standards listed in the specifications, such as the "Data link protocol" which will show whether the router is for an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet LAN, for example. If you do choose a wired router, a PC Card slot may let you add wireless features or Bluetooth connectivity later on.

Wireless

If you have any doubt at all about whether you may want to connect to a computer that isn't going to sit next to your broadband modem, then consider a wireless solution (use the filters in PriceRunner to display only routers that offer a "Wireless LAN" option). Make sure you choose a router with plenty of LAN (Ethernet) ports so that you can connect all local devices via cable and then you can connect everything else using wireless links.

These routers work by transmitting and receiving data in a specified wavelength – hence the aerials on wireless routers. You need a compatible transceiver in each computer that you are going to connect this way. For desktops you can buy internal cards, if you are happy to open up your PC to fit them, or use USB adaptors. Many laptops have wireless connectivity built in, but if you need to add this functionality, look for a PC Card (or a newer ExpressCard) adaptor rather than a USB device as they don't get in the way as much. To give yourself the best chance of getting everything to work together, it can be a good idea to use adaptors made by the same company as the router (or conversely, if you already have the wireless adaptors, consider a router from the same manufacturer).

Because they use radio waves, wireless routers don't offer unlimited reception and the signals can be affected by walls, ceilings and so on. To improve your chances of the signal reaching your laptop downstairs or at the other end of the office, you need to put the router somewhere that will present as few obstructions to the signal as possible. Even moving it within the same room can greatly improve the signal strength elsewhere.

If you are worried about signals reaching where they need to, you can look for a router with a removable antenna, as some can be replaced with more powerful ones and on others you can place the antenna away from the router on the end of a cable.

Standards

Not all wireless routers are equal. Over the years there have been a number of wireless standards, so it's worth understanding what the entries under "Wireless LAN standard" in the specifications actually mean.

Standard Maximum transfer rate Maximum range
IEEE 802.11a 54Mbps 25 to 75m*
IEEE 802.11b 11Mbps 35 to 120m*
IEEE 802.11g 54Mbps 35 to 120m*
IEEE 802.11n (not ratified at Spring 2007) 540Mbps? 50 to 125m?*

*These are very approximate ranges. Check the "Indoor range" and "Open space range" for the manufacturer’s claims for each individual router.

IEEE is just an acronym for the organisation that ratifies the networking standards, with 802.11 the overall name for its wireless standards. The important thing is the suffix, to the extent that you may sometimes see just the letter or a label saying "Wifi certified b", and so on (Wifi being short for Wireless fidelity).

The 802.11a and b standards were developed around the same time, but as the former works at a higher frequency, the signals are more prone to obstruction and the practical working range wasn’t really good enough for many users. Instead it was the b standard that took off, even though it offered slower throughput speeds and could be prone to interference from devices like phones and other electronic equipment that operate at the same frequencies.

Eventually, the 802.11g standard combined the best of both worlds, with a faster throughput and a reasonable working range. As they work in the same frequency range, 802.11g routers will usually work with 802.11b kit, and vice versa, but the speed will drop down to the lower specification. Some routers are designed to work with kit meeting all three ratified specifications (a, b and g).

You may also see references to b+, g+ and SuperG, which are enhancements to existing standards by individual manufacturers, and not international standards in their own right. These can be faster than their counterparts but will only operate at these enhanced up speeds with compatible equipment.

Finally, 802.11n will be an official standard but it hasn’t yet been finalised or ratified by the IEEE. Any routers claiming to meet this standard now may not meet the final approved standard, so only buy these with caution. You may be promised a firmware upgrade so that you can upgrade the router to meet the specification when it is finalised, but you need to decide whether you are willing to take the risk and spend the time to get hold of and carry out the upgrade.

One thing that is known about the 802.11n standard is that it will use a technology called Mimo (multiple input, multiple output). This uses multiple antennas to boost the throughput and range of the signals. Some manufacturers already use Mimo on 802.11g routers as well as some of the "pre-n" standard models. Any Mimo implementation included before the 802.11n standard is approved is definitely proprietary.

What else should I care about?

NAT and DHCP

Every PC has what’s called an IP address, which is a unique series of numbers. When you connect multiple PCs to the Internet via a router it will use Network Address Translation (NAT) to expose just one IP address to the Internet, which has the effect of keeping the IP addresses of computers on your LAN hidden from the outside world. It knows which incoming packets should go to which PC and sends them out accordingly. Most routers feature this and although you shouldn’t rely on it for security, it can help.

If you are setting up a network, you may also want to look for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). A router with DHCP automatically assigns IP addresses to devices on the network so that you don’t have to do it manually.

Security

One of the biggest concerns of most users who surf the Internet is security, yet many people do nothing about it. When you are buying a router, you could consider getting one with built-in firewall protection (although some people prefer to have a separate firewall device).

If you are buying a wireless router you need to be particularly careful about setting up security. Otherwise anyone with a computer with a wireless adaptor within range may be able to log on to the Internet via your connection, reducing the bandwidth available to your computers. You are also compromising the security of your own PCs. Look for WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) or the newer and better WPA (Wifi Protected Access). And once you’ve got your router, make sure you actually set up the security features.

Whatever you choose to do, you should still install proper security and anti-virus protection on each individual PC on your LAN.

Voice over the Internet

Some routers offer the option to make calls over the Internet using Voice over IP (VoIP). If you want to do this now or are considering using it in future, you can use PriceRunner to filter out the routers that feature this.

Ease of setup

Even if you choose your router carefully and it matches all the specifications, you may have problems setting it up, particularly if it is the first time you have installed a network or you are using a wireless solution. Good software and instructions will help, but the only way to find out whether a router includes these is by reading reviews, which you can link to via PriceRunner.

This buying guide was last updated on 26 March 2007 by Dan Blows.

Dan Blows is the CRM Manager at PriceRunner, and is a big gadgets fan. You can ask him a question by sending him a message in the forum).