In this article we are going to walk a little bit into the wireless technology secrets and will compare 8 models from top bestseller Wi-Fi/ Wireless internet routers from their category, because we always want to have a better internet connection for our laptop or our computer.
A magic mathematical formula will be applied to obtain the scoring for those 8 Wi-Fi internet routers and you can figure it out which of those are worthy to analyze further.
But let's start with few basic things! :-)
Difference between Wi-Fi and Wireless
Because of the usual confusion between Wi-Fi and wireless, we should clear this up.
- Wi-Fi is a name of a short-range wireless (radio) technology which provides fast internet connections.
- Same idea for WLAN which stands for Wireless Local Area Network and which include the Wi-Fi.Wireless it's bigger and includes WLAN (which includes Wi-Fi).
- So Wi-Fi it is wireless, but wireless it's not necessarily Wi-Fi! :-) You get the point!
What is a router?
A router[a] is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks. Routers perform the traffic directing functions on the Internet. Data sent through the internet, such as a web page or email, is in the form of data packets. A packet is typically forwarded from one router to another router through the networks that constitute an internetwork (e.g. the Internet) until it reaches its destination node.[2]
A router is connected to two or more data lines from different IP networks.[b] When a data packet comes in on one of the lines, the router reads the network address information in the packet header to determine the ultimate destination. Then, using information in its routing table or routing policy, it directs the packet to the next network on its journey.
The most familiar type of IP routers are home and small office routers that simply forward IP packets between the home computers and the Internet.
Quoting source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router_(computing)
What is a wireless router?
A wireless 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.
Quoting source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_router
What are the most important characteristics of a router?
Having in mind this table with IEEE 802.11 network PHY standards (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11), we can say that the Protocol (which defines his own streaming data rate, Mbit/s) it is the one that could help us, according to our internet speed needs:
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| IEEE 802.11: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11 |
We can extract the main data as in the following table from the same source (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11):
Having these data, we can have an idea about the next charts (in which are compared those 8 router models mostly technically, but also through price and rating point of view) and how relevant are those metrics for us.
Further, will be applied a mathematical formula that takes into consideration most important factors - with customized appropriate weighting, as below metrics and rating:
- Customer rating:
- - the number of the stars (higher=better, 1=min, 5=max);
- and the number of the rating customers, which should be directly proportional with the number of the buyers (higher=better) on a combined linear-logarithmic scale:
- 1 - 1000 = 1,
- 1001 - 5000 = 2,
- 5001 - 10000 = 3,
- 10001 - 15000 = 4,
- 15001 - 20000 = 5;
- The actual price of the Wi-Fi/wireless internet router (lower=better); please have in mind that the prices can be different, depending on the current commercial offer;
- 1...50$ = 3
- 51...100$ = 2
- 101...150$ = 1
- The protocol and wireless capabilities (ac=best; a/b=lowest);
- (Declared in the technical specs) Data transfer rate (Mbps) (higher=better);
- 0...500 Mbps = 1
- 501...1000 Mbps = 2
- 1001...1500 Mbps = 3
- 1501...2000 Mbps = 4
- Indoor approximate range (higher=better);
- 802.11n = 2
- non 802.11n = 1
- Protocol:
- 802.11b/g/n/ac = 5
- 802.11b/g/n = 3
- 802.11ac = 4
- Frequency band (dual = better than single).
- Dual Band = 3 (cover both frequency ranges)
- 2.4 GHz = 1 (despite that at this point it is very used)
- 5 GHz = 2 (because seems to be the future)
We will have a top with the best routers, mathematically calculated according to what we know about these Wi-Fi routers at the end of article, so be patient, please! :-)
The comparison table with technical details for the first 4 router models:
The same for the next 4 router models:
The math has spoken! They are all pretty good products, but here are the best from the list, in order of the scoring:
So, what do you think?
Hope you find it useful! Come back for more cool comparisons!
Hope you find it useful! Come back for more cool comparisons!
OK/Not OK/ So-So images source: 1001freedownloads.com
Pros and Cons (and So-Sos) are extracted from real users/buyers reviews.
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Best Internet Routers in 2019: Comparison of Top Bestseller Wi-Fi Wireless Routers
Rated 4.5/5 based on 16 reviews
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