How to Pick the Right Router

A few years ago the idea of a router was something that only the IT guy running business networks had to worry about, but as more and more devices become connected to the internet the need for a good router has become something that more and more home users have to have and yet the industry hasn't yet completely caught up by making it an easy choice or easy to use.

The first thing you need to decide when picking a router is whether you want a wireless or wired router. The first thing to recognize is that in most cases both will have the option of using wires so why would you choose a router that wasn't wireless? And the answer is that there are security risks to having a wireless router so if you have no wireless devices there is no reason to have to deal with it.

The next thing that you need to decide is how many devices you need to route. The cheapest routers tend to work for four devices and if you have three or less these are most likely fine, but if you're already at four it makes more sense to have some extra room because you're going to end up with something that needs to be plugged in so save the money now.

The next decision is how much you want to spend. Like most electronic devices the amount of money you can spend on the upper end is almost unlimited, on the other end you should assume you're going to spend at least 50 dollars on the router because while you might find one cheaper than that it is probably going to be cheaper.

The next point is security. Any router is going to help some with security as it a layer between the internet and your computer but there are some that are better than others. To find out simply look up the router you are considering and there should be information on the internet giving you a reasonable idea.

The final point and perhaps the most important is the through speed. The best routers shouldn't have any effect on your internet speed at all(though if you're using multiple devices the speed will be split) and again checking individual routers for this is important.

The amount of information on routers is daunting and the truth is for most people the fifty dollar router at wal mart will be just fine, but make certain you know what you want because otherwise you'll end up buying another one in six months.