How To Buy A Wireless DSL Router

Wireless DSL internet is popular and preferable because of its mobile and convenient nature. However there are some specific hardware requirements that need to be satisfied for full functionality.

• To buy the right DSL router for you, you must look out for the features which will suit you.

• Check to make sure that there are enough ports in the router to accommodate all the wired hosts in your network (‘hosts’ include peripherals, computers, handhelds etc.)

• If your computers have wireless LAN cards then the router will use an antenna to transmit signals to the them, hence they will not have to be wired up to the router.

• It cannot be stressed enough that the router must match the required data transfer speed.

For instance;

• The 802.11a and 802.11g wireless networking standards (also known as Wi-Fi) specify 54 Mbps as the maximum data transfer rate.

• Newer versions of 802.11g even specify rates of more than 125 Mbps.

• 802.11n, the draft of new wireless networking standard, specifies data transfer at speed of 540 Mbps.

• To get the maximum internet speed, both the wireless networking card and the router must be compatible with the same wireless networking standards.

• It is important to secure your data in a wireless network. So make sure that your network is equipped with at least a WEP (wireless equivalent privacy) compatible router.it aims to protect data transmitted over radio signals. There are also more advanced protocols available such as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and WPA2 with WPA2  which offer the maximum  security in wireless networks.

• You can choose between routers with internal or external antennas. Internal antennas provide easy in mobility whereas external antennas provide better signal reception than internal ones. However you may be able to find routers with internal antennas as well as an external attachable antenna.

• Some router provide more features than others, for instance, there are routers that can serve as hubs and switches and can provide additional firewalls and can support port forwarding ability which is necessary to host a web server. Routers with extra features also cost more however, so make an informed decision with regards to which features you need.

• Also make sure that the interface of the router is compatible with your computer. If you choose to connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable, your computer must have a LAN card as well as
• an Ethernet port. Other wise you can connect the two through the USB port if your computer has one, or in the case of your computer being equipped with a wireless LAN card no cables will be needed as the card will automatically catch the signals from the router.

• Browse the market and the internet (use reliable buyer guides such as NexTag, Windows Marketplace, MySimon and Epinions)  to get price comparisions, customer feedback and reviews of the different features and models.

• Once you have located the router  that is suitable for your network, you can ask your ISP if they provide it at a better price or provide the leasing option. Other wise you can always buy the router through online vendors such as CompUSA, Best Buy and Circuit City.

• Some vendors may provide combos of routers and network adapters, these are recommended as they are likely to follow the same protocol. Again as a reminder, it is of utmost importanct that the protocols used by both devices should be the same.