![]() ![]() At least four Ethernet ports: A free Ethernet port gives devices such as TVs, streaming boxes, and gaming consoles the benefit of unfettered access to the internet bandwidth you’re paying for.A great router minimizes that wait even if the network is busy serving other devices. Low latency test results: Slow internet sucks, and latency-or lag-is the time you have to spend waiting for the next thing to happen.We tested each router from up close and from far away to confirm whether it will allow you, for example, to stream high-quality videos on the far side of your living space. Good range test results: You should be able to connect to a well-placed router from anywhere in an apartment or a small house.In our tests, network speed, or throughput, varies from “this YouTube video will never finish loading” to “you can download a video game in an instant.” Generally, we looked for the routers that performed above average, and we dismissed the slower routers. Good speed test results: Speed claims on the box don’t mean much in the real world.Any phone or laptop you buy today or may have bought in the past few years uses the new standards, and having more than one band makes it easier for your router to manage traffic around any slower, Wi-Fi 4 devices on your network. ![]() The cheapest routers-which cost as little as $20 or $30-use a single band, or frequency, of the Wi-Fi standard that came out in 2009 (802.11n, rarely referred to as Wi-Fi 4). Current-generation technology: Since we’re looking to improve your Wi-Fi, we considered only dual- or tri-band routers that support the more recent Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 standards.The first still required an ugly and complicated Web administrative interface to configure. I’ve gradually switched from Apple to TP-Link for the three Wi-Fi routers on my network. In that case, configure your main base station as a bridge/access point, too.įor a configuration like this, some manufacturers have finally got the religion of simplicity. The only exception is if the broadband router handles network assignment with DHCP and NAT. Use the same network password for all Wi-Fi networks, too. (Name the base stations themselves uniquely in whatever way the device lets you to identify them for configuration.) This name, the SSID (Service Set Identifier), is what you see in a list of Wi-Fi networks in a menu. Name each additional router’s network the same. Instead, they pass through the NAT/DHCP combo from the main router. You want these routers to neither create a private network nor pass out addresses. The terminology varies by Wi-Fi device maker. You can also insert ethernet switches for convenience or to span greater distances between the main router and additional ones.Ĭonfigure each additional router as a bridge or access point. (This the combination known as NAT and DHCP: NAT manages the private network range DHCP hands out addresses.)Ĭonnect each additional router via ethernet to the LAN ports on the main router. The main network takes the Internet Protocol (IP) address handed off by the broadband modem and creates a private network range and passes out addresses to Wi-Fi- and ethernet-connected devices. It connects via its WAN (Wide Area Networking) port to your broadband modem. One of your Wi-Fi gateways needs to act as the “main” unit. The tricks to setting up an ethernet-connected AirPort replacement network are straightforward: Roaming devices should switch automatically from a weak signal to a stronger one, but iPhones in particular seem to sometimes stick to a weak signal even when it provides a very slow link and much closer routers are available.) (Because this roaming is dependent on individual devices, you can see different performance among them. Apple made it easy to set up a series of base stations that could have unique individual names (to identify them for configuration), but could be set to share the same network name to allow devices to roam. Any device that has a Wi-Fi adapter that lets it connect to a network-whether an iPad, laptop, Nintendo Switch, Android phone, or smart fridge-automatically roams among base stations that share the same network name and encryption setup, including password. Readers ask for what was a breeze with AirPort configurations: a single network that allows devices to roam seamlessly without awkward handoffs between base stations. Mesh may sound great, but why not use the wiring we have? Such readers are in the same situation I am in: we have some ethernet wiring or have strung some ethernet cables in the house to connect base stations and just want to swap out what we have for the latest. I increasingly get email from readers who have failing or kaput AirPort base station equipment and want to set up a network with the same simplicity, but at a lower cost than mesh options. ![]()
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