When you step into the comfort of your home, two things are an absolute priority- a stress free environment and a stable internet connection. While you cannot control the environment of your home, you can however, ensure that your home network will not fail you- it’s just a matter of getting the right device for your home. With a little research and the right guidance, you will have a home network that will not disappoint you.

Here are a few things you need to know when you’re choosing a network device for your home.

Take stock of your internet usage-

Gone are the days when we were only active on social media and browsed our Youtube for funny viral videos. Today, these activities are a routine that can be afforded by your hand-held devices. We are in an age where our livelihoods depend on the internet from creating content to promoting it on your preferred platforms. From the process of learning and researching to publishing, making this process smooth and seamless heavily depends on the capability of your router to provide you with a stable internet connection on the quality of your router which, in turn, determines the stability of your internet connection.
First, identify your family’s usage to select a router that will meet their needs and second, keep the layout of your home in mind to ensure that you’re getting a device that will ensure network in every corner of your home. It’s wise to keep in mind that the walls of your house often end up absorbing a significant amount of your signal strength. For instance, a potential signal strength range of 30 meters may drop down to 15 meters, due to the obstruction offered (up) by the walls. Investing in ‘repeaters’, which in essence extend the range of your signal, is a good bet if you want to enjoy a stable internet connection throughout your house. Some of these factors may end up costing you more, but you will thank yourself in the long run.

Single band or dual band- what’s the difference?

Back in 1999, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) introduced the concept of wireless standards—that’s what the “802.11” numbers that you see on your Wi-Fi-enabled gear stand for. These standards are a rule book that ensure routers and online devices adhere to the same standards.
This is what ensures that your laptop works just as smoothly as your smartphone does, on the same WiFi network.

A single-band router is limited to just a one frequency band—mostly the 2.4 GHz frequency band, however, due to address growing demands, 5 GHz single band routers have also emerged. They operate on the 802.11g standard which caps data speeds at 54 Mbps. An example of the kind of speed you get is the speed of 3G networks on our phones.

Most of the laptops/desktops on which the wireless clients normally reside are majorly 2.4GHz compliant and hence can only detect a 2.4GHZ transmission from any dual band wireless router. Upgrading to a dual band wireless adapter on the laptop (DIGISOL’s offerings are DG-WN3430AC and DG-WN3860AC) will help the laptop scan and detect the 5GHz wireless network from the transmitter i.e. the wireless router (DIGISOL’s offering DG-BR5400QAC). Also, the high-end mobile devices like iPhones have the dual band reception capability by default and will thereby participate in a dual band wireless environment more efficiently than otherwise. It is hence also important to keep in mind the network specifications of your devices, as it is possible that your device may only support a single frequency band, thereby making a dual-frequency band router redundant for you.

So which is the right router for me?

Your safest bet is to get a dual band like (DIGISOL’s DG-BR5400QAC) that will optimize your home for decent range and stability while keeping your family happy on their devices. A good dual-band router unlike the single-band, offers real benefits like smooth connectivity despite limitations of your internet connection as well as the physical restrictions of your home to give you a decent bandwidth.