[ad_1]
Everyone wants the fastest Internet access in this rapidly advancing age. Why? Because high-speed internet dramatically reduces wait times and allows users to complete multiple tasks at once. As soon as you get your hands on a super-fast internet connection, you’re good to go. You can search all kinds of information online, stream your favorite types of entertainment, control your smart home automation remotely, participate in video conferences, pay your bills, do your weekly groceries, play video games with your teammates around the world. entire, take talks and courses on Zoom, and much more. If your internet service is fast, it can handle all of these activities seamlessly. Click here explore broadband packages for home internet users in this regard.
It is not enough to subscribe to a broadband Internet package. You need the right equipment to distribute and enjoy high-speed connectivity throughout your home. Usually Internet hardware is made up of modems, routers, or modem-router combos, and the necessary cables that tie everything together perfectly.
Modems and routers are mainly distributed by ISPs to their customers at the time of subscription, but you also have the option of using your own network hardware. While you may be aware that an Internet modem is a device that receives bandwidth from your ISP and sends it onward, what about a router? What does this device do and what impact does it have on internet speed, if any? Let’s find out below.
What is the role of a router in a home network?
A router is an essential component of a home network. Primarily, it converts wired speeds to wireless Wi-Fi, then broadcasts the signals throughout the home, so Wi-Fi enabled devices can find the hotspot and connect to it to soar over the waves of the World Wide. Web. Additionally, it directs and controls nearby internet traffic, acting as a bridge between data-hungry devices and web servers.
So without this intermediary device, you cannot use the Internet on your smartphone, smart TV, laptop, PC or tablet from any corner of the house. You will need to rely on a direct Ethernet cable connection to the modem to continue your online activities. Therefore, a router plays a vital role in the overall flow of your home network.
How to check the speed throughput of a router?
As mentioned above, a router translates and transforms wired internet signals into Fast and reliable Wi-Fi which operates on radio frequency waves. This means that a router does not act on its own. He’s not a lonely agent. On the contrary, a router relies heavily on the Internet modem, from where it receives Internet data and speed specifications.
Wondering what internet speed is reaching you through the router? Here’s how you can check and compare the level of speed you are subscribed to and the speed your router is distributing as wireless signals:
- Turn off Wi-Fi on all other devices in your home.
- Take an Ethernet cable.
- Plug one end into the back of your PC or laptop and the other end into the router’s port panel.
- Open a web browser and take a speed test. Several sites like Fast.com or Speed ​​Test by Ookla will give you free tools for this purpose.
- Save the results.
- Now unplug the Ethernet cable from the router.
- Instead, plug it into the modem. Your PC or laptop and modem will be connected.
- Open the web browser and run the speed test again.
- Check the results.
- Compare the speed on the modem with the previous one on the router.
If the upload and download speeds are faster on your modem and slower on your router, then your router is responsible for the slowdown. We will discuss this further in the following sections.
On the other hand, if the upload and download speeds are higher on the router and lagging behind on the modem, there may be a problem with your internet connection from the back-end, or your ISP may be limiting the bandwidth due to caps or your modem may malfunction etc. In this case, contact your ISP for a quick resolution.
Can an old router slow down your internet speed?
An old and outdated router can stifle your wireless speeds for several reasons. During peak hours, your five-year-old router can be overloaded with the hundreds of connection requests and the onslaught of traffic. Hence, it can clog your connection and provide creepy Wi-Fi signals which lead to constant buffering.
Here’s another scenario: Your Wi-Fi router might not be compatible with the speed level you subscribed to in the first place, so it cannot distribute the higher level speeds efficiently. Suppose your router’s wireless standard is Wi-Fi 4 or 802.11n, which handles a maximum speed of up to 450Mbps on a single 2.4GHz band. While the speed level you registered with your ISP is 1 GB. Then you are unlikely to receive the speeds of 1000 Mbps since your router is only able to distribute half of this. debit.
Can a New Router Improve Your Internet Speed?
A new router can dramatically improve your Wi-Fi performance. Equipped with the latest wireless standard and firmware, a new router may not be overwhelmed with network traffic as easily as an old router, thereby ensuring both speed and the stability of network traffic remains constant, during peak hours or not.
Likewise, a new router with Wi-Fi 6 can deliver the true potential of 1 gigabyte speeds, which you won’t find in previous generations. However, if your speed level is not 1 GB, you don’t need to invest in a new 6 Wi-Fi router. Nonetheless, the shelf life of a router is three years, experts therefore recommend replacing this equipment after this time for faster throughput and signal flow.
The final verdict
Indeed, a router is the heart of a home network, since it circulates wireless Internet signals throughout your home. An old, bogged down router can slow down the dispersion of Wi-Fi signals, while newer hardware can bypass the bottleneck and maintain uniform high-speed data distribution throughout your home.
The important point to keep in mind is that a router can impact the state of the Wi-Fi, but it cannot change the speed of your internet plan, which you have subscribed to with your ISP. In other words, a router can speed up Wi-Fi, but it cannot speed up your internet plan. Still, routers are definitely important for enjoying better internet speeds, so upgrade them every few years for a satisfying web experience.
[ad_2]
