Router Buyer's Guide: Create a new experience for smart home networks
In this era of the Internet of Everything, an excellent router can not only provide us with stable and high-speed network connection, but also become the brain and hub of the family's intelligent life. How to choose a router that suits your needs? Let's clear the fog and explore the mystery of router purchase together.
Network needs assessment: tailored to local conditions
Every home's network needs are different, so before choosing a router, we first need to evaluate our actual needs. For example, the number of devices in the home, usage scenarios, coverage, etc., will directly affect the choice of router.
If you're just living alone and don't have too much of a day-to-day internet connection, an entry-level router will suffice. But if you have a large family and everyone has multiple connected devices, you need a high-performance router to support it.
If your home has a special type of house, such as a duplex or a villa, a single router may not be able to cover the whole house, so you need to consider using a router package with Mesh networking to work together through multiple nodes to achieve coverage without dead ends.
Hardware configuration: chip, antenna and memory, determine the "family background" of the router
Once we've evaluated our network needs, we need to look at the router's hardware configuration. These seemingly boring data actually determine the overall performance of the router.
The CPU chip, which is like the "brain" of the router, determines the computing power of the router. For example, Qualcomm's top-of-the-line chips can escort large-scale device access and complex network applications.
Antenna design, which affects wireless coverage and signal stability. Some top-of-the-line routers will use 8 or more antennas, and use intelligent signal conditioning technology to ensure that there are no dead spots in the whole house.
The capacity of memory and flash memory, which determines the number of devices that the router can connect to at the same time and the richness of firmware features. Routers with large memory can not only connect more devices, but also support advanced functions such as QoS and Mesh networking.
Budget Options: Budget-conscious, cost-effective
Once we have determined our network requirements and hardware configuration, we need to choose the best router product based on our budget and the trade-offs among the options.
If you're on a budget, consider some entry-level and mid-range routers that are more cost-effective and relatively affordable for everyday internet access.
If you're looking for network performance and playability, then high-end and flagship routers are undoubtedly the better choice. These top-of-the-line products not only have powerful hardware configurations, but also have rich firmware features to bring the ultimate Internet experience.
Price isn't the only criterion. Some mid-range routers may perform better than some high-end models. Therefore, we must combine the actual needs, repeatedly compare within the range of options, and finally choose the best one.
Mesh networking: There are no dead spots in the whole house, and high-speed seamless roaming
For large households, Mesh networking is undoubtedly the best choice for building a smart home network. Through the collaborative work of the main route and multiple sub-nodes, we can achieve no dead end coverage in the whole house.
Different from simple wireless trunking, Mesh networking uses an intelligent routing algorithm that automatically selects the optimal link to avoid network speed drops. It also supports seamless roaming handover, where devices can automatically connect to the node with the best signal without interruption.
Mesh networking can also support a mix of multiple networking methods, such as wireless + wired, 2.4G + 5G dual band, etc., which further improves the stability and flexibility of the network.
Mesh networking is not supported by all routers. When purchasing, we need to pay special attention to this feature to ensure that it can meet the needs of whole house coverage.
Smart home: The router becomes the brain of the Internet of Everything
In the era of smart home, the role of the router is not only limited to providing network access, but also the brain and hub of the family's intelligent devices.
Some high-end routers have built-in smart home control centers, which can uniformly manage various smart devices in the home and realize intelligent functions such as voice control and remote operation.
The router also supports value-added services such as secure encryption, network optimization, and online storage, making our digital life safer, more efficient, and more convenient.
With the continuous development of IoT technology, the intelligence of routers will also increase day by day. Therefore, when purchasing, we might as well pay more attention to this aspect of the function to lay the foundation for the intelligent upgrade of the home network.