Your router is what connects your home and office network to each other and the web. (Most of the time, but we won't be getting into all that right now).
A router is NOT a modem. These two pieces of hardware do two different things. There are modems that double also broadcast a wireless signal, but they still have different functions.
The modem is your house or offices connection to the internet. Your router connects all your computers and your modem together. The router enables data to be transferred from point to point. This data can include the internet connection that the modem provides. So by connecting the modem to the router and then multiple computers to the router, they are able to share a data connection.
Most modems can only direct data to a single computer. A router can connect to several computers, but cannot connect to the internet alone.
Anything that gets data from the router, like your computer, a tablet, a printer, etc., is referred to as a client. Each client gets their own IP address that is like it's ID. Your modem gets a GLOBAL IP, while your clients get LOCAL IP's. Think of it like this: Your modem is the street, and the global IP is the street name, while your clients local IP's are like the individual house numbers.
Now there are wired and wireless routers. This is pretty straight forward. Wired connections are going to befaster, and generally more reliable, so if you can hard wire computers that aren't moving around a lot do that. For your mobile devices like your tablet, phone, and laptop, or even a computer at the far end of the house, connect via the wireless connection. Most people have a mixture of both.
Throughput is the speed of the data transfer. The speed of the data transfer depends on what "standard" the wireless router uses. The most common are 802.11g and 802.11n, (or commonly known as wireless G or Wireless N). Wireless N is faster, but also more expensive.
Another aspect that determines speed is the wireless card in your client. Older laptops will only have a wireless G, so updating your router won't make the speed any faster. If you have a mix of wireless G and N in your home or office, you have set your routers to "Mixed Mode" which will support both. This will compromise the speed of the N clients, so if you can have everything on your network run N, that's the way to go.
Wired Throughput's have two speeds: 10/100 or 10/100/1000 (or gigabit). If all you're connecting to a router is one computer, the 10/100 should be fine. If you are transferring data from computer to computer however, you'll want the faster router.
Range is another thing to consider with your routers. If you have a large house or office and the router is at one side it may not reach the other side. Wireless N has a larger range than wireless G. There are ways to extend the range. You can purchase a wireless extender, or wireless repeater. You also have the option of using a power line adapter which uses the electrical wiring to connect to the router via an ethernet cable. A little trickier but that's what we're here for!
And for a big one: SECURITY!
You should ALWAYS protect your wireless network with a password. WPA2 is currently the most secure type. Some of the older devices will only have WEP. Some routers also offer a "guest network" which will give people (like customers or guests) access to the internet without access to your computers or data.
If you think you need a router, or need to upgrade yours be wary of on line reviews. There are a lot of factors involved with the effectiveness of a router. It depends of its environment, how it's used, or even what kind of interference is in the area. Please don't hesitate to let us help pick the best option for you!
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