How-To Geek
Upgrade Your Wireless Router to Get Faster Speeds and More Reliable Wi-Fi
If you haven’t upgraded to a new wireless router in a few years, you might want to seriously consider it. That old router may still be working, but newer ones will give you better Wi-Fi.
You probably have some new devices that support modern wireless networking standards, so there’s no sense in slowing everything down with an outdated router.
Why You Should Care
The humble wireless router can often be overlooked if it’s still running stable and providing a solid connection to your devices. Many people are still using routers running old wireless standards for just this reason.
That’s fine if you’re completley happy with your Wi-Fi, but most people probably want more speed, coverage, and reliability. It’s easy to overlook the wireless router sitting on a high shelf when upgrading your gear, but you shouldn’t. It’s the device through which all your devices get their internet connection, and even our tips for speeding up your wireless network will only get you so far if you hold onto an old router forever.
Specifically, new wireless routers support new wireless networking standards that offer higher speeds and less interference. You aren’t getting everything your new laptops, smarpthones, tablets, TV streaming boxes, game consoles, and other network-connected devices have to offer if you’re using an outdated router. That’s why things like streaming Netflix in HD over Wi-Fi just aren’t possible if you’re using too old a router.
How to Find What Wireless Standards Your Router Supports
Before worrying about this, you might just want to check which standards your router actually supports. There are a number of different ways to do this. On some routers, the supported standards might be printed on the router itself — perhaps on the bottom. They’ll definitely be printed on the box the router came in. However, you can always find the model number on the router itself and plug that number into a web search engine. Look at the router’s specifications and check which wireless standards it claims to support. (You may also be able to find this information in your router’s web interface, too.)
Look for standards like “802.11ac”, “802.11n”, and “802.11g”. 802.11ac is the most recent — if you have that, you’re golden. 802.11n is a bit older, but still in reasonably widespread use — still, it’s not the best you can get. 802.11g is rather dated and you should definitely consider upgrading if you’re still using an old router that only supports this standard.
802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, and 802.11b
Here’s a quick rundown of the common wireless standards you should know about:
- 802.11ac: This is the most recent wireless standard. It can operate at 5 GHz for newer 802.11ac devices while also offering 2.4 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi for older devices and backwards compatibility purposes. This means less wireless interference and a more reliable signal. In theory, it can achieve up to 866.7 Mbit/s in data transfer speed. 802.11ac was finalized in 2013.
- 802.11n: This is the previous most popular wireless standard. Unlike modern 802.11ac, it can operate at either 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz, but not both at once — that means more interference. In theory, it can achieve up to 150 Mbit/s in data transfer speed. 802.11n was finalized in 2009.
- 802.11g: Before 802.11n, there was 802.11g. It’s limited to only 2.4 GHz. 802.11g can only achieve data transfer speeds of up to 54 Mbit/s in theory. This standard was finalized in 2003.
- 802.11b: This standard is even older, as it was finalized in 1999. It offers speeds up of up to 11 Mbit/s in theory. (There’s also an 802.11a, but that wasn’t very popular.)
Remember that these speeds are theoretical, and you probably won’t see anything near that fast in the real world. But this cuts both ways. Sure, 802.11ac won’t be nearly as fast as promised, but 802.11n and 802.11g are even slower than they appear to be at first
There’s more to the standards than these few points, but take it as a quick look at the relative interference and speeds in comparison between these standards. If you’re still using an old 802.11g router for some reason, well — you’re using a wireless standard from twelve years ago. It’s time to upgrade!
How to Find Which Wireless Standards Your Devices Support
Modern devices released recently should support 802.11ac, and this will only become more common going forward. Practically all devices you’re using should support 802.11n at this point.
You can still use old devices that support older wireless standards with modern routers. Modern routers can be backwards-compatible if necessary. But, if you have a bunch of new devices that support 802.11ac and you’re still using 802.11n — or, even worse, 802.11g — that’s a very good argument for upgrading.
As with routers, the standards a device supports can generally be found on its device’s specifications page. Check the box the device came in or perform a web search for its model number to see what wireless standards a device supports, if you’re curious.
We’re not saying everyone needs to race out and upgrade their routers every time a new standard comes out — far from it, as you’ll only see improvements if you have new devices that support this standard. But your wireless router is an important piece of hardware and it needs an upgrade occasionally, too. It could be holding back all your other wireless devices.
Image Credit: nseika on Flickr, Miguel Gutierrez Rodriguez on Flickr, Alessandra Cimatti on Flickr
This.
I think we're at the point where everyone should be running a dual-band router. AC routers run less than $100, and most modern laptops and smartphones have dual-band radios.
The 2.4 GHz band only has room for 3 channels, and if you live in or near an apartment building, it can be impossible find an open channel. Moving your devices up to the 5GHz channels can not only improve performance, but can reduce interference with and by neighboring gateways.
I'm personally running 2 802.11ac routers one is in bridge mode. I still however use two of my wireless G access points also. They give me access in low coverage areas and if anyone comes by and asks for access while they are here I hook them up to the access point. I found that when shopping for a new router to make sure you check for Gigabit ports as some models I saw did not have them. I have wired, wireless and power line at my place and will choose wired ever time if up to me but its nice to have options.
"802.11n: This is the previous most popular wireless standard. Unlike modern 802.11ac, it can only operate at 2.4 GHz"
I don't know about you, but I have several 802.11n routers that support 5 GHz devices. Even a cheap netgear.
Also I find, even with new 802.11ac routers, that 2.4ghz gives better range and signal than 5ghz. Go figure...
Chris,
Good article but you neglected to mention that there are "Dual Band" 802.11n routers that do support 5 GHz e.g. my Netgear WNDR3700v3. This article in Wikipedia (usually reliable) says that 5 GHz support it optional for 802.11.n routers.
An additional factor that supports upgrading is that the older standards, while supporting higher link rates, would "fall back" to the lower rate if there were ANY previous standard devices attached to your local network. The later standards are supposed to accommodate a mixture of devices.
If you live in a high-contention apartment building where there are dozens of people competing for limited 2.4 GHz channels then a 5 GHz channel option might be great.
One should also consider that the real bottleneck for Internet communications (i.e. outside your local network) for many of us is the connection to our Internet Service Provider, which throttles your total throughput.
I'm not saying "Don't upgrade."... just that you should not expect a miracle under most circumstances
There is quite a lot of marketing hype about "ac" routers being better than "n Dual Band" ones. Not having taken the bait yet, I don't have direct evidence to say whether it's worth today's something-near 2x price difference.
That's correct. 802.11n has always been a dual-band-optional standard. While most routers didn't bother implementing the 5GHz side, N was 5GHz-capable from the beginning.
I've just upgraded to an AC1900 3x3 router and am in the process of upgrading clients to AC as well. AC supports double the mimo streams as N, and when transferring gibibytes to tibibytes of information wirelessly over a LAN, this is essential.
@rjwheele You are correct, N routers are more than capable of handling the 100mbit speeds of today's Internet connections. With gigabit fiber around the corner and anything even above 300mbit, you will need the new AC standard or your N router will become the bottleneck.
It's unfortunate that most people will pay an arm and a leg to get an AC router thinking it will magically speed up their wireless, without upgrading the rest of the infrastructure.
Ideally everyone would be running fonera, or some variant like it. Best idea for a router ever. Maybe only thing missing is having an open protocol so any router maker could join the same "global network".
Quite simple concept. You get a router, it makes 2 networks, one for guests, the other for your priority own use. If you do leave it open for guests, you can freely access any of the other million people doing the same. If not, you can at least pay to use 'em anyway.
This is the one I've got:
Actually, Comcast tried to do something similar with their cable gateways, and they ended up with a class-action suit.
I don't like the idea of someone sharing my WiFi at all. With the crap people pull, the last thing I want is some random pulling up in front of my house and using my router to send spam or kiddie porn.
Yeah, I hear that's an issue in USA. I think that's shooting the messenger stupid lawsuit.
So, if comcast sells internet to you and you pay for it, you're responsible for what you do.
But if you give internet to someone and that person doesn't pay for it, then you're responsible for what they do.
Makes no sense.
So with all the talk about newer and faster, someone offer up something that's a good balance of both.
What I loved when the newer N type routers came on the scene was no one had a clue how to enable it. If you looked in the manuals the secret tip was either not there or hidden away in the appendix in small print.
I used to get calls from other techs scratching their heads with a new N wireless install and not able to get it working. Was fun to pass on the 'secret'.
I remember when I got my first N router many years ago I had to do some serious searching on the net to find out how to enable it. I think a lot of manufacturers really didn't bother updating their manuals from earlier versions.
This is my current favorite. It supports AC, dual bands, and it's more than fast enough to keep up with my 60Mb/s Internet connection on the 5GHz band.
Another good one is the Netgear Nighthawk.
And let's not forget the new Linksys:
My modem is in my office in a room on one side of my house.Where I use my laptop via WiFi is on the other side of the house and is apparently on the edge of its working range as it often drops out.I solved the problem by hanging an empty aluminium can behing the modem so it reflects the WiFi signal in my direction and it seldom drops out any more.
And you are correct about range on 2.4ghz band. The lower the frequency wave the better chance it has to penetrate through walls, etc. The 5ghz is a lot faster but it has shorter range.
5 GHz isn't "faster", it supports more "bandwidth" using new technologies like beam forming, more mimo streams and way more channels thus less interference, giving the illusion of more throughput.
I recently switched my friends wifi to 2.4 he was only getting 2 bars with 5ghz on a good day, now with 2.4ghz he's getting full bars. All you people having range problems should try that, especially if going through many walls. Also get a newer router their antennas are a LOT better than ones a few years ago.
Actually, that's not correct.
Frequencies in in the 2.4GHz ISM band are allocated in 5MHz channels, and there are a total of 11 channels. The modulation used for 802.11B networking allowed for 11 megabits per second. 802.11G and N allow for more bandwidth because they bond multiple channels together.
Frequencies in the 5GHz band are allocated in 20MHz channels, and networks can bond 2 channels together to make a 40MHz wide channel. This allows for more throughput because the channel uses more RF bandwidth.
So even without beamforming, MIMO, and inteference, a 5GHz channel has the potential for at least twice the raw throughput because the radios have access to twice as much bandwidth per channel. This isn't an illusion; it's real, and it's because the channels are, in fact, larger.
As to antenna design: the math behind antenna design is older than either of us, and it hasn't changed much in the last 75 years. The only real difference between the antenna on your router and the antenna being used by ham radio operators making contacts across the Pacific Ocean in 1932 is the length of the radiator.
Isn't that what I just said?
It is an illusion because it happens without the user ever knowing about multiple streams therefore making them believe their "single" connection is faster. Most people don't understand "bandwidth".
And going by your logic, computers have not changed significantly since the first microprocessor but I can easily say my Core i7 is a lot "better" than say a 4004, because they "fit" more in them.
There have been many antenna improvements and inventions, and yes they are still based on fundamental EM principles, but to say they are not "better" is just ignorant imo.
I don't think people care about the technical distinctions behind it; they just care that it works. In the case of 2.4 vs 5GHz, the 5GHz channels are clearly faster, but offer less penetration. So a good rule of thumb is "if you're in the same room, use 5. If you're going through walls, use 2."
And on antennas... I have been running wireless nearly since day one, and barring things like beamforming, I haven't seen any real improvement in signal propagation. If anything, I'm finding that modern routers sometimes don't perform as well as my first WRT54G or the B model I had before that.
Yes, when you get in to the $200 range and start seeing beamforming and MIMO, things get better... but for range, a $100 router today is really not much better than a $100 router was in 2005. In fact, the FCC limits the output of WiFi to a very low level, and that hasn't changed - ever. So advising people to buy a new unit for better range may not help, especially if the problem is related to obstructions like walls.
Most of the time, range problems come down to the placement of the access point. Installing a directional antenna can make a tremendous difference, as can simply moving the AP to a central location in the house.
Well this website is for learning. I like to know how things work, and I like to spread knowledge. Sorry if that offends you...
We need to drop this before the mods drop it for us. If you want to start a new thread on the differences between 5GHz and 2.4GHz networks, go for it, but we're getting off topic for this thread.