![]() ![]() In addition to updating your router so you're running new hardware that gets regular updates, the easiest thing you can do to improve the internet experience for everyone in your household is to move the router. On a personal note, never once have I upgraded my Wi-Fi router and not immediately said, "Why didn't I do this earlier?" Placing Your Wi-Fi Router in an Optimal Location And if it's younger than that, you should still consider these six signs it's time to upgrade your Wi-Fi router. ![]() On the fence about upgrading to a better router? If your router is five years or older, you should replace it. How your router handles all your devices is more important than your router maxing out the connection to any individual device. Wi-Fi 6 routers, for example, are designed to handle high-density Wi-Fi environments better than Wi-Fi 5 and older routers (and to do so for both current generation and older Wi-Fi devices). And even people that don't have screaming fast internet should still update their router despite their slow internet connection.īecause updating your router isn't just about the speed of your internet connection (most people don't even have enough bandwidth to saturate a modern Wi-Fi router completely), it's about the quality of the experience. We feel so strongly about this we encourage people to update their routers before they upgrade their broadband package. You can have a nice fiber connection, you can have newer devices that support Wi-Fi 6, and if your router is a dusty old potato your ISP gave you shoved in the corner of your basement or living room, you're going to have an absolutely terrible time. It just can't be stated strongly enough how big of an impact your router has on every aspect of your home internet experience. Your Wi-Fi router is the heart and brain of your entire home network experience. If you based your opinion just on broadband provider ad copy, you'd think switching from the 100 Mbps package to the gigabit package would help you win every videogame match and turn plain old Netflix into a VR super-sensory experience. Among many reasons, this is in no small part to the amount of emphasis Internet Service Providers (ISPs) place on speed. You Don't Need as Much Download Bandwith As You ThinkĮveryone overestimates how much bandwidth they need. ![]() Ideally, you should conduct speed tests with a computer connected to your router via Ethernet capable. The most common mistake is running the speed test on your smartphone or a Wi-Fi-connected laptop. If, within your home, you haven't optimized that path to conduct the test, then your speed tests won't be accurate either. In the last section, we noted that speed tests are optimized so that you get the best possible path from your home to the remote test server. The usual culprit is the method by which they have conducted the speed test. When you use the general internet for browsing, downloading, watching videos, and all manner of activities, the location of the data you want (be it a video game download or a streaming video) is likely many hops along the internet chain from where you are. The internet is a great big place, and the conditions speed tests are run under are quite small. They're not exactly rigged in the fraudulent carnival game sense, but they are designed for optimal results. If you read up on speed tests, you'll inevitably come across people saying, almost conspiratorially, that internet speed tests are rigged. Speed Tests Are Optimized For Good Results A speed test is largely a Cannonball Run experience: how fast can the test data get from A to B. It doesn't tell you much about how the car will perform day in and day out, how comfortable you'll be driving the car on a long trip, if the car can transport your whole family plus all your luggage, or other things that might be important to you. Speed Tests Measure Maximum Speed Under Ideal ConditionsĪ speed test result is similar to taking a car to a race track with a professional driver and closed-course conditions to absolutely stress test the car and see the maximum potential performance of the vehicle. ![]()
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