WiFi Router :

Generally, there are two use cases for a WiFi router in a house:

• First : create a WiFi network for mobile and tablets for internet access.
• Second: create a WiFi network for local and multimedia devices such as video game consoles , smart TVs ,…

You can use any type of WiFi routers to cover the first use case. But when it comes to other home network devices, there are some limits. Take these recommendations into account to overcome those limits:

  1- How powerful should your router be?

Each wireless router has a certain output power, ranging from 17dBm to 29dBm. The larger this number, the larger the coverage area and the higher the signal strength.

You should take this item into account only when you want to find the best WiFi router for long range. The output power for a normal Home wifi router is around 17dbm to 25dbm and more than 25dbm for long range WiFi routers.

It’s good to know that more powerful routers are bigger and generate more heat which might make it difficult to find a suitable place for them in small houses.

  2- How powerful should the router’s antenna be?

Take the size of the antenna into account. The larger the antenna, the more powerful it is. The available antennas on WiFi routers are between 2dBi and 8dBi.

From a technical standpoint, a higher number of antennas increase signal quality and connection speed. Larger antennas increase coverage and signal range.

Using powerful antennas in small houses might cause some issues as the users too close to the antenna might not be able to receive the signals properly.

For example, a 3dBi antenna has a 100-degree vertical coverage , and a 7dBi antenna on the other hand has only a 45-degree vertical coverage. So, a low-gain antenna has more complete coverage than a high gain antenna.

  3- How many devices in the house need a wired connection?

as much as possible , you should use wired connections instead of wireless ones for network devices, as a wired connection is generally more stable and has a higher quality compared to a wireless one.

For example, smart TVs, video game consoles, computers, or laptops can use both wired and wireless connections. But if the location of these devices is permanent and using wires is not an issue for you, it’s better to use a wired connection.

In this case, the number of LAN ports on the home wireless router will be important. Remember to get a router that has enough LAN ports for the number of your devices.

  4- How many devices in the house need a wireless connection?

Most miscellaneous devices used in houses are multimedia devices that require a large amount of bandwidth. Because of that, a lot of WiFi router manufacturers install special radio band on their more advanced home WiFi routers. This kind of routers are specially designed to establish a particular WiFi connection with multimedia devices.

This allows users and multimedia devices to connect using separate frequency bands, which improves overall connection quality. The available WiFi routers on the market support one , two and three frequency bands.
Naturally, routers that support three frequency bands have a much higher connection quality and bandwidth.

So, if you need a high-speed wireless connections in your home WiFi router, or looking for the best WiFi router for multiple devices,  consider using routers that support two or three frequency bands.

5- Do you need USB ports?

The most common use case for a router USB port is using the router as a shared storage resource. You can connect a USB flash drive to the router and allow everyone on the network to access it.

If that’s what you want, make sure the router you’re going to buy has a USB port that supports shared storage, or file service (the USB port in some routers is only used for connecting to the printer or the modem. In some other routers, it’s only used to backup or upgrade the router firmware ).