If you are planning to share your internet connection amongst the computers in your home then you’ve come to the right place. Our Buyer’s Guide will help to make you a savvier consumer and help you navigate the through the wide array of Broadband Routers available today. Becoming a savvy shopper begins with knowing your budget and asking yourself the right questions. Here are some questions to keep in mind as you work through our interactive buyers guide:

• What is my budget?
• How many computers am I going to be routing?
• Will I need wireless routing as well?
• Do I plan to stream media though my router?
• Do I plan to do a lot of online gaming?

With some of these questions in mind, our interactive buyers guide will now take you step by step through the some of the most important aspects of choosing a Broadband Router most suitable for your needs.

Budget

Before determining what features and specifications to look for, you should establish a clear budget for your Broadband Router purchase. With over 300 models to choose from and prices that can range from $20 to over $10,000, the best way to narrow your search is to have a clear notion of how much you want to invest. As will most things in life: the more you invest the better the quality and number of features.

Number of Ports

Having determined your budget range, you can now determine the number of ports that you will need. The number of ports will determine how many computers can be hard wired into the router. Most routers come with at least 4 ports as a standard. A rule of thumb is to get a few more ports than you currently use to allow yourself room for growth of your network.

Data Transfer Rates

Data transfer rate (DTR), is the speed at which data can be transmitted between devices. This is sometimes referred to as throughput. The data transfer rate of a Broadband Router is often expressed in kilobits or megabits per second, abbreviated as kbps and mbps respectively. Look for Broadband Routers that have a data transfer rate of at least 10Mbps. If you are planning on doing a significant amount of media streaming, online gaming or plan to have more than 6 computers connected at any given time then look for a data transfer rate of 100Mbs or more.

Summary

With price points continually coming down and feature sets continually going up, it is a great time to purchase a Broadband Router. With all of the above considerations in hand you should now be better equipped to make an more informed choice when choosing a Router that best suits your needs.