How to Choose a Best Router for the Office
Choosing the right router plays a key role in providing a stable and fast internet connection for the office. When choosing a device, you need to consider a number of factors that determine its performance and functionality. Let’s look at a number of important characteristics depending on the type of connection.
Office area and number of employees
For an office of up to 50m², with 3-4 employees, one router with a small coverage area will be enough. However, for a workspace with a lot of equipment that requires internet access, there will be other requirements for the router, you may even have to build a whole network of routers. Brick concrete partitions will also weaken the WiFi signal and it may be worth emphasizing wired connectivity for some devices. Let’s break down the important parameters of WiFi routers that you should pay attention to.
Connection type
Modern routers can transmit data using the following technologies:
GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) translates as “Gigabit Passive Optical Network”. Or simply “optics” – a name that everyone is actively using. It allows GPON provides high speed internet – up to 1 Gbps.
Ethernet. Most routers work on the basis of this technology. Support speeds up to 100 Mbit / s.
It is important to buy a router that supports the technology on which you use the service from the Internet provider.
Number and composition of router ports
WAN-port in the router is designed to connect to the provider’s network.
LAN-port is a connector for a wire that is used to receive/transmit signal to the device. This type of connection is called – LAN connection. The number of LAN ports should correspond to the number of devices you want to connect by wired connection.
Internet provider’s tariff
The speed tariffs range from 2-5 Mbps and up to 1 Gbps. You should choose this parameter based on your goals and the number of devices.
– Up to 5 Mbit/s is suitable for browsing mail, web pages, communicating with colleagues in social networks for 1 user.
– Up to 10 Mbit/s – watching videos, downloading data. For example, a 100 Mbyte file at this rate will be downloaded in 1 minute 20 seconds under ideal conditions of signal transmission by router via Wi-Fi or LAN cord (connection to the device directly from the router).
– up to 100 Mbit/s – the speed will be enough for 2 to 5 devices also depending on the purposes
– up to 1 Gbit/s – it is possible to watch high-resolution 4k video on several devices, transfer large amounts of data. The same 100 MB file will be downloaded under ideal conditions in less than 1 second.
The working range of the router is the frequency at which your WiFi network operates:
2.4 GHz. This is the most popular frequency range and provides a large coverage area. The wave is almost immune to interference and can pass through various obstacles.
Such routers are much cheaper, but interference is possible due to congestion of the range by neighboring routers.
Important – Data transfer speeds up to 150 Mbps under ideal conditions
5 GHz. With this frequency range, the coverage area is smaller because the wave is sensitive to obstacles.
Less susceptible to interference, due to smaller coverage area and low prevalence among users.
Important – Data transmission speeds over 150 Mbps
2.4 GHz and 5 GHz are dual-band routers. Automatically switch between frequencies if the band is congested
How to check if the 2.4 GHz band is busy
Any Wi-Fi network load analysis program, such as WiFi Analyzer, will help. If the networks in this range are not more than 5, then you can put the 2.4 GHz network. The current problem is more relevant for apartments due to the large number of neighboring routers and devices connected to them.
A win-win option is a dual-band router. In case of channel loading on the 2.4 GHz band it will automatically switch to the 5 GHz frequency.
Wireless connection standards
There are many wireless connection standards. It is important to remember that here are the most common ones:
802.11n – Wi-Fi 4. Works in the range of 2.4 and 5 GHz, data transfer rate – up to 150 Mbit / s per device in budget routers;
802.11as – Wi-Fi 5. Operates in the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency range, throughput is up to 6.77 Gbps;
802.11ah – Wi-Fi 6. Works in both frequency ranges with speeds up to 11 Gbps.
The first thing to consider is the number of devices connected via Wi-Fi. For a large number of devices it is worth paying attention to the MIMO technology. This is a technology of multi-stream data transmission between the router and the device. As a rule, the router has from 2 antennas. Signal reception and transmission is carried out by several antennas at the same time.
MIMO or SU-MIMO is multistreaming with a single device. While one device is transmitting, the others are on a waiting list.
MU-MIMO – receiving and transmitting the signal simultaneously to several devices. More effectively allows you to use the tariff of the Internet provider.
Transmitter power
This parameter can be measured in decibels (dBm) or milliwatts (mW). From the power depends on the strength and distance over which the Wi-Fi signal spreads. The maximum for the 2.4 GHz band is 20dBm and 24 dBm for 5 GHz. To connect a large number of users to the Internet, choose a router close to this value.
Antenna type
Each router is equipped with one or more antennas that amplify the signal and set the vector of its propagation.
They can be external (antennas outside) and internal (the antenna is hidden in the housing). Routers of the first type are suitable for most tasks. Also, antennas are divided into directional (signal in one direction) and omnidirectional (signal in all directions). Directional is used when you need to cover a specific remote area with a network, omnidirectional – many devices around the router. Also omnidirectional router is better to install in the center of the room or near devices that use Internet access.
Antenna gain
This indicator most often varies in the range of 1-9 dBi.
A gain close to 1 dBi will create a spherical coverage area around the router and provide access to Internet devices on several floors. The higher the antenna gain, the farther the signal propagates in the plane, while it becomes narrowly focused.
We recommend targeting a value of up to 5 dBi.
Beamforming technology in the router detects the location of the connected device and concentrates the transmitter power in its direction using interference (overlapping waves). This will also boost Wi-Fi signal in a spacious office environment
MESH-systems can also be used to strengthen the signal in offices with a large area. This equipment is a router with an internal antenna, which acts as an access point and retransmits the signal of the main router. MESH routers can be networked together and cover areas of several kilometers². In this way, you can get rid of dead spots where no Wi-Fi signal is available.
What you need to know about security
When connected to an unsecured network, the threat of personal information, passwords and corporate data leakage increases. An office router should support modern encryption protocols to protect transmitted information. It is recommended to choose router models that support WPA2-PSK (AES) or WPA3 encryption standards, and use a VPN for added security. It is also important to disable passwordless network logon.
Other recommendations
Models with a USB port, will allow you to connect a network printer, webcam and 3G/4G modem as a backup communication channel.
The IPTV function will allow you to watch channels over the Internet, which is especially useful for reception areas where company clients are waiting.
Black and white lists. Black list allows you to deny certain devices access to the Internet, even if they know the login and password of the network. When activating the White List, only devices from the list will be able to access the Internet.
One of the most important features of the router is the built-in VPN, or Virtual Private Network. It provides a secure connection to the Internet by establishing a secure connection to a remote VPN server. VPN technology allows you to encrypt your IP address and hide your browsing data, keeping your data safe and reducing the risk of data leakage.
Where is the best place to install and buy
The router should be placed in an area between all devices that use the internet. If you choose to place it between two rooms separated by a concrete or brick partition, you should choose a larger room and place it next to the partition. Do not install the router in the kitchen, as the magnetic field of household appliances can affect the quality of the device.
It is better to buy the device from an authorized distributor in Germany, for example, in the online store www.getic.de.
Key points
- A router receives a signal from the provider and distributes it to all connected devices in the office – laptops, smartphones, surveillance cameras, etc.
- It is worth buying routers that operate in two frequency bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) and can automatically switch between them.
- When buying a router, it is important to look at the router’s transmitter power (20-24 dBm) and antenna gain (closer to 1 dbi for a small area and several floors and closer to 9 dbi for a narrowband signal to a large area). These parameters determine the overall Wi-Fi power and its range.
- Choose routers that support your provider’s connection technology – GPON or Ethernet.
- To create a high-speed network in a large office, it is worth buying a seamless Mesh system.
- To protect data security, it is important to pay attention to the protocol that the router uses. The optimal option is a device that supports WPA2 or WPA3 encryption standards.
- It is worth buying routers that are equipped with a USB port. It allows you to connect a network printer, a webcam for monitoring and a 3G/4G modem.
- Thanks to the support of VPN technology, the router provides data protection for all devices connected to it.
- Blacklisting and whitelisting will help limit network access to unverified devices.
Now you have a better understanding of which WiFi router to choose for the office.
