If you’ve noticed your home internet experience declining recently, with Netflix frequently buffering, lag in online games, or spotty Wi-Fi coverage throughout the house, it may be time for an upgrade.
Before you get frustrated with the slowdowns and dropouts, let’s evaluate if a new router could resolve these issues. A modern model designed to handle today’s bandwidth-heavy demands may be just what you need to restore fast, seamless Wi-Fi where you need it most.
Slowing Performance as the Network Grows
In the last 5–10 years, home networks have seen exponential growth in connected devices. Where households once had only a computer or two, it’s now common to have 10 or more devices simultaneously using the router for streaming media, Web browsing, online gaming, and more.
This increased bandwidth demand stresses older routers that are not designed for high-traffic networks. They have less powerful processors, less memory, and less advanced chipsets than newer models. Over time, an aging router may struggle to keep up, resulting in lagging or buffering issues.
Frequent Disconnections and Requiring Reboots
If you’ve noticed your Wi-Fi signal cutting out regularly, forcing you to reboot the router to get reconnected, this is a telltale sign that the router may be on the way out.
Outdated Wireless Standards
The Wi-Fi standards supported by routers have advanced rapidly in the last five years alone. Older models may be capable of only slower legacy standards such as 802.11b/g or 802.11n, while newer devices take full advantage of the increased speeds that standards such as 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) provide.
It also leaves you vulnerable, as older standards have known security flaws that newer protocols have addressed.
Missing Security Updates
Wireless router manufacturers typically support a device with firmware security updates for around five years after its release. But after that point, if new exploits are discovered, your older router model may no longer receive patches, leaving it open to hacks and malware.
By upgrading to a currently supported model, you can ensure the latest bug and vulnerability fixes for years to come, keeping your home network protected as threats evolve.
Feeling left behind by your ISP router?
If your current router was supplied by your internet service provider (ISP) as part of the connection package, it was likely a very basic and low-cost model selected to meet the minimum functionality requirements.
While “free” at the time, these OEM routers are often underpowered for today’s needs. An independently purchased router gives you complete control to choose a model tailored to your specific usage scenarios, such as whole-home coverage, fast speeds, or robust parental controls, ensuring you get the most out of your broadband home network.
Is it time for an upgrade?
If any of the issues above seem familiar or you want a faster, more reliable network throughout your home, an upgrade to a new, higher-performance router is well worth the investment.
Give us a call today at (651) 456-8655 or visit our Contact page, and one of our experts can recommend the right model for your needs while also handling hassle-free installation.
Reasons to Rethink Your ISP-Provided Router (10/25/2023)
When you sign up with your internet service provider (ISP), you may also get a modem and router combination. It could be free, a rental, or something you buy outright. Before assuming that this is the best device for your needs, weigh up these considerations.
Many ISPs provide you with a proprietary router and modem. Your internet service plan may include it for a rental fee, or you might have to pay over time to buy the device. If that’s the case, find out how much the modem and router would cost to buy outright. You might be able to buy a higher-quality device at a better price.
Other times, ISPs offer free modems and/or routers included with your plan. The price is reasonable, sure, but you could be getting a low-quality device. You might want to upgrade to a better option for not much more money.
What you need to know about modems and routers
Your home network requires a modem, router, or combination device. The latter are becoming more common.
The modem connects your home to your ISP through a physical connection. This device translates ISP data into a format your home network devices can use.
The router creates a local area network (LAN), connecting your devices to your modem. This allows your computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones to connect to the internet. You’ll have either a wired or wireless router.
In summary, the modem sends and receives internet signals, while the router distributes them to your devices.
What to look for in a router
Before relying on an ISP router, consider the benefits of store-bought devices.
If parental controls are important to you, shop for a router offering those features. You may have parental control apps on your devices, but having the controls on the router can be more effective.
Encourage a safer online environment for children with features such as:
website filtering
content filtering
time restrictions
safe search
device management
reports and alerts
remote management
You can also improve network security with a router that allows you to set up a separate guest network. Provide guests with internet access without worrying they can access your private network.
You can also look for a router that supports Quality of Service (QoS). This feature allows you to allocate internet bandwidth to different devices or applications. For example, you can prioritize a work computer with more bandwidth than a gaming console.
Don’t settle for the ISP’s equipment
We’ve given you plenty of reasons to rethink your ISP’s router, yet choosing an alternative could overwhelm you. We can help you identify the right solution for your specific needs. Contact us today at (651) 456-8655 or visit our Contact page.
The invention of Wi-Fi has been a science fiction dream come true. We can use our laptops anywhere in the house, our phones are using home internet instead of sucking down our cellular data, and our gadgets are all communicating. It’s essentially the backbone of the smart tech boom for home and business alike. Most networks are password-protected with an encryption called “WPA2” and this has been safe and secure, until now. Welcome to KRACK…
Recently, a security flaw called KRACK was discovered that allows hackers to break into Wi-Fi networks – even the secured ones. Your laptop, mobile phone, gaming console and even your smart fridge are possibly vulnerable as a result.
How KRACK works:
The Key Reinstallation AttaCK isn’t a problem with your device or how it was set up. It’s a problem with the Wi-Fi technology itself. The attack gets between your device and the access point (eg router) to reset the encryption key so hackers can view all network traffic in plain text. Since we rely on Wi-Fi so much, this might mean hackers have a front row seat to your credit card numbers, passwords, chat messages, emails, photos and more.
NOTE: The hacker must be in physical range of your Wi-fi to exploit this flaw, it doesn’t work remotely like other attacks we’ve seen recently. Given most Wi-Fi ranges extend well past your own home/business, this is small comfort, but important to know.
How to protect yourself
Run your updates: Software updates are being released which fix the flaw. Microsoft has already released one for Windows, Apple has one coming in a few weeks. Take a few minutes to make sure you’re up to date with all your patches on any device that uses Wi-Fi (your smartphones, laptops, tablets, PCs, game consoles, etc). Unfortunately, some devices may be slow to get an update, or if they’re older, may not get an update to fix this issue at all. If possible, consider using a cabled connection on those older devices or upgrade to one with support.
Be very careful with public Wi-Fi: While your local business center, library or school campus has expert IT professionals keeping guard over your security, it’s a very different matter at your local coffee shop. It’s unlikely small locations such as this will be on top of security patches. Remember, a hacker exploiting this flaw only needs to be in the same Wi-Fi area as you, so be careful you don’t give them a dollop of private information with their coffee.
Check your browser security: Before sending anything secure over the internet, check you’re using a HTTPS site. You’ll know these by the little padlock you see next to the URL, and the address specifically begins with HTTPS. Major sites like Facebook, Gmail and financial institutions already use HTTPS.
Please visit our partner HERE for more information on the KRACK security vulnerability.
If you need help updating your devices, or want us to check if you’re safe, give us a call at (651) 456-8655 or visit our contact page HERE.
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