Expensive Vs. cheap routers? A great rivalry for a long time now. What should be the right router for you? This things can get way too confusing when buying a new router. As routers come in a huge price range, so fixing a budget for it can be confusing. This leads to question like do expensive routers make difference
Expensive routers do make a difference because they use better routing protocols and databases to enhance efficiency. Furthermore, with an inbuilt network firewall, better routers boost security.
In some instances, a more costly router will have a more excellent range than a less expensive one, allowing more devices to connect without slowing down the speed.
So, if you are thinking of buying a new router and are confused about how much money you should really spend, make sure to read this guide thoroughly before making your final choice.
Key Factors
- Expensive routers do make a difference, but they must come with the required features.
- Latest routers offer fast Ethernet ports, unlike older ones.
- No matter how expensive a router you get, it can’t exceed the maximum bandwidth provided by your ISP distributor.
- Better security, higher range, and better bandwidth are guaranteed for expensive routers.
- Tri-band router has better speed and range compared to dual-band routers
Do Expensive Routers Make Difference?
An expensive router doesn’t make any difference compared to cheap ones unless it has the necessary features. If the price of a router is only for its designs, it will serve no purpose. Hence, expensive routers with important features do make a difference.
Low-cost routers typically employ outdated parts and don’t use the most up-to-date signal enhancers to improve WiFi. Newer wireless protocols, such as 802.11n may not be supported.
Wireless Internet service is becoming particularly crucial in offices, schools, restaurants, homes, and everywhere you can think of. People no longer like old tedious wired connections that create e mess around the place, and almost everywhere, you will now see wireless routers and WiFi connections.
So, if you want your internet streaming to be smoother, you don’t need to get the most expensive router on the market; instead, you can buy a reasonably priced one. Compared to cheap routers, expensive routers will increase your internet speed and give a better range with much-improved security.
Can An Expensive Router Increase Internet Speed?
Your internet package limits your internet speed. Unless you switch to a higher plan, if your ISP claims 200 Mbps, that is the most capacity you will ever receive. A new, more costly router can increase your internet speed as opposed to an older, less expensive router, which might slow it down.
However, keep in mind that even the fastest wireless router will not be able to make your network quicker than the maximum internet speed provided by your provider.
Your WiFi might be sped up with an expensive router. However, it will not improve the speed of your actual promised internet speed by the ISP provider. For instance, if you have a 300 Mbps internet plan, then even the most expensive router won’t be able to boost your broadband connections above 300 Mbps.
However, with an old or cheap router, there might be limitations on your 300 Mbps speed, and you might not get the full speed. Hence, upgrading your router will almost certainly improve the speed of your WiFi networks.
Cheap routers might slow down your WiFi connections since they don’t bottleneck them. Furthermore, these routers are unlikely to support gigabit plans, resulting in an extremely sluggish wireless connection.
There is something to consider while buying a new router. If you buy a WiFi 6 router but keep utilizing a computer that only allows WiFi 5, your wireless connection won’t improve automatically.
The most important factor to consider when it comes to router speed is if you have adequate power to attain the maximum possible speed. So, when your internet speed is high, make sure that your router speed won’t slow you down. So, it becomes evident that spending on the expensive router is definitely worth it.
Now, Let’s Figure Out: Does Having Two Routers Slow Down the Internet?
How Much Money Should You Spend On A Router?
A good mid-range or high-end router can cost anywhere from $50 to $300, or even more in some cases.
The budget of your router will depend on many factors like what’s the range you are looking for, do you want a dual-band or a single band, features, and many more. So below, we will look into those factors that make the difference.
The first thing to consider is the band for any router. You can find single-band, dual-band, and tri-band routers. On average, a tri-band will cost more than $100, and a dual-band is available for $50-$90. Single-bands will cost you even less.
Security is another factor that must be looked into while buying good routers. You can discover some great routers with strong security features if you set your budget to at least $60.
The number of antennas in routers varies. These antennas are responsible for better range and smoother transmission and receiving of data. Generally, routers with more antennas will cost more than routers with fewer antennas.
The last key factor which can influence your budget for buying new routers is the LAN port. Older routers come with regular LAN ports, whereas the latest one comes with faster LAN ports and this will cost ranging from $75 to $300.
Expensive Router Vs. Cheap Router
There are a few critical differences between expensive and cheap routers. These differences will act as a determinant of the price differences between them.
Dual-Band or Tri-Band
Tri-band routers are significantly more expensive than dual-band routers since they can transmit triple signals, two on the 5GHz frequency and one on the 2.4GHz band. They operate in tandem to send and accept data to and from various devices, ensuring that your network flows efficiently.
Dual bands carry two signals, one at 2.4 GHz and the other at 5 GHz. A single band router is also available, which transmits a 2.4 GHz signal.
Now it is up to you to decide what your budget is. Dual-band routers are the best choice for homes and small businesses. However, consider acquiring a triple band router if you have a vast workspace.
Security
With all of the latest electronic gadgets on the market today, your network security is a key worry. Many modern routers come with anti-malware, anti-ransomware, and anti-virus software to safeguard your network against spyware, ransomware, and viruses.
One of the most important reasons to replace your routers is security. As a result, routers with the most up-to-date security protocols and other software will be more expensive than older routers.
Antennas
A router’s antenna might contain more antennas for better data transmission to provide you with a greater capacity to convey data. All the antennas deliver the same data, but some can get lost in interference. So, sending numerous channels of the same data at the same time improves dependability.
Now, the router can come with one, two, three, four, and even more antennas. Antennas are responsible for sending and receiving data. Hence, the router with more antennas ensures better data transmission and receiving.
Ethernet Ports
For wired connections, most modern cheap routers will offer regular gigabit LAN ports rather than fast ports with a much better internet speed capacity. Fast Ethernet has a max speed of 100Mbps, whereas gigabit Ethernet has a maximum speed of 1,000Mbps.
High-end routers may feature eight ports, but the industry norm is four. Some even include connectors that incorporate two ports for a wired network of up to 2Gbps.
Conclusion
If your router is old, it definitely needs an update, and when you wonder, does an expensive router make a difference. The simplest answer is yes, and they do make a difference in many ways.
What router is best for you will always depend on your needs and requirements. Make sure to understand your needs well before deciding to buy expensive routers.
Also, make sure to read reviews of the router you are going for. In this way, you can find the perfect match.