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Your internet router is by far the most important part of your home or office network. And whether you realize it or not, it’s got a lot of features packed in it that you can use to your advantage. So if I was shopping for a brand new router today, I’d look out for these seven features.
1Supports at Least Wi-Fi 6E
Chances are you already have a router that supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels. But if you’re shopping for a new one, I strongly recommend buying a router that supports at least Wi-Fi 6E. There are Wi-Fi 7 routers in the market as well, but they can cost a pretty penny, making Wi-Fi 6E the more practical decision if you’re on a budget.
Wi-Fi 6E supports the 6GHz spectrum, giving you better speeds and connection stability. With more devices connected to a single router, spectrum congestion is becoming an increasingly big problem.
Hopping your PC or console to 6 GHz can help solve that. However, you need to ensure that your device supports Wi-Fi 6/6E as well, which shouldn’t be a problem if you purchased it in the last couple of years.
Plenty of reasonably priced Wi-Fi 6E routers are also on the market. If you need help finding one, check out ourbest Wi-Fi routers of 2024 recommendations.
2At Least Three to Four Ethernet Ports
Ethernet might sound outdated, given the speeds and connection stability most good Wi-Fi routers can provide wirelessly. However, it still is the best way to ensure you’re getting every bit of bandwidth from your internet connection and the best latency possible. If you’re an online PC or console gamer, anEthernet connection will get you the best ping rate.
This holds true for devices other than your PC or laptop. If you’ve got a smart TV, a wired ethernet connection will always be better, ensuring you don’t get quality drops or buffers when streaming 4K content on your TV. If you have an Xbox or PS5, a wired connection will improve your gaming experience.
That’s why I like having at least three to four ethernet ports on any Wi-Fi router I buy. They’re just the right amount to connect the few devices in my house via an Ethernet cable, but not so much that the manufacturer can cite them as an additional feature and charge more money.
If you have only a TV or console, you can opt for a router with fewer ethernet ports, but always make sure to have some. They’re a lifesaver, considering that if the Wi-Fi on your router stops working, a wired connection is your only way of accessing the router for troubleshooting or internet access.
3WPA3 Support
Launched in 2004, the WPA2 protocol is pretty much obsolete now. It has many vulnerabilities and security issues, especially if you’re using public Wi-Fi. Its successor, WPA3 (announced in 2018), is the better choice for both home and commercial uses going forward.
We’ve already coveredthe differences between WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3, so I won’t bore you with the details—know that WPA3 is the most secure. It provides better encryption between a device and the access point (your router), even if you’re on an open or public Wi-Fi network. This means better privacy and security when online, as well as better protection from man-in-the-middle attacks, as WPA3 fixes some of the biggest security vulnerabilities found in WPA2.
However, it’s not entirely backward compatible with WPA2, meaning using a WPA3-exclusive network means you won’t be able to connect older devices. You don’t have to worry, though, as most modern routers that support WPA3 allow you to run your network in mixed mode, meaning you get WPA3 benefits on compatible devices without kicking WPA2 devices off your network.
4Parental Controls
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If you have children in the house, parental control settings on a router are a must. The internet can be dangerous, and there’s no better defense against it than your router.
Parental controls allow you to block or allow what websites and services can be accessed over your router. So, if you have to block a particular website or limit a service’s allowed bandwidth to ensure your kids don’t binge-play Fortnite all night, they can come in handy.
Some routers also include features like bandwidth and speed control and other device monitoring features in the same package. This can help you monitor what kids (or anyone else on your network) are doing on the internet, for how long, and exactly how much bandwidth they’re using.
You can also use the monitoring features to determine which device or person is consuming the most bandwidth on your router and control data flow so that every device gets equal internet speeds. However, you’ll find better controls for this under device prioritization or QoS (Quality of Service) settings.
5Device Prioritization
Device Prioritization settings allow you to control how much bandwidth and, consequently, internet speed your router assigns to each device on the network. There are plenty ofreasons why you should enable QoS features on your router.
Generally speaking, wired connections get the most bandwidth, followed by wireless devices. If your console, phone, and PC are connected to your router by Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections, respectively, your PC will get the most bandwidth, despite what it’s doing. However, between the console and phone, chances are your console will consume more data, considering you’re playing games or streaming on it using a bigger screen.
You can counter this behavior with device prioritization settings. This ensures that you don’t get stutters or lag spikes when playing on your console or PC while someone’s streaming Netflix on a TV in another room. It also helps balance the load on your router, meaning a better online experience for everyone on the network.
6USB Port or NAS Support
Many routers come with USB ports that allow you to plug in USB drives and share access on the network. This means you can quickly get a local NAS up and running without spending extra money and with less effort.
Note that this feature won’t exactly replace a NAS. A dedicated network storage device will always be faster and more stable. NAS support on routers works best with smaller drives that can be used to share small files like movies and music over a Wi-Fi network.
Depending on how well the feature on your router is implemented, you may or may not be able to allow internet access as well. So, the utility here can be really limited depending on what router you’re getting, but it’s still a nice feature to have in case you frequently share files between your devices.
7Mobile App for Configurability
A mobile app for configuring your router might sound like a quality-of-life feature that doesn’t matter much, but given how most routers' web interfaces are designed, it can be helpful to change settings quickly or just to monitor your network.
Most routers, especially those on the cheaper side, come with web interfaces that you access byentering a reserved IP addresslike 192.168.0.1. These are perfectly functional and will do everything your router supports, but they can be a pain to use on mobile screens.
Depending on how tech-savvy you are, you might not mind this. But for most people, a mobile app makes accessing and changing their routers' settings and, eventually, features that they can use much easier. Most router configuration apps also have a dedicated page showing network stats like IP addresses, connected devices, current bandwidth usage, and more. Having these settings and stats on hand at any time is very convenient.
Buying a router might not seem like a very exciting tech purchase, but with a little thought and research, you’re able to find the router that comes with a specific feature set that is useful for you. It’s not going to be the flashiest gadget in your house unless you get something totally overkill, like theMSI Radix AXE6600, but it’s essential to make sure you get the most out of your internet connection.
