5 Strong Reasons to Upgrade Your Wireless Router Leave a comment

Wireless routers have become an integral part of every household. From allowing access to your social media accounts on your smartphone to playing your favourite games on gaming consoles, these gadgets let you to connect multiple devices and enjoy smooth data sailing. However, it is not necessary that your Wi-Fi router will function as perfectly as it used to when you first purchased it. New features, designs and interfaces along with new apps that require improved technology for compatibility indicate that it is time for an upgrade.

Many users believe that their old router is sufficient for their devices as they are satisfied with the internet speed. But there are several other reasons that make a router upgrade compulsory. Let’s take a look at them.

1) Improved Signal Strength Everywhere in Your Home

People often experience that the internet connectivity is better in the room where their router is placed whereas the signal strength is weaker in other rooms. This is a common problem faced by users because of an underpowered router. Older versions of wireless routers fail to provide powerful signal evenly in all parts of a house, sometimes compelling people to buy Wi-Fi extenders. If you are experiencing these symptoms, then you should consider upgrading your home network by switching to a newer version of wireless routers. It will help you improve signal strength everywhere in your home and eliminate the problem of spotty connections.

2) Increased Home Network Security

Old Wi-Fi devices lack WPA (Wireless Protected Access), a basic network security technology, and run with the older WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) instead. But this can hamper the security of the devices connected to your router because WPA offers significantly better security protection than WEP as it is more technically advanced. This is a strong reason that indicates you must consider upgrading your old wireless device or else your valuable online data can be hacked.

3) Faster Live Streaming

If buffering and low-definition video has become a common problem whenever you plan to watch a Netflix series, then don’t wait to switch to an improved router. Most online shows, videos and songs are available in high-definition and ultra-high definition and they need a faster internet speed to load. However, out-of-date Wi-Fi devices fail to function on that bandwidth, thus hampering your online entertainment experience, especially when multiple devices are sharing the network. It is likely that your old device is unable to support the high level of performance required. Upgrading the router can avoid these performance issues.

4) Multiple Bands to Decrease Congestion

Most older devices are single-band routers with 802.11b or 802.11g standard that uses the 2.4GHz band. On the other hand, newer devices are dual-band routers with both 802.11g using 2.4 GHz band and 802.11ac standard using a 5GHz band that offer better signal speed and lower signal interface. Upgrading your old wireless device will enable you to have two bands, one for your older gear supporting 2.4 GHz communication and another band for new gear supporting 5 GHz which will decrease congestion and improve the overall performance of your device.

5) More Features to Your Home Network

Adding new features to an out-of-date wireless device can cost substantial amounts of money. However, if you replace your old router with an improved one, you can get all new features along with an updated technology at a relatively lower cost. The new router will not only come with an extended warranty and advanced features such as network backup servers, firewalls and network encryption but also increase the capability of your home network by mitigating connectivity and performance issues.

If you haven’t considered upgrading your wireless router yet hopefully, above-listed reasons will convince you to reassess your decision. After all, every device reaches its end-of-life phase and your wireless router is not immune to this. No matter how satisfied you are with your old router, it will eventually need an update, probably sooner than you think. In the absence of an upgrade, your home W-Fi network will become vulnerable to security flaws and you’ll be deprived of new and useful features. So, it is advisable to get a new device before it’s too late.

At RTC Electronics, we have a wide range of wireless routers which you can buy online or from our electronics store in Mississauga. For tips on upgrading your home with advanced devices, read our recent posts.