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Routers are the heart of any network. Choosing the best router for your needs can be difficult. Fear not! This article will guide you through the steps of choosing the router that best suits your needs.
Routers come in all shapes and forms, with a lot of individual and unique features and sometimes choosing between them is very difficult. This article will guide you through the maze of router networking and will also explain the relevant networking concepts.
First, You Must Understand What a Router Is
A router is a piece of hardware used to forward data between several members of a private or public network. The main function of a router is to split a single Internet connection between several machines, be them computers, printers or other similar devices.
Bandwidth: What It Is And Its Role In Networking
The hidden trait of Internet connection, bandwidth is probably the most important aspect in communications. It dictates the amount of data that can be exchanged on the network in a certain period of time. Understanding what it is and how it affects data exchange across a network is very important when choosing your router.
Wired vs Wireless Router: Connection Speed
If several computers are to share an Internet connection at the same time, there could be a lot of wires running around the place. Luckily, there is the option of wireless connections. However, each has its advantages and disadvantages. So which is the best option?
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What Is Ethernet?
Among the cable connections, one stands out - Ethernet. It is probably the best available cable connection on the market, and it provides a great support for broadband (large bandwidth) connections.
Ethernet vs Wireless: General Advantages And Disadvantages
In most cases, wireless routers will have a couple of sockets designed for Ethernet. This way, users can avoid unpleasant problems when the wireless signal becomes too unstable or when the available bandwidth is too small for user applications.
How Does A Wireless Router Work?
The ability to turn a wired connection into a wireless one is very useful, but we need to understand how exactly the wireless router works, to avoid unpleasant surprises later on. The one thing you should remember is that regardless of what router you buy, it will require some sort of physical connection to an Internet service provider network.
Wireless Connections: The G Connection
The most common wireless connection is the 802.11g. But there are a few things you should know about it before choosing a router with this standard. They have been around for almost 10 years by now, and they are easy to come across and inexpensive to replace if something bad it to happen to them. However, the bandwidth made available is no longer cutting-edge.
Wireless Connections: The N Connection
The heavy hitter of wireless technologies, 802.11n connection is the newest, most advanced and most secure wireless connection available on the market, but prices are also a little higher compared to wirelsss g routers, and older computers will have to be upgraded with compatible LAN cards.
Wireless Connection: N vs G
Still not sure which wireless connection is best for you? Have no worries, we will explain the differences for you. 802.11n tends to have a higher maximum speed, going up to 300MB/second, whereas 802.11g has a maximum speed of 108 MB/second. However, there are costs to 802.11n that may not make the additional bandwidth worthwhile.
Wireless Routers and Printers
If you plan on building a network around your router, you should know that printers and similar devices will require a special wireless router so that they become available for all the computers on the network.
Choosing The Best Wireless Router
Wireless communications are an important breakthrough when it comes to sharing information. But wireless networks are also very complex and sometimes you might be unsure what the best solution is. Routers have all sorts of features for wireless connections and this can become confusing even for the most knowledgeable individuals.
Security Threats: Data Encryption
Because routers are not as advanced pieces of hardware as a computer or similar machine, they lack the security solutions of the later, becoming a favorite target for hackers. Data encryption partially fixes this security issue. If you are performing private tasks on the Internet, such as online transactions, data encryption will keep your passwords and usernames safe from hackers. The bigger the number of bites used to encrypt the data, the more effective the encryption becomes.
Security Threats: Routers With Data Filtering And Access Passwords
Aside from data encryption, many routers provide data filtering and network access passwords. The passwords are especially useful as they prevent unauthorized access to the wireless network. However, data filtering can sometimes be more of annoyance than an actual tool to keep you safe. While another layer of protection is always welcomed, there are trade-offs between security and usability that must be considered.
Network Firewalls
Some routers come with built-in firewalls. Although the individual computers in a network should have their own firewall, getting a router with network firewall is a good idea if you perform a lot of sensitive tasks from your computer, such as managing your bank accounts, online transactions and other similar tasks.
The Balance Between Bandwidth And Network Security
Security is important. Especially when it comes to routers, as they can easily be hacked or infested with viruses/trojans/malware. But too much security can sometimes take a toll on the overall available bandwidth; choosing the router with most security features which still retaining most of the bandwidth is essential.
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click to enlargeThe Dell Vostro 3400 is one of the best business laptops that you can get. It combines some of the best laptop hardware, good battery life and a stylish design to offer you one of the best light weight business laptops around. It starts at $549 for the basic version and costs around $800 - $1000 with some of the better laptop hardware chosen.
click to enlargeThe Vostro 3400 comes with an excellent keyboard with standard sized keys and decent key spacing. The keys have a nice feel and offer good feedback. It is one of the best laptop keyboards around.
click to enlargeApple's iPad has so far dominated the tablet scene. That's not to say there are no other quality tablets on the market; I'm a big fan of the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, for example. However, competing tablets have failed to generate the same surge of sales that the iPad has enjoyed.
click to enlargeAnother important statistic is the Kindle tablet's rumored display size of seven inches. There have been seven inch tablets before, of course, but they've generally played second-fiddle to their large ten inch cousins. Bigger is better is the theory. A larger display means more pixels and a more enjoyable media experience.
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click to enlargeIomega is a company that produces a wide range of data storage devices, including external hard drives, removable storage drives, and network storage solutions. Currently, their most impressive product would be the Prestige Portable Hard Drive, Compact Edition. Weighing at only 0.38, or just above a third of a pound, and measuring four inches long, this portable hard drive can store up to 640 GB and only costs $89.99 on Iomega’s site. It is ideal for travel or constant use between two or more computers as it can easily fit into a shirt pocket.
click to enlargeLaCie is a direct competitor to Iomega, and offers many of the same products and services while selling products that Iomega does not, such as Blu-ray players and computer displays. Pricing for LaCie is similar to Iomega, with their base desktop hard drives starting at $109.99 for 1TB of storage.
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click to enlargeAs mentioned, you should be looking for a quad-core processor if you're a serious image editor. While dual-cores provide adequate performance for casual users editing small image files, those who want to edit images shot in RAW format will want the quickest processor their money can buy. Even a six-core processor could be an option, but we'll get in to that later.
click to enlargeLet's be honest here: Laptops are fantastic and wonderful machines that serve us in unimaginable ways, and there's no way we'd ever want to get rid of them. Sometimes, however, they can be a ridiculous amount of trouble, and that fickleness shows through more strongly in the hard drive area than any other. The problem with a laptop hard drive (as opposed to a desktop hard drive) is that replacing the drive is much more difficult, so if it fries out via corruption or otherwise, it's a huge pain to fix.
click to enlargeIf The Hard Drive Does Appear: All you really need to do is download and run a recovery tool such as REMO Recover. This will search your hard drive for the hidden or deleted files, locate the problem within the drive, and then do its best to fix it so you can get your stuff off of it. Another great application (and the one I personally prefer) is PC Inspector which, unlike REMO, is completely free of charge. What you need to do after downloading it is simple: Open the application, run the recovery tool, and then select the drive you want to recover. Let it do its thing, and when it's done, you should be able to access the files normally.
click to enlargeAfter you have purchased a wireless router, you'll need to know how to set it up with your existing Internet layout if you have one. While the complexity of this depends greatly on the already existing Internet set up and your own personal knowledge with wireless routers and computer hardware, these guides can make it a bit easier for you to set up your wireless router without any issues.
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click to enlargeI often call the processor the heart of a computer. It has an impact on almost everything a computer does, and without one, you have nothing but a lump of metal and silicon.
click to enlargeRandom Access Memory, or RAM, serves as short-term memory. Adding more can often improve performance because it gives a computer more room to store information it might need quick access to, which reduces load times and increases responsiveness. There are some limitations to RAM, however - adding more isn't always necessary, and might sometimes be limited by the operating system you choose.
click to enlargeMost of today's processors come with some form of integrated graphics, but they're not great for gaming, and there are still some products that offer no integrated graphics at all. Choosing a video card is largely a matter of determining your needs. Those building a basic home office system can buy a smaller video card, as it will allow them to use a smaller case with less cooling. Gamers, however, should usually buy the best they can afford.
click to enlargeOnce you know the type of laptop you're looking for, be it a chunky desktop replacement or an ultraportable, a Mac or a PC, you can start to worry about the actual hardware inside.
click to enlargeBattery life is important to laptops. In fact, it's one of the features that defines laptops from their desktop cousins. The battery makes it possible to use your laptop wherever you go, but it will inevitably give out after enough time is spent away from a power socket.
click to enlargeThere are many different laptop brands on the market today, and the choice of brand you buy can make a big difference in your experience with a new laptop. All the brands have similar core hardware, but some have better customer service and reliability than others. Design also tends to be a high-point for some brands, while others often cheap out on material quality in order to maintain their bottom line.
click to enlargeI'm a bit of a car guy. Mind you, I can't do much to fix a car, nor will I claim to be a great driver. But I admire cars, and I enjoy driving down a mountain road as much as anyone. I'd take a Mustang over a Camry any day of the week, even if it means making my friends do their best pretzel impression whenever they need a ride.
click to enlargeModern desktop computers are an excellent role model for the automotive industry. They share a lot in common with the technology placed into cars. Both computers and cars have large amounts of space that can be devoted to hardware, but work best when hardware is designed efficiently. Both consist of multiple, often radically different components that must work together to provide a common owner experience. And both are advancing quickly, which means upgrades are frequently required to maintain the quality of the owner's experience.
click to enlargeTo start off you will want to enter the built-in Photos app on your iPad. Here you can select different Photos or Albums and identify the individual photos that you want to print. Once you've done that you should select a photo to bring it up into the main display, and then choose the 
click to enlargebutton in the upper right hand corner that looks like a curved arrow leaving a rectangle.
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click to enlargeOnline video is very common today, and services such as Skype make it easier than ever before to enjoy face-to-face communication with people thousands of miles away. Webcams vary significantly and price and quality. The cheapest are a good choice for those who only plan to use them on occasion, while those who frequently contact friends might want an HD capable webcam with high image quality. Check out these articles for some recommendations.