1
00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:08,800
This is either a sneeze, a word you use when you want to confuse the sales rep

2
00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:12,320
at the local Best Buy, or it's all the different kinds of wireless you can get

3
00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:15,759
for your devices. Probably that last one. Let's start with this. Wireless

4
00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:19,600
standards are mostly backwards compatible. So, while you might have a

5
00:00:17,359 --> 00:00:24,560
laptop with wireless and 300 megabit and a smartphone like the HTC1 with wireless

6
00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:27,439
AC, your AC router or your N router will work with both devices. So, if you don't

7
00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:31,039
feel like watching the rest of this video, just go buy a router with good

8
00:00:29,439 --> 00:00:35,200
reviews on Amazon.com and you'll be fine. If you do want to learn more,

9
00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:39,440
first up is speedgrade standards. These start with

10
00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:41,120
802.11 and a suffix. Often a speed

11
00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:45,440
number is thrown in by the manufacturer, and you might see something about

12
00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:49,120
concurrent dual band, which amounts to a theoretical doubling of the speed

13
00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:53,760
normally associated with that standard. However, you will only realize that

14
00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:58,160
performance benefit with devices that also support concurrent dual band. These

15
00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:01,280
speed numbers don't really represent what you'll see in the real world,

16
00:00:59,359 --> 00:01:05,680
though. Wireless is subject to protocol overhead and performance reductions

17
00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:09,840
caused by distance, obstacles, and interference. In fact, sometimes

18
00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:14,000
reducing these factors can do more for performance than buying better gear at

19
00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:18,720
all. Now, with that said, a dualband router can help even if you're not able

20
00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:23,280
to use concurrent dual band. Because if you have 5 GHz capable devices, 5 GHz

21
00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:27,280
signals are less susceptible to interference from cordless phones,

22
00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:33,119
microwave ovens, etc. So, while maximum range is actually slightly reduced at 5

23
00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:35,040
GHz, signal integrity can be better.

24
00:01:33,119 --> 00:01:40,079
Third party firmware compatibility is another big selling point. DDWRT is an

25
00:01:38,159 --> 00:01:44,720
example of a firmware that can unlock additional, sometimes enterprise or

26
00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:48,479
prograde features on your router. Check if your router is compatible on their

27
00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:51,920
website before buying if you want to tinker with it. Some router

28
00:01:50,079 --> 00:01:56,159
manufacturers, however, will avoid your warranty for flashing unofficial

29
00:01:53,439 --> 00:02:00,399
firmwares. So, watch out for that. QoS or quality of service systems such as

30
00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:05,040
WD's automated FastTrack Plus or Lynxys's manually configured options can

31
00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:09,520
allow you to prioritize certain PCs, applications, or even types of network

32
00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:14,080
traffic such as video streaming, voice clients, or gaming over others, which

33
00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:18,319
can be very handy for multi-PC households. Many routers also have USB

34
00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:23,200
ports, so you can add a hard drive to them for centralized file storage or PC

35
00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:28,720
backups. It's no substitute for a real NAS, but it's better than nothing a lot

36
00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:30,400
of the time. And don't forget about the

37
00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:34,160
wired connections on your router. Honestly, this should be what you're

38
00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:38,640
using for anything that isn't a tablet, smartphone, or ultrabook. Find a way to

39
00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:43,360
get gigabit, even if it means spending a couple more bucks. Unless your PC is

40
00:02:40,879 --> 00:02:47,640
very old, it will support gigabit, which is 10 times faster than 1000 for

41
00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:52,800
transferring files in the real world and usually many times faster than wireless

42
00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:56,239
because of that interference malarkey I was talking about before. Last step,

43
00:02:54,959 --> 00:03:02,400
well, this is just the first step. Again, after you decide what features you need, go to a trusted retailer

44
00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:07,519
website and read user reviews. We personally love the EA4500 from Lynxys

45
00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:10,879
and we're moving to an EA6500 soon for wireless AC support. But everyone's

46
00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:14,640
experience may be a bit different and even from a trusted company, I usually

47
00:03:12,959 --> 00:03:17,599
won't buy a router unless I hear a few solid testimonials. Speaking of

48
00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:23,440
testimonials, here's one for audible.com. Go to audible.com/techquicking. Get a free

49
00:03:20,879 --> 00:03:26,720
audio book for signing up. Yay. I was so offended by The Hobbit movie, I thought

50
00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:30,959
it might be beneficial to go through a cleanse and read through The Hobbit book

51
00:03:28,959 --> 00:03:34,480
again by J.R. Tolken. The unabbridged version on Audible is only 11 hours

52
00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:37,920
long, which is about how long that one scene with the dwarves and the

53
00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:41,440
dishwashing and the singing seemed to last. No, but seriously, the movie

54
00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:44,480
wasn't that bad, but it certainly wasn't the book. Head over to

55
00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:48,640
audible.com/techwicki to get your free audiobook now. And unlike my Twilight

56
00:03:46,959 --> 00:03:52,319
recommendation a couple weeks back, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this one. Don't

57
00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,840
forget to like this video, leave a comment about it for the Techquickie

58
00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:59,760
team under the video, and as always guys, don't forget to subscribe to

59
00:03:57,200 --> 00:03:59,760
Techquickie.