The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) created the standard for Wi-Fi technology that all wireless routers follow, 802.11. The 802.11 standard applies to several specifications of WLANs and defines an over-the-air interface between a wireless client and a base station or between two wireless clients.
The five Wi-Fi technologies are A, B, G, N and AC. B and G use the 2.4 GHz frequency; A and AC use the 5 GHz frequency; and N uses both 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies. Your choice for your home or business will come down to three: Wireless G, N or AC. Routers that only support Wireless B are no longer manufactured.
WirelessAC routersare the best option for small business use because they have good broadcast capability and allow for multiple devices to enjoy optimal performance at the same time. Depending on the router you choose, you can enjoy added security features and server hosting capabilities.
WirelessN routersare a good choice for a home office wireless network. They support several computers and other electronic devices at one time, so the router will continue to perform even when running computers, entertainment systems and other peripheral items at once.
WirelessG routersare not a good choice for small offices if you need to connect a lot of devices to each other or need to use complex programs orcloudapplications on the internet.
Beforepurchasing a wireless router, you will want to ensure that the wireless interfaces on your devices support your chosen technology. Not all devices support Wireless AC, for example.
Figuring out the right wireless network and its necessary components can be a confusing and twisty journey. For home offices and small businesses, WLAN is the way to go because of its better range capabilities, and Wireless AC routers provide the opportunity to connect multiple devices to the network without slowdown occurring.
