5 Best Small Business Routers

Single-Handedly, the most effective way for a brand to stay relevant and connected to its customers in the 21st century is to have an online presence, especially if you are a budding startup. It serves various functions, from social media influence to having a narrative about who you are and what you do to people checking your services online before opting for it. Thus, it becomes obvious that one should also think about setting up internet connectivity at their workplace and multiple connections if there are more than just two employees. Hence, the option of having a Wi-Fi router and sometimes a mesh network along with it, if necessary, is beneficial and less hassle-free if you are not a fan of fiber cables running everywhere.

Making the right decision when choosing a router is paramount. This article at TechiePlus hopes to help you do exactly that by discussing the most important aspects of a Wi-Fi router and excellent suggestions based on your priorities. Let’s get to it!

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS WHILE CHOOSING A ROUTER FOR BUSINESSES

Latency and Jitter: Imagine this; your business meeting has been going perfectly well, you are about to lock in a deal worth lakhs or possibly crores, you have to end this presentation with a punchline and finish it, just when the people on the other side stop hearing you.

•  Of course, this might not be the exact situation, but you might get an idea about how frustrating it is when you might experience latency or jitter spikes. And a common misconception is that these are only dependent on your ISP service. It is really important to get a router with good hardware to prevent these problems.
• Wi-Fi channels and antennas: Some people scoff at too many antennas, but hold your horses! More antennas provide optimum speeds uniformly in the form of beam-forming, which is a method of focusing energy in the direction of a specified device or being more efficient with MU-MIMO technology., It allows a Wi-Fi router to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously, thus reducing the time wasted waiting for each signal sent to and from each device. Channels are also essential to boost performance with higher frequency ranges when on video conferences at the cost of coverage.
• Newer hardware and technology, and speeds: When looking for routers, you might have encountered terms such as 802.11n. These indicate the different generations of Wi-Fi standards. The newest one being 801.11ax, which is the first generation for Wi-Fi 6, which has a theoretical 35% to 40% increase in highest speeds achievable over the previous generation, going up to 1.2GBps. It is also future-proof in the sense that speeds higher than 2GBps will take some time to become commonplace in India, considering that 1GBps itself is available only in a handful of metropolitan cities.
• USB Functionality: New age routers come with USB functionality, which serves as a local data depository, by connecting your external hard drive, or dongle functionality which lets you switch between fiber and dongle ISPs, in case your primary ISP provider proves to be inconsistent.
• Security: Almost all modern routers tend to have Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), the same technology the Federal Government of the USA uses to save classified information. However, it is best to check once before leaping with the router of your choice. It is also noted that WPA 3 is more effective since it uses different exchange protocols to implement AES.
• Reliable and Quick customer support: Last but not least, customer service. It is important that you can get your router fixed quickly in case of any breakdown, and the last thing you want is the need to go through weeks of procedures and processes before getting it up and running.

BEST ROUTERS FOR BUSINESSES

1. TP-Link Archer AX73 AX5400:

TP-Link has dominated the router market in India for a while, and that is not without reason.

• Pros
  • Wi-Fi 6 support with OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology
  • Strong mesh capabilities thanks to OneMesh™ technology
  • 1.5GHz Triple-Core CPU for constant low latency
  • HomeShield™ technology, powered by Avira, which records abnormal traffic and blocks the IP
  • Six antennas ensure extensive coverage.
  • USB sharing
  • Low chances of thermal throttling due to design
• Cons
  • No selective bandwidth controls
  • Parental Control is paid, if necessary.
  • On the expensive side

2. Asus AX3000:

Asus products are normally focused on the gaming market, but this one provides more.

• Pros
  • Wi-Fi 6 support with OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology
  • 1.5GHz Triple-Core CPU for constant low latency
  • Compatible with ASUS AiMesh™ system
  • The extra protection offered by AiProtection™
  • Quick switching between fiber cable and USB dongle data
• Cons
  • It only has four antennas, which might become a problem for heavy video conferencing capabilities.
  • Expensive

3. Mercusys AC1900:

Mercusys is a new venture from TP-Link, and thus, the quality is superb, as expected.

• Pros
  • MU-MIMO technology
  • It offers six antennas that keep the network and speed stable.
  • Relatively cheaper
  • Free personalized management

• Cons
  • Wi-Fi 5 technology, so not entirely future-proof.
  • Lacks USB capabilities

4. D-Link DIR-X1560 AX 1500:

D-Link had been relegated to the B-team ever since its glory days with wired broadband modems, but it is slowly making its way back up

• Pros
  • Wi-Fi 6 with MU-MIMO technology
  • Supports Google Assistant and Alexa voice control
  • Three years brand warranty
  • One of the cheapest options for Wi-Fi 6 out there
• Cons
• There are few negative reviews concerning the range and unstable connections since it has four antennas only.
• Poorly designed User Interface

5. Tenda AC23 AC2100:

Hailing from one of the most iconic router product lines, this one should not be taken lightly.

Pros

• True and tested; one of the most trusted routers out there.
• Seven antennas providing good range and connection
• MU-MIMO technology
• Three years warranty
• Good app control

Cons

• Wi-Fi 5 standard.