As the world moves toward adopting fibre-speed broadband, the accompanying hardware required for stable and reliable connections has unfortunately not received the same widespread attention.
Consumers are mostly concerned with two things: speed, and reliability. The important thing to note is that while the type of Internet connection – dial-up, broadband, fibre – is often assumed to be responsible for both, the quality of your router and Wi-Fi expanders is crucial for maintaining a stable Internet connection regardless.
Today we’re going to look at how to choose a router that supports a stable fibre connection, and how to expand the range of your Wi-Fi signal through scalable access points.
Choosing the right router for your fibre connection
Fibre is the fastest option for Internet currently available, so it makes sense that it should also be the fastest to set up and install at home. If your business has a fibre connection installed, then you’ll find an ONT (optical network terminal) installed as well – a box attached to a wall.
Enabling your fibre connection is as simple as connecting your router to the ONT through an ethernet cable. If you sign up for fibre-speed broadband with a major Internet provider, you’ll be given a default router as part of your package – this is where things can get tricky for businesses.
Most ISP-provided routers are perfectly fine – but in no way perfect – for home users who have no intention of pushing their Internet speed to the limit. In business, however, it’s unlikely that a supplied router will have the required functionality to support the demands of multiple users – especially if your employees require consistent high-speeds, upload or download large files on a regular basis, or engage in video conferencing or file-sharing.
There are a number of factors to consider – other than transfer speed – when choosing the best router for your business: you’ll want to find one with a high up-time to avoid suddenly losing your connection, one with good heat management to avoid damage to the router over prolonged periods of consistent use,
and ideally one you can configure to meet the unique nature or security demands of your business.
Keep your business connected with scalable Wi-Fi access points
While your router is the main hub for Internet connectivity, not all businesses – and the buildings the operate in – are built the same. If you can’t connect everyone to a router by ethernet cable directly, or have a large number of employees using laptops to move around the building, then you’ll benefit from investing in high-quality access points for stable Wi-Fi.
An access point is essentially a high-speed link between a device – a laptop or smartphone – and the primary router. While most supplied routers will work as both a router and an access point, once your device is moved beyond a certain distance from the router, you’ll experience lower levels of connectivity. This is further influenced by other factors, such as whether you work on an office with multiple floors, and the building’s construction materials.
The easiest way to solve connectivity issues in a larger office is to install a reliable access point. The key things to look for in an access point are range and frequency capabilities. You’ll have heard, or read, about 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies before in relation to a router, where the former offers wider range, and the latter offers higher speeds. Where possible, find a router that can automatically switch you to the ideal frequency based on your usage requirements.
The most important aspect of an access point, however, is its range. As the primary reason you’ll be looking to invest in an additional piece of Wi-Fi hardware, the best approach is to look for a product with an easy-to-read GUI (graphical user interface) so you can easily see the limitations of your connectivity – if possible, find one where you can import a digital floor plan to highlight exactly where your Wi-Fi can be accessed.
Cloud Edge – Experts in business Internet solutions
At Cloud Edge, we want the best for our customers – whether it’s through our business phone packages, 0800 number offerings, or providing top-of-the-line business Internet solutions.
Cloud Edge provides NZ-based support, competitive pricing, and is an independent provider for businesses wanting to stand on their own. If you’d like to learn more about what we can bring to your business, and how we can help install reliable routers and scalable Wi-Fi access points to keep your business and employees online, contact one of our helpful team today.
