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Cheap Wireless Routers, Best Cheap Wireless Router Reviews

Related Guides: Cheap Laptops, Desktops, Laser Printers, Multifunction Printers and Netbooks

You may love using your computer, but that doesn't mean you want to be tied to your desk when checking email or updating your Facebook page. A wireless network lets you connect from anywhere in the house; to do that, the first piece of equipment you'll need is a cheap wireless router.

Many companies make wireless routers, but four in particular are worth noting: Linksys, D-link, Netgear, and Belkin. These companies offer quite a few different cheap wireless routers as well as a large selection of other networking equipment.

A few words about wireless adapters:

Speaking of other networking equipment, wireless routers are, naturally, only one part of a wireless network. They transmit data, but in order for your other devices to receive that data, those devices will need a wireless adapter that is compatible with your cheap router. Laptops typically include a built-in wireless adapter that is compatible with 802.11b/g networks, but desktops usually do not include a wireless adapter. However, you can buy and install a wireless adapter card, or, if you order a new PC online, you can usually add a wireless adapter when you place your order, and the manufacturer will install it for you.

PCs aren't the only devices that can tap into a wireless network. Some console game systems, such as Sony's PS3, have a built-in wireless adapter. Microsoft's Xbox 360 has an external adapter that you can buy and plug into the game console. Some hand-held devices also include a wireless adapter. For example, Apple's iPod touch has a built-in 802.11b/g adapter so you can connect directly to your wireless network to download podcasts or access the Internet.

A cheap wireless router seems like a pretty simple device. Once you set it up, you'll hardly notice it's there, so long as it's operating properly. But not all routers are the same. There are a couple of different wireless standards in use right now, and not all cheap routers support all the current standards. Also, some manufacturers outfit their routers with extra features that you may or may not find useful. Here are some things to look for when you go shopping for a cheap wireless router.

Wireless Routers Standards.

All cheap routers support a specific wireless standard or standards, which are a set of specifications that govern how the router operates. There are four wireless standards: 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, and a draft version of the latest standard, 802.11n. The 802.11a standard is obsolete these days. It never really caught on with consumers, so it's very unlikely you'll see an 802.11a wireless router when you go shopping. Let's take a closer look at the other three.

The 802.11b standard was very popular with early wireless users. It could transfer data up to 11Mbps (megabits per second), and had a decent range. This standard is several years old, so you won't find new 802.11b wireless routers on the market. However, the standard was so popular that many wireless networks still use 802.11b devices, so the newer standards (802.11g and 802.11n) are backward-compatible with 802.11b equipment. Wireless routers based on the 802.11b specification can transfer data as fast as 11Mbps (megabits per second) in ideal conditions, although in real-world settings the actual transfer speed is closer to 6Mbps-8Mbps.

The somewhat newer 802.11g standard can transfer data as fast as 54Mbps, again, in theory. Manufacturers are still making 802.11g-based wireless routers, like the Linksys WRT54G2 (starting at $34, Amazon) and the NetGear WGR614 (starting at $40, Amazon), and you'll find that most cheap wireless routers support this standard.

The latest wireless standard, 802.11n--the Belkin Surf Wireless Router (starting at $45, Amazon), for example, was finalized in October, 2009 by the IEEE, a committee that sets a variety of electronics specifications. Prior to October 2009, manufacturers had been making routers based on a draft version of the 802.11n specification. 802.11n devices can, in theory, transfer data as fast as a blazing 300Mbps, though typical transfer speeds in the home are closer to 100Mbps. Still, that's quite a bit faster than either 802.11b or 802.11g speeds. Some wireless routers, like the Linksys WRT120N (starting at $44, Amazon), are promoted as wireless-n routers, when in fact they only support some wireless-n features. In the case of the Linksys WRT120N, the one big wireless-n feature it doesn’t support is the ability to combine two streams of data, which on true wireless-n routers effectively doubles the router’s speed to the theoretical 300Mbps maximum. Cnet.com has a nice chart displaying the relative speeds of wireless standards.

Cheap wireless routers based on the 802.11n specification tend to be more expensive than their 802.11g counterparts (usually $15 to $20 more, although feature-rich wireless-n routers can cost around $100), but we still found a few 802.11n wireless routers for less than $55, including the bargain-priced DLink DIR-628 (starting at $53, Amazon) and the Belkin Surf Wireless Router.

Wireless Routers Security.

Once you've decided which standard you want your cheap wireless router to support, the next most important thing to consider is the router's security features. If you leave your wireless network unprotected, anyone within range could tap into your network. This is especially important for apartment dwellers, as nosy neighbors could tap into your wireless network and peak at your private files.

Cheap wireless routers typically support two security standards: WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). Laptopmag.com's wireless router guide recommends using WAP, and the router guide from popular computer radio show host Kim Komando suggests you avoid using WEP. Almost all wireless routers still include support for WEP (including the routers in our review), even though it's an outdated standard. Most budget routers, including the Asus WL-520gU (starting at $50, Amazon), support WPA and WPA2, a newer version of the WPA standard.

Some budget routers, such as the Belkin Sure Wireless Router and the Linksys WRT54G2, also include a hardware firewall, another security feature that's great to have. Hardware firewalls monitor data as it flows through your Internet connection. Firewalls let the data you want pass through to your PC while blocking attacks from malicious hackers, protecting your system and your network. One user posting on the Walmart website notes the excellent firewall in his Linksys WRT54GS2 Wireless-G router.

Most wireless router manufacturers include documentation or CDs to help you set up your cheap router's security features, and according to many customer reviews we've read, setting up a router is generally quick and easy. For example, several users posting on Best Buy's site comment on the straightforward set up for D-link's DIR-615 wireless-N router (starting at $50, Amazon). Be sure to enable your cheap router's security features as soon as you're done installing it.

Wireless Routers Range

. Ideally, you'll be able to connect your laptop or Wii or iPod touch to your wireless network from every corner of your home at maximum signal strength, but in practice this often turns out not to be the case. Wireless routers typically have a range of 150 feet, but Laptopmag.com's wireless routers guide says you may be able to connect from as far away as 600 feet or more.

The range of your wireless network is only partially dependant on the cheap router itself. The environment in which your wireless network operates has a major impact on its range, and the more walls, floors, and ceilings your wireless network has to fight through, the shorter the effective range of your cheap router will be. Also, most routers, including the Linksys WRT120N and the DLink DIR-628, transmit their wireless signals at a frequency of 2.4GHz, which also happens to be the same frequency other electronic devices, including cordless phones, use to send their signals, which can cause more interference. Furthermore, the farther away you are from the wireless router when you connect a device to it, the weaker the signal becomes, which can reduce the speed of your connection significantly. Note that some more expensive routers can also run at 5Ghz, thus avoiding the wireless traffic with those other devices. The only cheap router in our collection that supports the 5Ghz band is the DLink DIR-628, but it can’t transmit data in both bands at the same time: you’ll have to choose either the 5GHz band or the 2.4GHz band.

You can maximize the range and strength of your wireless network by setting up your cheap router in a central location of your home, if that's practical, or you can boost your network's signal strength by installing an antenna designed for wireless networks. Note that antennas often cost nearly as much as the routers themselves, with prices ranging from around $20 to as much as $50.

Wireless Routers Connectivity and Ports.

Just because you're buying a cheap wireless router doesn't mean you have to connect to it wirelessly. If you look on the back of the router, you'll notice it has several Ethernet ports, typically four of them. You can use these ports to connect devices, such as a network-enabled printer or external storage drive, to your network via an Ethernet cable. Wired connections don't have the range issues or signal strength problems that can occur with wireless connections, so you may, for example, want to connect an extra desktop PC to your network with an Ethernet cable.

Some cheap wireless routers also include a USB port. If so, you can attach other USB devices to the network using the router's USB port -- an external USB hard drive, for example, or even a portable flash drive, such as the SanDisk Cruzer Micro 16GB flash drive (starting at $35, Amazon). As the wireless router guide on Wi-fiplanet.com's notes, this is a convenient way for all the PCs attached to your network to share files or back up data to a central location.

/Wireless Routers Additional Features.

When you're shopping for a cheap wireless router, you may come across some strange acronyms. Although some of these features are more common to expensive routers than inexpensive ones, we think they're worth explaining.

Let's start with QoS, which stands for Quality of Service. Most of the wireless routers guides we saw didn't mention QoS, but Digitaltrends.com's wireless router's guide notes that QoS helps ensure that high-priority data transmissions, such as Internet phone calls (called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP) and video streams, aren't degraded. It's a nice feature for those who use Vonage and the like to make long-distance calls online, or for those who love to watch online video streams or play online games, but it's not essential if you're not into those kinds of activities. Belkin’s Surf Wireless Router is one of the few cheap routers we found that features QoS.

Another popular trend in wireless routers is the use of Mimo (multiple input/multiple output). Mimo wireless routers use several antennas to strengthen the wireless signal and perhaps increase its effective range, but this feature isn't as common in less expensive routers. The Belkin Surf Wireless Router does include Mimo technology, however.

Finally, there's VPN, or Virtual Private Network. A VPN lets you set up your own little private network that you can access from any PC connected to the Internet, anywhere in the world. For example, if you're sitting in a café with your laptop, and you want to grab a digital photo album that you left on your home PC, you can use the café's wireless network to access the Internet, then connect to your home network's VPN to download the album. It's a pretty slick feature, but it's typically more useful for businesses that may have employees in several locations than it is for home users. FYI, the DLink’s DIR-628 supports VPN.

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Rosewill RNX-EasyN4
D-link WBR-1310
Linksys WRT54G2
D-link DIR-615
TRENDnet TEW-652BRP
Belkin N150

 

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