The Internet has become as important as food and water in today’s society. Students depend on it for their studies, travelers count on it to find their way, business owners need it to be successful and children love to play online games.
Whether we accept it or not, the internet has become an inseparable part of our lives. When we as a society become dependent on a service, it is expected that the majority of us will be spending money on a monthly plan and maintenance of the hardware devices.
Here are three ways to save on those expenses, while adding performance to the network. When it comes to maintenance, there are a few things that a user, will most likely be concerned with – the router, modem, connection speeds and security.
1) Putting money back in your pockets!
One of the biggest questions consumers have is, whether it is best to buy them or rent them? While renting the Internet Service Providers (ISP) device may sound like the easiest and quickest option, consider the following points and the benefits of buying before making a decision.
In the last three years (before buying my own modem/router combo), I’ve used two different ISP’s. In both cases, I rented the company’s router which had the modem/router combo package. The first company charged me eight dollars per month for the router while the second charged me fifteen dollars because I needed the higher performing device to support my home network. After paying on my new plan for a year, I realized that if I had bought the modem/router combo myself in the beginning of my contract, I would have paid significantly less than what I paid in rent, ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY dollars to be exact!
With simple math, consider monthly or even yearly costs and calculate how much will renting a device will cost. Next, do a quick search on websites like Amazon, eBay, Walmart or Best Buy, and search for the router approved list that is compatible to the ISP being used. I recommend doing research and finding the modem/router combo that best suits one’s desired use. Also, since the router will be owned outright, it will be able to work in any location (as long as it’s the same ISP).
At this point, it would be a smart idea to invest in a 5 GHz router vs the typical 2.4 GHz. The 2.4 GHz band is overcrowded and if located in a high usage area such as on a college campus or in a building with many WAPs (Wireless Access Points) networks, it is likely to see 90% of them are on the 2.4 GHz band. To bring this point to reality, download a Wifi Analyzer and search the access points nearby. The best piece of advice I can provide is to invest into a 5 GHz modem/router because the band is almost untouched/free of users, but it won’t last for long as more and more people find out about this little secret.
2) Freedom to customize
Owning a router will give the consumer the option and freedom to customize it to work to one’s advantage. This allows users to flash open wwrt or other firmware for all kinds of great features like: choosing tunneling protocols, encryption algorithms, custom key lengths, Wake On LAN, and dynamic DNS.
Additionally, since there is full control over the network, it has the ability be more protected from hacking attempts and other security threats. To see a full list of router firmware customization click here.
3) No more ISP throttling
Finally, the ISP will not have full control over the home network and will not be limited in its performance. This means the ISP will not be able to throttle the connection speeds or bandwidth when it is convenient to them.
With just a few firmware updates and/or modifications, the connection will actually function to the speed of which the consumer is paying for. To test this, perform a simple check on a speed test app or websites to compare the paid speed versus the actual speed.
In all, buying your own modem/router combo will not only put money back in the bank, it will allow customization and several extra security benefits.
Featured photo credit: http://core3.staticworld.net via core3.staticworld.net
