A more advanced router typically enhances your Ethernet connection quality.
A more advanced router typically enhances your Ethernet connection quality.
We're discussing your home network or internet connection. The internet connection's speed is controlled by your ISP, so no matter the router you use, you're limited by what your provider allows. If your existing router isn't performing well and can't reach the speeds your ISP offers, upgrading to a better one would help. For your home network, if your router only has 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports, switching to a gigabit router could improve performance, especially if several devices are connected using gigabit Ethernet ports.
Likely not. A better router often means improved internal components that manage speed more efficiently and avoid crashes from excessive I/O. A newer model can offer stronger Wi-Fi signals and support for newer frequency bands. However, if your connection is already slow—such as 100mbit or less—a fresh router over a device that's been around four years probably won't make much difference.
"It depends" was said in a previous conversation. The older router with 100 Mbit ports might actually be faster locally compared to a new gigabit model, though switching alone won't improve your internet speed. Faster Wi-Fi or Ethernet is possible only if the old device is very outdated.
According to various sources, progress in wireless standards plays a key role. Purchasing a router with 802.11ac will offer much better performance compared to an 802.11n model for wireless connections. Additionally, network data travels through the router's processor, and as technology improves, both the CPU and specialized hardware like ASICs can handle more traffic efficiently than earlier systems.
Your internet link speed depends on the weakest connection in your setup. If your router isn’t the slowest part, changes won’t help much. To check if your router is the bottleneck, share your internet speed, current router model, future plans, and usage patterns. In most cases (especially wired setups), your actual speed will lag behind what the router supports, so upgrading may not improve performance.
ISP is Telstra, we're subscribing to a 25 megabit internet connection through their NBN (though I doubt it ever reaches that speed...). That’s roughly around 3 megabytes per second, typically about 2 megabits per second when only one or two people are online. We have approximately 14 devices connected via Wi-Fi, but not all at once—usually phones, a TV, laptops, and possibly a console if someone is gaming. The only device using an Ethernet cable is our desktop PC. Everything is managed by the router provided by our ISP. Don’t joke about our slow connection—it’s just Australian internet.
Fourteen gadgets connected via a 25Mbit link will quickly become a limitation if many people use them simultaneously. The number of WiFi antennas needed is typically two to five, which you're probably familiar with—dual or triple-band models are common. Devices like doorbells or robots usually don’t require much bandwidth but stay online all the time. I calculate that half the device count equals the antenna capacity. That means one router plus additional access points that don’t interfere too much, using a single network name, is the best approach. Newer routers with AC Wi-Fi 6 can handle more devices at once. Still, the 25Mbit connection remains the main constraint.
It’s a lot to consider. Most clients don’t need much data, so it won’t noticeably affect your network speed unless your router is really struggling. You can keep light users on 2.4GHz and heavy users on 5GHz for better performance. A single router should suffice unless you have many high-bandwidth devices. If you’re doing large file transfers to a NAS, two 802.11ac APs might be enough, but three won’t help much. For broadband, one AP usually provides plenty of bandwidth, especially at 25Mbit speeds. Speed in different rooms can improve by placing APs throughout the house, though this is less critical at higher speeds.