What is a wireless router?

Broadband routers

Routers can be wired or wireless, wired routers are often just called broadband routers. Broadband routers that are not wireless are often used in households where the primary means of connecting to the internet is a fixed PC.

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Wireless routers are the most common types of broadband routers and they convert and broadcast the signals coming across your telephone wire around a fixed area, working on the on same principle as a cordless home telephone. This broadcasted signal is then picked up by wireless-enabled devices like laptops and gaming consoles, giving them wireless broadband connectivity throughout the house.

Wireless broadband routers are commonly included in wireless broadband packages and are popular in homes where multiple devices connect to the internet at the same time.

What wireless routers do:

• Provide wireless internet to wireless-enabled devices such as computers, laptops and gaming consoles
• Can be used to make VoIP calls
• Facilitate digital TV

Top wireless routers:

There are a number of broadband routers on the market, some enable wireless broadband others are used to facilitate broadband use for fixed PCs. Below are some of the bestselling broadband routers on the market and the broadband providers they are available through. Some ISPs offer free broadband routers with their packages while others may you pay top-up costs of up to £50 for routers.

• BT HomeHub 2.0 - Free with some BT broadband packages, more details below
• Netgear DG834GT - Free with Sky and AOL Broadband broadband packages, £49.99 with UK Online broadband packages
• Thompson Speedtouch 780 - Free with O2, Pipex Business and Be broadband packages
• Thompson Speedtouch 585 - Free with all Tiscali broadband packages
• Thompson Speedtouch 330 - Free with Toucan broadband packages and DST option 4
• Alcatel Speedtouch 510 - Free with Demon broadband packages
• Orange live box - Free with all Orange broadbnad packages
• D-Link DSL 2640 - Free with all PlusNet consumer packages
• DSL-924 - Free with all Madasafish packages
• BT Voyager - Free with Plusnet business packages
• Netgear WGR614 - Free with Virgin Media M, L and XL broadband packages
• Zyxel 660HW - Free with Namesco broadband packages and DST option 4 pro

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Top 10 Recommends:

BT's HomeHub 2.0, an upgraded version of the 1.5 edition truely blows all other wireless routers out of the water.

Hailed as the iPod of broadband routers, the HomeHub is more than just a visual stunner it has brains too. In addition to making it easy to connect PCs, laptops and gaming consoles to the internet wirelessly, the HomeHub allows you to make calls over the internet, either with the BT HubPhone (£49.99) or with any touch-tone phone. Furthermore, it has a built in firewall, parental controls and automatic security updates to keep you and your family safe online.

In terms of style, BT have moved away from the plain white of the 1.5 Hub in favour of a new black shiny style. Finally a wireless broadband router that can take pride of place in any home.

Using improved N-standard technology, the HomeHub is ahead of the competition giving you wireless signal in areas where wireless has never been available before, like the bottom of your garden. As an ADSL2+ router, it is capable of offering you the maximum speeds available in the UK (if you can get them in your area).

The HomeHub is usually priced at £89.99, but is currently free on BT broadband.

Wireless routers and the future

Wireless routers are mostly associated with the use of home broadband, however recently the manufacturer Huawei has developed wireless routers to be used with mobile broadband.

All you have to do is plug your USB stick/dongle into your mobile broadband wireless router and you can create a wireless network wherever you are.

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