Quote:
Originally Posted by EdFNJ
When you run a 10Mbps or 20Mbps or 40Mbps DSL tier the router makes no difference to someone using 1 or 2 devices. Like putting premium gas in a car that doesn't need it. On a 100Mbps+ tier I'd agree in most cases. You don't need 16 channel router capable of over a gig to run on a 20Mbps pipe to watch Netflix or YoutubeTV and text the kiddies on your phone. We're talking about a 20Mbps DSL service in this thread.
10 years of my life (20 yrs ago) was configuring and installing IBM AIX servers and office networks for the wholesale fashion industry in NYC. That being said, my opinion on a 10-20Mbps DSL connection remains the same wrt a router.  |
I agree if you've got one or two devices. Who has that? You've got two phones. Probably a TV. Maybe a Kindle or two. Maybe a tablet, maybe a laptop. Possibly a garage door opener, possibly a nest/Ring or a dozen other IOT devices. Even if you are only using one stream at a time, these devices are chatty. Park that in TV where houses are on top of each other and a crappy radio in your router turns into a less than ideal experience. It starts seeing network traffic on the same channels but it's the neighbor's routers. Sure, it just drops the traffic, it still hits the antennae. It still has to be ignored.
It's not always about the quantity of bandwidth. Certainly you don't need a Wifi 6 router on a 20mbit connection for throughput. What it will do is figuratively file it's nails while handling _your_ traffic and may need an annual reboot. There is an advantage to good equipment even on a straw of pipe.
Cabin in the woods, one TV. Knock yourself out with your el cheapo router.