Ukrainians were explained in detail how a modern Wi-Fi router works

A Wi-Fi router is a device that is found in almost every home. With its help, our gadgets connect to the Internet. In this article, we will consider the key features of a Wi-Fi router.

A router is a mini computer

Few people know, but a Wi-Fi router architecturally represents a small computer. It has a motherboard, a central processor, and permanent and RAM memory. The more productive the processor and memory parameters are, the faster the router works. Firmware is recorded in the permanent memory of the device, and it is also used for various temporary data. The RAM stores information for the router's current operation – here everything is the same as with any computer, only at a primitive level.

Manufacturers do not always emphasize core and processor frequencies, as well as memory – such information can be found only in expensive or professional routers. But information about the processor and memory may also be available in reviews from other bloggers.

What is the conclusion from this point? The router should calmly hold a dozen (or even more) connections, but weak hardware may lead the user to think that the problem is with the provider, but in fact the router simply does not have time to process all the connections and puts them in a queue. Hence – access to the network may be slow. The conclusion here is simple – once every 5 years, update the router to a more modern model, especially if the house has a lot of gadgets and a smart home system.

By the way, it is recommended to periodically check the device for excessive heating due to high load and always keep the device open. It's a bad idea to place the router, say, in a closet or clutter it with household treasures.

Connection

Typically, the router is connected to the provider via the WAN port using an Ethernet cable. If there was no router, then the cable from the provider could be inserted into only one device. Many remember how in the «pre-router» era the cable from the provider was connected only to the computer. Many even bought a second network card to «give» network access to another PC.

Some Wi-Fi routers have a built-in mobile modem or a USB port for connecting a portable modem. The point of this option is that if access to the network via a cable connection suddenly disappears, the device will switch to a mobile modem so as not to leave the user without access to the Internet.

The main task of the router – routing

The most important function of the router – routing. Its essence is that the device determines the route along which traffic will be distributed.

Each connected device has a unique IP address within the local network. When the router receives another data packet, the process of checking the IP address and comparing it with the routing table occurs. The router can be configured so that without pre-registered IP addresses, connection will be impossible, but most users choose DHCP mode, when the router independently sets the IP for the connected devices.

This function can be compared to laying out a road in a navigator – it is along the routes that traffic is transmitted. Routing is in every Wi-Fi router, and that is why the synonym for a router – router.

Receiver-transmitter

Any Wi-Fi router has a transmitter and a receiver to ensure wireless communication. Modern devices definitely have two receivers at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and brand new – as many as three, a frequency of 6 GHz additionally appeared. For example, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi has a greater range than 5 GHz, but loses in speed.

A dual-band Wi-Fi router is needed to support old and new generation devices. A few more years will pass, and routers with an operating frequency of 2.4 gigahertz will be a thing of the past.

The receiving and transmitting part of the Wi-Fi router works constantly and analyzes absolutely all devices, singling out only those gadgets that have been authorized by the router. That is why you should not keep the router near the window – he will «catch» signals of all passersby's smartphones, which may affect the quality of communication.

Ports

Most Wi-Fi routers have multiple Ethernet ports. One is a must-have, as mentioned above – this is the WAN port for connecting to your ISP. Other Ethernet ports are designed for wired connections to other devices that don’t have a Wi-Fi module, or in situations where the wireless connection is unstable or slow.

In addition to Ethernet, the router may have a USB port, which can have two tasks: connecting a 3G/4G modem or external storage. Some routers support NAS mode – by connecting an external drive, the router turns into a device that can work with files without a computer. For example, using this option, you can create a home video library by downloading a movie to an external drive – the content will be available from any device within the Wi-Fi network (optionally on the external Internet, if technically possible).

Indication

Depending on the device model, there may be different indicators on it. It is impossible to list them all, so here are the main ones:

• Power – power indicator;
• Wi-Fi – lights up or blinks if there is wireless access to the device;
• Internet – lights up or blinks if there is access to the global network;
• Ethernet (LAN) – lights up or blinks when there is a wired Ethernet connection. The number of such lights is equal to the number of ports in the router;
• WPS – shows the connection status via the WPS button.

Standards and speeds

The more modern the Wi-Fi protocol, the higher the speeds it supports. The Wi-Fi 5 standard, which was released more than 10 years ago, is already a thing of the past. Today, there are two relevant protocols – Wi-Fi 6 and 7, which appeared in 2019 and 2023, respectively. The Wi-Fi 6 standard (802.11ax) can deliver speeds of up to 11 Gbit/s, and the older 802.11be – up to 30 Gbit/s. It is worth understanding that the maximum speed is obtained by engineers in ideal laboratory conditions. Modern gadgets, as a rule, can «communicate» with network access at a speed of 1-2 Gbps.

Conclusion: if your router does not support the Wi-Fi 6 standard, then it is high time to change it to a new one.

Antennas

A Wi-Fi router has one or more antennas. The more antennas, the «cooler» the router in terms of connecting a large number of devices and the connection range. There are models that do not have an external antenna – it is hidden inside.

Miscellaneous improvements

The Wi-Fi protocol is evolving just like all digital technologies, and is constantly improving. Over the past few years, several different technologies have emerged that improve wireless network access.

Here are a few of them:

• MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) – is a technology used in wireless communication that allows you to transmit and receive multiple streams of data simultaneously through several antennas, which significantly increases the quality of communication;
• OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) – divides the main communication channels into sub-channels, thereby improving the quality of communication with a large number of connections;
• Beamforming – a mode that allows you to transmit data only to specific devices instead of broadcasting;
• Mesh networks – with the help of this technology, you can combine several Wi-Fi routers into a single network. Thus, in a large house or apartment there will be no blind spots where wireless access does not work;
• QoS (Quality of Service) – technology allows you to set priorities for certain devices. For example, there are 3 computers and 3 smartphones in your apartment, but one of the family members is playing an online game or streaming video. It is possible to make the active user get a higher speed at the expense of other devices.

In general, the functionality of the Wi-Fi router is huge – one article is definitely not enough to understand the whole kitchen of this device. To familiarize yourself with the functionality of your device, we recommend that you go to the administrator section of the router (access on the sticker on the router) and familiarize yourself with it. Functionality, of course, depends on the device model – something may be, and something may not be at all.