Is it worth the extra money to buy a Gigabit Router?
cpliu
Newbie

I'm shopping for a new router and noticed a big difference in pricing between 100Mbps and Gigabit ones. I wonder if my line coming from outside is actually over 100Mbps. How can I find out? Is there any test I can do?

THANKS,

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Re: Is it worth the extra money to buy a Gigabit Router?
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

If you don't know the speed tier you're paying Verizon for, check your account.  You can view your subscribed speed tier through the online tools or on your bill.

Now, once you've figured out what speed you're paying for, you may want to verify that speed.  Verizon's speed test web page is a great place to start.  For best results, use an Ethernet cable to connect  your computer to your router.  WiFI speeds can and do vary significantly and are often well below the actual subscribed speed.  Here's the link to the Verizon speed test:
http://www.verizon.com/speedtest

If you have FiOS, the Verizon routers are excellent products.  They are good, all around routers with features that satisfy most users.  Very advanced users often use a non-Verizon router as they want features that Verizon doesn't have or don't want a device that Verizon can remotely manage; but I suggest typical users stay with the Verizon router.  If you go with your own router there is some complexity involved in setup; how much depends on if you have FiOS TV as well as other factors.

A router with GigE ports is helpful if you intend to use multiple Ethernet connected devices and share data between them.  For example, I have a WD MyCould NAS box connected to my router and my computers backup to it.  Using GigE the backups don't take too much longer than using an internal disk drive.  100Mbps Ethernet would be intolerable.  If you share anything between devices in your home, Gigabit Ethernet will make a big difference.

If all your data is to and from the Internet, then there is little need to have a local area network that goes faster.  However, chances are that you will want to share data within your home at some point or may upgrade your Internet speed in the future.

WiFi is a potential area of weakness.  Older versions of WiFi can go slower that even the basic FiOS speed tiers.  Gigabit routers usually have faster WiFi, so they may offer an improvement over a non-GigE router for WiFi users.

Good Luck.

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