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Wireless routers can make online surfing much more convenient. Whether you want wireless connections in the house or the business place, wireless routers allow you to surf the internet in different rooms or workspaces. Buying a wireless router is easy, however setting up your wireless network can be a daunting task, provided you follow the instructions carefully.

When choosing your router it is important to keep the wireless standard in mind. Different wireless routers use different wireless standards, so it is important to determine which wireless standard you need. The most commonly used standards are 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and the new 802.11n. It might seem the best idea to go with the latest 802.11n as it is the fastest connection and you are willing to upgrade to the newest hardware, however it would be advisable to go with the 802.11g standard since this standard is both backwards compatible with the 802.11b standard and the most compatible with current hardware. If you buy an 802.11n router and you own a laptop that uses the 802.11g standard, your connection speed will be limited to that of the 802.11g standard.

How much attention you give to speed will depend on what exactly you want to use your router for: if all you'll be doing is sharing an internet connection (of virtually any speed), speed should definitely take a back seat. In truth, with the fully-ratified version of 802.11n still some way off, those with particularly grand designs will be better off with a network at least partly given to power-line networking.

Wireless routers often support more than one type of encryption method. The most common method is WEP, but more advanced methods are available such as WPA or WPA2. Virtually all routers come with WPA encryption; if you find one without it, it is advisable not to buy it. Many routers come with DMZ options that allow you to connect to a PC within the network from the internet at large. Most routers make use of a firewall: check that yours allows port-forwarding if you intend to make use of online gaming or VoIP applications, as many firewalls will prevent this kind of traffic. Always enable encryption on your wireless router, so make sure your router has at least WAP or WPA/WPA2 encryption support or both. Having encryption in your wireless network would allow authorized users with the correct encryption key to join the network. It would also prevent unauthorised users from using the network.

Look for the router that provides a firewall feature, as this will add an additional layer of protection to your network. If you manage to get one with stateful inspection support, that would be the best. A stateful inspection firewall will inspect every state of the connections providing better capabilities to drop the malicious traffic. Also be aware of the URL, IP and MAC address filtering features. These mentioned security features should be common nowadays, but make sure these features are included in your router's specifications.

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