India Broadband Forum

just4kix

Scenario:

- I want a broadband connection at home
- I want to have wireless connectivity
- Should I go for a Type II or Type IV (wireless) modem/router?
- Or, should I buy a wired router from ISP and a separate wireless router from market?

This decision is most vexing. Here are the main pros and cons:

Type II or Type IV (wireless) modem/router:

Pros: One device, One configuration, No messy wires at the installation point, Cheap
Cons: Cheap = Limited Functionality/Low Quality, Less control, if purchased from ISP then no firmware updates and some advanced options disabled.

Separate devices (with wireless device purchased from market):

Pros: Choose and pick as per requirement, complete control over network, flexibility, port-forwarding + port triggering, firmware updates from manufacturer, better support
Cons: Expensive, Too many wires, Configuration problems

So friends, here is a topic for debate. My opinion:

- if you are not a techie, go for one device
- if you want better controls especially over torrents and port forwarding, go for multiple devices
- do not consider cost as the main factor; in the long run (over three/four years) this will be a non-issue

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