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    Need recommendations for a router, unsure what I should look at in terms of specifics.

    Discussion in 'Networking and Wireless' started by ignorant, Nov 2, 2017.

  1. ignorant

    ignorant Notebook Consultant

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    So I have finally been convinced that I need a router.

    At the moment I have a fiber optic line connected to a modem, connected to an ethernet cable directly plugged into my computer.

    I have never personally dealt with routers directly. So I want to buy one but I don't know exactly what specifics I should look into to make sure it's a great router and not some crap.

    Do I need to look into bandwith, frequency, number of ports, types of signals coming in and out?

    I want to get a wifi signal from my modem to connect various devices. I want to make sure the internet speed doesn't diminish in the transition from cable to wireless. My fiber optic line is up to 1Gbps, although of course I don't get that speed normally, but it's technically possible. So I want to make sure the router can theoretically keep up.

    Also, in the past (with other internet lines) I was able to forward some ports by accessing the router/modem's settings page, by putting my public IP in the browser's address bar and getting access to various options from there. At the moment I don't get this, in fact my IP on google shows up as a weird string of text that I don't recognize at all, like this: ####:####:###:#@# :mad:### :mad:@#@ :mad:@@# :mad:### (# being the numbers and @ being the letters). It also says I'm in Tokyo but I'm in south west Japan instead.

    Should I be able to get access to that settings page again by having a router, and forward ports as I see fit?

    Sorry for the many questions, I'm that kind of person who usually wants to ask every single detail before moving forward. Hope someone knowledgeable can shed some light.

    Feel free to drop me direct links to Amazon or to product pages.

    I'll keep investigating on my own too in the mean time, of course. Thanks!
     
  2. alexhawker

    alexhawker Spent Gladiator

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    Take a look on smallnetbuilder.com
     
    ignorant likes this.