Home Router Terminology: A Beginner’s Guide to Networking

So you’ve decided to purchase and set up your home router system. How much time could it possibly take? You’ve opted out of your internet provider’s offer to rent you equipment and set it up for you. You want to ensure that all security measures for your router are maintained by you and not your provider. You have a basic understanding of technology, so you feel like you’ve got this. However, as you look up router set-up instructions, you see phrases like “Know your LAN” and “802.11,” “20 MHz Channel” and “ethernet cable.” You wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into as you sit, lost and forlorn, among a web of cables and confusion. This was a lot more than a power cord and a USB cable. You ponder just using your mobile hotspot and throwing the router against the wall. Where do you go from here? We’ve got you covered. There are router and Wi-Fi terminology essentials that you should review before setting up your network, but once you’ve gotten those down, you’ll feel like a technology professional. We’ll break these terms down into non-tech speak to make comprehension easy. Use this list as a reference point and your 8-year-old nephew (who built his own website) might stop mocking you for your lack of computer know-how. The Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) sets the standards for the numerical labeling of Wi-Fi channel frequencies. This numerical system ensures that channels fall under federal and international regulations. The IEEE designates certain numbers for home and local networks, each falling in a range of 802.11 , and it’s important to know that this should be the number preset for your home router. A letter after 802.11 signifies different properties of the frequency. Here are a few examples: When setting up your home router, get to know the variants of the 802.11 designation to support your network. This information will help ease your stress and give you important Wi-Fi knowledge . The GHz connection on your router signifies the speed at which Wi-Fi frequencies will transmit Internet data to your connected devices. Most routers come with either 2.4GHz (slower data rate, the majority of the routers in your area) or 5 GHz capabilities (higher data rate but smaller coverage area than 2.4GHz; now offered to home networks but used far less frequently). Then there are dual-band routers , which can utilize both 2.4GHz and 5 GHz. If you’re setting up a home network in an apartment complex or other small, focused area with multiple home Wi-Fi networks, being able to switch between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz may prove beneficial. When purchasing your router, it’s important to discern which speed will work best for your needs. The MHz (megahertz) signifies the bandwidth of your network. A 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network defaults to a 20 MHz channel, while a 5.0 GHz network may use a 40 MHz channel. Understanding the difference between channels can help you as you select which your router will use. If you look over the instructions that come with your router, you may notice multiple references to “switching fabric.” It’s tough to discern the meaning of this standard router phrase — even within context. Simply put, the switching fabric is the internal component in your router that allows the input ports and output ports to connect. The internal network of your router allows you to hook up your home Wi-Fi network. You can put those sample swatches of argyle back in your cupboard. Depending on the make and model of your router, you may see as many as a dozen buttons on the front panel. All buttons will be clearly labeled, but what do they do? The power button is obvious, but the rest may take some guesswork. Other router buttons may include: The back of your router may seem confusing at first too. The back panel displays multiple ports that allow various forms of connection hook-ups. Your router ports may include: It’s likely that your router will come with these cables, but if not, it’s important that you have them on hand when you set up your home network. Even with a comprehension of router set-up steps, you may still stumble across important vocabulary which sounds foreign. If you have a basic understanding of the following terms, it may save you much headache and frustration when setting up your home router. We hope this list of essential router terminology helps ease your set-up experience, and lends you knowledge to help you install and protect your router.