Why Choosing The Correct Router Can Benefit Your Business (Research Paper Sample)

Why Choosing the Correct Router Can Benefit Your Business
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Why Choosing the Correct Router Can Benefit Your Business
A router is a device with the responsibility of forwarding data packets along networks. In addition, the router is connected to at least two networks, commonly two WANS (Wide Area Networks) or LANS (Local Area Networks) and its ISPS (Internet Service Provider) network. In a technical manner, the router is a layer three gateway device and operates at the OSI (Open Systems Interconnect) model’s network layer (Mitchell, n.d). Furthermore, the router uses forwarding tables and headers to determine the appropriate path for forwarding packets, and it uses protocols such as ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) for communication purposes, as well as the configuration of the best route between two different hosts. On the other hand, business refers to an enterprising entity or organization that engages in industrial, commercial or professional activities (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2011). Businesses can be non-profit organizations engaging in business activities, such as agricultural cooperatives, or profit entities, such as publicly traded corporations.
There are different types of routers, and choosing the correct router can be beneficial to a business. The different types of routers include broadband routers, wireless routers, edge routers, subscriber edge routers, core routers, and inter- provider border routers (Thakur, n.d). Purchasing a router for business is not the same as purchasing one for the home. Consumer routers may have improved in a tremendous manner over the years; however, they are not suitable for business needs. Business routers have specific requirements. For example, there are features that every business router should be able to support. These are features designed to increase the performance of the network, in addition to ensuring efficient and secure network operations. In addition, these features are essential during the process of selecting the correct router for business. There are six essential features of a router that every business needs. These include the Gigabit Ethernet Switch, Dual Band Wireless Network, Guest Network, Quality of Service, RADIUS Server Support, and Site Blocking/ Content Filtering. A business owner should know that the Gigabit Ethernet Switch is among the most cost effective upgrades that they can make to their business network. Routers equipped with Gigabit Ethernet increase in a significant manner the data transfer speeds in a business network. The benefits of this are noticeable when in LAN environments with connections to NAS devices or SMB servers (Banzal, 2007). In addition, these benefits are recognizable when transferring large files on the network.
The second router feature that a business owner should know is the Guest Network. On a frequent basis, clients or visiting guests can request access to the business’s wireless network for the purposes of browsing the internet, among other things. However, for a business owner to grant them their request, he, or she needs to configure their computers to provide them with the network passkey. This presents a potential security risk to the business’s network. Therefore, the guest network feature on a router enables the business to provide wireless network access to everyone who makes a request, while at the same time, restricting access to the business’s primary network (Pacchiano, 2010). Isolating the guest’s activities in such a manner adds an extra security layer to personal data, as well as the business’s network traffic, while ensuring a welcoming and convenient atmosphere for all clients and guests.
The third router feature that a business owner should know is the Dual Band Wireless Network. Many routers at the consumer level support only single wireless networks. This factor makes small business wireless networks to operate in a mixed mode manner. In this way, some computers have high speed access while others have low speed access. A disadvantage associated with this set up is that one computer accessing the business network at a reduced data rate can reduce the performance of all clients on the network. Dual Band routers enable businesses to continue using old systems without reducing the performance of any new hardware.
The fourth router feature that a business owner should know is the Quality of Service. All network traffic is not similar, and the presence of a router that can prioritize and identify traffic makes a network efficient. Furthermore, Quality of Service is a feature of an advanced nature that has the capability of optimizing internet applications, as well as minimizes service interruptions when the broadband connection is busy. For example, many businesses use the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) when making calls through broadband internet connections. A router with the Quality of Service control has the capability of differentiating data packets used in file downloads to those used during telephone conversations (Pacchiano, 2010). This is essential because data packets get dropped when the network traffic becomes congested.
The fifth feature of a router that a business owner should know is the RADIUS Server Support. A shortcoming of using WPA or WPA2, as a way of securing a business network is that the protocols use passphrase generated keys to encrypt all the wireless traffic travelling between the router and the computer. This encryption can be adequate for most people; however, businesses can add additional security layers to their network by using a RADIUS server into their network environment.
The sixth feature of a router that a business owner should know is that of Site Blocking/ Content Filtering. Most businesses face the challenge of keeping their employees focused by not visiting sites that can damage the business. For example, employees can download a software affected by viruses or visit gambling sites. Therefore, a router that has an inbuilt content filtering feature enables the business limit employee access to such sites. In addition, a business owner should know that some content filters require a subscription service that updates in an automatic manner the list of restricted sites, and denies users access depending on the category of the site. Moreover, there are routers that make it possible for a business to deny access to specific sites or those that consist of specific keywords.
A business owner should know what the aim of their business so that they can choose the correct router that will benefit their business. Another factor that can assist a business owner in choosing the correct router is the range of a wireless router. Here, the owner has the option of choosing between a single band wireless router and a dual band wireless router. Single band routers have weaker signals, meaning they have a lower signal range. Such a router may not be ideal for business. On the other hand, dual band wireless routers have multiple signal bands that make it possible for them to provide greater signal ranges. Such routers are suitable for areas that require regular accessibility, such as business environments.
The other essential aspect that a business owner can consider when choosing a router is the speed. Employees, as well as clients, hate wasting time waiting for web pages to load. Therefo...