

You can add additional satellites to the setup, connecting them to the main router, or you can daisy-chain with other satellites to hit truly far-reaching areas of a home or property. You have the base station somewhere near the middle of your home connected to your modem, and a satellite in a corner where the base station can't quite reach. The Orbi is more of a traditional router and satellite setup. There's no dedicated radio for backhaul, but the Velop will choose a band based on performance. When sending data back to the main router and to your modem - known as "backhaul traffic" - one of the three bands will be used. You're looking at a theoretical speed of about 867Mbps on the former bands and about 400Mbps on the latter band. This is a tri-band device, meaning that there are two 5GHz bands and one 2.4GHz band to work with. When transferring data, it will find its way along the shortest, quickest route, and if one node loses power, the network will find a new way to route data. If you continue adding nodes, they will again connect to whichever other node is offering the best signal. The third node, instead of daisy-chaining to the second, will choose to connect to either of the first two based on performance. Once that initial node is set up, the next node will connect to it. If you purchase a three-pack of nodes (opens in new tab), any one of them can serve as the link to the outside internet using your modem. Within the web UI or app, you have access to in-depth settings as you would on pretty much any standard router, including VPN passthrough. The Velop uses more conventional methods of blocking certain URLs, whereas the Orbi has joined Disney's Circle (opens in new tab) of smart parental controls for some serious filtering.Īs for setup of either system, you plug the main router into a modem, open the app (available for Android and iOS) or browser user interface (UI), and you're well on your way to having Wi-Fi flood your home. With both the Orbi and Velop, you'll see just one network rather than separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz access points.įor anyone working on a smart-home setup, both systems are compatible with some of Amazon Alexa's voice commands, and if you're working on a family, both have parental controls. Band-steering, which automatically places your device on either the 5GHz or 2.4GHz band according to best performance, should also occur with both systems, and if you're moving through your home, you'll be passed off to whichever node or satellite is delivering the best signal. Instead of delivering data to your devices in a rotating manner - your phone gets some, your Xbox gets some, and then your PC gets some before repeating the circle - MU-MIMO allows a constant stream of data.īeamforming plays a big role in efficiently delivering data to your devices, and both devices support this tech. Perhaps most importantly, especially when looking to the future, both support 2 x 2 multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output (MU-MIMO) connections. You can choose whatever router that’s best for you, making it a flexible option for those located where other internet options are not available.Both of these systems are rich with features that go above and beyond simply delivering data to your devices. Satellite internet requires a home satellite dish installation and a satellite-compatible modem. Satellite internet cannot support the high speeds of cable and fiber internet, but it is available almost everywhere in the U.S. You won’t need a different or specialized router if you have a fiber connection in your home, but you will need a high-performing router to take advantage of the faster connection fiber provides. Fiberįiber optic internet is the best type of internet you can get in terms of speed but the setup is more complex than DSL and cable internet. Many providers also offer an option to purchase a gateway instead of a standalone modem and router. If you want Wi-Fi, connect your modem to a router of your choice. CableĬable internet uses the same technology as your cable television, but you will need a cable-compatible modem. To set up your router, connect it to your DSL modem with the required Ethernet cables. To set up your DSL modem, plug it into a phone jack to connect it to your existing phone lines. While a router is not required, it ensures your other devices can wirelessly connect to your network. DSLĭSL internet provides internet access through your existing telephone lines and a modem, making it one of the most accessible internet types.ĭSL requires a DSL modem, which your ISP can provide.

Some types of internet service allow more freedom in selecting modems and routers, while others, like fiber internet, are more complex in their requirements. Modem and router setup can vary based on your internet type. Modem and router setup: DSL, cable, satellite and fiber internet
