Router Information

Here's a quick rundown of routers OP;

N/AC "Rating" - You'll notice on the box of each router that they have an N (Or AC) followed by a number, such as N300, N900, AC1750, etc. Essentially, this "rating" is the speed the router can produce signals at. The number is a direct correlation to the speed; N300 stands for Wireless N, 300 mbps. In essence, the higher this "rating" the "better" the router. You'll notice that, as these numbers climb, so do prices (in MOST cases). Higher numbers will get you better speeds and usable range.

N vs AC - In the wireless world, there are 5 (Consumer level) versions of "wireless internet". A, B, and G are all older, outdated versions. A came first, then B and G came, which gave the options of 150 foot ranges at 11mbps (B), or shorter ranges at 54mbps (G). The current "standard" in wireless routing is the "N" category, which can go 450mbps @ up to 300 feet (Theoretical numbers, but it puts it in perspective). AC is the future standard, and some would say it's the current standard. AC can get speeds up to 1gbps, and can cover much more range than N could. You'll notice AC can go from AC1250 to some pretty obscene numbers, like AC2300 (And higher). Again, the higher the number, the better the signal strength and potential speeds, but there is a point where it's just redundant for home use (More on this toward the end).

"Gigabit" - You'll notice that some routers have a "gigabit" denomination listed in the title, such as Gigabit N600 Wireless Router", instead of just "N600 Wireless Router". "Gigabit" is referring to the WIRED-ETHERNET PORTS. A standard ethernet port (Non-wireless, each router has 4 of them) gives speeds of 10/100mbps. GIGABIT takes that a step further, giving 10/100/1000mbps. In practical home use, it's a mostly useless feature. But for home-LAN and small-business purposes, it has its merits. Typically it costs an extra $10 over a similar feature non-gigabit model.

"Bands", single vs dual vs tri - You'll notice that some routers say "Dual Band", or even "tri/triple band" on them. On a technical level, this refers to the amount of frequency ranges the router supports (More on this later). What it essentially means for you and a customer is that those routers can support more devices at once, make better use of their speed and signal distribution, and are more prepared for the modern home that has multiple tablets, PCs, phones, smarttvs, etc. If you look closely at the routers, you'll notice that N600's, 750s, and 900's are ALWAYS dual band, whereas N150's and 300's are never dual band. A good rule of thumb is that a wireless band can stay stable with up to 4 active devices on it at once. So a single band router (N300), is good for 4 devices. A Dual band router (N600, for example) is good for 8 devices. It's a bit more technical than this, but this is a good starting point to work with.

Frequency Ranges - This isn't quite so important for you selling and for the customer, but information is cool. Router "Bands" as we just talked about are made up of two frequency spectrums right now; 2.4GHz and 5GHz. 2.4GHz offers a more broad signal that repeats at a slower rate. This means, typically, you will have a more stable, yet slower connection. 5GHz is the opposite; It's a shorter, more rapidly repeating signal that provides better speeds than 2.4GHz, but will occasionally drop devices from the network due to the more limited range and the overexertion of its signal on larger networks. "Dual Band" (And tri band) routers make use of both of these bands pretty well without much user configuration. Single band routers will ONLY use 2.4GHz.

Brand differences - The most common question a customer will ask is the "difference between Netgear and Linksys". To be quick, there isn't a functional difference. They both offer a couple unique features, but nothing that somebody who needs help picking a router out at Staples will ever make use of. The only difference's you'll need to know are that Linksys routers (typically) lay horizontally flat, while Netgear routers (typically) stand vertically upright. This DOES make an important difference for some people, as they may be trying to fit the router in a very specific space, tucked away in their home. Ultimately, the customer will need to make a decision on what suits their placement the best, as one isn't "better" than the other. Also, at least as far as when I worked at Staples, the two companies vary a little bit on their manufacturer warranties. Linksys offers one year flat, like most electronics manufacturers. Netgear gives a "lifetime limited warranty", which means the router will be warrantied as long as Netgear is still actively supporting the model number; This could mean 3 months, it could mean 3 years.

Open-Ended questions to ask - Like with everything, you need to assess the customer's needs before picking an item out for them. A few of my go-tos were always "How big is your home, and how many floors?", "How many people in your house use wireless devices like laptops, tablets, and phones?", "Roughly how many wireless devices might be on at a single point in time at your house?", and "What kinds of devices? How new are they?". These help you determine the exact needs of the customer, without being pre-set on pushing a particular product.

What your go-to routers should be - I'm going to list some very broad and common scenarios, and tell you exactly which router will fit the customer's needs here;

Customer A - Has a small house/apartment/studio, 1 level and only a few rooms. Only a couple wireless devices (or no wireless devices). This customer should be getting an N150 or N300 router, as they don't need anything too deep involving wireless; A N300 will act the same for them as an AC1750, despite what you may think initially.

Customer B - Home is a couple floors, and the family uses quite a few internet based devices; Gaming consoles, tablets, laptops, phones, etc. This customer should get an N600 router, as it is the best budget-conscious router that will support their needs. The N600 can handle about 8 wireless devices across 2 floors at one time.

Customer C - Has a large home, either 2 floors with live-in basement/attic, 3 floors, or a very large ranch style house. They have multiple devices, and they've had issues with wireless signal in the past. This is where you need to offer more than just a router; Get them a good router, an N900 or one of the AC routers, and also talk to them about getting a range extender (They're located in the router aisle, typically between $40-100, and they operate VERY similarly to routers as far as differentiating from one to the next). This customer is a great opportunity to sell onsite tech services, as getting the placement for the router and extender can be very frustrating for in-experienced customers. Assuming your store has an onsite tech, you should be looking for this opportunity all the time when selling routers.

Customer D - Has quite a few devices, some of which are very new and expensive, such as the newest iPhones, Macbooks, XboxOne/PS4, or high end Ultrabook laptops. Go straight for the AC routers with these customers, specifically the ones in the $200-ish price range. The newest and best devices are supporting AC wireless now, which means your customer will see a HUGE leap forward in how fast their devices can hit webpages and load internet based things when over Wi-Fi when they pair it with a router that supports that function.


I wanted to write a little more and go a bit more in depth, but I've gotta go. Hope this helped. For all intents and purposes, the N600 non-gigabit routers at about $79 or so should be the majority of your sales. They're good enough more often than not, and even for the customer that doesn't "need" the extra speed and signal strength, it's good to have for the future so they aren't just buying another router a year from now. For reference, the N600 is typically good for up to 8 wireless devices on a 2 floor home.