Understanding Routers

[Elmer BeFuddled]

Or, in my case, not understanding routers!

We've just been upgraded to 100Mbps from 54Mbps. I'm yet to see any difference though! This bit I do understand. They (the provider) can throw any number at you, it has no correlation to what you will receive.

Now the router bit. Ours is a generic model provided by TalkTalk which, after much scraping about, I discovered was made by Philips (SNA6500). Can a router throttle your connection speed? This one was advertised as being 54Mbps but as I say we are now 100Mbps. What should I be looking for if I buy a new router? I do get better responses now I'm hard-wired to the router, I had to be wireless before with my old PC, it didn't have a LAN (ethernet?) socket to plug a cable into it, it was that old!! We also have two lappys that are wireless.
Can anyone recommend a (UK) based model / supplier?


Just broke my 100 posts count!! PARTY!!!!

 

[Nibiru2012]

Even though a router had certain speeds listed, those are the top speeds it will achieve. It's your IP that makes the difference and the speed they supply to your residence.

If your router is rated @ 100Mbps but your IP only provides a 25Mbps connection, then that's all you'll get is 25Mbps.

Nearly all routers have speeds listed far above what you can get from the internet provider.

However in a home network the connected computers are able to communicate at the router's rated speeds.

 

[Digerati]

Understand that 54MBs is your maximum "theoretical" wireless connection speed from your computer to the wireless side of the router. 100Mb is the maximum "theoretical" Ethernet speed (at east until you get a 1Gb network). But your Internet speed will be much less, and is based on the bandwidth provided by your ISP. And of course theory and real world rarely match.

This means, if you have multiple computers on your network (everything on your side of the router) they "theoretically" will be able to communicate at the 54 or 100Mb speeds.