Functions and Features of Routers for Home Computer Networks

Single or Dual Band Wi-Fi

Until recently, home Wi-Fi routers contained one radio that transmitted on the 2.4 GHz frequency band. Then came 802.11n routers, which feature a communication technology called MIMO (multiple in multiple out). With two or more embedded radio transmitters, home routers can now communicate over a wider frequency band or over multiple separate bands.

Dual-band Wi-Fi routers support multiple radios and operate on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. These routers make it possible to set up two wireless subnetworks and get the benefits of both kinds. For example, 5 GHz connections offer higher performance than 2.4 GHz connections, and 2.4 GHz generally provides better range plus compatibility with older devices.​

Traditional or Gigabit Ethernet

Many first- and second-generation home routers did not support Wi-Fi. These wired broadband routers offered only Ethernet ports, designed to connect a PC, a printer, and perhaps a game console. To take maximum advantage of the technology, some homeowners looked to prewire their houses with Ethernet cable run to various rooms.

Even today, with the popularity of Wi-Fi and mobile devices (many of which do not support any wired connections), manufacturers continue incorporating Ethernet into home routers. Ethernet offers better network performance than wireless connections in many situations. Many popular broadband modems connect to routers using Ethernet, and hardcore gamers often prefer it over Wi-Fi for their gaming systems.

Until recently, routers supported the same 100 Mbps (sometimes called 10/100 or Fast Ethernet) technology as their original ancestors. Newer and higher-end models upgrade that to Gigabit Ethernet, which is better for video streaming and other resource-intensive uses.

IPv4 and IPv6

All home routers support Internet Protocol (IP). All newer routers support two different versions of IP: the newer IP version 6 (IPv6) standard and the older but still mainstream version 4 (IPv4). Old broadband routers supported only IPv4. Although having an IPv6-capable router isn't required, home networks benefit from the security and performance improvements it provides.

Network Address Translation (NAT)

As one of the basic security features of home routers, network address translation (NAT) technology sets up the addressing scheme of a home network and its connection to the Internet. NAT tracks the addresses of all devices connected to a router and any messages they send to the outside world so that the router can direct the responses to the correct device later. This feature is called a NAT firewall because it blocks malicious traffic as other kinds of network firewalls do.

Connection and Resource Sharing

Routers enable network users to share resources such as printers. Most modern printers are network-ready; they support Wi-Fi and can join the same home network as computers and phones, which can then send jobs to the printer.

Some routers feature USB ports designed to plug in external storage drives. Other devices on the network can use this storage to copy files. These drives can also be unplugged from the router and transported to other locations if a person needs access to the data while traveling, for example.

Even without USB storage features, a router enables network file sharing among devices in other ways. Files can be shared using a device’s network operating system functions or through cloud storage systems.

Guest Networks

Some wireless routers support guest networking, which is used to set up a special section of a home network for friends and family who are visiting. Guest networks restrict access to the primary home network so that visitors can't snoop around any of the home network resources without your permission. In particular, a guest network uses a separate security configuration and different Wi-Fi security keys than the rest of the home network so that your private keys stay hidden.

Parental Controls and Other Access Restrictions

Router manufacturers often advertise parental controls as a selling point of their products. The details for how these controls work depend on the model of router involved. Router parental controls have these features:

• Block specific websites by name.
• Restrict a child's access to the internet.
• Restrict the number of hours a child can be online per day.

A router administrator configures parental control settings through the console menus. Settings are applied individually on each device so that a child’s devices can be restricted while others are not. Routers keep track of the identity of local devices by their physical (Media Access Control) addresses so that a child cannot rename a computer to avoid parental controls.

Because the same features can be useful for spouses and other household members, too, access restrictions is a more accurate term than parental controls.

VPN Server and Client Support

Virtual private network (VPN) technology improves the security of internet connections and has become increasingly popular with the growth of wireless networking. Many people use VPNs in the workplace and on mobile devices connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots, but relatively few use VPNs at home. Some routers offer some VPN support, but this functionality is generally limited.

Home routers with VPN typically provide only VPN server support. This allows household members to set up a VPN connection to home while they are away. Fewer home routers provide VPN client support, which enables devices inside the home to make VPN connections when accessing the internet.

Port Forwarding and UPnP

A standard but less understood feature of home routers, port forwarding, gives an administrator the ability to direct incoming traffic to individual devices inside the home network according to the TCP and UDP port numbers in individual messages. Common scenarios for this include PC gaming and web hosting.

The universal plug and play (UPnP) standard was developed to simplify the way computers and applications use ports to communicate with home networks. UPnP automatically sets up many of the connections that otherwise would require manually configuring port forwarding entries on a router. All mainstream home routers support UPnP as an optional feature; administrators can disable it to maintain full control over the router's port forwarding decisions.

QoS

Typical home routers offer several options to control the quality of service (QoS) on a home network. QoS allows an administrator to give selected devices and applications higher priority access to network resources.

Most broadband routers support QoS as a feature that can be switched on or off. Home routers with QoS may provide separate settings for wired Ethernet connections versus wireless Wi-Fi connections. Devices to be prioritized are normally identified by their physical MAC address. Other standard QoS options include:

• Traffic on individual TCP or UDP ports often can be prioritized higher or lower than others. Administrators typically use these settings to give higher priority to network gamers.
• WMM (Wi-Fi multimedia) QoS automatically detects and prioritizes video streaming and voice traffic on Wi-Fi connections. Many routers feature WMM as a selectable option; some models keep WMM enabled by default.

Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)

The concept behind WPS (Wi-Fi protected setup) is simple: Home networks (especially their security settings) can be error-prone to set up, so anything that streamlines the process saves time and reduces errors. WPS provides mechanisms to simplify the security authentication of Wi-Fi devices by using a push button connection method or special personal identification numbers (PINs). These are passkeys that sometimes can be transferred automatically using near-field communication (NFC). Some Wi-Fi clients don't support WPS, however, and security is a concern.