The term “small business” can cover a large amount of ground, from a little family shop to a rapidly-growing enterprise with a number of employees. So when it's time for you to invest in a router for connecting multiple computers to a central network and/or the Internet, you may be understandably confused as to whether you can get away with a consumer-class router or you really need to spring for a business-class router.
Here are some points to consider from your Austin IT support experts at Gravity Systems.
Different types of routers address different priorities. Consumer-class routers are geared to handle issues near and dear to home users' hearts. Households require features such as media streaming, parental controls, and USB ports for connecting printers and other peripherals; most of their everyday, non-media needs can be met through a 2.4G band instead of the more media-specific 5G band option. By contrast, business-class routers emphasize everyday speed (ditching the 2.4G band for a 4G band, for instance) as well as remote network access and the most robust security possible.
If you need scalability, you need business-class. If you're a tiny mom-and-pop shop and are content to remain that way for the time being, then a consumer-class router may make perfect sense for you. But if you plan to grow, you need a router that can grow with you. Business-class routers have the virtue of scalability; for example, a typical business router will have multiple WAN (wide-area network) ports to support more than one Internet service provider, as well as the ability to add multi-port switches, VLANs and SSID networks as needed.
Still can't decide? Contact our IT business support team at Gravity Systems so we can discuss your needs and goals. We'll help you choose the best router for your small business!
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