I Didn’t Know Routers Could Make Such A Huge Difference! #NETGEAR

I am a NETGEAR Ambassador and I received an N450 WiFi Cable Modem Router to facilitate this review. Thoughts are my own.

NETGEAR N450 box

My friends and relatives consider me a techie, so they usually come to me when they have questions about gadgets they want to buy, computers they already own, or website issues. I didn’t graduate with a course in any tech-related field (I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology); but I guess I just really wanted to learn how to troubleshoot computer problems without my older brother’s help. So I strived to become a little more than just tech-literate.

When I’m not addressing any specific issue with our computer at home, I just usually devote my time to learning various things that I can do to make computers run faster. After all, nobody wants to wait 2 minutes just for a file to open, or for a website to fully load.

But I’ve always thought that when pages load slowly, it might just be because the computer’s running low on memory. It never occurred to me that one factor for the slow loading of websites is the router being used. That’s why we always just went with the router that our internet service provider has given us — we didn’t think it mattered.

Until I tried using the NETGEAR N450 WiFi Cable Modem Router.

NETGEAR N450

The only reason I wanted to get the N450 WiFi Cable Modem Router at first was that I didn’t like the fact that our router is separate from the modem. Having a router and a modem meant more wires that I need to hide so our living room wouldn’t look messy or disorganized.

So I set up the N450 WiFi Cable Modem Router to replace the old ones. I was glad that it was all very easy to set up and that our internet was up and running within a few minutes.

I was already satisfied by the fact that the “internet area” of our living room now looked tidier and more organized.

What I did not expect though was the faster internet speed that we were suddenly getting. I immediately went to speedtest.net the moment I noticed it and saw our download speed reach over 90 Mbps! Wow! I checked again after a few minutes and the speed went down to around 70 Mbps — not as high as the first speed test result but still a lot higher than the usual 20 Mbps I was getting using our old modem and router.

Speedtest.net screenshot

Speedtest.net result now that we’re using NETGEAR’s N450 WiFi Cable Modem Router

I checked our internet speed again earlier today and got 66 Mbps. Very nice! I’m so happy with our N450 WiFi Cable Modem Router because it didn’t just unclutter our living room’s “internet area”, it also gave us internet speeds that we’ve never seen at home before. I didn’t know routers can make such a huge difference to actual internet speeds!

So yeah, although I consider myself techie-r than most other people I know, there’s still a lot of things that surprise me when it comes to tech. And I’m glad I came across this pleasant surprise.

BUY IT! The NETGEAR N450 WiFi Cable Modem Router can be purchased at Amazon.com or at Best Buy.

 

But if you’d like the best WiFi router out there, be sure to check out the NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band WiFi Router which was featured at CES 2015 last week! It’s available at Amazon.com and Best Buy as well!

Nighthawk

I am a NETGEAR Ambassador and I received an N450 WiFi Cable Modem Router to facilitate this review. Thoughts are my own.

Comments

I Didn’t Know Routers Could Make Such A Huge Difference! #NETGEAR — 68 Comments

  1. Great information! We have a router and it stinks! Lots of issues and slow loading. Sometimes technology is more headaches than it’s worth, lol.

  2. I’m looking into this as our router appears to “bite the big one”. Thanks for the heads up. Off to amazon now…

  3. I’ve noticed alot of companies using NetGear as well…and you know they have to have fast speeds. Thanks for this review…very helpful!

  4. now i know who to ask for tech questions. my router and wifi are in the same box, however, my wifi is so weak… i have terrible internet service anyway, goes down a lot. dont have many choices except centurylink who could not keep it up and running, satelite services were the only other and now i have the verizon home fusion which is a piece of crap.

  5. I think our router has started to bite the dust. Our speeds are up and down and sometimes we just get disconnected entirely. I think I will mention this to the hubby and maybe we can get a better one like the one you posted about. Thanks

  6. I never thought about the slowness of our internet being caused by the router itself – I’ll have to check this out!

  7. This is great! My husband did commo in the Army and worked for Comcast for a long time so he knows all the benefits of routers. I highly suggest everyone get one!

  8. Thanks for the Terrific Review of I Didn’t Know Routers Could Make Such A Huge Difference! #NETGEAR I’ve always thought our internet was slow on our computer and my Husband always tells me that’s because I go into so many websites and save too many emails! We’ve been using the router which was given to us by our cable provider as well! Now, You have me wondering that If we got one of those NETGEAR Routers that we would have faster internet times! I would love to be able to give it a try, however, it’s just not in the cards right now for us. I was hoping that once my hubby went back to work, things would get better. However, now he’s been off of work again since right before Christmas due to a pinched nerve! He’s in so much pain and can’t climb the steps. He’s been trying to sleep on an inflatable bed in our living room! Talk about a clutter! It’s like a maze from the front door to the kitchen! He’ll be having another surgery for this thing now on 2/4/15. 2015 sure hasn’t been too nice to us yet! Anyway, Thanks so much for the Terrific Review! It sure has me wondering now! Thanks again, Michele 🙂
    Michele Ash recently posted..Streaming Cats And Dogs On @Netflix! #StreamTeamMy Profile

  9. I also never knew that slow loading of websites could be is the router being used, great to know.

  10. this netgear router modem looks pretty neat.i’ll have to check it out.thanks for your review

  11. I like the idea that the NetGear router is a router and modem in one. Much less clutter. Our provider offers different grades of internet service, but I think even with the higher level of service, a better router would provide more speed.

  12. I never knew this about routers either. We are signed up for the fastest internet with Verizon Fios but I am still not satisfied with the speed. We will have to look into this. Thank you so much for sharing

  13. Thanks for sharing. I have to get one of these. Right now in using a netgear router but I have a separate modem and it takes a lot of space. Looking forward to getting the Netgear N450 wifi cable modem router soon.

  14. I had no idea that the router could influence internet speed, it’s definitely something that I should look into. Congratulations on learning something new, and thank you for sharing what you learned.

  15. I am not very tech savvy, I do try. This is very interesting, I didn’t know what the router actually did. Think I’m going to have to get one. Thanks for sharing

  16. A good router makes a huge difference. I was running a ancient Linksys router and a couple of years ago, upgraded to an Asus RT-AC66U router which made a huge difference in LAN & Wireless speeds. We upgraded to 60 Mbps cable Internet last month from 20 Mbps DSL and that really made a difference overall. Routers have advanced quite a bit even in the last 2 years.
    David Smith recently posted..Eco Emi Subscription Box Giveaway Ends 1/30My Profile

  17. I know nothing about routers and modems..I even had to have our cable provider come out twice to correct problems…I thank you for this very good information

  18. We just recently got a new router and I think it was this one or one like it. It does make a huge difference.

  19. We are thinking about getting a new router and we’d choose this Netgear one you reviewed. We’re not sure if our ‘net is slow because they just changed owners or if it truly is our router! Our son, who’s a techie, suggested we get a new router and he likes Netgear products! Thanks!

  20. Thank you for the post, I was just thinking we need to try something new since I have had mine Forever!!

  21. its amazing how far technolog has come i never know what to get when buying electronics this is a very good review thanks for sharing

  22. Now THIS is the router i should have gotten! Instead I went for a different brand, less expensive, and it can’t send the signal into my bedroom. It makes into my brother’s room (through 1 wall), but there are 2 walls to get to my room. Next time, I’m going for Netgear!

  23. Thank you so much for sharing! Ever since we switched from cable internet to verizon FIOS, our internet speed dropped drastically. I thought that was why, because of the provider and type. Now I’m wondering if it’s because of the equipment itself! You just may have made my household 100 x’s happier in the weeks to come! Thank you so much! 🙂

  24. This sounds like what I need. They have been the top line for a long time and now I can see why. I want one of these!

  25. Would have to say that loved the review as I needed one for a friend of mine who had no clue. Now I can direct here for great information

  26. Thanks for the review I was just talking about this with My Grandpa the other day about what router is a good one and so on and this pretty much gives the low down on this one so I’ll be forwarding this info on to him Nice speed too 🙂

  27. Wow, me also. I didn’t know that either and this is perfect timing since I am now in the need to replace my router. I’ll give it a try!!!
    THANKS !!!!

  28. Routers matter so much when it comes to the speed your computer runs! I found that out too when my parents got a new one. All of a sudden everything was so much faster! This sounds like a really good one. I wish my boyfriend would get it!

  29. I called my Internet provider & asked them what I can do or buy to speed-up it up. They asked how much faster would I like it & that I have the standard package. They described the prices for a faster band-width. No wonder they did not want me to buy better or other equipment, they would lose money!! They also said that if I did use other equipment that I would lose their support! What a SCAM!! Well now I pay a little more, but I think it is really unfair since I pay rental charges for this crappy modem each month!! I hope I don’t pay more than what it is worth!!