The internet is essential to everything these days. You rely on your internet for a lot more than making money with smartphones and computers. We need to make sure your internet is robust enough for you to make money and anything else.
You don’t have to be worried right away about optimizing your network. Brand new people with only a few devices should be good with what they have. Expand first to see what happens. Below are some tips for you when you are ready and have the means to upgrade your internet. It is time to optimize when things are slowing down.
Proximity to the Router
This is the most important thing on the list and the cheapest thing you can do to improve quality. Get closer to the router! This is what sends out the WiFi signal. Proximity has a lot to do with the speed and consistency of your connection. If you can’t get close to the router for whatever reason, you should consider moving the internet source or getting a new one. If you have cable, just use another COAX connection in the wall to get a second modem. Most ISPs allow this. It is worth it for the few extra dollars they may charge. You could also run a longer wire from the source closer to the devices. The downside to that is having cables running throughout. A last resort option related to proximity is a wireless repeater. Repeaters create a link between your devices and your router. It may increase range, but it cuts speed and increases latency, both bad things.
Figure out how to get those money devices close to the source!
Quality of Network Equipment
Router
Router
The router is the centerpiece of your network. You use it to broadcast a signal to all of those wireless smartphones making money and to plug all of your computers making money in via ethernet (wired connections are better. Use them if you can). The better the router, the better the signal, and the more money you will make. I recommend routers below. Notice I show you mid-level and high-end routers but no low-end routers. Don’t cheap out on the router! Even the budget options I list are around $100. You might as well invest since it is a crucial part.
What you should buy depends on your seriousness level. How many devices will you get? How much of a heavy internet user are you already? All options bellow are good options.
If you have no more than a few devices, don’t want to spend too much, and just want to get rid of your ISP-provided router, go with a cheaper option.
If you are ready to invest in the best and know you will have or already have more than 10 devices, buy one of the best ones.
ASUS RT-AC68U Dual-Band Gigabit Router
This one goes first because it is what I use as an AP currently.
I have owned it for over a year. It started out as my main network device and now simply serves as an access point.
Having the 5 GHz band on your router is a teller for how nice it is. It isn’t really useful for our money-making devices though. Many devices I show on the recommended devices list don’t support 5 GHz WiFi. It will only work on the best devices and not the mid to low-end devices.
ASUS RT-AC5300 Tri-Band Gigabit Router
This is the newer version and more expensive version of the one I own. It is tri-band router which offers two 5 GHz channels and one 2.4 GHz channel. It offers faster speeds and a better CPU than the last version. It also has more antennas. I am considering this if my current router can’t handle my expansions.
NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900
Many people have this one and have success making money with smartphones and computers. This is a dual-band router. It has a dual-core CPU, one USB 2.0 port, and one USB 3.0 port.
Netgear AC5300 Nighthawk X8
This is the best in the Nighthawk lineup. It is a tri-band router. It offers the fastest potential WiFi speeds, a faster dual-core CPU, and more antennas.
TP-LINK Archer C7 AC1750
I own this one as well. It is the second router in my home and is used for all other devices that aren’t in my money-making routine.
It is also a budget option for you and can come with even a bundled modem on the same listing. I know people who have had success with this. Consider it a budget option but a powerful option. This is a dual-band router.
TP-Link AC1900
This is an upgraded version of the AC1750. Like the AC1750, it is a dual-band router. It offers higher potential WiFi speeds, a dual-core vs the single-core CPU on the AC1750, and 1 USB 2.0 port and 1 USB 3.0 port. It is also a newer router than the AC1750. There are not many differences between the two, but there is not a big price change either.
TP-Link AD7200
This is the fastest in the TP-Link lineup. It is a tri-band router. It offers the fastest potential WiFi speeds and comes with two USB 3.0 ports.
TP-Link AC750
I use this as my 2nd AP. It works well for this. Though I am not familiar with the routing functions it receives good reviews.
Build Your Own Router!
This is a cool option and probably the most expensive option. It is for serious users, but totally not necessary for high quality WiFi. I am currently using something called a PfSense router.
Here is my introductory experience with it:
Modem
This is only for cable users. Everyone else can skip this.
The router will be bottlenecked without a good modem to bridge it from the signal coming from the COAX connections. You might as well get an up-to-date modem while you are at it buying a robust router. Just as the ISP routers, the modems provided aren’t very good.
Here are some modems that are good for making money. Once again, we have budget and expensive options. Don’t cheap out!
ARRIS SURFboard SB6183 DOCSIS 3.0
This is the modem I use in conjunction with the ASUS router. It allows for download speeds of up to 686 Mbps and is a DOCSIS 3.0 modem. Don’t confuse maximum speeds with what you will get. You get what you pay for via your ISP. The maximum speed is simply how much it can output. Amazon also currently provides the option for you to bundle this with the ASUS RT-AC routers.
TP-Link DOCSIS 3.0
This is the modem I use in conjunction with the TP-Link Archer C7 router. Amazon currently provides the option for you to bundle this with it, so it is a good budget option in this manner.
NETGEAR CM500 (16×4) Cable Modem DOCSIS 3.0
This can be bundled with the Netgear Nighthawk routers.
Cables & Wiring
Wire anything that can be wired. Wire any computers to your router with good ethernet cables. Wire your modem with good coax cables. Wire your router to the modem with a good ethernet cable. Wiring your computers increases the reliability on the connections and reduces the chances that you will lose connection. This is especially important if these computers are serving as your remote access server as one of mine does for me.
Here are some good network cables. They come in different sizes based on your needs.
Ethernet
COAX (Cable Users Only)
Internet Plans: Upgrading Speed & Bandwidth
This is a last resort because this will cost you the most in the long run. You should look at all of the options above to strengthen your internet first, but sometimes you just have to get a better plan. You may need to pay for higher speeds to do this. In that case, you know what you need to do.
Video
Hopefully I have been able to help out with network advice. It is a crucial part in your money making. Here is a video where I discuss many of the things from the article based on my experiences with internet.
Keep in mind, I am now using a slightly different setup. While the tips remain tried-and-true in the video, remember I am using a PfSense router now with a few access points. See the video above for more information.
Now that you know how to get great internet, continue on to learn how to remotely manage your devices.