家里Wi-Fi信号差 可能是路由器惹的祸

Bob McConnell, a retired engineer, set up a new wireless router in his home this year to get faster Internet speeds. Instead, he got the opposite, with his iPad often getting no wireless connection in his bedroom
为了获得更快的上网速度，退休工程师鲍勃·麦康奈尔(Bob McConnell)今年在家里安装了一个新无线路由器。结果，家里网络反倒不如从前了，在卧室里使用iPad时，他常常找不到信号。

For days, he tinkered with the router’s settings, but couldn’t figure out a fix. “It was totally ruining my life,” said Mr. McConnell, who lives in a condominium building in Kirkland, Wash. “Things would work, and then the next morning they wouldn’t work again.”

他花了好几天时间调整路由器的设置，但没能找到解决问题的办法。“它彻底毁了我的生活，”住在华盛顿州柯克兰市一座共管公寓里的麦康奈尔说。“有时候网络可以正常使用，但第二天就又不行了。”

What Mr. McConnell experienced is a situation we call “Wi-Fi headache,” and it’s an ailment that many can relate to. The condition is rooted in the networking devices called routers that people install in their homes for Wi-Fi connectivity. Most routers are difficult to configure for anyone who doesn’t work in an information-technology department. Jargony tech terms like 802.11 or dual-band add to the confusion when people upgrade a router or try to decide which one to pick.

我们把麦康奈尔经历的这种状况称为“Wi-Fi头痛”，这是一种很多人能感同身受的顽疾。它产生的根源在于一种名为“路由器”的网络连接设备。人们把它安装在家里，以获取Wi-Fi连接。对于不从事信息技术工作的人来说，大多数路由器很难配置。当人们想升级路由器，或试着挑选一款路由器时，“802.11”或“双频”之类的技术术语，只会让人更加困惑。

So to diagnose and cure Wi-Fi headaches, we teamed up with The Wirecutter, the product recommendations website. The Wirecutter put dozens of top-rated routers and devices through hundreds of hours of testing to pick out the best router for most people and come up with other recommendations tailored to different living situations and budgets. It also ran new tests for The New York Times to come up with best practices for getting a stronger, faster Wi-Fi signal. 

所以，为了诊断和治疗Wi-Fi头痛，我们与提供产品推荐的The Wirecutter网站展开了合作。The Wirecutter对几十种热销路由器和设备进行了数百小时的测试，以挑选出适合大多数人的最佳路由器，同时也针对不同生活环境和预算提供其他匹配建议。该网站还为《纽约时报》进行了一些新测试，以便找到能获得信号更强、速度更快的Wi-Fi网络的办法。

The bottom line: People with devices both new and old will see an improvement by upgrading to a recent router that supports the latest Wi-Fi standards. But they should be wary of buying a cheap router that isn’t any good, or spending too much on one that is too complex for their needs. 

最基本的要求是，不管使用的是新设备还是旧设备，在升级到支持最新Wi-Fi标准的新款路由器之后，应该看到网络有所改进。但也应该小心不要买质量不太好的廉价路由器，或花太多钱买超过自身需求的过于复杂的路由器。

Wi-Fi headaches start with how the technology has evolved. For years, router makers like Netgear, Linksys and Cisco focused on making Wi-Fi technology transmit data at higher speeds and over longer distances.

Wi-Fi头痛始于这种技术的演进。多年来，Netgear、Linksys和思科(Cisco)等路由器厂商都将注意力放在提高Wi-Fi技术上，目的是使它传输数据的速度更快、距离更远。

That did little to prepare people for the explosion of Internet-connected mobile devices. In buildings crowded with smartphones, computers, smart TVs and tablets, the devices’ signals are now fighting for room on the same radio channels. And routers are spewing out energy for longer distances that may be bumping into neighbors’ signals.

但是，在帮助人们应对联网移动设备大爆炸方面，这种改进几乎没什么助益。在智能手机、计算机、智能电视和平板电脑泛滥的建筑里，这些设备的信号都在同样的无线电频道上争夺空间。而各厂商竭力让路由器传送信号距离更远的时候，则有可能干扰到邻居家的网络。

“The router manufacturers are kind of brain-dead,” said Dave Fraser, the chief executive of Devicescape, which develops technology for making public Wi-Fi networks usable for mobile phone service. “All they were thinking about was supporting people with laptops in their homes and commercial environments. All of a sudden Wi-Fi is in everything and everywhere, and we’re moving around our homes much more.”

“路由器厂商们有点蠢，”Devicescape公司首席执行官戴夫·弗雷泽(Dave Fraser)说。该公司开发的技术可以让公共Wi-Fi网络供移动通讯服务使用。“之前他们只考虑给人们在家里和商务环境中用笔记本电脑上网提供支持。突然之间，世道变了，遍地都是Wi-Fi，什么都要用Wi-Fi，而且我们在家里的活动性也比过去大得多。”

Router manufacturers have more recently improved Wi-Fi technology with mobile devices in mind, said Mr. Fraser. New routers often include smarter antennas that do a better job of assembling signals and beaming energy toward devices that are moving around.

弗雷泽表示，最近在改善Wi-Fi技术时，路由器厂商考虑到了移动设备的需求。新款路由器往往有更智能的天线，可以更好地聚集信号并向移动中的设备传送信号。

Some features inside newer routers also help reduce signal interference. Newer routers typically can transmit data over two radio frequencies — 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz — and give you the option to split them up into two separate Wi-Fi networks. In general, the 2.4 GHz band transmits data farther and is more crowded because many types of devices, like cordless phones and microwaves, use that frequency. The 5 GHz band is less congested but typically travels a shorter distance.

新款的路由器还具有一些可以帮助减少信号干扰的功能。新款路由器往往能以两种无线电频率——2.4吉赫兹和5吉赫兹——传输数据，让你可以将它们分成两个独立的Wi-Fi网络。一般而言，2.4吉赫兹的波段传输数据更远，但网络负荷比较大，因为包括无绳电话和微波炉在内，各种类型的设备都使用这一频率。5吉赫兹波段相对没那么挤，但传输距离通常较短。

Consumer behavior is also to blame for Wi-Fi headaches. People may wait years before buying a new router, so their devices might be more up-to-date than their infrastructure. An outdated router becomes a bottleneck that hinders the speeds of web downloads and file transfers between connected devices.

消费者的行为方式也是造成Wi-Fi头痛的原因之一。人们可能会等好几年才会买一个新路由器，所以他们使用的上网设备可能比这种基础设施更跟得上时代。过时的路由器阻碍人们获得更高的网络下载速度和在不同设备之间进行文件传输的速度。

Some people never upgrade their routers, especially those who still use the router that their Internet service provider lent them years ago. Those routers, which often double as modems, are often slow and short-ranged. That means it is time to buy a newer, faster router. 

有些人从不升级自己的路由器，甚至到现在还在使用多年前网络服务提供商提供的路由器。这些路由器往往同时兼作调制解调器，一般速度都很慢，而且网络覆盖范围小。这意味着，是时候买个更新更快的路由器了。

The Wirecutter performed a battery of tests on two top-performing routers with six devices, and the results were unmistakable: If your current router is at least three years old, there is no reason not to upgrade to a new router.

The Wirecutter用六种设备对两款表现出色的路由器进行了一系列测试，结果很清楚：如果你目前的路由器已经使用至少三年，那就没理由不更换一台新的。

Not only can a newer router improve the speed and range for users, the routers typically have upgraded internal components and strong external antennas. Many also support the latest Wi-Fi standard — 802.11ac — which has top speeds that are nearly three times faster than the previous standard, 802.11n, for the fastest wireless devices you can buy today. 

新的路由器不仅可以提高使用者的网速并扩大网络覆盖，这些机器往往还升级了内部组件，有性能强大的外置天线。很多还支持针对你现在可以买到的速度最快的无限设备制定的最新的Wi-Fi标准——802.11ac。相比于之前的802.11n标准，这一标准下的网速提高了将近三倍。

Many smartphones, tablets and laptops released since 2013 support 802.11ac. But even older devices that support only the previous standard, 802.11n, can enjoy faster speeds at long range with a newer 802.11ac router.

2013年以来发布的许多智能手机、平板电脑和笔记本电脑支持802.11ac标准。但是，哪怕你使用的是更老的设备，只能支持之前的802.11n标准，在更换了802.11ac标准的新路由器的情况下，也可以获得更快的网速和更广的网络覆盖。

For these tests, The Wirecutter used two routers: its top 802.11ac router recommendation, TP-Link’s Archer C7, and an older 802.11n router, Netgear’s WNDR3700. It tried them with a 2012 iPhone 5, a 2014 iPhone 6 Plus, a 2013 HTC One M7, a 2015 Samsung Galaxy S6, a 2012 MacBook Air and a 2014 MacBook Air.

The Wirecutter在这些测试中使用了两款路由器：该网站最为推荐的802.11ac标准路由器TP-Link的Archer C7，和一款更老一些的802.11n标准路由器Netgear的WNDR3700。用以测试这两款路由器的设备包括：一部2012年的iPhone 5手机、2014年的iPhone 6 Plus手机、2013年的HTC One M7手机、2015年的三星Galaxy S6、2012年的MacBook Air笔记本，和一台2014年的MacBook Air。

To get an idea how each device performed with each router, The Wirecutter’s Wi-Fi expert, David Murphy, tested file transfer speeds, video streaming speeds, music streaming quality and video call quality at a short range of 11 feet and a long range of 43 feet.

为了解每台设备在适配每款路由器的情况下的网络表现，The Wirecutter的Wi-Fi专家戴维·墨菲(David Murphy)，在11英尺（约合3.4米）的近距离和43英尺的远距离下，分别测试了文件传输速度、视频流媒体速度、音频流媒体质量和视频通话质量等项目。

Most tested devices had 19 percent to 54 percent faster download speeds and shaved 3 to 48 percent off their file-transfer times when paired with the Archer C7 compared with the older 802.11n Netgear router. The devices also did better on the Archer C7’s 5 GHz Wi-Fi network than on its 2.4GHz network at the same locations. In comparison, The Wirecutter could not connect to the Netgear router’s 5 GHz Wi-Fi at its long-distance test location.

相比于使用更老的802.11n标准的Netgear路由器，大部分被检测的设备在与Archer C7路由器适配的情况下，网络下载速度可以快19%到54%，文件传输时间可以减少3%到48%。在同一地点，这些设备使用 Archer C7的5吉赫兹Wi-Fi比使用2.4吉赫兹，上网效果更好。相比之下，在远距离测试中，The Wirecutter无法连接到Netgear路由器的5吉赫兹Wi-Fi。

The Archer C7’s exceptional performance on a 5 GHz signal is its strength. Devices often had the same download speeds at long range as short range when connected to the Archer C7’s 5 GHz Wi-Fi. But at the longer distance, when switched to the Archer C7’s 2.4GHz network, each device’s download speeds dropped, sometimes by more than 80 percent.

Archer C7在5吉赫兹波段的卓越表现，显示出它的优势。在连接到Archer C7的5吉赫兹Wi-Fi时，这些设备往往在近距离和远距离能获得同样的下载速度。但连接到Archer C7的2.4吉赫兹网络进行远距离测试时，每台设备的下载速度会下降，有时幅度甚至超过80%。

In summary: For a stronger, faster wireless connection, stay on the router’s 5 GHz band for as long as you can. Older routers aren’t the best at that; a newer router like TP-Link’s Archer C7 is a much better option.

总而言之：为了获得更强大、速度更快的无线连接，尽量多使用路由器的5赫兹波段。老款路由器在这方面不是最佳选择，像TP-Link的Archer C7这样的新款路由器要好得多。

The best router for most people is the Archer C7 ($100). It’s a dual-band 802.11ac router, meaning it can run both 2.4GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks, and it supports the fastest Wi-Fi speeds of every wireless device you can buy, including the MacBook Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S6 or the brand-new iPhone 6s. The Archer C7 is faster over longer distances than most routers that cost $150 or more, and it’s the best value of the more than two dozen routers The Wirecutter tested in the last two years.

Archer C7（100美元）对大多数人来说是最佳选择。它是一款双频802.11ac标准路由器，这意味着它可以提供2.4吉赫兹和5吉赫兹Wi-Fi两种网络。它还能支持你能买到的各种无线设备获得最快的Wi-Fi速度，不管是MacBook Pro、三星的Galaxy S6，还是全新的iPhone 6s。相比于大多数价位在150美元，甚至更高的路由器，Archer C7可以让用户在更远距离获得更快网速，它是The Wirecutter过去两年测试的二三十种路由器中最物有所值的一款。

The Archer C7 isn’t the best fit for everyone. So The Wirecutter also combed through test results and picked some routers for different living situations, such as small apartments or homes where people primarily use Apple devices.

Archer C7并非所有人的最佳选择。所以The Wirecutter也对测试结果进行了梳理，挑选出一些适应其他生活环境的路由器，比如公寓比较小，或家人主要使用苹果设备。

Generally, we recommend you upgrade to a new router every three to four years. That accounts for how often people typically upgrade devices like smartphones (every two years) and computers (every three to four years).

通常，我们建议每三四年更换一台路由器。这和人们更换智能手机（每两年）和电脑（每三四年）的一般频率差不多。

Yet whether your smartphones, computers and tablets are one, two or five years old, now is a good time to buy a new router if you haven’t in the last three years. Newer devices are probably using the 802.11ac standard, so you will get the fastest speeds at long distances with an 802.11ac router. If you hoard old devices, you will also get faster speeds and greater range. These benefits will be especially clear if you stay on a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network for as long as you can.

不过，如果你在过去三年不曾购买过新路由器，那么不管你的智能手机、电脑和平板电脑目前使用了一年、两年还是五年，你都该换一台路由器了。较新的上网设备可能采用了802.11ac标准，所以配备一台802.11ac标准路由器，你就可在远距离获得最快网速。如果你还会继续使用旧设备，更换新路由器同样可以让你获得更快的网速和更大的网络覆盖。倘若你能尽量长时间地使用5吉赫兹Wi-Fi，这些好处会更加明显。

One caveat: If you use a slower Internet service like DSL, you can probably hold on to a router for longer than three years. A newer router can still be useful because of the improved wireless range, but you won’t experience a big difference in download speeds.

但请注意：如果你使用是如DSL等速度更慢的网络服务，或许可以超过三年不换路由器。这种情况下更换新路由器还是会有帮助，因为可以扩大无线网络覆盖范围，只不过你不会感觉下载速度有太大改变。

If your house is so large that a new router won’t be able to cover every inch with a great Wi-Fi signal, you could install a Wi-Fi extender, which enhances an existing Wi-Fi connection to increase coverage. Powerline networking, which converts a house’s electrical wiring into a wired Internet connection, is another option, but you’ll have to check if your home supports it. 

如果你的房子很大，一个新路由器无法让每个角落都拥有优质Wi-Fi信号，你可以安装一个Wi-Fi范围扩展器。它可以加强已经存在的Wi-Fi信号，扩大其覆盖范围。还有一种选择是电力线网络，它将房子内的电子线路转换成一种有线网络连接，但你需要首先确认自己家能否支持这种设备。

As for Mr. McConnell, the retired engineer eventually solved his Wi-Fi headache by setting up his devices to stay on the 5 GHz radio band. To get a Wi-Fi signal to his iPad in the bedroom, he also set up an extender. Now everything is smooth sailing, he said.

通过将上网设备设置为始终连接5吉赫兹波段网络，退休工程师麦康奈尔最终解决了他的Wi-Fi头痛问题。为了能在卧室让自己的iPad连上Wi-Fi，他还安装了一个扩展器。他觉得，现在所有的上网体验都很顺畅。

“I’ve got my life back,” he said.

“我又找回了自己的生活，”他说。