The Dual Band Router: A Great Home Security Christmas Gift

In a previous blog post, we addressed the topic of giving the gift of home security this Christmas. We believe wireless home security is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your family or if you already have a security system, a loved one who has not yet joined the home security community. In this post, we have another Christmas gift suggestion that will enhance your wireless home security system from Uxari: a dual band router.

Wireless home security systems like the ones we sell rely on wireless routers for local communications. All the devices in a given system communicate with one another via the home’s wireless network; those devices communicate with the outside world through either cellular signals or a broadband connection.

The thing to understand about internal communications is that they can be affected by the amount of network traffic present at any given time. For example, let’s say your family consists of five members, each with a mobile device and a laptop computer. Let us also say your family is big into streaming video, playing online games, and video conferencing. All five of you on the network at the same could create an awfully heavy load for your router.

Such heavy traffic doesn’t necessarily compromise your security system, but it does slow down communication speeds. It might be better to employ a dual band router so that your security system is less affected by the other things you do on your network.

How a Dual Band Router Works

A dual band router essentially has two radio channels. The first channel works on the 2.4 GHz band. This is the same band standard routers operate on. It’s fine for single users or families whose needs are not all that excessive. The second channel operates on the 5 GHz band. This band is less crowded, so it can be used for applications with higher bandwidth needs.

There are two options for utilizing a dual band router with a wireless home security system. The first option is to connect all your home security devices using the second 5 GHz channel. This would mean a dedicated band that is not being shared with any other devices on your local network.

The second option is to put your home security system on the 2.4 GHz band along with devices that don’t have exceptional bandwidth requirements. For example, you might also include laptop computers that are used for nothing more than checking e-mail and surfing the web. Other devices with higher bandwidth needs – such as game consoles and mobile devices used for streaming – would be connected via the 5 GHz channel.

Whatever Works Best for You

It isn’t absolutely necessary to have a dual band router in order to have effective wireless home security. What we have recommended here is just that, a suggestion for making your local network better. Obviously, do what works best for you.

If you plan to give yourself or a loved one the gift of home security this Christmas, you might want to consider a dual band router at the same time. If you have never thought about home security for yourself, why not consider it this year? Wireless home security is an affordable and effective way to make your home safer. You can also make your home more energy efficient by coupling home security with home automation technology.

Uxari carries the latest home security and automation devices on the market. We offer numerous packages to fit nearly every budget as well. Contact us to learn more.