The Best Skype Router

Curiously there is no officially recommended Skype router. There is a Skype cell phone, Skype wireless phone and lots of Skype headphones, but no router with a Skype badge of certification. It's odd because the adequacy of the router is Skype's weakest link. Skype will work with just about any router, but there are good and bad routers and their performance will determine whether a Skype user has an excellent or bad experience. In particular it's essential to use a router that can handle bandwidth intensive applications.

The Belkin N600 Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router is an excellent solution for media intensive applications requiring lots of bandwidth. Transmission speed - 54Mbps. We don't know of any wireless router that has comparable signal strength and range.

We made the move to "N" mode WiFi routers several years ago. While 802.11n is still a provisional standard it is solid. Companies including D-LINK, Belkin and Apple have been manufacturing "N" mode products for years. They work well and deliver a greatly improved Skype phone service. The improvements are presumably a consequence of "N" mode routers being substantially faster than the older 802.11 a/b/g routers.

We look forward to the day when routers have Skype pre-installed on them. It will then be possible to Skype without turning on a computer. Unfortunately the forums tell us that's not going to happen any time soon.

Discounted Skype