How does IQrouter improve my streaming?
By managing all your internet traffic and keeping the flow of outbound responses to the streaming service as smooth and consistent as possible, the service ‘sees’ your line as a ‘good citizen’ and can accurately measure your speed and sends the appropriate quality content at a predictable and steady pace, eliminating pauses and stops.
Technically, what does IQrouter do exactly?
IQrouter’s intelligent decision-making process first characterizes your line by running throughput tests; it then sets all the relevant traffic management properties, including numerous Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, and then tests those parameters to ensure your Internet Quality grade is an A. It then continually monitors and tunes those parameters as needed over time, performing dynamic adjustments as needed to react to transient changes in the line.
What do I have to do to setup IQrouter?
Very little. Once you physically connect the gear, IQrouter optimizes itself during the short setup wizard process. IQrouter then runs its tuning process regularly during the first few days of its operation to determine optimized settings for your line. Subsequently, the quality settings will be verified over time, and you will be alerted if they change significantly. If the change is large enough, a new tuning run may be scheduled to make any necessary adjustments.
I’m not terribly technical, is this hard to connect?
Not really; we’ve had plenty of customers of all ages who proclaim they are not technically inclined successfully install the IQrouter unassisted. The product has an illustrated Quick Start setup guide to make it easy to get up and running. You can read our guides and see a video describing the process on the Documentation page.
If I change ISPs, purchase a different Internet speed package or my ISP changes my provisioned speed, what should I do?
If you substantially change your plan, all you need to do is select Advanced->ISP Service Change menu item. If you change ISPs, we recommend going back through the short initial configuration process, which is easily done from the Advanced->Initial Config menu item. It will remember many of your prior settings, such as the WiFi name and password. This will allow you to let it know you've changed from, say, DSL to Cable, and to let it re-tune to the new service and gear. See this support article for further details.
Does IQrouter ever lower my speed?
IQrouter is a smart traffic management system that steps in to control traffic when the line starts to become congested. When the line isn’t saturated, it’s allowed to deliver data at the maximum speed. Still, as soon as there’s congestion, the speed needs to be intelligently throttled and managed to maintain Internet Quality. However, you get quicker results on page loads and other actives thanks to radically reduced latencies under load. Please read our article on Speed and speed tests to learn more.
How long does the optimization or tuning process take?
Each tuning run takes approximately two minutes as we first need to measure the actual line speed before applying and checking the optimization settings. It runs for at least a day or two, longer for lines with a lot of variability, so give it a few days to tune. But it will deliver usable improvements as soon as it is deployed.
Does IQrouter’s built-in WiFi access point provide satisfactory WiFi coverage?
IQrouter’s WiFi coverage is suitable for small to medium-sized premises. For large premises, an additional WiFi access point could be considered for greater WiFi coverage. We have a detailed article on WiFi options.
I already have a relatively new and powerful router/access point; why do I need this?
Like you, we’ve all gone out and bought new gear hoping for improvements, and while some are achieved, quality is still not that great. Even the high-end >$200 antenna-festooned units fail at delivering quality service (we know, we’ve tested them) out of the box or on variable lines. So we recommend getting the IQrouter, repurposing your other device as an additional access point, and enjoying both optimum coverage and quality.
My DSL service stinks. Will this fix that?
Sure will, as most ISP-supplied modem/routers are inferior performers, and when replaced with an IQrouter, customers see an immediate improvement thanks to our intelligent traffic management that is optimized for your specific line. Additionally, the IQrouter will report any line issues it discovers via a handy Customer Dashboard. Customers have successfully used that report to get the ISP to fix the line.
I lose Internet access several times a day on DSL; what can I do?
That is often a symptom of an underlying issue relating to the line, like a bad connection in the house wiring or the ISP wire to the home. The stability of the line will still be an issue, but when it’s working, an IQrouter will improve the quality whenever it’s connected. And the IQrouter logs line issues and presents them in a Dashboard report, which is helpful in proving to the ISP that there are line problems.
Therefore we recommend that you first work with your ISP to correct anything under their control and that you also look at your home wiring to ensure it’s not the source of the problem. We have an article that provides some tips: The Last 50 Feet – DSL home wiring
Is it secure?
The IQrouter is built with up-to-date software foundations that include the latest security patches. Whenever there are updates, the administrative status screen tells you so you can click a button to get the latest features and patches.
Furthermore, unlike so many other commercial or ISP-supplied routers, this one does not have default passwords; you must provide your own unique password for WiFi and router administrative access. This protects you from malware that might try to change something in your router without your knowledge.
What are the tech specs?
We have a dedicated page detailing the technical specifications of the IQrouter V3.
This page describes the IQrouter Pro and its technical specifications.
Where can I get answers to more technical questions about the IQrouter
Visit IQrouter's Help Center for even more FAQs and guides, or to open a support ticket if you need further clarifications.
There is a pre-sales FAQ for the IQrouter Pro