You've received a router as part of your broadband deal, but could you do better? For most people the answer is 'no' as the router they've been sent is guaranteed to work and is easily fixed or replaced, often free of charge; some service providers can even connect and manage their routers remotely. An ISP is unlikely to offer technical support for a router that you buy yourself, even if it works perfectly with the service.

Only consider a router of your own if you need its extra features - for example, if you've been given a single-user ADSL or cable modem rather than a router, or you'd like to add Wifi to your network. Likewise you may want extra features such as virtual private network (VPN) remote access or Voice over IP (VoIP) facilities, but bear in mind that you can add these in other ways (via dedicated software or hardware appliances, for example) if needed.