TP-LINK wireless router setup tips

System Requirements

• Broadband Internet Access Service (DSL/Cable/Ethernet)
• One DSL/Cable modem that has an RJ45 connector
• Each PC in the LAN needs a working Ethernet Adapter and an Ethernet cable
• TCP/IP protocol must be installed on each PC
• Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox

Installation Environment Requirements

• Do not place in direct sunlight or near a heater or heating vent
• Do not cluttered or crowded. There should be at least 2 inches (5 cm) of clear space on all sides of the router
• Well ventilated (especially if it is in a closet)
• Operating temperature: 0C~40C (32F~104F)
• Operating Humidity: 10%~90%RH, Non-condensing

Wireless Installation Considerations

1. Position your wireless devices and avoid any barrier such as wall and ceiling to keep the number of barriers between the TP-LINK router and other wireless devices to a minimum, because each wall or ceiling can reduce your wireless adapter's range from 3-90 feet (1-30 meters).
2. Position wireless devices so that the signal will travel straight through a wall or ceiling along the horizontal line instead of at an angle for reducing signal attenuation.
3. Materials and objects such as glass, steel, metal, walls with insulation, water (fish tanks), mirrors, file cabinets, brick and concrete will degrade your wireless signal. But materials and objects have the different effect for wireless signal. For example a solid metal door or aluminium studs may have a negative effect on signal range, so please position wireless device to make the signal passes through dry wall or open doorway.
4. Keep your product away (at least 1-2 meters) from electrical devices or appliances that generate RF noise. And if you are using 2.4GHz cordless phone or other wireless devices such as ceiling fans, lights, video and home security systems, your wireless connection may drop completely. Make sure your 2.4GHz phone base is as far away from your wireless devices as possible. The base transmits a signal even if the phone is not in use.

Before you begin to install

• Make sure your computer can connect to the Internet through your broadband service successfully. If there is any problem, please contact your ISP.
• Please configure the router with the computer that was last connected directly to your modem.
• You can only use the Ethernet port on your modem. If you were using the USB connection before using the router, then you must turn off your modem, disconnect the USB cable and connect an Ethernet cable to the Internet port on the router, and then turn the modem back on. In some cases, you may need to call your ISP to change connection types (USB to Ethernet).
• If you have DSL broadband service and are connecting via PPPoE, make sure you disable or uninstall any PPPoE software such as WinPoet, Broadjump, or Enternet 300 from your computer, or else you will not be able to connect to the Internet. Some ISPs also provide similar PPPoE software.
• Please follow the Quick Installation Guide and User Guide to install and configure your TP-LINK Router.

REVIEW

TP-LINK today announced the TP-LINK Archer C20i - AC750 Simultaneous Dual-Band Broadband Wireless AC Router - geared for budget-minded students and consumers, seeking an attractively priced router, without sacrificing performance. At a suggested list price of $59.99 (CAD), the Archer C20i is the category leader for price-performance in the entry-level AC wireless category, and comes with a long two-year warranty.

The Archer C20i supports the 802.11ac standard, offering higher throughput and longer range than previous generation routers, and is backward compatible with 802.11n devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Premium Features, Including USB Port

The Archer C20i boasts a new contemporary design that nicely blends in with other consumer electronic devices in a room; advanced encryption (WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK) against security threats; and includes a highly coveted USB port, a rarity in the entry-level AC wireless category, for sharing printers, files, and media with different devices on a local home network, or remotely via a FTP server.

With 433Mbps wireless speeds over the crystal clear 5GHz band and 300Mbps over the 2.4GHz band, the Archer C20i offers the flexibility of two dedicated networks and ensures the highest levels of wireless performance. Additionally, high-quality connections can be maintained even when multiple devices are in use.

Simple tasks such as sending e-mails or web browsing can be handled by the 2.4GHz band while bandwidth intensive tasks such as online gaming, HD video streaming, and video chatting can be handled by the 5GHz band - all at the same time.

Set up of the Archer C20i is easy with the included resource CD: a configuration utility can help users complete the entire software installation, including wireless network settings in just a few minutes.

Stable Omnidirectional Signal and Superior Coverage
The Archer C20i features premium antenna technology: 3 internal high-quality antennas deliver not only stable signals in every direction, but also higher speeds across greater distances. This provides users with superior omnidirectional wireless range and reliability.

Highlights

·    Supports 802.11ac standard: the next generation of Wi-Fi

·    Simultaneous 2.4GHz 300Mbps and 5GHz 433Mbps connections for 733Mbps of total available bandwidth

·    Stable omnidirectional signal and superior wireless coverage

·    USB port: share a printer locally and files & media with networked devices or remotely via FTP server

·    Guest Network Access provides secure Wi-Fi access for guests sharing a network

·    Parental Controls allow parents to establish restricted access policies for children

·    IP-based Bandwidth Control makes it easier to manage the bandwidth of devices connected to the router

·    SPI and NAT firewall protects end-user devices from potential Internet attacks

·    WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryption provides user networks with active defense against security threats

·    IPv6 supported, meeting the demands for the next generation of the Internet

"Students and consumers will appreciate the great value and performance of the new Archer C20i,'' says Mark Macaulay, director of sales for TP-LINK Canada. "The new contemporary look of the Archer C20i is exciting and reflects the added emphasis in design that TP-LINK is now taking."

Macaulay adds, "The Archer C20i supports the 802.11ac standard for better wireless coverage and reliability than previous generation routers. Backward compatibility ensures all older 802.11n devices are fully supported."

How to improve my wireless speed or range?

Overview

To improve the wireless speed or range, it is highly recommend to work on the following common solutions:

• Choosing the best locations
• Optimising configuration of the device
• Upgrade the equipment

Symptom

Weak wireless signal showed, low wireless speed or range.

Cause

The factors most frequently affecting the wireless signal:

1. Intrinsic factors

Transmission Distance: Regarding on the wireless device particularly working on 5GHz band, it will be more sensitive to the obstacle. Though there will be more clear channels than those of 2.4GHz bands, the wireless signal will be reduced significantly and transmit in shorter range due to higher frequency.
Antenna: Omni-directional antennas and directional antennas. Omni-directional antennas are resembled in our home products like wireless router or wireless ADSL2+ Modem Routers, they radiate horizontally all around, but are weaker upward or downward as the picture shows.

While a directional antennas radiate strongly in a particular direction which are usually used for high power outdoor products. The gain of a directional antenna increases, also with the coverage distance, but the effective coverage angle decreases. Generally, the higher gain value of an antenna, the better directional ability will be.

For directional antennas, the lobes are pushed in a certain direction and little energy is there on the back side of the antenna. Please refer the picture below.

This phenomenon will be more significant once you deploy the High-Gain antenna, so we recommend that to confirm precise on horizon direction otherwise there be unexpected dramatic signal loss.

Wireless Communication Performance: The higher performance transmission rates, the better ability.

2. Extrinsic factors

• Physical Barriers, such as wall or clapboard and so on;
• Other similar devices and other sources such as microwave ovens, cordless phones or other technologies that use the same band as Bluetooth or security devices.
• There are more than one AP or wireless routers working in the same Channel.
• The location where an AP or wireless router is placed. Do your better to place the device at a higher location to reduce the barrier's countercheck.

Solution

Here are some solutions to improve the weak wireless signal as the reference, some problems caused by the inherent property of wireless connection.

Choosing the best locations

1. Antennas should be positioned for best location and direction

• Deploy the antenna in good location and correct angle, and also make sure your wireless client devices are in the coverage;
• For multi-story buildings wireless coverage, we recommend to placing antennas at 45 degrees (diagonally) or 0 degrees (straight out parallel to the floor) which will be more effective. Since antennas always transmit weakly at the base, do not place your wireless client device at the bottom of TP-LINK wireless router or access point.

Please check the following picture as reference and you can find easily that A point is recommend while B or C is in not good location.

2. Try best to avoid the extrinsic interference

• >Avoiding the physical interference in the wireless coverage, each wall or ceiling will have a negative effect on wireless radio particularly the ones built by solid metal material;
• Keep your device away from various electromagnetic noise sources that generate RF noise, like microwaves, Monitors, electric motors, copying and fax machines, etc.

Optimise configuration of the device

For TP-LINK wireless products, we recommend to do corresponding settings to avoid the interference from other networking and radio frequency equipment.
First, please log into the product and you can refer to this link as guidance. Here we take TL-WR1043ND user interface as an example and then please go to Wireless->Wireless settings and change the channel settings, the default value is Auto and here we recommend select 1, 6 or 11 if you suffer high wireless interference.

For 802.11b and g, there are 14 channels designated in the 2.4 GHz range and three non-overlapping channels recommended: 1, 6 and 11 (1, 7 and 13 in part European region, please obey your local regulations or laws).

Sometimes the "well-known" channels will be also crowded and we recommend to select the appropriate one adjusted to your local environment.

Upgrade the equipment

• If you want to have a big improvement immediately and boost the wireless throughput, you can also choose to upgrade a combination of antennas or other wireless equipment to enhance the wireless transmission;
• If you are in a congestion wireless environment, the wired connection can be taken into consideration and the TP-LINK Powerline equipment is a good alternative.

TP-LINK C20i

A warm welcome to all. Today we will review tp-link archer c20i.

Looks Tall Wall design with glossy finish but finger print magnet. Feature wise it is same as its sibling Archer C20 with only 3 difference 1) Design, 2) Tri 5 dB inbuilt antennae, 3) Ethernet ports at back and USB on right with power, wps & Wi-Fi buttons. Design wise it easily blends with your stuff in your room giving giving a first time looker a WoW look. It has 3 5dB antennae for stable omnidirectional signal and super coverage  as in the pic below :-

(c) tp-link.in

With 3 antennas combined with higher quality antenna technology, you can experience excellent wireless performance with stable signal in every direction .

The TP-LINK Archer C20i AC750 Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-AC Broadband Router comes with the next generation Wi-Fi standard – 802.11ac, backward compatible with 802.11n and 3 times faster than wireless N speeds. With higher power efficiency and robust security, 802.11ac is the perfect way to accelerate a home multimedia network and solve congestion that multiple devices may cause. The TP-LINK Archer C20i also features a USB port to share a printer locally, files and media with networked devices or remotely via FTP server.

 (c) tp-link.in

733Mbps Dual Band Connections for Lag-Free Work and Entertainment

With 433Mbps wireless speeds over the crystal clear 5GHz band and 300Mbps over the 2.4GHz band, Archer C20i offers you the flexibility of two dedicated networks and ensures amazing wireless performance. Simple tasks such as sending e-mails or web browsing can be handled by the 2.4GHz band while bandwidth intensive tasks like online gaming or HD video streaming can be processed by the 5GHz band – all at the same time.

 (c) tp-link.in

802.11ac - The Next Generation of Wi-Fi

Key Features

• Wireless and Wired Performance
• Supports 802.11ac - the next generation of Wi-Fi, compatible with 802.11n
• Simultaneous 2.4GHz 300Mbps and 5GHz 433Mbps connections for 733Mbps of total available bandwidth
• Stable omnidirectional signal and superior wireless coverage
• USB port - share a printer locally and files & media with networked devices or remotely via FTP server
• Control and Security
• Guest Network Access provides secure Wi-Fi access for guests sharing your home or office network
• Parental Controls allow parents or administrators to establish restricted access policies for children or staff
• IP-based Bandwidth Control makes it easier for you to manage the bandwidth of devices connected to the router
• SPI and NAT firewall protects end-user devices from potential attacks from the Internet
• WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryptions provide user networks with active defence against security threats
• Ease of Use
• Easy one-touch WPA wireless security encryption with the WPS button
• Wi-Fi On/Off Button allows users to turn their wireless radio on or off
• Easy Setup Assistant with multi-language support provides a quick & hassle free installation process
• Others
• IPv6 supported, meeting the demands for the next generation of the Internet.

Tech Specs As per tp-link.in and the product box :

HARDWARE FEATURES
Interface	4 10/100 LAN ports 1 10/100 WAN port 1 USB 2.0 port
Button	WPS/Reset Button Wireless On/Off Button Power On/Off Button
Antenna	3 internal antennas
External Power Supply	12VDC /1A
Dimensions ( W x D x H )	4.44 x 2.36 x 6.73 in. (113 x 60 x 171mm)

WIRELESS FEATURES
Wireless Standards	IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz
Frequency	2.4GHz and 5GHz
Signal Rate	5GHz: Up to 433Mbps 2.4GHz: Up to 300Mbps
Reception Sensitivity	5GHz 11a 6Mbps: -91dBm, 11a 54Mbps: -74dBm 11ac HT20: -66dBm, 11ac HT40: -64dBm, 11ac HT80: -61dBm, 11n HT20: -71dBm, 11n HT40: -69dBm 2.4GHz 11g 54M: -74dBm 11n HT20: -72dBm, 11n HT40: -69dBm
Transmit Power	CE: <20dBm(2.4GHz) <23dBm(5GHz) FCC: <30dBm
Wireless Functions	Enable/Disable Wireless Radio, WDS Bridge, WMM, Wireless Statistics
Wireless Security	64/128-bit WEP,WPA / WPA2,WPA-PSK/ WPA2-PSK encryption

SOFTWARE FEATURES
Quality of Service	WMM, Bandwidth Control
WAN Type	Dynamic IP/Static IP/PPPoE/ PPTP(Dual Access)/L2TP(Dual Access)/BigPond
Management	Access Control Local Management Remote Management
DHCP	Server, Client, DHCP Client List, Address Reservation
Port Forwarding	Virtual Server, Port Triggering, UPnP, DMZ
Dynamic DNS	DynDns, Comexe, NO-IP
VPN Pass-Through	PPTP, L2TP, IPSec
Access Control	Parental Control, Local Management Control, Host List, Access Schedule, Rule Management
Firewall Security	DoS, SPI Firewall IP Address Filtering/MAC Address Filtering/Domain Filtering IP and MAC Address Binding
Protocols	Supports IPv4 and IPv6
USB Sharing	Support Samba(Storage)/ FTP Server/Media Server/Printer Server
Guest Network	2.4GHz guest network × 1 5GHz guest network × 1

OTHERS
Certification	CE, FCC, RoHS
Package Contents	AC750 Wireless Dual Band Router Archer C20i Power Supply Unit Resource CD Ethernet Cable Quick Installation Guide
System Requirements	Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, Mac OS or Linux-based operating system
Environment	Operating Temperature: 0℃~40 ℃ (32 ℉~104℉) Storage Temperature: -40℃~70 ℃ (-40 ℉~158℉) Operating Humidity: 10%~90% non-condensing Storage Humidity: 5%~90% non-condensing

These are my test done by my 2 phones  for both bands in my 2 bhk wit area of 950 sq-feet:

INTEX aqua fish 2.4 Ghz

drawing room -59 dBi

bedroom 1 -55 dBi
bedroom 2 -70 dBi
kitchen -66 dBi
toilet -69 dBi
bathroom -73 dBi using  signal strenth

drawing room -59 dBi
bedroom 1 -65dBi
bedroom 2 -67 dBi
kitchen -68 dBi
toilet -66dBi
bathroom -61 dBi using wifi analyser 

samsung note 4 5Ghz running wifi analytics from netgear

drawing room -47 dBi
bedroom 1 -66 dBi
bedroom 2 -62dBi
kitchen -64 dBi
toilet -80 dBi

bathroom-75 dBi

Speed Test using speedtest.net on my Lenovo g50-80

One could also use html 5  based speed tester like speedof.me for 100% accuracy

My Conclusions :

rugged router as compaired to others in same category in design and companion app with 3 5db antenne. An ideal for a house of 950 sq feet area. A big drawback are its lights in front as they don't blink so difficult to make out connectivity and only 1 lan port light so u cant see what is connected on which port number.

UI :

Good user interface divided in 3 parts with menu on left , functions in middle and help on makes it more intuitive ui  as not seen on some famous brands like Netgear DGN3200V4 used by me previously an N300 router. In my view best ui with help I have ever come across ever. only drawback not having GUI as P5 or ASUSWART interface. But is a great for day to day configs of network and is easy to use even by a newbe. How ever the best part about TP-LINK is router firmware simulation on there tp-link.in website.

PRICE:

Best in the class of budget routers offering usb support for print and media along with DLNA and FTP server. falling between 2150 k to 2500 k in the local market. and ideal replacement for your old routers.

TIPS:

1) check your laptop and mobile adapters before buying your modem.
    eg: Intel dual band wireless-AC3160 : A 1x1 802.11AC Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth adapter that delivers upto 433 Mbps and Intel dual band wireless-AC7620 : A 2x2 802.11AC Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth adapter that delivers upto 867 Mbps.
do check www.intel.com/wireless for more on adapters as buying a P5 for that matter wont make any impact as receving end is a pipe and delivering end is a tunnel like 1300Mbps on Intel dual band wireless-AC3160 where speed is 433 Mbps only .

2) Be budget wise : don't by routers based on its speed as price also increases . like an n300 router will give you max speed of 150 (funda of 10/100 Mbps) so also buying GIGABIT Port router wont help if you have adapters like Intel dual band wireless-AC3160 on your laptop or desktop.

3) Buy only trusted brands don't experiment with new ones.

Watch and Tracker buying guide

If you're in the market for a smartwatch or fitness band, here's what you should look for and what you should know before buying. (Hint: it's still a messy, muddy place.)

Smartwatches, smartwatches everywhere. Fitness bands, too. Wearable tech wants to be in your life, but do you feel like letting it in?

Wearable tech is still on the rise: according to market researcher Canalys, 7 million wearable bands shipped in the first quarter of this year, a growth of 150 percent over the previous year. By IDC's earlier estimates, 45.7 million wearable bands will ship by the end of this year, with a yearly forecast of 126.1 million by 2019.

And yet, there's so much that feels hard to recommend. When I took a look at the wearable landscape back before the Apple Watch, it seemed like a good time to wait. Now, past the halfway point of 2015, lots of new products have finally emerged: The Apple Watch, Pebble Time and new fitness trackers from Jawbone, Fitbit and Garmin are all available for purchase. And...it's still a muddy territory.

That's because wearable tech is still largely unnecessary for most people. For the vast majority, these devices still skew somewhere between a toy and a tool -- albeit one that is often somewhat redundant to your smartphone. Bands and watches can do it better, though, and there are some options out there that range from pretty decent to downright solid. But buyer beware: While we've reached a lull in the wearable tech onslaught -- nearly all of the previously announced products have been released -- know that whatever you pick now might feel outdated in just a year.

That said, are you ready to take the plunge? Consider: Do you want to make sure you don't miss messages on your phone? Care about getting a bit healthier via a gadget? Do you run a lot? Are you an early adopter of status-symbol personal tech? Then maybe a smartwatch or fitness band is for you.

There are now dozens of smartwatches and fitness trackers now available, but below you'll find our recommendations right now, and why they stand out. Also make sure to check out our continually updated list of best wearable tech.

What to look for in a smartwatch or fitness band:

• Design: Does it actually appeal to you? This is a matter of personal taste.
• Phone support: You'll need Bluetooth 4.0, and your phone and OS need to be supported.
• Is it waterproof, or swim-friendly? Do you shower with your watch on?
• Battery life: Our baseline is an average of three days for a smartwatch, seven days average for a fitness band -- but very few current products meet those expectations.
• What apps does it run? Pebble, Android Wear and Samsung Gear all use different apps.
• Color screen, or black and white, or something else, or none at all? Some screens are always on.
• Can it recognize your voice, and can it act as a speakerphone? Do you want that?
• Is there a heart-rate monitor? How does it track fitness? Heart-rate monitors vary greatly, too.
• What apps and ecosystems is it compatible with? For fitness bands, this is a big deal.

Apple Watch: A good iPhone accessory set to get even better

The Apple Watch has made the biggest splash, with the biggest brand recognition, of any piece of wearable tech. That doesn't mean it's a must-have. The Apple Watch requires a recent (iPhone 5 or later) iPhone, and runs its own App Store-compatible apps. But its mix of easy-to-access notifications, fitness tracking, premium design and extra bells and whistles set it apart from most of the competition. It's expensive, though, and its battery life isn't great (one day or slightly more). And, its selection of third-party apps just don't load fast or work that well.

It's also an unfinished product. A wealth of on-board apps are coming this fall along with a revamped WatchOS 2, a software revamp that will hit by the end of the year. These could both make the Apple Watch far better than it currently is. But if you wait until the fall, would you consider waiting even further until next year and an inevitable Apple Watch 2? I say you at least wait until this fall to see what the new changes are like, unless you're desperate to start playing with one today. Even with its flaws, it's one of the best smartwatches around right now. And, if you're an iPhone user, this edges out the Pebble in nearly all regards (except battery life).

Pebble Time: Pebble's latest watch adds color and a new UI, but still feels the same.

Pebble: Old reliable

Think of the Pebble watch as the BlackBerry of smartwatches: functional, traditional, somewhat unsexy, but once you become a serious user you'll probably be hooked. Pebble watches don't have touchscreens, lack heart-rate tracking, and have apps that feel retro and not all that advanced compared to what Apple Watch, Samsung Gear and Android Wear offer. But the Pebble works across Android and iOS, has hundreds of apps and watch faces that are mostly free, has battery life that lasts nearly a week, an always-on reflective display, and can be worn while swimming and showering. It's like a regular digital watch, turned smart.

You can pick from several models. The oldest Pebble ($99, £100 or AU$149) is still decent for its price, but ugly and scratch-prone. The step-up Pebble Steel ($150, £149 or AU$289) adds a metal frame and Gorilla Glass, but has the same black-and-white screen. These Pebbles can only store eight apps or watch faces at a time. The new Pebble Time ($199 or £180) looks more toy-ish than the Casio-retro Pebble Steel, but adds a reflective color screen, storage for dozens of apps, and a revamped interface with a new timeline view for upcoming events. It also has a rear port that could eventually be used for hardware-extension watchbands.

Buy the cheap Pebble if you want something basic to catch messages and info; consider the Pebble Time for better futureproofing. My sentimental favorite is still the throwback Pebble Steel for its angular looks. The Pebble is the best place to go for a decent set of basic functions in something that feels more like a regular digital watch.

LG Watch Urbane: classic design, one of our favorite Android Wear watches.

Android Wear: Google's smartwatch offers lots of options

Android phone owners have a lot of smartwatch options. There are over half a dozen Android Wear smartwatches to choose from: the LG G Watch , Samsung Gear Live , Moto 360 , Asus ZenWatch , Sony SmartWatch 3 , LG G Watch R andLG Watch Urbane . They all run a common OS and apps, and work with tons of Android phones. Because Android Wear watches have been around for a year, you can probably catch a sale on one and get a good deal. These watches vary in features slightly, something to consider when buying: some lack Wi-Fi for extended connectivity, and Sony's is the only one that has GPS. Some lack heart-rate tracking. They all have different designs, with round or square screens, but they all run the same set of apps and watch faces.

Battery life is mediocre, and Google's watch OS and interface, while it's been getting better and better, still feels imperfect and sometimes awkward. You can do a lot of things with Android Wear, like respond to messages, use apps and get map navigation. But they all require a phone to be paired and they lack any speakerphone for making calls.

My favorite is the LG Watch Urbane, but it's also expensive. The Moto 360 is a good choice now that its price has dropped. It has built-in Wi-Fi, which enables a longer-distance bridged connection with your phone across different Wi-Fi networks, included in Android Wear's latest software update. For the right price, an Android Wear watch can be fun. But most of them still feel rough around the edges and more like a chore than a life-altering tool...and that's mainly due to Android Wear's software.

Samsung Gear watches: Skip for now

A note on Samsung watches: The company has made many smartwatches, most of which work exclusively with certain Samsung phones. In 2015, thus far, Samsung has had no new smartwatches at all. Samsung's watches offer more hardware features, and also have onboard speakerphones like the Apple Watch. (TheSamsung Gear S , released last fall, even doubles as a stand-alone phone with its own SIM card.) But Samsung has a new watch on the horizon, and probably a new app ecosystem. For that reason, and others, you should skip Tizen-based Samsung Gear watches for now (that's every watch except the Samsung Gear Live, an older watch that runs Google's Android Wear).

If you have a Samsung phone, you can use an Android Wear watch (see above). The apps are better, and the support is greater. You can't make phone calls from your wrist, though.

Worth getting: Jawbone Up2, Fitbit Charge HR, Misfit Flash and Withings Activite Pop.

Fitness bands: Heart rate, or no?

Despite smarter smartwatches like Apple Watch, fitness bands are doing just fine. That's because they're cheaper and more purpose-built. Fitbit is the dominant brand, but it's not necessarily my favorite. That being said, you're bound to find the most people you know using Fitbits, which helps because you can compete socially with them.

Fitness trackers are about all-day 24-hour activity monitoring. Some of them track active exercise, but most lack GPS functions that serious runners crave. These are, mostly, for the average person looking to get a bit healthier.

If you're getting a Fitbit, get the Fitbit Charge HR . It doesn't cost much more than the regular Fitbit Charge, and adds 24-hour heart-rate tracking. It also tracks sleep, has decent battery life and is easy to use.

Jawbone makes a fantastic fitness app, but its latest hardware isn't all that great. The Jawbone Up2 lacks heart-rate, but that's fine: you're better off saving $80 and skipping the Up3's bare-bones, weird heart-rate functions.

On the cheaper end, go with a Misfit Flash : its long battery life and shower-friendly water resistance in a $50 gadget can't be beat.

You can also pick a semi-smart watch with fitness built in: the Withings Activite Popfeels like a regular analog watch but has eight months of battery life, can track swimming, and syncs steps and sleep over Bluetooth to your phone. It's a sign of where fitness tracking might head next: to your everyday watch.

In general, go cheap with fitness bands, and skip heart-rate for now unless you're a serious workout warrior or runner. Heart-rate tracking isn't all that accurate unless you're using a chest strap monitor, and most fitness apps don't help you understand your heart rate in any meaningful way.

Do-it-all fitness gadgets (like the Basis Peak and Microsoft Band ) have too many compromises to feel like the right solution for most people. But these types of comprehensive bands point to where fitness bands might aspire to next.

The Polar M400, one of our favorite running watches.

Running watches: Power tools

If you're a real runner, there are plenty of purpose-built solutions on the market. Garmin, Timex, Polar and many others have dedicated running watches. These sync data with your phone or PC, but their advantages over fitness trackers tend to involve longer battery life, GPS, and more detailed runner-oriented data.

Stay tuned for more reviews, but our favorite right now is the Polar M400 : its combination of smartwatch-like notifications (for iOS), GPS and all-day activity tracking make it stand out. The Garmin Forerunner 15 is a solid entry-level running watch, but it lacks Bluetooth for phone syncing. Having on-board GPS and a wealth of runner-targeted stats at your fingertips, plus a display that maximizes easy reading of those stats, still makes these watches stand apart from most fitness bands and smartwatches.

Apple Watch, LG Watch Urbane, Pebble Time, Moto 360.

What comes next?

Look for apps and ecosystem to drive wearables for now. The arrival of better apps on the Apple Watch will probably happen in tandem with improved Android Wear apps and, eventually, a new Samsung watch with its own apps. Connecting to smart homes, connected devices and onboard watch sensors in new, innovative ways could start making smartwatches feel a lot more interesting by mid-2016. But that's all speculation. At the moment, smartwatches feel caught up in a singular problem: they're mainly phone accessories, and as a result they feel like luxuries rather than necessities.

For fitness bands, improvements in heart-rate sensors and apps that interpret heart rate in helpful ways still need to emerge to justify the purchase for most people.

Finally, there need to be new steps in sensor technology and battery life. Will there be new types of sensors beyond barometers, heart rate sensors, and accelerometers? It's possible, but those sensors haven't yet arrived. Battery life on smartwatches is still really limited -- cracking the week-plus barrier would be a huge help. The Pebble Time Steel promises up to 10 days of battery life, but most watches still require charging multiple times a week.

These bigger changes won't come until next year. For now, I'd still either pick a basic fitness band or go with a major-brand smartwatch with app support.