It's that time of year again. The air is crisp, the days are shorter, and new gadgets are about to make their way into homes across the country. Having the best out of the box experience for those devices takes a little preparation and a few key things to keep in mind.

First, does the device need a wireless internet connection (Wi-Fi)? Second, how old is that router (the Wi-Fi generator) hiding in the corner? And finally, think about the internet connection speed you subscribe to from your internet service provider (ISP). More connected devices equals more speed (bandwidth) needed.

Many, seemingly if not all, devices these days have some sort of ability to connect to the internet. Most use everybody's favorite way to connect to the internet, the one kids can't seem to live without, Wi-Fi!

Wi-Fi travels through your router on radio bands that act like invisible highways. Each band is a different lane, keeping data on separate routes to avoid congestion.

The wireless router then converts the data into radio signals and broadcast it to Wi-Fi capable devices such as tablets, streaming devices, security systems, smartphones, game consoles or any other device that operates with Wi-Fi.

*** TIP: You should always protect your wireless system with a password to avoid strangers from gobbling your bandwidth and potentially accessing your personal files.

The routers role is to connect and orchestrate all the comings and goings of data in the house and should be considered one of the most important devices in a home network setup. It works best when it is out in the open and free of interference. Wireless routers generally have a limited transmission. If you have a big home and your router is installed on one side of your house, you might experience difficulties accessing the network from the other end of the house. Often this unsung hero gets hidden away in a closet or TV entertainment hutch which can cause network connection issues and devices to slow down. Both your range and speed are determined by the wireless standard in use.

Every few years, the industry standard oversight committee, IEEE, releases a new set of standards to the world to increase the performance, range, speed etc. of Wi-Fi devices including routers. The technical term for these standards can be a bit of a mouthful and confusing to keep up with - 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac the list seems to go on and on.

Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) is the most common standard in routers and devices right now. A modern dual-band router with the latest standards can operate on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. Because certain devices demand more bandwidth than others, your router's efficiency depends on the number of bands it has—single or dual-band. A two-lane highway (or dual-band router) has one 2.4 GHz and one 5 GHz channel to support more simultaneous users.

It's important to know what to look for in a router, because like most people, you're probably due for an upgrade. Most households have wireless routers that are a few years old. With each passing year, more connected devices join your home Wi-Fi network, putting more stress on that outdated router. In fact, you should replace your router every two years to stay current with advances in Wi-Fi technology.

Lastly, the speed or bandwidth package you subscribe to from your ISP can play a key role in the connected device experience.

Thinking of your internet service like a water pipe can help illustrate this. The larger the pipe, the more water, or in our case data, can flow through it at any given time. Of course, it's not always recommended to rush out and buy the biggest pipe (bandwidth) available if the faucet (device) can't handle that much water!

Keep in mind, the bandwidth your ISP promises to deliver isn't a per-device floor or ceiling—it's the total bandwidth available for your internet connection. That means it's shared among all the devices on your network. If you have a plan offering download speeds of 50Mbps and upload speeds of 10Mbps, for instance, and you have five devices connected to the internet, you could say each device might see a maximum download speed of 10Mbps and a maximum upload speed of 2.0Mbps.

The manner in which your internet bandwidth is distributed depends on your router and the demand from each device. You might not need super-fast speeds for every device or online service, but the quicker any device is served by the router means the more time it has to serve the other devices on the network. Thus, increasing the speeds of just one device could have an impact on the others.

At first thought, you might think your internet connection seems to be the bottleneck to the internet. If your ISP is delivering up to 500Mbps of bandwidth, you'd think that your home internet network could easily handle it, but sometimes that's just not the case. This is especially true when you have many devices on the network, particularly Wi-Fi connected devices.

Talk with your local internet provider. Let them be a partner in a successful broadband experience. An assessment of your internet speed and connected devices can help to make sure you are getting the best experience possible.

Keeping these three key points in mind this holiday season will make that new gadget experience that much better. The standard of Wi-Fi, the router and the speed at which the data is flowing into and out of the home all add up to make for an awesome connected device experience.

Jackie Urdahl and Bradly McComb, Zona Communications - authors