Geekery Question #209.312(b)

[Snowflake]

Okay, in an effort to reduce some of the household budget, we bundled cable/internet/phone with comcast. I need to get a router and I do not know what I should get. The tech recommended Linksys (sp?) or a Belkin and said we should not need to pay more than $70. Anyone have a recommendation on a router?

Apparently the internet speed on my laptop is wicked fast.:D

[Ghoulish Delight]

Define "wicked fast". I assume you mean wireless. If so, I'm guessing you're going to be looking for one marked "802.11n", "N" (or sometimes marketed as "Wireless-N") being the key. That's as opopsed to "g", and you definitely do not want "b". N is the latest, and fastest, of the wireless routing protocols. And any other devices you have that might be slower will still be able to connect to the latest-greatest.

The other option you'll see on the routers is "Gigabit Ethernet". That is probably NOT very important for you. Unless you plan on transferring a lot of large data between your laptop and another computer with a wired connection, that particular feature won't really do you much good. Of course, it's easy to avoid because if you're looking at ones <$70, they will definitely not be Gigabit Ethernet. They'll be of the 100Mb (aka 10/100) variety.

Linksys, Netgear, Belkin. Those are the three big names. Any of them make fine products, and you'll find just as many people for any of the three telling you how much the others suck. So find the best deal, look for one that gets generally positive reviews, and keep your receipt just in case the one you end up with has issues in your particular home. Other than that, yeah, you shold be able to walk away for <$70 no problem.

[Alex]

Netgear and Linksys routers have always worked fine for me (I thought the Netgear one was a dog for a long time but the problem eventually was found elsewhere).

How were you accessing internet before that you don't already have a router if you have multiple machines?

Remember, that the router PW and ID should be left on default. Your neighbors will thank you.

[Snowflake]

Netgear and Linksys routers have always worked fine for me (I thought the Netgear one was a dog for a long time but the problem eventually was found elsewhere).

How were you accessing internet before that you don't already have a router if you have multiple machines?

Remember, that the router PW and ID should be left on default. Your neighbors will thank you.

We were with At&T and the modem was a 2wire so I was plugged in (with the old PC) and my roomie was wireless.

Right now my laptop is plugged into the cable modem, but we do need a router so my roomie can use her wireless and I can be wireless too, if I want to be.

[BarTopDancer]

My vote is for Linksys and I suggest looking on Amazon, newegg and buy.com for the best prices.