best wireless router for macbook

i am planning to get a macbook within a few days, i was wondering what is the best wireless router to get for the macbook. thanks for the help

 

Just about any will do. I would stick to major brands, Netgear, Linksys, D-Link. I would also avoid all the N stuff and stick with g since that is what the airport extreme is in the MacBook. I have a Netgear that works very well for me. Don't get the Apple Airport Extreme Base Station. I am not saying it is not good, but it is outragously priced.

 

thanks cashmonee, do you think its better to order a macbook or get it from the apple store, i just dont want an apple that is sitting in the stock room for a while. thanks for the help

 

I don't think there is a huge differnce either way. Especially with the MacBooks. They are selling so fast that I doubt they sit very long at all. In fact, you may find it hard to get the one you want from the Apple Store. If you have one in your area try that first, it is so much fun getting it right then and there.

 

I'm a bit partial to the Linksys WRT-54GL. It's an open source linux OS and there are 3rd party OS's for it that are way more powerful than the built in one. The build in OS is pretty good too. It also doesn't suffer from some of the problems the WRT-56G had.

heh, with one of the OS's you can put on there, you can change the power of the antenna, either shortening or extending the broadcast range

 

thanks for the fast reply cashmonee, do you know if they resolved the issue's of the color discoloration, and the random shutdowns on the macbook, thanks once again for your replies

 

The discoloration was fixed. they replaced the palm rest area with a different material. If you get one, and it has the same problem, it'll be covered under warranty. If your macbook has random shutdowns, mac is taking them in for reapirs or replacements. Apple made an official announcement about it last week.

 

Just as hollownail said

 

If you order from the Apple Store you are most likely to get the latest. If you order from anywhere else you will almost certainly get something at least a little older, though it doesn't have to be of course. But I've seen some horrific examples of computers and iPods that have been on the shelves for over a year in some stores before being sold x_x That's an extreme example though.

From that perspective, Apple Store is certainly the best, and I personally wouldn't buy a mac anywhere else. That's my opinion however But the above is fact, if you want the newest revision of something: order from Apple.

 

what about the air port extreme station? Is it worth the money?

 

I do not recommend getting a Linksys WRT-54G v.5 ... many people have had dropout problems with it. Any other version, including the WRT-54GL mentioned (actually a WRT-54g v.4 renamed) seems to be okay. I actually use a WRT-54g but it is v.2.1

 

Airport Extreme Station, my friend said they are really good in terms of signal quality and distance of such signals, my high school back then used the Airport Extreme Stations for the wifi.

I have the Netgear something something (haha) and its fantastic in range, I am literally half way down my block and still picking up a signal. I live in a suburban area also, as that probably helps my range.

 

Look at it this way. The AirPort Base Station is $199 (I think) and a Netgear/Linksys/D-Link will run you around $50-$80 depending on what sales you can catch. The AirPort only offers a modem and ability to be a print server. Honestly though it is really not worth the 3-4 times extra Apple charges.

 

the best one is the one I can use from my neighbours
I found 2 unsecured wireless networks here

 

I'm taking my old USR router and going to hook it up to a junk machine and set the router to unsecure. When someone logs in, i'll forward it to the machines web server.... which will only bring up nasty porn or something.

Just thought it would be funny to play a trick on people trying to get into my router lol.

 

"Linksys WRT-54G v.5 ... many people have had dropout problems with it."

I think that's the Linksys model I had, and it dropped me all the time. I lived in an apartment building and it seemed like any time a neighbor used a wireless device, mine would screw up. Changing channels wasn't a reliable fix. I ended up giving to my dad, who lives in a spaced-out neighborhood. It's working all right for him.

I replaced the Linksys with Netgear and that's worked much better for me.

 

PS! Regarding the Linksys, I was using it with a PC, not a Mac. YMMV.