Advice on getting a wireless router?

I planning on purchasing a laptop with one of those Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG cards, and I've got a cable modem at home for my internet connection. Can someone recommend a cheap, no-thrills wireless router so that I can use my laptop on the internet while I'm sitting anywhere inside my home? I would like to pay no more than $50. All I want to do is share my internet connection with it.

 

Routers are pretty cheap now.

 

Not answering the question. ^^^ Anyway, theres a Netgear wireless router at BestBuy for $40. I like BestBuy because I have a reward zone card and I get points for my purchases. Im sure there everywhere for about $40. Im going to be picking one of these up in the near future.

 

If you notebook only has a abg you need to decide on how close you will be to the router. "11a" has less traffic and interference from other devices, but is more expensive. It's not always good to go cheap, in this case I would advise moving up to the $75 range and get a good one. But at all cost stay away from Belkin, they are nothing but trouble. I have yet to get hold of a good one.

 

I use a linksys WRT54GS and it work's great. I picked it up at Sam's for about 50 tax included.

 

yes, stay away from belkin. basically if you want to just surf, get a standard g wireless router, if you want to do more, such as stream movies/music or play games, step up to the MIMO router, for your budget. if you want to go even faster, then get a draft N, but those things are probably more than what you want. so i'd say either a MIMO or standard g router.

 

I'd suggest a D-Link, Netgear or Linksys brand router. Any should perform pretty well for you, as long as you make sure it has a bit of airflow around it. Linksys has been spotty with luck for me, but they're much more hackable, so I tend to prefer them myself

 

What is your home like??? An apartment with lots of steel in the walls? Or brick? Do you live in a 3 level townhome or a sprawling rambler?

I bought a Netgear RangeMax and enjoy significantly better WiFi coverage in my 3 level home. I have 4200 square feet and get an excellent signal everywhere in the house... Even in the basement where, with the Linksys router, I couldn't even get a signal!

My two centavos??? Pony up the extra clams for a Netgear RangeMax at BestBuy for $79

 

dell has a $32 netgear g router i forgot the model sorry