Networking Newb Needs a Wireless Router [Quick Replies Appreciated]

Hello everyone~ I pre-ordered a new Laptop sometime ago (yay), and although it has not yet arrived, my family is riding me to get a router within the next day or so. So here I am, trying to get some help. I'll try to lay down the setup of this network and the wireless cards that will be on the network so hopefully things will be pretty clear. There is going to be 1 Desktop and 2 Laptops on this network.

Desktop: The main family computer, and somewhat of a dinosaur I'm afraid to say. I was planning to have this one directly connected to the router since our modem and everything else is setup next to it.

Laptop 1: This is my sister's laptop. She's a casual user who wants to do a bit of browsing and whatnot with her Dell Laptop. Her network card as far as I can gather is a "Broadcom 440x 10/100 integrated controller." I ascertained this from her device manager.

Laptop 2: This will be my Laptop when it arrives, it is a Sager 5790 and will be used for lots and lots of gaming as well as my college work. Looking at the specs from the website, this one is using "Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965 802.11A/G/N Wireless." However, I've heard that wireless can cause alot of lag for gaming so if necessary I can whip out some cable and get it directly connected to the router. I'd prefer to be wireless so I'd like to get the best I can afford and see how it is before I decide on using a direct connection.

So there you have it. I asked around a bit at work and so far I know that Linksy (sp?) and Net Gear are two good brands of routers, but I don't have enough knowledge of routers to narrow it further. My budget is roughly $100 so if anyone can help me find something nice, I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

i would get a belkin n1 router its a n-draft router so its the fastest you can get right now and its the cheapest n-draft router available ($99) you would have to get an adaper for your sister because its not n-draft capable

 

I just bought the Linksys WRT54GL wireless router for $60.00 from newegg and it is working extremely well. I had some initial problems setting it up but that's because i am a newbie to wireless networking. This router accepts third party firmware so I upgraded the firmware to DD-WRT SP2 v3 and i could not be happier with the results. I have comcast cable internet at home and my download speeds are very fast and have no problems playing WoW and Battlefield via the wireless connection.

hope this helps you.

 

I currently run servers on this one

Most people in my cs:s server have under 40 ping, so it's great. I'm running 6 computers and tons of mobile devices like PSPs PPCs etc, and I still never lag in any games.

BTW, dont get a wireless N router unless you need to swap massive files between PCs.

Otherwise there will be ZERO difference between speeds.

So far the fastest net u can get in a residential area is 36MBps, and a wireless G router is 54MBps, which means there wont be a difference.

 

Well including my friend from work that's 3 for Linksys and a friend of mine at work mentioned using this exact same model. Only question I have about this one is would my sister need an adapter for her Laptop to connect to it?

 

DLINK DIR-655 is the best router out there right now. It is $99 pretty often at Fry's. Might be a waste on your network though since it is Gigabit and none of your computers will be taking advantage of that.

I think a cheap DD-WRT router should be good enough. I never had too much lag gaming on wireless.

 

Most PC bulit in the last 3-5 yrs had buildin NIC ports (10/100). So if she is close enough to the router to connect using a wired connection, she will not need a wireless adapter.

 

Well, my laptop has the option of being wired since it's going to be stationary and fairly close to the router, but hers needs to be wireless due to where her laptop will be in relation to the router. There all going to be on the same floor of the house, but we'd never get wire to her room, and she'd probably move around in the house with it knowing her.

 

Depending on what the radio has to penetrate will determine if she can connect. Most routers can cover close areas and a couple of walls. But once you get up to 4+ wall some have problem. If your wireless router has removable antennas you can install high gain ones, 5+dbi.