Noob needs some help

Hi folks,

I'm hoping you can help me with my wireless setup at home. I'm coming back to the PC world after having a Mac for several years, and admittedly know very little about setting up modems and routers.

My wireless card: I just received my Alienware M17X with an Intel Advanced-N WiFi Link 6250 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology with WiMax and Bluetooth 4.0. I also have a MacBook Pro and a few iDevices.

My router: I have an Airport Extreme that is connected to the modem provided by our cable company. I also have two Airport Express to provide a signal throughout the house.

My situation: I'm looking for a router that will maximize my performance with online gaming (primarily MMOs). We typically have two people in the house who play MMOs, but at times will have up to four people who play at the same time.

My questions:

1. What router do you recommend to take full advantage of my wireless card?

2. Is it possible to have the Airport Extreme and another router set-up and operating at the same time? If it is, is this something a router-noob can set up?

3. Do you recommend a modem/router combo should I have a separate modem and router?

Like I said, I don't know a lot about this topic, so any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

When you start pushing wireless super hard with multiple users gaming they heat up big time. A good option is to setup another routers as a AP. This will off load some of the load. Wired is the best option with less lag than any wireless can deliver.

It's easy to do. All you do is setup the wireless with a seperate SSID with WPA2 AES. This level of security is required on all 11n to get the max speed. Assign a Static IP to the router outside of your normal DHCP range. This is for you to have access to once you turn off DHCP. Then turn off DHCP on the Lan side. then connect to your existing network Lan to Lan. You now have the router setup as a AP with lan ports to use. All IP's will be distributed by the main router.

A far as routers, I like the Netgear WNDR3700 . This router is very stable and has good wireless performance, 2.4 & 5ghz (dual band). Just stay away from Belkin since your going to push it. They just don't hold up and last.