I've installed wireless routers of many brands in folks homes. Most set up easily. The only pains I've found are Netgear. A few times we could never get it working and just returned it for a Linksys or Belkin or whatever, and then got right on.

I'm not a tech kinda guy. But I know how to read manuals and quick set-up guides and catch on pretty quick. But I'd say avoid Netgear from my experience. Many results during set-up did not match what the book said was supposed to happen.

I had a SMC Broadband router die on me so YMMV.

First, here's a primer:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10163_7...1.html?tag=txt

Hardware: you need a WI-FI card for your laptop if it doesn't have WI-FI built in, so that your laptop can access the wireless signals available to it at home, office, hotel, coffee shop, etc.
You need a router at your home if you have a Broadband internet connection, and you have multiple PCs or want to move your laptop aound and stay connected, and your home is not wired for computer networking. Just make sure it is WI-FI certified. That comes in flavors A, B, G. You don't need A if your company doesn't use it. I'd buy G (or G&B) if I were shopping today. If A/B/G jargon is confusing look here http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3243_7-...2.html?tag=txt

Service plan: First check with your telephone company about a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) then check with your Cable TV company about a cable modem, plus you may have other options in your area. When my Electrical Engineer buddy who worked for the phone company could not keep his DSL connection working I vowed never to try it.

Personally, I'm happy with my Linksys router that shares my AOL Broadband from Time Warner Cable through my home. (Boo hiss on AOL you may say? Their Kids & Teens features and virus/spam filters more than make up for their weak "content" and search.) Setting up and installing the router and getting the signal on three PCs was easier than I thought it would be.

I was an early adopter of an SMC 802.11B router that worked like a champ until just about a year ago, when I finally bit the bullet and moved to a D-Link 802.11G Access Point. The SMC was rock solid, but I had a heck of a time getting the D-Link working as well. I've got the D-Link hooked to my Netgear wired-only router.

Still, I have to agree with UAVirgin and others. I've worked with several other brands as well - my advice would be to stay away from Belkin, but SMC/D-Link/Linksys/Netgear are pretty much equal these days IMHO.

nothing I have ever bought from Zyxel has worked worth a darn, I just chuck them usually.

Like I said; routers are a personal thing... Some love brand X while others have had nothing but trouble with it...

on the other hand,

having used netgear, dlink, 3com and SMC routers for close to five or more years now, I can say they all work pretty well, not necessarilly in that order. I have NOT been too impressed with linksys at least for their overall reliability, hackabiility maybe yes, but ease of operation or reliability, no.

but zyxel, phew. Run, just run.

Zyxel hasn't made a decent product since they were king of the modem world.

Almost all their current stuff is just cheap OEM'd Asian crap...

probably why most of the stuff comes out to free after rebate.

Yikes! I have all three and they work flawlessly 99.9% of the time. If they dont a simple pull the plug and reinsert the plug gives 100% operation.

MisterNice

concur