I'm planning on buying a new router soon. It needs to be 802.11n wireless and I'd like gigabit speed. It should also be pretty stable and easy to set up. No need for a lot of advanced port control or gaming options. You guys seem to know everything about everything, so I'm open to suggestions and advice.

Thanks.

I like my Airport Extreme, Express and Time Capsule. Yeah, you do pay the Apple tax but they work.

I REALLY like the newer Airport Extreme and Time Capsule because they are simultaneous dual band. That means you can run 2.4GHz AND 5 GHz at the same time. You can split your network for data and video or however, you like.

Linksys has a similar one. You can also just get an Airport Express and connect it to your existing network. Just set it up for 11n in bridge mode and leave the rest of your network up and running.

I just picked out the linksys WRT160N for my dad and it was really easy to set up. he says it works great. more advanced and costly versions are the 310n and 610n versions.

I too have the airport extreme and enjoy the ease of set up and lack of having to reset it every few days like I did on my previous Linksys (cheap $50 one)

Joe,
Check out the Linksys page and you can filter by N wireless and Gigabit switching.

In my personal experience I like to go with Linksys. I have had the WRT310N for the past 6 months and have not had any issues. Prior to this router I have had two D-Links and I simply find the Linksys to be more stable and user friendly. Prior to getting the Linksys WRT310N, I tried the D-Link DIR-655 because it had rave reviews everywhere. I returned it for the Linksys as some of my wireless components just wouldn't reliably connect to it. Once replaced by the Linksys everything worked. Come to think of it i don't think i've been forced to reboot it once in 6 months.

Hope that helps.

Do all your wired machines have gigabit? I assume so, otherwise there's no specific need for wired gigabit. Also, bear in mind that gigabit only matters w/ in your network. Even w/ the fastest cable rates (I've heard 20 Mbps), you won't take advantage of it in your house.

Ditto on the D-Link weirdness. My Zune constantly disconnected using one. I blamed the Zune because laptop ran fine. Then, frustrated that I couldn't solve the problem, I borrowed a Linksys from work and it worked fine. I forget the model I eventually bought but it's been working seamlessly as a bridge for my main and upper floors as the wireless router/modem that came with my DSL service couldn't quiet get its signal reliably past all the aluminum heat syncs in my in-floor heating.

I also hear good thinks about the Airport Express. You probably can't go wrong with it but it doesn't do anything more in my book that justifies the price difference.

Thanks for the info guys. All of my (4) wired computers have gigabit, but I may have to upgrade the wiring. I think it requires at least Cat 5e, and 2 of the computers are only wired with Cat 5.

I have a D-Link now, and it does seem to be the root of my problems. I get a lot of dropped connections and the wireless range is not very good. What do you think about using is as a wireless access point to improve coverage in my house?

I like the Airport Express, but it's a bit pricey. I'm leaning toward Linksys at the moment.

I went the Airport Express route too. In the old house I lived in we had a cruddy Netgear wireless router that didn't like to stay connected. Very frustrating.

I've been using the Airport Express for a few months now and not one hiccup. Yes, it is pricey, but it's nice and small and performs smoothly.

Give it a try w CAT5. This is like the speaker wiring debate. gig uses all 4 pairs of Cat5 but unless you have a long run it should be fine.