[Rob Babcock]

As many of you know, I'm in the process of relocating for work.  In my current house I've got a couple hundred feet of CAT6 cables strung thru the house, but I want to remedy this in my new place!   I think since I'll be setting up from scratch that wireless is the way to go.

My question is, what hardware will I need, and specifically what brand/model?  I want to connect 3 PCs, use Xbox live, possibly a Vonage box and (inevitably) a Squeezbox.  Mind you, the router will never see all of these working at once, so I think perhaps a 4-port will suffice.  The issue I've heard is that the SB doesn't "like" all brands of routers.

So I ask any networking-savvy SB owners for advice.

[Double Ugly]

The issue I've heard is that the SB doesn't "like" all brands of routers.

I heard that, too, specifically about the one I decided to buy in spite of advice received from Slim Devices technical support.  Aside from a few technical issues (read "user incompetence"), I've had nary a problem with the Belkin.

As you read through reviews on Newegg.com and other sites, you’re sure to find a few who aren’t happy…but that’s pretty much always the case.  All I can say is, it works for me.

FWIW, I’d never owned a router before – don’t even recall seeing one – and only bought this one because I needed it for the SB.

[Wayne1]

Rob,

All I can say is: it depends  

I have tried 5 different wireless routers in my house. Thank God for having a CompUSA, BestBuy and a Circuit City all with a couple of miles of home.

For my use, I found the NetGear WPN824 to be the best. I run 1 wired computer (which has Slimserver and all my music), 1 wired SB2, three wireless computers, a wireless SB2 and a wireless PDA. There are times all are running at once.

I have all the extras, like 108 mps, disabled. The computers are staggered over three floors. According to Netstumbler, I average a 24 mps throughput in the basement while the router is on the top floor. My 2.4 mhz phone system does cause drops. No problems with the microwave.

A lot depends on how many networks are in your neighborhood and what channel they are running on. Most routers are set to channel 6 as default. If you run channel 1 or 11, you should not have a problem.

My son likes to game on-line. When he is playing WOW and talking to his team mates over the net, it does slow things down a bit. I am planning to run a CAT5e drop for him.

For this system, SlimServer 6.2.2 was not a good thing. I was getting lots of drops all across the network. Rolling back to 6.2.1 solved all the problems.

So my answer to you is, it depends. I do suggest you try at least a couple of different brands to see if one will work better for you. It is cheaper to buy them through the net, but I do suggest you use a B&M  location at first to see what works before you place an order on-line. I did end up buying from the CompUSA near me.

[datman]

I most heartily agree about the Belkin Router.  It has better coverage and speed than any Linksys I have used in the past.

[Jon L]

The MOST important part about wireless routers is not to have any 2.4 GHz phones in the house.  

Otherwise, any well-engineered wireless router will be fine, including my D-Link DI-624 G wireless router, which has 4 hard-wire ports as well.

[Rob Babcock]

I won't have any 2.4 gig phones, but will it screw things up if my neighbors do?  I'm at least fortunate to be on a corner lot (meaning only one other house close to mine) but I don't know about the range of those things.

[Thump553]

Rob,

All I can say is: it depends  

...
I have all the extras, like 108 mps, disabled. ...

Unfortunately, I think this is the critical key.  I've set up two SB systems, one Linksys (mine) and one Netgear one.  The Linksys is rock solid once I got my first successful connection to the the SB.  The SB reports a low reception percentage, but I never have any dropouts.

The Netgear system (a combo Mac/PC network for an IT professional drove us crazy until I thought of turning off its version of speed boost.  Then everything was fine.  My first (wired) router was a Netgear, and it was an evil POS.  I must admit that they have improved their quality greatly.

Besides turning off the bells and whistles, I reccommend doing everything possible to boost your good karma before setting up the SB.