Help me buy a home router

[jaybee]

I've got a single desktop at home and a work laptop I occasionally bring home. I've also got a broadband connection (building wired with ethernet). Home routers have gotten cheap enough that I'd like to purchase one to connect my two machines as well as meet future needs. I'd like to be able to connect a USB printer and share access as well -- is that possible?

I've looked around a little for recent reviews and haven't come up with anything. Sorry for my ignorance. Anyway, I've got firewall software on my machine, but an integrated firewall would be a plus as long as it's a good product. Not sure what other features I might need... don't have any wireless devices... oh, it has to be at least 100Mbit. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

jaybee

Edit: My desktop is WinXP (mainly) and the laptop is W2k. Also, I believe I'll need to use NAT to maintain a single IP.

 

[faZZter]

Dunno if you have a Costco nearby, but at ours they are selling a D-Link DI 614+ (up to 22Mbps) and a wireless network card for your laptop that is also 22Mbps cpable for about $179.99. Best buy has these on sale occasionally but right now just the router at BB was $149.99.

Anyway, if you just buy a NIC for your desktop (probably already have one) you'd be set. The D-Link router is your typical four port (100 Mbps hardwired) plus the wireless access point, does NAT and the usual stuff. Just don't forget to update the drivers/firmware if you get one.

 

[Kelemvor]

I bought an SMC Barricade Router a while ago. I haev a plain 7004BR which has a parallel printer port and 4 PC ports. Picked up up for aroudn $50 with some rebates. Has worked fine ever since I got it. Highly recommend except you stated a USB pritner port. But check out the link and they compare all their various models.

Also check out the AnandTech Hot Deals Forum and search for router and you'll probably find a few good deals.

 

[Bunch]

You could look at several routers however I have not seen one that allows a USB printer to be hooked up but the models listed below do have a DB-25 printer hookup and both have a 4 port switch built in for networking home PCs. Also I Linksys routers have worked well for me but I could not locate one quickly with a printer port.

SMC 7004ABR
D-Link Dl704-P

 

[mcveigh]

get an smc 7004vbr and have your printer shared to the laptop.

 

[jaybee]

Thanks for the tips guys. I forgot about the possibility of a wireless router. It sounds like the SMC is a good bet. I saw one or two listed on hot deals yesterday. I've also seen the Netgear and D-Link deals as well. Do you know anything that differentiates the SMC 7004VWBR / D-Link 614+ / Netgear MR314?

jaybee

 

[JackMDS]

There are some differences in secondary features.

Users tend to recommend what ever they bought, ant their needs would be different then yours.

Unfortunately you can not count on the advertise Data sheet.

The only way to real decipher it is the down load the actual manuals from the respective sites, and read.


I use the SMC, and I am pleased with it (I am not a gamer).

 

[lobadobadingdong]

You might also look into Linksys equipment, they have super easy setup, I find wireless newbies have less problems using one of these first, they are also cheaper than any other brand and have pretty much the same features of anything less than Ornico's gold line. Newegg.com has the cheapest prices I've found on them, other than the occasional sale at Staples, O-max, etc. Curios about the need for 100Mbit though, for less than 10 machines you'll notice little difference between 100 and 10Mbits(unless you enjoy copying entire hdd's back and forth for a hobby), don't matter much anyway, it's hard to find 10Mbit stuff anymore that isn't used anyway.