Buying Guide

Trying to decide which router is best for your home network can be confusing. But it all boils down to Wireless-G and Wireless-N. Although there are both wired and wireless routers, wireless routers do everything a wired router does, and provide much more flexibility. And the cost is often the same. A wireless router uses radio waves to communicate, just like cell phones and two-way radios. With wireless, you can connect computers, printers and other devices in your home without running wires or cables. Wireless routers also work like wired routers. You can directly connect up to four computers or devices while also connecting wirelessly to others.

But before you head out to purchase a wireless router you'll need to ask yourself a few questions. The most important is how you'll be using your network. Are you planning to surf the Internet, share photos and check emails? Do you want to stream videos or movies, or play video games? Is printing wirelessly or backing up your PC important? Don't forget to think about the future. Maybe today you just want to check emails. But someday you – or members of your family – might want to download internet movies and play video games.

Next, what do you plan to connect to your network? You may have several computers. Or a wireless printer or camera. How about storage devices? You may even have a media center extender so you can watch Internet videos on your TV or home theater.

Think about your home's construction. Some construction materials allow radio signals to travel freely without interruption. Other materials--like brick, concrete or metal – or adverse conditions can reduce signal strength and cause dead spots like you've probably experienced with a cell phone.

Now you're ready to decide which wireless router is best for you.

A Wireless-G router is good for basic networking in a small home or apartment, for activities like sharing an internet connection and checking emails, or sharing a printer between computers. But for larger homes, multiple users and lots of computer activity Wireless-N is the answer. A Wireless-N router offers more speed and range than Wireless-G, and helps reduce deadspots.

If you do a lot of gaming, work with large multimedia files, and want to stream high definition video, go with Wireless-N. Not only is it the best combination of speed and value, but you will also have the available bandwidth so that your network has room to grow.

Before you go buy a router, check if your computers or laptops already have wireless networking capabilities built in. Generally, desktop computers do not contain wireless adapters, but the latest laptops do. Every desktop and laptop should also include a network Ethernet adapter for wired connections. Different brands of computers use their own terminology for wireless capability, so check with your manufacturer's user manual for more information. Remember that in order to maximize performance, the router and adapter should match.