I have been thinking of getting a new router for a while now. My Belkin router which is about two years old has been acting oddly for a while now. Sometimes I can't get connected to it, and the only remedy is to unplug the router and plug it back in. It happens to my computer, my roommates computer, and my DS/Wii, so I'd assume it's my router. Also, now that I have Brawl, I've been noticing either response lag (like my inputs take sometimes as much as 2 seconds to translate to on-screen), or just lag in general (sorry Naznatips). And it's kind of annoying when I'm trying to play, oh let's say Ari_Gold, and I can't dodge because it takes too long to respond. Also note that I've played Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 online, and there hardly is ever any lag at all (besides what I believe is my router) so it may just be a slight Nintendo problem which is then amplified by my poor router.

So basically I'm looking to get a new router. I know a lot of you will probably tell me to buy the wired adapter thing (or maybe you won't), but I'd like to get a new router anyway, and if I can find a good one I'm hoping that it will reduce some of these problems. Also, if the new one doesn't help, I'll probably end up hooking the wired connection through the router anyway, since that eliminates the hassle of registering my Wii with my campus.

So tell me everyone, what router do you like, why do you like it, how much does/did it cost, features, etc, etc. Also, it'd be nice to know if you use it for your Wii (or other console or gaming device).

I usually hear good things about Linksys, so two routers I was looking at were this regular one, and this beastly "gaming" one. I'm not quite sure I understand the difference between G, B, and N connections, but as long as they can work with my computer and my Wii/DS, that's all that really matters. Hopefully somebody can help me out?

Thanks. 

The letter are easy N > G > B.

For a personal network where you're not serving wireless to dozens of gaming machines at the same time, I think the N router is way overkill. Within about 3-5 years you'll probably want to replace your router again and newer technologies will be available by then (N will be more mainstream, Y will hopefully have more support, and maybe even a few better choices).

Having personal experience in the past with the WRT54GS, I can tell you that it's reliable and can handle most of what I'm betting you want. It also supports hacked firmware if you want to go that route as well. ^_^

I was guessing that the gaming one was a bit of an overkill.

As for the letters, basically a N router can work with any N, G, B device; while a G router can only work with G, B devices? Am I getting that right?

I'll probably end up getting the WRT54GS, since the price is right (it's actually cheaper on amazon.com than I've seen it anywhere else), and, as you said, it should be enough for what I need, though I have no idea what I would/could do with hacked firmware, since I'm not really into that kind of thing. I understand that in a few years I'll probably want to replace it, but such is the life of technology these days.

Thanks for your help. Much appreciated.

A (150 - 300 Feet), B(150 Feet) and G(300 feet) are ISO Standards. N is currently going through the process. For home routers, I would go with a Linksys router. Make sure it has Linux as the underlying OS. They made a few versions a while back that used a bad propriatary OS, but quickly switched back.

The Linux version will also allow you to upload a custom version of Linux from the net that will give you better protocol support and options if you want that in the future.

On a side note, the range is just for the standard. You can purchase G routers than can transmit up to a quarter of a mile (I installed one for someone and it really did transmit that far and cost $300).

I have a Netgear rangemax and it performs flawlessly. I have been using Netgear for a while and they are so easy to set up and their range is very good through walls. My Wii has had no problems at all with online being hooked up wirelessly to my Netgear.

You can tweak the range with modded firmware or the like, but just don't let the ISP catch you doing it.  ^_~