Wireless router guide
Wireless connectivity gives you the freedom to browse the web, access you files and stay connected to your network where ever you may choose to be, within a radius to a wireless router or access point.
If your wanting a secure, easy to use, reliable and cheap wireless router from a big brand then I would recommend the Netgear WNR2000 wireless router. This particular wireless router supports the latest N range technology, so you would benefit from the greater range and speed. You would however need an N-range supported adaptor as well if you wanted the
full force of the wireless router. Nevertheless it is backward compatible and you can use with your existing wireless laptops within the b/g technology, which works perfectly fine on as well. The good thing is you will have a wireless router that supports the latest technology in the N-range technology, so you would be future proofing yourself. Well.. At least for the next 4 years I would say until something else is introduced.
Compatibility
I like the Netgear WNR2000 wireless router in particular because it supports Cable and ADSL. If I change my internet service providers, from just say Virgin Media (Cable) to BT (ADSL) or vice versa, my wireless router will still be compatible.
Security
Most importantly I would recommend the Netgear wireless router because it provides a good level of security, with having a decent built in firewall and other handy security features. I'll be honest, it's not going to be the absolute unbreakable solution which you would get in a dedicated hardware firewall, but it does provide a good solid service. A dedicated firewall will cost you hundreds or thousand even, with great detailed level of filtering which for the average home user is something they would definitely not need. Primarily it's a wireless router, which has built in Firewall functionality.
Security features the Netgear WNR2000 wireless router supports are;
Network address translation (NAT - Hiding your computers from the external world)
Stateful packet inspection (Denying access from the Internet, unless you have requested for this)
DOS prevention (Some denial of service attack prevention methods)
Intrusion detection system (Identifying suspicious intruder like activity)
Wi-Fi protected access (Wireless router security - supporting both WPA, WPA2 and WEP as well)
Wireless router access control (you can specify who is allowed to access your network. You would specify which laptops or computers are allowed to access your router)
Supports DMZ (A separate network for game users. Usually game users require more open ports, and to prevent this kind of vulnerability to the rest of the network you can isolate the gamers pc to a DMZ, though not putting the rest of the network at risk. However specifying a computer as the default DMZ server, will expose the computer to attacks, and hackers can use the DMZ PC to attack the rest of your network in a worst case scenario)
The privacy and parental control feature within the Netgear wireless router provide some useful options such as;
Trusted user control (If you setup limited website access for your network, you can specify a particular computer, which is allowed to visit all websites and so an exception to the rule)
Time-based usage control (You can specify a time when Internet access will be blocked, or any services for that matter. You can specify which days you want to block, or specify a time of the day)
Website logging (You can log which websites have been accessed. You can also send e-mails and logs as an e-mail)
Remote Management (You can remotely manage the wireless router)
URL content filtering (You can specify which websites users are allowed to visit on the wireless router interface, or which websites to block. You can do this by either specifying website addresses, or keywords)
For the advanced users, you can set up port forwarding (If your hosting an e-mail server, web server, etc), port triggering (If you use FTP or IRC which require multiple inbound ports open) and if your IP addresses changes, you have the option to setup Dynamic DNS.
The Netgear wireless router provides WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) functionality via a button on the wireless router itself or you can access this via the on screen software. This is a feature for users who require an easy none technical method into setting security for wireless networks. You would however require laptops that support the WPS technology as well. You can use this feature to configure your router's wireless router security settings, the router's SSID and connect your wireless laptops and computers securely and very easily to the router. The router broadcasts (sends) it's security settings to all your wireless laptops within a limited time when you have pushed on the WPS button on the front of the Netgear wireless router.
Netgear wireless routers are very easy to setup with wizards to guide you all the way, and provide very nice diagrams on how to connect your equipment together. Another nice feature on the Netgear wireless router includes an update feature, which will check for latest firmware updates automatically.
Conclusion
A good solid and reliable wireless router from a big brand. Netgear's wireless router WNR2000 is very easy to use, it supports the N-range technology for greater speed and distance, it comes with a solid built in firewall and is compatible with both ADSL and cable Internet service providers.
If there was a downside to the Netgear WNR2000 wireless router, it would be that it does not support 1000Mb on the wire connection, although no router's at this price provide a 1000Mb. For a home user requiring some network connectivity and internet browsing, then the 100Mb on a wired connection is absolutley fine.
Other recommended wireless router products
D-Link DIR-655 wireless router
The D-link brand of wireless routers are exceptionally reliable and just as good as any of the other big brands out there.
This D-Link DIR-655 N-range 650 Gigabit wireless router provides exceptional performance, with having gigabit support if your using cables to connect your router to laptops/computers, and having N-powered technology powered by rangebooster technology and consisting of 3 external antennas for powerful wireless speed and distance.
Ideally you would purchase a wireless router of this performance if you was to use it within a large home or large offices where you needed a router covering a broader range of distance. You may also require a wireless router such as the D-LINK DIR-655 if you use bandwidth intensive applications and so requiring the need for more speed.
Again like the above Netgear wireless router, this D-link wireless router can be used for cable or ADSL connectivity. It supports up to 4 laptops/computers on a wired connection, and provides very good firewall protection. The wireless router supports Stateful packet inspection, NAT, and VPN pass-through. For wireless authentication and encryption it supports WEP, WPA and WPA2. Also you have some content filtering and URL blocking functionality.
Simply put, you would purchase the D-LINK 655 wireless router if you wanted to combine speed and power with good security.
D-Link DKT-810 wireless router
This D-link wireless router comes with an N-range usb dongle which means you can transfer data at the full N-range speed. Although in reality this will always depend on where your router is situated, how many solid walls, furniture etc come in the way of your laptop and wireless router. Due to this, majority end users do not receive the full force of 270 or 300Mb, however it is still much more powerful in speed and distance than the older b/g technologies.
In addition the D-link DKT-810 has an ADSL2 modem router built in. ADSL2 will ultimately replace ADSL and provides better performance, features and functionality. The wireless router can be used on any type of ADSL, ADSL2 or ADSL2+ internet connections, so if you have an ADSL line then this wireless router would be fine.
Again, this wireless router has a solid built in firewall with parental control functionality, and provides solid security for wireless connectivity.
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