Upgrading my home network, recommendations requested

[ashG]

My current router is a DGL-4300. It has worked admirably for the past several years serving one desktop, a Vonage adapter (also D-Link), and one laptop. It has worked with Comcast via a SB5120 and, most recently, AT&T DSL via a DLink ADSL+ modem. I am about to leave AT&T and head to Charter (with a SB6120 I've had sitting in the closet) for double the speed at the same price.

In the past year or so our network load has increased by quite a bit, and it will be increasing again in the near future. Come June, the load will be: 1 Desktop (gigabit capable), 2 laptops (both N capable), a Zune HD, TV w/ wireless connection, 1 network HDD.

I game online - mostly MMOs - and listen to streaming audio frequently. My wife manages her small business from home, which deals with lots of website back-end work and picture and audio uploading. We frequently move multiple files between the laptops and the desktop

Our house is small and the router is centrally located. One potential issue is the number of other wireless connections around. We live behind several businesses and there are always four or five networks in the list at all times in addition to the home network.

I really don't have options on the table and am open to pretty much any recommendations. I appreciate your help.

 

[thiggins]

The 4300 already has a Gigabit switch, so you're ok there unless you need more ports. It has ~90 Mbps of routing throughput in both directions. If this is higher than your new ISP bandwidth, you should be ok for Internet bandwidth.

Since you'll have both N and G clients, you may want to pick up an inexpensive dual-band N router (assuming your N clients have dual-band adapters), convert it to an AP and set it up in another area of the house, connected via Ethernet.

But before you do anything, why not just wait and see what the performance problems are? Then you'll be spending your money wisely.