Wireless Router Recommendations?

[Budge]

I have been reading about wireless routers for 3 days straight, and my eyes are starting cross. I finally just went out and bought a Netgear 4000 and a Linksys E4200, so I could test them both. But I started reading again they're both still in the box.

Here's my situation. I have a 6,000SF home that is, thankfully, wired for ethernet in almost every room. I currently have a WRT54Gv5. Tomorrow, I am switching to FIOS and I decided it's time to jump to wireless N and gigabit ethernet.

My wireless needs include an Intel Link 5300 in my wife's laptop, an iphone 4, ipad 2, Samsung Galaxy S2, ipod, nook color, etc. My wife's laptop is the most important. The Link 5300 is supposedly a dual band 3x3 device that can take advantage of a 450 Mbs router. However, she typically uses the device outside or in a room that's the furthest from our router (even thought it's centrally located in a media closet upstairs).

So based on the large size of my home, the various clients I have, and my upcoming connection to a FIOS modem/router combo, what wireless router would you recommend? Also, Price is not an option, considering my WRT54G has served me for many years.

 

[rustybumpers]

I am very interested in what others have to say. I too have crossed eyes from reading about routers for days. I was/am resolved to doing the same thing you just did; buy both the NetGear WNDR3800 and the Linksys E4200 and just return the one I liked the least.

If you do decide to open them up and test drive them please share what you discover and reply to this post with the results.

Thanks

 

[stevech]

Here's my situation. I have a 6,000SF home that is, thankfully, wired for ethernet in almost every room. I currently have a WRT54Gv5. Tomorrow, I am switching to FIOS and I decided it's time to jump to wireless N and gigabit ethernet..

You need about 3 or 4 WiFi access devices. One is the WiFi router. The others are WiFi access points (APs). Each AP connects by wired means to the main WiFi router. You say you have existing cat5 - so rooms with desktops would use that connection. WiFi is typically used where you go with mobile devices: family room, kids bedroom, patio. You can use APs to make hotspots like these. Or cover all 6000 sq ft with several APs that use the cat5 already in place. If a cat5 outlet needs to connect to a desktop and an AP, add a cheap switch.

If no cat5 in place where you need an AP, then next best is a cat5 cable "alike", this being either (1) MoCA which uses TV coax cable in your home's walls to convey what would have been on cat5, and/or (2) HomePlug to do the same as (1) but using the home's power wiring.

It's not difficult, but save yourself grief and pay a WiFi expert a couple hundred dollars to do it right, or email a floor plan to someone on forum who'll do a solution design gratis.

ON FIOS: tell them you want to own and manage your own WiFi router and you want FIOS (VZ?) to provide only a modem to connect to YOUR (not their) router. When the install FIOS, you don't have to already have purchased your final WiFi router.