You probably don't need or care about 802.11n (or pre-n, since I don't think it is officially ratified yet). For in-home networking and internet browsing, b/g is fine. I like linksys and netgear, but have only bought and thrown-away one d-link, and it might have been a lemon. Look for one with a wireless print server built in. Something like this, maybe.

And for the laptop? A shiny new macbook pro?

For routers I've had good luck with Linksys and D-Link.
If your not going to be gaming the Mac is pretty slick, I've got 2 windows machines running downstairs that I've hardly touched since getting a Macbook. With no virus or spyware worries I'm a convert. When your operating system doesn't have to run on every possible PC configuration out there things run pretty smooth.
My kid has another two Macs running as well, and we have three additional hardrives and a printer that all play together on the same network.

I also just converted a friend to a Mac and transfered all her stuff over no problem.
With "Black Friday" this week in the States there might be some discounts at Apple.

For some reason the link double pasted for you there Matt, here try this link: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...X8571(ME).aspx

Just a comment from a diehard wifi'er...

Stay away from linksys routers; D-Link aren't bad (though I suggest the extended warranty the seller will offer - saved my arse 3 times now); Belkin has become my favorite by far.

Once you go wireless, have a look at the newish wifi printers, you'll never realize until you've used one, how nice it is to park that printer away in a closet somewhere not have to plug in, just click print, go and collect the printout :) Other than the price of new replacement cartridges, I love my z1400

As for laptops, check out laptop depot / computer trends, the refurbished ones are a deal (mine is "refurbished" due to a blemish on the stainless trim)

My .02

Yeah Vista sucks... I mean it has cool aspects but my brand new (< 1year old) Toshiba laptop is way slower than the Compac I had with XP. My finance has a brand new Sony Vaio which also seems a lot slower than it should be for a brand new computer... and it's not like we bought the low end models.

I've got Vista on my laptop and my desktop, absolutely glitch free now for almost a year. Or at least, no more glitches then XP ever gave me. Just like the transition from 98 or 2000 to XP if you're running borderline hardware then you're bound to have problems. My transition from XP to vista was WAY smoother than the transition to XP Pro.

Anyways, I've got a linksys router at home and it works fine. Not having experience with any of the others I can't make a comparitive statement but I do love having the wireless. Nice to sit out on the deck in the summer with a coffee and the laptop and get stuff done!

My best recommendation.
 

My usual recommendation is the simple one (IT by trade). Buy the cheapest laptop that fits what you need. 90% of the time, people buy these huge, heavy and short on battery life laptops because the sales guy talks them into it.

But of course, what do you need. Personally, i go for the small and long battery life laptops with tiny screens (I have and eee and acer asipre). But if you NEED more power, got for something a bit bigger. I find the Asus Eee 701 has just too small a keyboard for any real work. It does make a great "portable".
Generally, nobody uses the full power of a computer anymore, so buying a slower CPU means better battery life.

None of that matters if you are going to put it on a desk and leave it there. If you are doing that -- Really -- buy a desktop with a nice 22" LCD and full size keyboard.

As for the networking. 802.11g is the most common. And they are all compatible EXCEPT 802.11a. All laptops that you will find have at least 802.11g, so don't even worry about the wireless.

As for the WEP/WPA/WPA2 debate. Don't use WEP, everything else is Ok. I can break WEP is under 5 minutes.

Just don't listen to the sales guy telliing you that you will need HDTV outputs and all the other junk. Normally a good laptop should run you under $500, and a cheapy wireless router about $50-100.There really isn't much difference between routes, unless you get into the enterprise level stuff, and spending $1500 on a router with feature that you won't even know what they are is just silly.


Finally, windows vista is a PITA. And no, you can't by anything with XP from a big box store, and the store that still have XP (for corporate customer) charge a few hundred extra to get it. My advice -- download, or have mailed to you for free a "ubuntu" or "kubuntu" linux cd, and install that. Much nicer, simpler, and problem free. I have a few thousand machines running linux, and very few people have any problems with it.

I agree, mac's are very user friendly and they have a sale on right now. I would never go back to a windows based machine. Also you can get windows on a mac if you need it.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom...ok?mco=MTE3MjA

I say get this
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...15586(ME).aspx

I got my wife a mac bookpro last year for her work and using boot camp was able to run Windows on a mac as well. You get the best of both worlds that way. Only problemn is you cannot upgrade XP to service pack 3 if you go this root. I believe you can still buy a copy of XP from memory express as an OEM version as long as you buy some sort of component, such as some cables, if you don't want Vista.