Buying a wireless router

There is an awful lot of choice when it comes to buying a wireless router. The most important things to consider are:1) Speed/Standard. 802.11b, 802.11g or 802.11a?802.11b is the most compatible, and slowest standard. It has a quoted throughput of 11mbits/sec, but expect to see around 7-8mbits/sec, depending on things like wall insulation or concrete floors. 802.11g is around 4x faster, at 54mbits/sec (real world around 40mbits/sec), but is generally a little more expensive. You also need to have compatible wireless cards in your access devices.802.11a is the fastest of the three. Whilst also quoted at 54mbits/sec, the real world throughput gets up to around 48-50mbits/sec. 802.11a also uses the less crowded 5.8Ghz spectrum, which means that cordless phones, bluetooth devices and other wireless networks in the area are less likely to cause interference.2) Regular or Extended RangeSome routers offer an "Extended Range", sometimes also called MIMO (Multi In, Multi Out) technology. This can be beneficial if you've got a challenging radio environment (Concrete floors, thick insulation), or if you're looking to cover a wide area. The number of metres extra you gain is not always that great, although it can often help fill out coverage "blackspots". If you think you'll need it, it's probably worth the extra money3) Other featuresMost wireless routers included some Wired ethernet ports also. Size according to how many wired devices you're likely to have in the house. Optional extras like booster antennae, VOIP Telephone sockets or USB Priner/External Storage support is available on various models4) Price$65 is about the rock bottom for a (new) wireless router. Vendors such as TP-LINK make perfectly good, feature-limited routers for that amount. They won't have bells or whistles, but are generally good, well made devices with fairly intuitive set up. Prices head up from there, topping out at around $300 for the home market. Any more than that and you want to be extremely sure that you know what you're buying. A solid performer, such as the popular Linksys WRT54G sells for around $110 new.