Wireless router home setup questions?

[readstoomuch]

I know that I am way behind times with my computer set up at our home. We don't have wireless! I have a difficult time deciding what to do . . . what to buy . . .where to buy it . . . have I researched enough . . . etc!

What I want is the best wireless set-up for our house. I have my new 27" i-mac and my husband has his cute little red Dell laptop. I would like the router to be based in my office and connected directly to the Mac which will not be moving. We would like to move the laptop around all over the house. Eventually, I will be getting either a Mac laptop or an I-Pad (my dream). Our house is very long and the computers (for most of the time) will be about 50 yards apart and several walls apart too.

I have tried two (a Linksy & a D-Link) and cannot make them connect the two computers. Does anyone have the Apple Air Port? Does it work as great as the advertising says that it does? What about the Air Port Extreme? Are they better than just a generic router? If I get the AirPort, should I buy it at the Apple store?

I am pretty dumb when it comes to electronics and don't always trust what the sales peeps say. So I've come to the best knowledge base that I know of . . . the DD gals!!!

[MIDA78466]

I don't know much about this stuff but I have a Dell Truemobile 2300. Works great. I have it in my office in the back of the house and the laptops work like a charm in the front of the house. Also have my printers wirelss.

[RandyP]

Hi Mollie,

Because of iPades, etc. we just upgraded the wireless router in our house to:

Cisco-Linksys E3000 High-Performance Wireless-N Router

which works great.

[anke]

Randy, is there a difference in speed between routers too? I have a Linksys and wouldn't mind upgrading if I could improve on speed..

[Sierra25]

Just prior to my dh getting a time capsule - we had an airport extreme. It was great and it works great with Macs and windows machines. I don't know about the other ones but I can recommend the airport extreme. We didn't have any trouble with it at all.

[RandyP]

Originally Posted by anke

Randy, is there a difference in speed between routers too? I have a Linksys and wouldn't mind upgrading if I could improve on speed..

It depends on how old your wireless router is. We had one that was several years old and the iPads couldn't see it. The new one that I now have is the latest technology and fast.

[digigrandma]

Mollie, I have the Apple Air Port Express at the lake and I have AirPort Extreme Base Station at home. They both work great for my Macs and for anybody who visits us with a PC.

I always stick with Mac products, but, that's me.

[Steph]

I have a Linksy wireless router and have never had a problem connecting my laptop to it, even outside or all around the yard. I'm sorry you're having troubles with it!