Seconded! As long as you're happy with the WRT54GL's features, you won't get a router that's easier to use than one of those running the Tomato firmware.

Precisely. Both easy to use and incredibly powerful and customizable. The only limitation of Tomato right now is that there are no N routers it works 100% on. But if you aren't doing huge file transfers between computers on a regular basis, G is all you need anyway. We run our entire house (including our company's server) on a WRT54GL with Tomato and the only reason it has has any downtime in the last 6 months is because of a power failure.

Hmm, not sure recommending using a custom firmware is really a good idea for somebody looking for an easy to use router.

I would recommend one of the Apple routers, but I've been having some disconnection problems with mine recently. They're certainly easy to configure, though.

Yeah easy to use and custom firmware are like Jumbo Shrimp.

I'd recommend the Apple routers - either the Airport Extreme Base Station or the Airport Express mainly because that is what I use and am familiar with them and have had no problem with them. And I do find them easier to setup than the old DLinks I used to mess with. Another plus is setting up 2 or more to work together.

AE is under $100, but it is wireless only. 1 ethernet port for modem or computer if the AE is talking to another AE or AEBS that is connected to the internet. Very compact (not much bigger than a deck of playing cards and that is including the power supply which is built-in) and it does let you do wireless printing and wireless iTunes in addition to being a router.

AEBS is $179 (the just replaced old model can be had for $50 less) and is probably out of the affordable category. This is more fully featured. 3 ethernet ports and support for a large number of wireless users. Also allows wireless access to USB hard drives as well as wireless printing. New model has support for separate wireless G/N networks as well as guest network access.

Both work with Windows or Mac.

Wow, you people are responsive and consistent. Consider it done. I will shop around for the best deal I can find. I have never installed custom firmware before. Will it void my warranty if I do that (not that I care about my warranty - I just don't want to break something I've just purchased)?

Again - thanks guys. The GwJ community is helpful for almost any issue that comes up. While you're all being helpful, I've got this skin issue I need looking at...

After having many problems with my netgear wireless router I followed the same advice that everyone has given you. (Well, sort of)

I couldn't find the 54GL locally, but I ended up with a 54GS after reading that there is a pared down version of DD-WRT that will run on it. I didn't want to mess with the custom firmware right off the bat, so I set it up according to the instructions. Easy to do and it's been rock solid for a month or two now. Haven't had to reboot it once. My PS3 and my iPhone both connect every time without issue.

That being said, I'm still going to run ethernet cables to the livingroom eventually as the wireless is still all but useless for streaming video.

Just follow the instructions on the Tomato site and you should be fine. You basically just update the router with it like you were updating to another factory Linksys firmware.

Yeah, and with nothing else. I know it's not a problem for most people, but I personally much prefer the idea of a router with a web-based interface that'll work in any browser to a router that can only be configured using proprietary tools on a proprietary OS.

Exactly. Or, say, any other device that one might have lying around with a web browser (an iPhone or other smartphone, perhaps?). Or a Windows box that doesn't have the Airport tools on it -- what if you need to download them, but your network's screwed because your router is misconfigured? There are a bunch of reasons why having a web-based interface is a good thing.

Thanks for your valuable input to this discussion!

And yet you chimed in anyway I keep forgetting that it's impossible to point out potential issues in Apple products, even if you say up front that those issues probably won't apply to most people, without getting some smart-ass remark from an Apple fan that just can't stand to see anyone say anything bad about Apple.

I thought your initial quote was pretty smart-ass -- I basically interpreted it as "I don't have anything more to add, except to say that your concerns are crazy and unfounded". I wouldn't be so uppity about that usually, but this isn't the first time you've taken the line that the Apple Way is the Right Way, and if you're doing things differently, well, then you should just learn to love the Apple Way instead.

Of course, since I knew this would be the likely response, I probably shouldn't have responded in the first place I'll remember that for next time.

OK, both of you ladies can it already. And tripleX, fix your damn quote tags a couple of posts up.

Yeah it is a silly argument since it invalidates your complaint. It is silly having the tools on disc and having a backup of them. Silly how simple things like that work to undermine your complaint.

And so obvious you say and yet you felt the need to complain about potentially not having the the tools on your Windows box or not being able to download them?

It must not have been so obvious to you while you were complaining. OR you just wanted to complain all along which is what you have implied with the various smart ass comments you have made and the various fanboy slights yada yada yada. You were really just wanting to argue. You had a bounty on my head from the get go is what you have alluded. You came in with baggage. And preceeded to clobber me over the head with it while I sat unaware that your only goal was to start something based on what your secret scorecard told you.

All I did was quote you. I quoted the part of your post that I agreed with!!!! You get it? I agreed with you. Your complaint isn't a problem for most people. We agree!!!!

Hooray!!!

You might want to give the stock firmware a run for a while before you upgrade, as it's pretty reliable on it's own. I only switched over to DD-WRT on my 54GL so I could bridge it with another router. If I hadn't needed to do that, I probably would have left it, as it never gave me an issue before I changed the firmware.