What's a good router?

[Cynge]

I've had cable for about 6-8 months now, and have three computers hooked up to it. During this time I've used one computer as a "server" that has two NICs in it. This has worked ok, but I'm looking to move into getting a router. I've never done any research into routers before, so I'm pretty much in the dark about everything. I've listed a few concerns/issues below.

1) The cable company has the Mac Address of my NIC so that only that NIC can connect. Now, if I hook up to a new computer I have to visit a "setup" page that detects that I have a new computer hooked up, and allows me to change the Mac info. How would this work when switching to a router?

2) I do alot of online gaming, so I need something that would work well for that.

3) I'll have anywhere from three to five (or more) computers hooked up to the network, so I'll need something that has at least four or five ports.

If anyone can make any recommendations or point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it. If any other info is needed just let me know...as I said, I'm kinda in the dark.

 

[BigFatCow]

i have a linksys BEFSR41 and i like it alot. Routers have there own mac address so im guessing you would just use that mac adress instead of the mac address on your nic. I play alot of games and i have never had a problem with my router not letting me play. Its a four port router and if you ever get more computers you can add a switch.

 

[JackMDS]

Cable/DSL Routers are matured product. If you do not have special needs buy the most inexpensive you can find. Stick to the known Entry Level Brands. Microsoft, SMC, D-Link, Netgear, Linksys.

On sale with rebate you should not pay more then $20-$30 for a Wired Router.

You might consider a Wireless Cable/DSL Router since their price is similar. (CompUSA has SMC Wireless Router on sale this week for $19 after rebate).

Link to: 11 Mbps Wireless Cable/DSL Broadband Router - 802.11b

A Wireless Client card for your Laptop. $10 after rebate.

Link to: Link to: EZ Connect 2.4GHz Wireless Cardbus Ethernet Adapter, 802.11b

Imagine $40 and you are welcomed to the 21st Century. (As Spidey07 would say).:sun:

In general: Cable/DSL Routers - NAT & Ports.

All Current Routers have MAC Cloning.

 

[wallsfd949]

My linksys BefSx41 has Mac cloning so if that is an issue you could use the built in Mac clone to 'emulate' your Server (I think that's how it is supposed to work). If you need more than 4 connections the BefSr81 is an 8 port switch as well as router.

 

[Cynge]

What kind of secruity concerns are there with wireless networks? And what would be a good brand to go with if going wireless? My current setup was Netgear (wired nics/hub) and I've been happy with it, but the idea of wireless intrigues me.

 

[amdskip]

The only way I would run a wireless network is if I had a laptop. They can be a real pain and if you want a reliable trouble free network, wired is the only way to go. I run a Linksys router and it has worked great for me.