802.11g. 802.11n. WEP. WPA. QOS. With all of the jargon you have to slog through when buying a router these days, it's no wonder that many consumers just throw their hands up and buy the cheapest model or the one with the best design. What you need is a quick and easy guide to help you understand what all these specs and features mean. Then you can decide what you want and what you can do without.

 

The latest 802.11n technology provides enough bandwidth to keep everyone in your home happy as they surf the Web, stream videos across your network, and crush the online competition in Gears of War. Think of 802.11g as a bicycle and 802.11n as a supercharged Ferrari.

 

All the major router vendors--Buffalo Technology, D-Link, Linksys, Netgear--have enhanced their latest models with 802.11n Draft 2.0, which adds bridging capability and compatibility tweaks. Bridging means that you can link two routers together to solve a pesky networking problem: connecting from long distances. You can expect most current routers to cover one floor of your home and a few extra rooms, but to get whole-house coverage with one router, consider Draft 2.0 bridging, or buy an older "MIMO Gen3" router, such as the Belkin Pre-N.
 
Even though the draft specification will probably change by 2008, chances are that today's Draft 2.0 routers and notebooks will be upgradable to the final 802.11n standard. If you're notebook shopping, be sure to look for one that offers an 802.11n connection (and not just 802.11a/b/g), whether it's a new Intel Centrino Duo-based system or an AMD notebook with a Broadcom or Artheros wireless connection.