Wireless router questions

[Mikuro]

I'm looking to go wireless soon, and I'd like some advice on routers. I've never worked with wireless networks before, so I'm a bit clueless.

Here's my setup:
I have one G4 Mac Mini (running Tiger) with no wireless card. Soon there will also be two Intel Mac Minis and a G4 iBook (c. 2005), which all have built-in Airport cards. I'd like the G4 Mini to connect with Ethernet and all the rest to connect wirelessly. I have a cable modem that I want to share with all the systems.

I'd like any router to have at least two ethernet ports; one for the G4 Mac Mini, and one in case I want to hook up any older machines again.


Now, I have some questions, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've heard that I should use WPA2 instead of WEP for security. But I haven't found any routers that say they support WPA2. I see WPA mentioned a lot. What routers support WPA2?

I've seen some 802.11n routers. Do Airport cards support this protocol? It seems like the spec isn't even finalized yet; is there any point in adopting it now? As long as the connection offers enough speed to get good internet access from our cable modem, it's really good enough; we don't need great LAN speed.

Some routers have features with obnoxious brand names like NetBoost™ or OhMyGodItsSoAwesomeYouMustHaveItNow™, which supposedly give you faster transfers, wider ranges, free beer and unicorns. Some have more technical-sounding names like MIMO (Multi-In, Multi-Out). Are these all the same thing? And are they actually useful, or just marketing hype?

Finally, and most importantly, what are your personal recommendations on brands and models?

 

[eric2006]

I have a WRT54G Linksys G/B router. It supports WPA2. You could probably get a router 40 bucks cheaper at Wall-Mart, but Linksys has a good reputation for support and quality.
There are some things out like "SpeedBoost", but for that to acctualy work, you'll need a router and a card that supports that feature. Even if it does boast something like "improved range", it's probably nothing you will notice in a normal size home. You could probably get the same results by buying better wireless antennas. You don't want wireless 802.11n. Though it is faster, the "draft" products out now may not be compatible with the final 802.11n protocol. The Airport cards do not support 802.11n.

 

[Mikuro]

Thanks!

I was looking at the WRT54G before, but I thought it didn't support WPA2. Most sites just say WPA, but I just checked Linksys's data sheet PDF, and they do specifically say WPA2. It's reasonably cheap, too, so it's at the top of my list now.

I guess the two terms are semi-synonymous, like "GB" and "GiB". That is to say, WPA can mean two things, while WPA2 can only mean one of those two. That's what I've gathered from reading the Wikipedia entry on WPA, anyway. Things are so confusing when you're semi-informed!

Wikipedia also has some info on SpeedBooster, if anyone else is wondering about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/125_High_Speed_Mode
I'm guessing Apple's Airport cards do not support this mode, since I can't find anything that says they do.


How's the software for your Linksys model? Is it easy to forward a wide range of ports?