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Linksys Wireless G 54Mbps
Cable/DSL Router
As low as $39.99  
We all have people on our holiday lists who seem to have more computers than they know what to do with. If you have someone on your list like that - or if your household has more than one PC, but you don't want to spend the time or money attaching them all with wires - the solution is simple. Get a wireless network. It hooks up all the computers in a house, and lets everyone share a single high-speed connection. Here's how to buy (and for the gamer in your house, you'll also find advice on how to wireless connect a gaming console for online gaming as well).

To put together a network you need a wireless access point, which connects to your broadband modem, and connects all your PCs to the Internet and to each other. And for each PC you'll have to buy a wireless network adapter, which connects them to the access point. The wireless hardware is commonly called WiFi, although techies know it as 802.11 technology. There are a few types of 802.11 hardware - the older and less-expensive 802.11b, which connects at up to 11 megabits per second; and the newer and more expensive 802.11g, which connects at up to 54 megabits per second. A word to the wise: Those numbers are only the networks' rated speeds. As a practical matter, figure you'll connect at about half those rates.

What To Buy?

With that as a background, it's time to talk about what to buy. If you're looking for an 802.11g network, go with the favorite of PriceGrabber customers - the Linksys Wireless G 54Mbps Cable/DSL Router which you can get for as low as $90 including shipping and tax. It includes ports for wired Ethernet as well, so if you have PCs that you'll put near the access point, you won't need to buy wireless adapters for them - just connect an Ethernet cable between the PCs and the access point.

There are three types of wireless adapters you can buy: PC cards for your notebook; USB adapters for either notebooks or desktops; and PCI adapters that you install internally in a desktop.

For wireless 802.11g PC cards, PriceGrabber customers favor both a Linksys card for as little as $57.50 including taxes and shipping and a Netgear card for as little as $56 including taxes and shipping. Each is easy to install and won't lead you wrong.

USB 802.11g cards have just come on the market, and there's not a lot to choose from, but Linksys has one for as little as $63.

For PCI 802.11g adapters, PriceGrabber customers again favor Linksys, with its adapter selling for as low as $60 with taxes and shipping.

If you're looking to save some money and want to buy 802.11b gear, the NetGear Wireless 22Mbps Broadband Enhanced Router is a good bet for as low as $49 with taxes and shipping. If you use it with compatible NetGear 802.11b network adapters, you'll be able to get the higher rated speed of 22 megabits per second rather than 802.11b's normal 11. Combine it with a Netgear 802.11b 22 Mbps PC card adapter for as low as $37, and a Netgear 22 Mbps 802.11b PCI card for as low as $44, and you'll have the most inexpensive network around.

Wireless Access for Video Gamers

If you have a gaming console with an Ethernet connection, but you're too far away from your cable modem to get Internet access, don't despair - there's help for you. Use the Linksys Ethernet to Wireless Bridge Adapter and it'll connect your Ethernet-equipped gaming console to a wireless network. Get it for as low as $81 with shipping and taxes.

Want more wireless? For the full list of all wireless products.

Featured Product

The Linksys Wireless G 54Mbps Cable/DSL Router is a great deal for anyone looking to put together a reasonably priced high-speed 802.11g WiFi network. It includes ports for plugging in Ethernet cable as well as WiFi access, so you can hook up your non-wireless devices to it. It's a breeze to set up, and includes a built-in firewall for protection. The acess point is the best-selling wireless product on PriceGrabber. Says one PriceGrabber customer: "Extremely simple to set up…excellent reception…superb Web interface."

Bonus: Free Software

Want to know the true speed of your wireless network? The best way to find out is with the free QCheck utility. It lets you run real-world tests so that you see your wireless network's true performance. I found it a great tool for figuring out where to put my wireless network access points - I'd put my access point in one place, test it out, and try it in another until I found the best location according to QCheck tests.

Another great freebie is NetStumber. Use it with your notebook and wireless card and you can travel around town looking for wireless networks. It'll report on any nearby networks, and include basic information about each. It's great if you find yourself in a metropolitan area that has WiFi networks allowing anyone to connect to for free. One caveat: It doesn't work with all wireless cards, so check the NetStumbler site to see if it works with yours.