Now that I am forced to use a Mac, is there any point in switching to an airport router? I'm about fed up with my Linksys.
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You don't NEED an airport. They are just another router, and use the same standards (B/G/N) as any other wireless router. That being said, the Airports are good routers - stable, good range, and some cool extra features like a built in print server and the ability to stream iTunes. They are a good, but pricey choice as far as routers go. I have a D-Link wireless gaming router myself, and it's solid, plus it's got a really good interface for doing geeky stuff like port forwarding. 
What exactly is the problem you're having with your Linksys? Maybe you can troubleshoot.
Don't bother; in many cases, the Airport is the inferior product. We've had no end of trouble with the Airport Extreme here at the office (a firmware upgrade has finally resolved the problem, I hope). Some of Linksys's routers can be flashed with custom Linux-based firmware, which makes them rock-solid and more feature-rich than anything on the consumer market. Check out dd-wrt.com for more info.
so many anecdotes so little facts..
so many anecdotes so little facts.. Plus you can stream music through it, if you're into that sort of thing (and if you put it near a stereo)
If your linksys is working fine, then if it ain't broke, don't fix it. BUT, Apple routers work extremely well with Apple computers and extremely well with each other if, for reasons discussed below, you want to have multiple wireless routers. Further, you may be able to do things you wouldn't otherwise be able to do. Airport Express ($99). Can be your main router, or can be used to extend the range of your main router. Airport Extreme ($179). Good main router (it's my main router). Allows you to hook up a usb hard drive which will be recognized by the network. This is cool. I have a big hard drive hooked to mine so I can do backups without being physically connected to the backup drive. So: My home system. 3 apple notebooks. One Airport extreme hooked to cable modem and hard drive in basement. One Airport Express hooked to stereo in living room. One Airport Express hooked to printer in office. All works great.
The slight problem with that, tom, is that Megan isn't a linux administrator for fun in her spare time, and just wants a router that works, and that, if she ever has problems with it, some nice online tech support can fix for her. Dd-wrt is a fine package, but I'd never suggest it for someone who Just Wants A Router. (Just as I think the free unixes [linux, the BSDs] are great operating systems, but I'd never suggest them to anyone I liked who just wanted to do everyday computing.)
Sigivald: and the problem with your comment is the assumption that Megan doesn't know any geeks who could help her with the process. Including (cough) some who are commenting on this thread. For those who haven't got that luxury but want the benefits of a better router for free, the Sveasoft firmware is just as easy to install as a normal firmware upgrade.
Second all the comments about the Airport Express. I have owned both a LinkSys Wireless Router and an Airport Express and the latter is both more reliable and easier to set up. It was also cheaper when I bought it, and it has the advantage of being portable, should you find yourself in a hotel that gives cabled access to the network but not wireless.
We have Macs all over the house running very well on a Belkin router I got at Walmart. The Airport router I had tried had terrible range, though I suppose today's versions are better. But Macs will recognize any wireless signal in the vicinity, and the Belkin is fine.
...forced to use a Mac... You will come to regret that you were not forced to use a Mac sooner! I don't think I've used mine with an Airport yet but it has worked well, and better than my previous XP laptop, with a wide variety of other wireless access points. BTW, this Mac (MacBook Pro, 2.4 Ghz) is also dramatically more stable then that XP machine was. I've not restarted this machine in over 14 days (including an instance of XP running in a Parallels virtual machine).
I have seen positive and negative experiences with both linksys and apple routers. If you're having problems with your current linksys dropping connections it's likely a case of interference from other wifi networks in your building or other things on the 2.4Ghz band (cordless phones, microwaves, garage door openers). Since I'm assuming you have a newer mac with 802.11n capability you might have more success upgrading to any 'wireless-n' router (including apples extreme (the one with drive sharing), but not yet its express (the one with an audio jack)). You'll then enjoy a few years in the relatively quiet 5.8Ghz band. I'll second steve's comment, you'll shortly be happier on a mac. No spyware, no viruses, it just works. I do recommend downloading quicksilver as a launcher since the dock+finder is just painful for people used to a start menu. QS makes the interface very zen http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/
I've used various Linksys and Netgear routers with for mostly-Mac setup with no problems. There's nothing magical about Airports aside from the iTunes streaming. Ditto on Quicksilver.
If you know somebody that can help, try changing the channel your linksys runs on to 1 or 11 from 6. RE: Forced to use Mac, I must agree with other posters. I was the world's greatest Mac hater pre-OS X. Now I am an evangelist. I changed jobs and can no longer bask in the glow of Mac any longer at work, and am very unhappy with that (though the rest of the job is great). Anecdotally, Mac increased my productivity 20%-30%. Learn to love expose, especially the all-windows expose. You will never need to maneuver windows so they are "just right" to flip between web browser, music, word, etc. ever again.
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You don't need a fully airport router ($179), an airport express ($99) will do fine. I've found them to be more reliable than linksys, but i've used both.
Posted by winterspeak | September 26, 2007 11:38 AM