Airport Extreme/Express vs. Cheap Netgear Router

[Snorlaxative]

I am clueless when it comes to routers, modems, and the likes.

I was interested in getting an Airport Extreme or Express, but then I noticed the prices.
When going over to my local department store, they have cheap routers such as Netgear for about $30-40.

What are the major spec differences between these two products?
Is dishing out an additional $100+ worth it?

What other products will I need to get to have wi-fi working in my new apartment.
In my old apartment, my roommate had a router and modem he rented from Comcast. Do I need a modem as well?

Sorry I'm so clueless, so if someone could help, that'd be excellent.
Please feel free to express your opinion on which one I should get, thanks.

 

[Quad5Ny]

If you don't need 802.11a/n, go with with a WRT54GL plus some high dBi antennas.

Once you have that flash it with DD-WRT and you'll have the equivalent of a $300 router for less than $60.

.​

 

[bingeciren]

Airport Extreme and Express have extra features. If you need just a basic Wifi Access Point, then go with the $30 - $40 device. However, make sure that the device you are getting supports WiFi "n", which gives you connection speeds up to 300 Mbps. Airport Extreme has a USB port where you can connect a printer and/or an external hard drive to it and share it over the network. Airport Express also has a USB port but you can only connect and share a printer with that port (no hdd sharing). Airport express also has an optical digital / analog output which enables you to stream music to your HiFi or powered speakers using iTunes. So, the extra $100 or so you pay are for those extras. My choice would be the Airport Express because for $100 it allows you to use any printer as a network printer and allows you to stream music. You can also use the Airport Express when you travel to set up your private WiFi by using the network cable found on many hotels.