Ethernet Router advice, please

[theBB]

Hi,

I'd like to replace my MS branded ethernet router. (I have an AE for wireless duties.) Although it is "10/100 Mbps", my internet connection speed drops from about 10-15 Mbps down to about 6 if I connect a laptop to the router instead of directly connecting to the cable modem. I wonder if the 10/100 ones got better over the years or should I get a gigabit one to get back to 10-15 Mbps speed?

I want to get something fairly cheap that has a Firewall and lets me do port forwarding etc. through a friendly interface from a Mac or Windows. I need something with about 4 ports, but I guess most have that many. I'd prefer white, grey or black rather than blue, but that is not the end of the world, either. Which brand or model should I look into?

Thanks for your help...

 

[TEG]

Airport Extreme (n-gigabit). 4 ports, Windows/Mac common interface, and support for wireless N. Plus firewall and port forwarding.

TEG

 

[theBB]

Airport Extreme (n-gigabit). 4 ports, Windows/Mac common interface, and support for wireless N. Plus firewall and port forwarding.

I don't need wireless, so I'd rather save money.

 

[TJones]

Airport Extreme is 3 x 10/100/1000 ports not 4.

 

[smogsy]

Netgear DG834n Very cheap npw greeat router

i use it with 24.8mb connection

also there new version supports 1GB

 

[theBB]

Well, I went cheap with Dynex DX-E402 from BestBuy. Web interface for the settings could be a bit more user friendly, but it is no worse than D-Link. It seems to have all the features I might need: port forwarding, static IP, firewall etc. Now my connection speed is almost four times faster. It also takes very little time for the new router and my Airport Express to sync up after power cycling instead of about a minute with the old one.