Resolved Warning Newbie<< Wireless Router Question.

No, unless your router does not suffice your needs and frequently stops working and is incompatible with your computer.

 

What would set your hypothetical "high end" router apart from your current one?

If the one you has does the job, meaning its range covers your home, you're able to connect and use all of your devices, then what would you hope to improve by buying something you perceive as "high end"?

Downloading movies and music is going to be more a function of your internet service than your router, unless your router is 802.11b, which is quite antiquated by now. 802.11g or n would suit you just fine.

Some routers have an effective limit on the number of devices that can be connected simultaneously. If this isn't a problem for you now, then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Like others have already said, it looks like your Belkin router already does what you say it needs to. Don't throw money at a problem that doesn't exist. I had a cheap D-Link router that served my needs for years.

If, in the future, you want to do lots of online gaming where milliseconds count, you want to increase your signal range to get to those hard-to-reach places in your home **or** you want to set up a no-fuss tv configuration, then and only then would I recommend a router upgrade. For gaming or range increase, any "high end" router will probably do. For the tv, the Airport Extreme Base Station is the most powerful choice; it and the Airport Express have the ability to wake a computer running iTunes from sleep, make it send a requested media file to the tv, and put it back to sleep.

If you ever do upgrade your router, keep your original router if possible. It can often serve as a wireless network bridge; many people use older routers to connect Ethernet-only media consoles (such as XBox) to their WiFi network.

 

3? Dude, my Linksys is about 10 years old and does the job SO much better than our 2Wire gateway ever did.

This is a great example of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

In a nutshell, it's back to your first question, but now it iS broke, so now you may need a newbie. Many makes to choose from.....Google is your friend here, I use a Draytek and my Time Capsule.....Never misses a beat.

 

The speeds have to do more with your ISP than router. Anyhow, here is mine:

The router I use is a 802.11N by Cisco as I stream a lot of movies (I have 7 devices in my house connected on netflix and vudu) so I use 5GHz channels to connect to them.

 

It looks like you have a 10/2 connection. Any ol' 802.11n router will do, and you would likely not overload it for a long time.

If you have the money, a simultaneous dual-band router is nice, especially if there is potential for multiple devices at your place.

The Airport Extreme Base Station is the Apple version, but you can find other good brands for cheaper.

 

Not Netgear IMO, what do you get in your package? Up and down.

 

Definitely stick with 802.11n.

I don't have any experience with Netgear. I prefer Linksys/Cisco; I just replaced one that was still working. Thing just would not die. On the other hand, I have had D-Links that seemed to enjoy dying.

This is twice as expensive as what you posted, but it could conceivably handle everything you can throw at it for 5+ years. Probably much longer.

Cisco Linksys E3200

 

Actually here is one cheaper, with better reviews.

Netgear Dual Band

If you think $120 too much for a router, get a cheaper one. It will work fine. I just don't like to limit myself.

Incidentally, the upgrades of the two I've posted to the $50 model you did are the dual-band operation, and gigabit ethernet.

As I recommended, the dual-band is good because it will allow the newest, fastest devices to stay on the 5gHz channel and slower devices will stay on the other frequency and not interfere. You may not need this or gigabit ethernet now, but who knows about a year down the road.