Linksys BEFSR41 EtherFast Cable/DSL Router Review
Price: ~$150, Online

Use The Broadband Luke Broadband is a term that generally means anything faster than a 56K modem. The two hot-rod broadband competitors are, of course, DSL and Cable. I don't want to get into the merits of each, but be assured both are really fast, and will instantly make you a Low Ping Bastard. You don't need a broadband connection to enjoy the Linksys EtherFast router, but it is recommended! The real downside with Cable or DSL is that you get only one link to the Internet. That means when my housemate wants to read the comics online, she has to wait until I'm done reading Guru3D (shameless plug, just shameless). Hooking up more than one computer without a router does takes some serious geekatudinal efforts, though. Most large networks use a big, expensive Cisco router to share an Internet connection. What to do for us little guys with a couple of computers and only one connection? We need a router, with performance for multiplayer games, a firewall, and of course be easy to setup and use. Grab your health crystals and let us meditate on a word: Linksys. 

Linksys is a scrappy little company out of Los Angeles that's been riding a big wave of success with the increase in popularity of DSL and Cable modems. Linksys makes nifty network stuff that's good and cheap. The nearest competing router from Cisco is a whopping $600! I'm surprised that Cisco hasn't bought them out yet!