Wired AND Wireless Routers?

[Frontier]

So... turn of 2000, I knew a good deal about tech. A dozen years later, I'm as clueless as my mom!

I, believe it or not, still have a hard-wired router/connection. Frankly, I like it just fine. But I'm finally giving in to wanting to be able to do more things, IE wireless and laptops and stuff.

Thing is, I want my desktop to still be hard-wired. As in, a physical ethernet cable. I know, how lame/old school, right?

So, what I'm wanting to know is... do they make wired AND wireless routers? IE, a router that transmits wirelessly but also has physical ethernet jacks?

Ideally, Linkysys would be my preference - used them forever and they've always been reliable and I hate change...

 

[John Clark]

I have a similar setup here to gazomg. Looking at ours, it's a belkin and I would be surprised if Linksys don't do one.

 

[Dukhat]

So... turn of 2000, I knew a good deal about tech. A dozen years later, I'm as clueless as my mom!

I, believe it or not, still have a hard-wired router/connection. Frankly, I like it just fine. But I'm finally giving in to wanting to be able to do more things, IE wireless and laptops and stuff.

Thing is, I want my desktop to still be hard-wired. As in, a physical ethernet cable. I know, how lame/old school, right?

So, what I'm wanting to know is... do they make wired AND wireless routers? IE, a router that transmits wirelessly but also has physical ethernet jacks?

Ideally, Linkysys would be my preference - used them forever and they've always been reliable and I hate change...

Almost every wireless router on the market is also a wired router; i.e. it will have four Ethernet ports along with the port your modem cable hooks into.

However, I would recommend against Linksys. While it's true their routers used to be the best, once they were acquired by Sisqo, their product has gone downhill, IMHO. I'd go for Netgear products myself.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I prefer networking over mains to wireless. If you have RCD-protected mains spurs, you have to ensure that all the network nodes are on the same spur.

 

[Dukhat]

I prefer networking over mains to wireless. If you have RCD-protected mains spurs, you have to ensure that all the network nodes are on the same spur.

I agree; powerline networks are superior to wireless networks, provided the electrical wiring is all on the same line.

 

[Methos]

Most wireless routers are wired automatically...

personally I have hard wired Cat45 cable from my router to my PC and to my spare room where my laptop normally is... if you require a stable connection or high speed for video calling, FTP transfers or anything else like that, i'd definitely recommend a wired connection...

wireless is good, don't get me wrong, i love having wireless on my phone and tablet, they're great for wandering around and checking / sending emails... but if you're looking for speed and stability, you want a good hard wired connection...

go to a standard tech store, or amazon, and look for a 5m Cat45 cable... you're looking at a buck a meter, if that... it's worth it in the long run and you can always wire a cable from one floor to another in your house and add a wifi-extender, basically a second router onto your main one that gives you a stronger wifi on another floor

M

 

[sojourner]

I prefer networking over mains to wireless. If you have RCD-protected mains spurs, you have to ensure that all the network nodes are on the same spur.

Hard to use with a tablet though.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I have Apple's Airport Extreme router and it has wired ethernet ports in addition to wireless capability. But I never use the wired.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I prefer networking over mains to wireless. If you have RCD-protected mains spurs, you have to ensure that all the network nodes are on the same spur.

Hard to use with a tablet though.

Not a problem as I don't have a tablet nor do I want one.

 

[Amaris]

I have a Cisco router that has 4 wired ports and a buckload of wireless connections. It's very reliable, and so far hasn't given me any trouble. If Cisco seems too expensive (though that's rare anymore), you can't go wrong with Netgear. Either way, unless you buy a specific wired router only, all wired routers will come with wireless ports, and vice versa.

 

[sojourner]

I prefer networking over mains to wireless. If you have RCD-protected mains spurs, you have to ensure that all the network nodes are on the same spur.

Hard to use with a tablet though.

Not a problem as I don't have a tablet nor do I want one.

So your reason for being in this thread is?

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Hard to use with a tablet though.

Not a problem as I don't have a tablet nor do I want one.

So your reason for being in this thread is?

You were the one who brought up (sic) tablet computers.

Thing is, I want my desktop to still be hard-wired. As in, a physical ethernet cable.

QED. I suggested a solution.

 

[Deks]

Routers with Wifi capability usually have several wired ports and not all routers with wired ports have Wifi (so if you want one that has both, make sure to check).
My household has 2 laptops and 1 desktop computer (the router is in the attic and to my knowledge has about 3 wired ports for computers and some others are for cable-like TV which I never use since I don't watch TV).
My current laptop and old laptop (of which the latter I gave to my mother) are connected online via Wifi.
My fathers' desktop is connected by wire.

As for tablets and whatnot... its possible to use them in a networked fashion to access data on other household PC's/laptops for example.

My Android smartphone (ZTE Blade) has ES File Explorer which has an option of detecting shared drives so I can access and copy the needed data off the laptop via Wifi within the household if I have a need for it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

unless you buy a specific wired router only, all wired routers will come with wireless ports, and vice versa.

The Airport Express (not Extreme) is wireless only.

 

[22 Stars]

I like my Asus dual band router, both wireless and wired. Does a great job, even streaming content and with my Slingbox (great little device).

 

[sojourner]

Not a problem as I don't have a tablet nor do I want one.

So your reason for being in this thread is?

You were the one who brought up (sic) tablet computers.

Thing is, I want my desktop to still be hard-wired. As in, a physical ethernet cable.

QED. I suggested a solution.

Not to the original post.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Not to the original post.

Let's assume Frontier's desktop is in a different room from the router and that he doesn't want the desktop to use wifi - my suggestion is valid in that situation.

If you think I'm spamming this thread, notify a mod, put me on your ignore list, or shut up.

 

[sojourner]

Yep, your advice really helped the OP here:

But I'm finally giving in to wanting to be able to do more things, IE wireless and laptops and stuff.

I don't think your spamming, I just find it strange that you would offer up information that in no way answers the question. I can't understand why people do that in general.

 

[Amaris]

unless you buy a specific wired router only, all wired routers will come with wireless ports, and vice versa.

The Airport Express (not Extreme) is wireless only.

Yep. Since it's specifically wireless, it won't have wired ports (that's the vice versa part ).

 

[Frontier]

Cool, thanks all. Knowing it's the status quo will make it easier to shop for a good one.

Too bad on Linksys... I dunno, I hate changing manufacturers when possible. Normally only do so for cost reasons... we'll see.