Sunday, July 6, 2008

Oh No...My Router Got Zapped!

So it may not seem like a big deal to have your Internet connection down for a few days but for someone like myself, this was truly tragic. I think that the most tragic aspect was that the issue was incorrectly diagnosed; I blamed it on Cablevision. After waiting for the holiday to pass and the technician to survey the problem, I was told that it wasn't my cable connection but rather my router that had "died". My router died?!

In case you are asking yourself what a router is, a router is a simple LAN (local area network) that allows for multiple users to access the Internet with one connection. In other words, routers make it possible for multiple family members to access the Internet at the same time from their own computers. Fantastic.

So, I scanned the newspaper ads this morning to see what types of routers are available. Remember, my Internet is down so I have been reduced to looking at ads from Staples and Circuit City in the newspaper. It has been about six years since I bought a router and I remember researching them on various websites, comparing and contrasting based upon price and quality but since I didn't have the Internet to do my research today I had to rely on what I knew to be dependable. So, I ventured up to Staples and went through the router aisle (yes there is a whole aisle) wondering how a router can vary from $35 to $200. Why would the price vary so much? My old router was a LINKSYS and it had last six years (unlike my Dell laptop battery which died after two years this week - blog post #2 of the week...stay tuned) so I was definitely leaning toward another LINKSYS. I looked at the price tags, tried to do an in-store comparison and decided to rely upon what I knew and purchased the LINKSYS.

Fast forward about an hour later and I was back online! I can't even begin to explain how easy it was to replace my old router with my new router (securely). After inserting the CD it took all of ten minutes to go through the simple process and I was literally back online. I was waiting for some type of dilemma (the networked printer not working, laptop not able to find it, some type of disaster) but there wasn't one. My only issue was that I needed to restart my laptop and retype my Key Code and it was smooth running after that.

Therefore, if you are in the market for a router and aren't sure which one to purchase, my suggestion is a LINKSYS G Wireless Router. I purchased mine at a Staples store for $59.99 (you can probably shop around for the same one online for less money if you have the time and can get online). Trust me, if you've never needed a router before and don't think that you'd be able to connect it on your own - YES YOU DO AND YOU CAN DO IT! :)


Summer Tech Event

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