First off, Don't mess with wireless N. It has not been ratified yet. It's not "official" yet. There are still a lot of problems with the new N. The things that you don't want to happen , probably will with N, like connection drops, etc.. Just go with a regular G router. Just about any brand will be ok. Linksys, D-link, and Netgear seem to be dominate on store shelves.


Second, it really depends on what kind of router you get. There are routers out there that will drop the connection, etc.... Remember that with wireless networking, well really, with all technology: You get what you pay for. You pay 30$ for a router....your probably end up buying an expensive paper weight. If you want real reliability and consistency, you need to be willing to spend the money.

The age of your house can affect your router's signal. Something in older homes that often hurt wireless signals are things like metal studs, and insulation with that tin foil covering on it. They often reflect the signal, making it harder to get rid of dead spots.
The best way to combat this is to either buy a higher gain antenna for your router (if your router has a detachable antenna). Or just buy a stronger router. Usually routers that cost more tend to have better improvements over cheaper ones, like signal coverage and security.

Just as an example. I had a old wireless N router with two adapters. The router and adapters both stopped working within a month after I got them. Then I decided to go with the DGL-4300 (all the everyday users that view this forum are probably saying right now: oh, here we go again with the DGL-4300, lol). I replaced the N router with this one, and right now I don't have any dead spots in my home (2500 sq ft). I get 100% signal everywhere in my home, as difficult as it may seem to believe. I have tried about four routers before this one, and they haven't done nearly as well as this one. But...it cost me a bunch.

But in the end, you gotta pay the money if you want to get what you really want.

Newegg.com - D-Link DGL-4300 IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g Wireless Gaming Router - Wireless Routers

Even if your not a gamer, its worth it knowing you have a reliable piece of equipment.

Borgslayer