Hi Boo:

I don't consider myself a "techie" but I just went through the exercise of setting up a simple, wireless Netgear Router system to allow two laptops (each with a different Windows Operating System) to access the internet. I visited two different storefront computer stores and both quoted me a similar system for about twice the cost... no installation included.

I decided to look at Wal-Mart and paid around $35 bucks. After reading everything I could get my hands on to ensure I did not crash either laptop or ruin my AOL/Windstream hybrid setup, I got things up and running in a few hours. (AOL for E-mail and Windstream is my ISP)

I had more trouble with the Dell Windows 7 laptop due to my lack of familiarity with that operating system. The XP laptop was a breeze.

Admittedly, both laptops are less than 50 feet apart and in different rooms but the signal appears to be more than adequate for what we are doing.

The Netgear Router I purchased is an N150 wireless unit. Speed is 150 Mbps. The router comes with two plastic foot clips which allow the unit to stand erect and take up less space on your work surface... and probably improves reception/transmission.

Good luck. I'm pretty sure there are several similar models and manufacturers out there with similar features and pricing.

Hopefully, some of the guys here at the "Zone" will have even better options for you.

Dave Rice