It’s amazing how attached we are, ok I am, to technology! I am reminded of this fact when something is not functioning as it should and I have to either fix it, find a replacement, or do without.  We have both LAN and wireless networks in our house so that our desktop computers and laptops can access each other and the Internet and so that our laptops maintain their portability.  Recently I was struggling with constant loss of connection at the most frustrating of times – in the middle of uploads/downloads or when trying to share files.  A very long and frustrating story shortened to the Ethernet port in our DSL modem was not functioning properly and therefore our wireless router/network and Internet access were both impacted.  Since I was in a bit of a bind (read impatient – how can I digital-scrapbook without Internet or the more mundane but highly important question how does my husband access and complete his timecard????) and because I REALLY didn’t want to have to deal with my ISP (the modem provider), we opted to purchase a new modem with the wireless router and LAN ports included.  Again, due to my impatience, my husband stopped at our local Staples to pick-up the new unit after I had called around to verify one was in-stock and reasonably (relatively speaking) priced.  I selected a NetGear DGN-2000-100NAS.  This unit is capable of the new Wireless-N standards as well as supporting older Wireless A, B and G standards.  It is an all-in-one, so the DSL modem and wireless router features reside in a single unit.  If we’d had more time (or I’d been less impatient) I’d have done more Internet-shopping/price comparisons with tools like Shopwiki – a service that combines wikipedia-style background information and price-grabber type price comparisons (and you ALL of the results, not just those from paid-advertisers so you can find the best price on the web and compare it local merchants). As it turns out, Staples was the best choice both price-wise (and we didn’t have to pay shipping since they’re local) and from a convenience stand-point (no waiting for orders to process and ship).  Plus, I VERY satisfied with our NetGear product and with the customer support we received during set-up and installation.  A positive experience all the way around!