can I set up a wireless connection?

Wireless newbie here- I have cable internet, which is great, but it also means my laptop is chained to one corner of my apartment when I connect to the internet. I heard that you can get a wireless router and hook it up to the cable, is this true? Any recommendations on a good, but not horribly expensive, router? I'm confused about what kind I need. I have a Thinkpad R61 and my internet speet (Comcast cable) is 100 Mbps. My apartment is only 750 sq. feet, so range isn't a huge issue.
Thanks!

 

You need a router to send a signal to your laptop, and a wireless card in your machine to gather in the signal. A router costs about $50 give or take . . . I use a Belkin, but there are lots of makes and nearly any of them will work for you.

There used to be a couple of wireless stickies here at NBR. Take a look - there's a lot of good info in them.

 

I have a Trendnet router that I got for $10 ... wireless solutions are so common nowadays that you can spend as little or as much as you want. If your purposes for wireless are basic, don't bother with an expensive router; and don't buy an unreliable brand.

 

I agree with that, bc, but how do you judge reliability if you aren't already familiar with the brands? And ten bucks for a router??? Geez, I've never seen any for anything close to that. Nice find.

 

I can't speak for $10 routers that I've never used, but the one I have is fantastic. The best way to avoid unreliable brands is to search whether or not your model of interest has known problems. I haven't had any issues with my cheapo Trendnet and runs at 54mbps with all the security features of a $40+ router.