helps you find the perfect gadget. ver. 1.8.7

This is a series of blog posts about moving into my new apartment and my search to find great products to fill it with. Check out my older blog posts: coffee makers, portable wireless printers, home soda makers and toasters!

My apartment is only a few hundred square-feet, so I didn’t really stress over which wireless router to buy. I was in a rush and just wanted to get my Internet running.

After hastily making a purchase, I realized I may have made a big mistake in taking the salesperson’s unfiltered advice. I decided to run a test: go to a few leading electronics stores, ask for a recommendation on a cheap router for a small apartment, and compare the results with expert reviews I found on the web.

Best Buy

A saleswoman admitted she didn’t know a ton about wireless routers, and didn’t suggest asking someone more knowledgeable on the subject. She recommended the Netgear Wireless G WGR614 ($34.99). Online reviews have praised the product for it’s easy set up and continuous connectivity.

B & H Photo

An employee at recommended the Linksys WRT120N ($43.54). Although some reviewers have no issues with the Linksys router, many complain of difficult setup and issues with customer service.

Radio Shack

A saleswoman recommended the Netgear N150 WNR1000 ($44.00). Some reviewers found that the range on the router was unreliable, but many thought that the router's signal was strong enough to completely cover whole houses.

What my online research recommended

I did some research for my previous blog post, and found that the D-Link DIR-615 Wireless N Router was the best inexpensive, entry level router with easy set up. None of the routers recommended by the salespeople showed up in my findings.

They look more helpful than they really are.
The Conclusion

CNET Blogger Sharon Vaknin summed up her experience working for Best Buy in "7 Things Electronics Salespeople Won't Tell You:"

"Salespeople are not necessarily experts in the products sold in their departments, even if they are expert salespeople. Though many express a strong interest in the products they sell, your time spent at a retail store fishing for information about a future TV purchase could be better spent online researching the products yourself."

I ended up with the Linksys WRT120N that B&H recommended. I followed all of the instructions on the CD, but had no wireless connection.

I called Linksys and, like many reviewers mention, the customer services representatives didn't try to help me at all. Instead I was told to return the router. I played around with the connectivity options on my computer and eventually solved the problem myself.

The point is that setup requires some expertise. Given that my most important requirement was ease, this recommendation was a bit off.

At the end of the test, I don't believe important electronics decision should be left up to salespeople who may or may not be trained enough to suggest reliable gadgets.