Use cable internet

Need to add 2 more comps to the network plus a PS3

was running P2P before hand with the second comp sharing my PCs internet connection
but now i want my PS3 to be permantly connected so i dnt have to change wires constantly

to all up its 3-4 PCs and a PS3
i want them to be networked and all have an internet connection

not sure what sort of router would be a decent reliable one for what i need

i had a good expierence with a NetGear ADSL2 router/modem installation for my friend

For your Cable service. Do you have a cable modem then its connected to a router? or do you have a cable modem/router all in one?

If you have Just a cable modem, then I'd recommend getting a 8 port switch and plug the cable modem into the uplink of the switch then attach each computer to a port on the switch. Now all PCs/PS3 are connected and no need to move/switch cables.

If you need wireless, then get a wireless router (cant go wrong with the linksys wrt54g) and again feed the uplink in, and connect what needs to be connected to the ports, and setup your wireless and WPA security and you're good to go

I use This and have been very happy with it, they can be bought cheaply enough on ebay as recon units or online etc. They are Netgears Top Of the line model, and the price obviously reflects this.

Before the upgrade I used to use This and again was happy with the performance and reliability.

Stay away from Linksys - I found the two we had to be trouble, needing a daily reboot (so much so I bought a timer for it!)

Netgear really do have the easiest and nicest to use interface, and although it may not matter, tend to be the best looking.

i was looking at Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless-G Router looks pretty sleek
not sure what u mean by having to reboot it?

the cable modem is JUST that only one output from an rj45

basically what i need is
to be able to connect 4 PCs/Consoles for LAN via cabled connection
all to share a cable internet connection

i want the input for the internet to be on the router (RJ45)

wireless for extra add on devices when necessary mayb a Laptop, Phone etc

with the cabled connected components *NOT WIRELESS*
will there be a problem in bottlenecking tranfer of data say for e.g 2 pcs are on the net P2P + browsing
+ simultaneous file sharing fromn 2 or more PCs. This situation might be a rareity but still need to be advised none the less

how will and extra wireless device affect a router like a wrt54g2?

should i look at a draft-n router for mroe speed?

okay so basically you'll need a good router with wireless capbilites. I have not had issues with my linksys router "rebooting" such an issue sounds like the lease is expiring and not renewing automatically as it should which would result in a lost connect where you'd need to manual reboot the router.

with a good router transfereing between devices should be pretty speedy with a 100basetx router, but with many devices using p2p and downloading heavily speeds then will be more reliant on your ISP than the hardware you buy. If you do plan on sending a lot of file, large files etc, go ahead and get a gigabit wireless router, you'll never max it out but it shouldnt bog down as much when transfering alot between devices.

I've been a linksys man, havent explored much with the netgear so I cant comment on them but i have heard good things about some of their products. Dlink I've only had bad experience with so do some research and get whats best for your desired setup