The Easy Route Shopping for a new router? Check out the latest advances in Wi-Fi.

Some things are inevitable, including the evolution of Wi-Fi technology. We're a far cry from the 802.11b days, when installation was a nightmare and you were lucky to get decent coverage past your office door. There's still plenty of room for improvements in range and ease of use, but some of the latest innovations in Wi-Fi are bringing some worthwhile features to the technology. These aren't earth-shattering upgrades, but it sweetens the deal if you're out shopping for a router or need to replace your old 802.11b or 802.11g system.

All the wireless routers in our chart use the latest draft-n technology, which offers range and speed advantages over the previous 802.11g offerings. The 802.11n standard isn't officially ratified yet, but draft-n adopters have little to worry about. Products that are tagged with Draft 2.0 certification should be interoperable and backward-compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g devices. Still, you're less likely to encounter technical setup headaches if you stick with a single manufacturer when outfitting your office.