This post has been sitting here as a Draft since September. Since I haven’t had the time to formulate my thoughts into family-friendly words, and since I can’t stand to see it sit here any longer, I’d like to summarize my findings ever so briefly.
Linksys WRT610N: Looks pretty. Admin interface is dated and aggravating. It had ongoing issues handing out IP addresses to my network attached printers, and after about 3 days, I wanted to smash it with a hammer (I returned it to Future Shop instead). Conclusion: FAIL.
D-Link DIR-825: Probably one of the most aggravating pieces of hardware I’ve ever had. Required constant reboots. The wireless range (especially of the 5GHz band) was so pitiful that it might as well not exist (or, optionally, you can cozy up to the router in the closet). That being said, even if you wanted to work right next to this thing in the closet – you’ll have to contend with the aggravating number of horrendously blue lights that could quite easily cause you to bleed out of your eyes. It was so aggravating, in fact, that I gave it away (I was too late to be able to return it). Conclusion: FAIL.
Apple Airport Extreme: This thing just works. I set it up once, and have since forgotten it even exists. It has never required a reboot, or any other babysitting since I bought it. Conclusion: WIN.