Nearly Free Home Router

It doesn't have wireless capability, but for just under five bucks, it's still a great deal. I was on DealMac a moment ago and ran across this 4 port Netgear router for $44.99 with a mail in rebate of $40 and free shipping.

Man, I bought a wireless 4 port Netgear router a few weeks ago (my older 3Com model had died a slow and odd death). The wireless will be nice when I get around to getting a wireless card for the laptop, but I probably would've kissed that goodbye for the $4.99 router.

For the curious, my Netgear wireless is working like a champ so far. It was easier to set up than the 3Com job, just as easy to administer, and hasn't had any of the quirks and hangups that the 3Com wireless hub displayed. To be fair, though, the 3Com hub was a few years old--one of the early consumer wireless stations that was given to me for free.

Anyway, it's a heck of a deal for anyone in the market for an easy to install router for home use.