Networking newb.

[Overlords]

Hey, new to this forum as i've seen some good help offered here.

I'm building a new system based on the asus Commando gaming motherboard. Only problem I'm having is the networking aspect. My room is seperated from the living room where my other comp is situated by about 40 feet. (in advance, just like to warn you I'm a complete network newb, but i'm definately not computer stupid)

Now what i'd like to do is purchase a router to connect my gaming pc and an Xbox 360 wirelessly ( both are situated in the same room) and still connect the living room computer and printer with a wire. I have a dsl modem that could be connected with a wire if necessary but i've heard routers could have modems built it, but i have no idea if that's true.

So my question is, what kinda of router could i get that would keep my connection stable and strong enough to game wirelessly in one room while keeping the smooth connection i've had in my living room for years unchanged.

Also, the commando http://techgage.com/article/asus_commando/
is said to have dual gigabit lan. I don't know what that means. Does that mean that i won't have to purchase a pci/usb wireless network adapter?

I also know that the 360 has a wireless network adapter that plugs through USB port behind the console. Is it possible that the router i purchase effects the quality of gaming i'll get? If so what would be a good option considering everything else i've stated.

Thanks a lot in advance guys, any help offered would be greatly appreciated.

[Cellus]

Much of this schema is dependent on a decent Internet connection. If you are busy gaming on your X360 online while your other PCs are also utilizing the Internet, there will most likely be a bottleneck at your Internet connection. What kind of Internet connection do you have, and what is the plan? (What is the download/upload throughput rates for your current plan?)

For the ASUS Commando, you will need to purchase a wireless network adapter if you want it to go wireless - the dual gigabit LAN is for a wired connection only.

As for a router, get a wireless router that supports 802.11g (almost all modern wireless routers support this) with ethernet ports, such as the Linksys WRT54G for example. With this you will be able to have both wired and wireless connections - your gaming PC and X360 can connect through it wirelessly while your other computers and devices can connect their ethernet cables to it for wired. With the router, you simply connect your modem to the router.

With a console, two PCs, and a printer, the router should be able to handle the load easily enough. A stable and strong wireless connection is dependent on several factors - distance, physical obstructions (eg: walls), electro-magnetic interference (eg: microwaves and assorted appliances), and so forth. So long as the line-of-sight from the wireless devices to the router are fairly clear, and you don't prop your wireless router on top of the microwave, you should be fairly well off.

[Overlords]

If i were gaming on my 360 my wireless computer connection wouldn't be in very much use. The other might be used for surfing at the same time but nothing heavy like huge file downloads or gaming etc. There would be two (pretty thin and poorly insulated) walls without wire mesh within them. Distance of only about 40 feet. I rent so i can't start drilling holes everywhere or else i would love to just run some ethernet cable all over.

And to answer your other question, speedtest.net says i have a 1466 kbps download rate and about 500 kbps upload rate. If that's not enough to have split among two active devices using the connection, is there a way to boost it so i can have someone maybe browsing in the living room and myself playing xbox 360 online without any hiccups?

edit: And could you recommend a good wireless network adapter. I was leaning towards a pci card but I was reading "Wireless networking for Dummies" and it said that Usb devices were pulling ahead. What should i go for ?