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Not all 802.11b solutions are built alike! As a matter-a-fact they are many things that need to be taken into consideration before purchasing a router that has 11Mbps wireless Ethernet.

First off, don't expect more than about 5Mbps or so from an unencrypted 802.11b connection on your lan. With WEP (encryption) turned on, expect speeds between 2.25 and 3.8 Mbps. This is still much faster than your broadband connection but can be very slow for transferring gigs of data between LAN computers.

When a router supports 802.11b, it is considered a wireless access point.

Encryption level

Routers support one or two different encryption levels 64bit and 128bit. BTW, 40Bit is the same thing as 64bit, just different ways of looking at it. All the devices on your network need to be the same encryption level for you to turn on WEP. Most 128bit cards can be set to 64bit, but 64bit cards can not be set higher.

64bit keys

Most access points allow you to set up to 4 different encryption keys, some only allow one. This is not that critical for use.

Key type, ascii or hex

Some manufacturers make you type in your keys in ascii, some in hexidecimal. Try and get an access point and cards from the same manufacturer to ensure easy setup. Ascii and hex can be converted back and forth, but it is a pain.

Mac address based access lists

To further enhance wireless security, access points can sometimes be configured to only react to certain specific network adapters (certain computers). The computers are recognized by the MAC address of the network adapter, kind of like a hard coded globally unique serial number built into each network adapter.

Supports roaming?

802.11b often only reaches 150 feet or so indoors. If you have a huge or want to extend your wireless LAN completely into your yard, look for a wireless setup that supports roaming. Roaming allows multiple access points to talk to each other to extend the wireless network range. Few access points support this right now.