The problem with wireless (which I have) is that for work, I download/upload really large files, and it doesn't do as well over wireless. The same with Roku; I've read reviews that say the streaming is less reliable over wireless. However, if that's wrong and Roku works just fine over wireless, then I can use wireless with one router and wire in to the another for work. My personal computing needs are satisfied just fine with wireless.

I have a Roku and it is on a wireless network. I typically have no problem with streaming videos but I cannot do so when Beau is on his playstation playing Madden on the Internet.

So it isn't great if two machines on the network are doing massive data downloads.

Hm. Presuming there's only one massive dl going on at a time, does it make a difference how far away from the wireless device the Roku is?

So we have a two-story house and the router is on the second floor.

The roku is on the first.

I have no problems running streaming Netflix on the Wii in the living room while simulataneously using streaming on the Roku in the bedroom (wireless on both).

Wireless it is! Thanks, y'all. Except my wireless router has stopped working. *sigh* The thing is years old; I probably ought to just replace it.

Pay a little extra and get the "N" router (not the G or B). It's worth it!

Hee. Yes, it is. I will.

But...does that mean I just hook up the router to one spot, and the rest of them are thus hooked up? Is it like having a lot of long ethernet cables already hooked together? I don't quite grok--there is a "smart panel" in the master bedroom closet but AFAIcan tell it's not....smart. Or special. Other than being the terminus of all the cables. I'm hoping that doesn't mean THAT needs to be where the router/whatever needs to go? (It's also where all the cable TV cables end up, it seems).

Okay, this is the thing. What you have there is what I plan to wire up in my house. yes, it is a centralized point, but its a place where I would put a 10/100 hub (or better) so that all Ethernet jacks in the house would be equal.

Then place your wireless point (modem or a firewall/router) in the best spot for you, and hook it's internal LAN port up to the Ethernet jack in that room. If you set up the wireless device to allow DHCP on the LAN side, then any PC or IP-networked device can be configured to use the internet.

Very useful if any particular room in the house has bad Wireless connectivity.

Another completely different way to use that panel is to route connectivity from one room to another. Similar to the plan above, is the use of a single patch cable to have the internet come in from one room, and plug the cable form that socket in the closet to the socket for the room you are going to use for now. That's basically what yo are doing with a hub, but it's a one at a time deal, rather than a more convenient always-on of the hub.

The hub scenario also gives the future promise of IP telephony, but that's madness. Madness I tell you!

That's right. We have a smart panel in my closet (okay, my office closet so it makes marginally more sense.) and that's how I have it wired. I have the hub and router both in there, though I could have put the router elsewhere. And everything else that I have is just plugged in where I need it. So, like, the printers are ethernet even though they could go wireless.

My cable also all terminates there, but I can plug in wherever I want to. I was cheap and didn't pay for the doohickey that would connect all my cables to all my other cables, so that means I manually switch which incoming lines (from the satellite) are hooked to which outlets (to the tivo) whenever I want to move stuff around, which isn't too often.

Then my audio all comes in there, too. And it is wired into my amp & receiver which live in the closet. So I can route the XM or the output from my computer or whatever to any of the ceiling speakers in any room. Then I can control the volume of the speakers in the room itself by the volume dial on the wall.

I love it.