Recently I've discovered the online mag Wi-FI Planet and it's affection for the linux based firmware replacement for low-end commercial routers called DD-WRT. In layman's terms, DD-WRT is a software that can be loaded on a large variety of cheap routers and wireless access points, like the kind available at your local mom & pop computer shop, or electronics superstore (or even Wal-Mart!). Usually these kinds of devices are shipped with operational software (called "firmware" in the techie world) that is crippled, very limited, or brain dead. Part of the reason for this is to route you to a much more expensive product purchase if your needs are higher end (for example, instead of paying about $75 for a low-end Linksys branded router, you might instead be forced to buy a Cisco branded product for thouasands of dollars). DD-WRT puts one of these cheap "low-end" routers "on steroids", so to speak, making it capable of many things usually only found in the much more expensive devices like Cisco's. Some examples: the ability to use your device in many different modes: simple router, wireless access point, firewall, wireless client (this mode converts a wired ethernet adaptor to connect to a wireless network), wireless repeater and wireless distribution nodes (these modes create mesh-networks among many wireless accesspoints, effectively extending the range of your wireless signal), virtual private network server or client, and the list goes on. In my own experience with DD-WRT, it also seems like these devices just work better with DD-WRT versus the native firmware they ship with. Amazingly, the DD-WRT software itself can be used free-of-charge in many scenarios!
Head over to this article on Wi-Fi Planet to survey their coverage of DD-WRT (note: this list is not up to date, I noticed. Look particularly for many new DD-WRT articles from Aaron Weiss, the "Wi-Fi Guru") and get better acquainted.
I would love to help your home or business with your advanced networking needs and to take advantage of the power and money savings of DD-WRT! Please give me a call to explore your needs.
-Patrick