Networks What wireless AP / Router to get?

Hi,

As i have recently moved to a new house without Wireless connection, and as my only machine is a Macbook pro running Boot Camp, i want to get myself a wireless AP to get some mobility on this machine.
I have a few things i would lik to see. Ordered most important to less:
Good signal
Decent wireless speed
Possibility of adding a harddrive, either internally or via USB or both
Custom Firmware (or really good original)
Wireless N
Gigabit LAN.b

I'd say all these things are actually pretty important, at least the top four. But i see that it may not all e doable..
Currently, i have had my eyes on the Asus WL-500W and the Airport Extreme, or Time Capsule.
I am working for Apple, so i get a discount of their products. Price is not critical, but i do have a limit to how much i will pay, depending on the features offered
And i have addresses in both Ireland and Denmark, so i will be able to source quite a lot of different stuff, i guess..
I am just wondering what the options are. I am mostly thinking about file system on the harddrive. My current external one is an NTFS formatted 500g drive, and that would not work on the APX afaik. Does anyone know of a good router that allows this?

 

I seem to remember some D-Link routers having the ability to crack the linux formware on them and put on your own that can control external HDDs and even run torrents etc for you.

I do also remember that newer versions of the router halved the amount of RAM so maybe worth looking on fleabay for an older one?

 

Apple wifi equipment all the way tbh, both extreme and time capsule are N and have the ability to add external hdds to them so that's even better!

 

I think you may be thinking of a Linksys, looks rather like a rocket base, and fits the characteristics. Don't think the "good" model ever made the european market. And even that one was quite quirky i believe.
The only problem with the Apple is that it does not do NTFS, so i can not use my HDD in friends computers.. Without them installing MacDrive or the like.

 

The Apple stuff is OK, but really expensive, low on features, and not better than any other brand. Best to go for a Linksys or Cisco based router.

 

Do you have any products in particular that fits my needs?
I am looking at 220-ish euro for an Apple Time Capsule. It does not seem bad considering it is a router that will take my existing drive, and has a 500gb drive built-in too.
Though it is quite an amount to put down still.
But i really do know it is good stuff. AFAIK still one of the only routers out there which is N and G-compatible, and offers dualband simultaneously. And it is supposed to have a very good signal strength.
Though it lacks configuration options.
But it seems to fit the bill, maybe except from custom firmware (but if it is working, why fix something not broken?)
All the other products i have looked at has seemed to have more or less signifcant flaws..

 

Currently thinking of WRT-54GL, as i have one in my parent's place and like the stability and flexibility. Also, it is like a third off the price of time capsule. But then again, a 500g hdd off the TC, and you end up at two WRT's.. and it DOES have a feature set to back that up..