Overwhelmed with info

[fjjbnjn]

I'm going to be moving into my first apartment soon, so I've been researching everything I can about home networking. There's just so much info out there, I'm overwhelmed. I would appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction.


I would like to have a wired connection for anything I can in my house, but I also want wireless setup to use on my phone or lounging with a laptop. I would also like to leave room for expansion (of number of devices, internet speed, and my general knowledge on the subject).

Here is what I'm looking at:
Internet plan: 50Mbps down, and 5Mbps up (best plan for the area)

Router: This is where I'm just absolutely drowning in seemingly extraneous details.
This is one of the cheaper routers I've found, and it seems to have everything I need:
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156464&cm_re=router-_-33-156-464-_-Product
But then why is it so cheap, just quality and reliability? Would something like this be a better choice?
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122612&cm_re=router-_-33-122-612-_-Product

Ethernet Switch:
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=12K-008X-00026
Or this:
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=ethernet_switch-_-33-122-610-_-Product

 

[beers]

What kind of budget are you looking at?

Most out of the box routers will do everything you need. You generally pick the port speed (ideally Gigabit on all ports) and wireless standard (look at 802.11ac). Some of them offer VPN features and similar, it really just depends on what you want to do.

Are there any specifics that are confusing that we can clarify? We have a few professional network engineers on this forum

 

[fjjbnjn]

What kind of budget are you looking at?

Most out of the box routers will do everything you need. You generally pick the port speed (ideally Gigabit on all ports) and wireless standard (look at 802.11ac). Some of them offer VPN features and similar, it really just depends on what you want to do.

Are there any specifics that are confusing that we can clarify? We have a few professional network engineers on this forum

Not really a set price range. Obviously the cheaper the better, but I want quality internet. So whatever will work with my speeds (plus room for an upgrade), and provide reliability.

So is the difference between the two routers I have listed, the standard? The first one says "IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab" which is not what I want, right?

Also, what does VPN support allow me to do? And, what impact do antenna have (internal vs external, 2 vs 3)?