gdgt

Check out the DIR655 line from D-Link, it's a site favorite. I think you can find them under $100 now due to a newer model coming out. It supports all the major bands of wireless with a/b/g/n and has a couple different dual band modes available. It also has a USB port for network storage but be warned you need to use a secondary app for it and it only allows 1 session at a time. Another added benefit is that it is gigabit capable.

I like the D-Link line the best of the ones I've used (Linksys, Linksys+DDWRT, Netgear) simply because of it's webGUI. I find it to be one best ones out there and probably the easiest to navigate.

Just a tip before you do this: in order to make sure you utilize the dual band mode set the router to only broadcast in N first and connect all your N capable devices. Once they're all connected you can change it to your preferred dual-band mode. I've done this my current set up and it worked fine for my laptop. Also despite N have greater signal strength keep in mind with two floors you may see some signal loss as you move through the house so you might need something like this netgear.com­/home­/products­/wireless­-range­-extenders... to help keep the signal strength strong in dead zones.

Great tools for testing your new set up are: inSSIDer and LANSpeedTest. inSSIDer will help you identify how signal strength is holding up as you move through the house and LANSpeedTest will help verify R/W speeds; as your signal decreases so will your R/W speeds, I go from 35-40 right next to my router to 12-15 when I'm upstairs.

GOOD LUCK

I had a DIR-655 and upgraded to the Netgear WNDR-4000 because I needed a "Fatter Pipe" and wanted the simultaneous dual band for interference issues without losing support for legacy devices. I live in a very crowded apartment complex with lots of interference and can routinely see upwards of 20 networks with my laptop. I tried out the Linksys E4200 but was having connectivity issues with it losing wireless for short periods. The Netgear router has been rock solid since I installed it, even though is shares the same internal chipset as the E4200. It all depends on your need. If you have lots of devices that use a lot of bandwidth, an upgraded router is definitely worth it.

The problem with questions like this is that most people will recommend whatever it is that they've just bought themselves. And so will I :).

But that's because I have a Linksys E4200. In every review I've seen, it tops all the charts. It also has the USB port you mentioned, and the latest firmware seems to have fixed the only issue I had with it (wireless-g would sometimes disappear).