I use Airlink101 products, and so do laptop makers. The company that produces the branded "Airlink" products is Atheros http://www.atheros.com/
You will find their chips in lots of places, and their routers and other wireless products work, they're fast, feature rich, inexpensive, and reliable.
I have a few Airlink AR430W routers in service at various places. One thing you can do with them is reprogram them with DD-WRT, which is a VERY slick firmware with lots of features. Read about DD-WRT at http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/dd-wrt/hardware.html and type in Airlink and find the AR-430W.
I use the AR430W with my iPhone, with DELL Laptop, HP Laptop, and with Linksys Wireless Music Bridges, and got it from Frys when they were on sale. I see a few of them on sale at ebay. Type in the search phrase "Airlink AR430w 108 Wireless G Router" on ebay. Free shipping, about $33.
On Passwords -- I think the best is WPA PSK and is fast. Also, a good 10-digit hex value to use is a phone number you know (that other's do not). With area code, a phone number comes out as 10 digits, and hex is from 0 to F, including 0 to 9.
Another security approach is to use MAC filtering, also supported. This can be used to allow only a particular list of known MAC addresses, and others are unable to get service from the access point.
I've setup what is known as a "honey pot" -- an open wireless access point (no obvious security) but with MAC filtering. People think they can access it, and they do, but they don't get past the connection (no DHCP address, etc.). With DD-WRT, you can create multiple APs on a single AP, the extra ones are called "Virtual access points" and they can have their own access keys.
The DD-WRT also allows setting up an AP that can access another AP, similar to a repeater, but more sophisticated.
Sorry this was such a long post.