O.MIGHT

In the improving wireless, I suggest adding another way. Putting a cooler below the router/modem. I've experience this, heat most of the time can get these devices not to function fully as they suppose to. A simple notebook cooler can add some airflow to it, reducing the amount of heat on the device itself.
 
Next is the port forwarding part i'd like to add. Before doing the port forwards on the router, assign a static IP to your computer first. This is because most home users will just run things out-of-the-box. Which means they will use a DHCP server and will assign a different internal IP for the computer every time it connects. If you want to keep the existing port forward setting specifically to a certain pc, static internal IP will be better.

And i'd like to add one more tips for others. Sometimes people will complain about transferring files through LANs is slow (eg 3mb/s) even though they have Gigabit connections or just any 10/100 connections. This is because Windows will usually set the speed to Auto Negotiate. Everytime windows detect some older connections, they will assign the 10mbps speed to the LAN connection instead of 100mpbs or 1gbps.
You can change this setting by doing this.
 
In Windows XP -->
Right click your LAN connection and select Open Network Connections, then double click your LAN connection. After that click Configure, then navigate to the Advance tab and choose Link Speed/Duplex Mode. From there you can choose up to 100Mbps Full Duplex if you are on a 10/100 connection or up to 1Gbps/1000Mbps Full Duplex if you are on a Gigabit connection.
 
In Windows 7/8 -->
Go to your Network & Sharing center and click on your LAN Connection(Ethernet). After that everything is same as above.
 
Most people will find this useless but for me when I'm copying large amount of Datas across the network (eg. Backing up a computer to a home server or copying games across computers), I found that this can save me lots of time.

Other than that, Nice FAQ Thread you got here. Keep Up The Good Work

Need more ports on your router ? Looked into switches, but you are confused with the naming ?
Here are the types of switches you might encounter when shopping for one:
Unmanaged or "dumb" switches. These types of switches do not have any user configurable options and are best suited for home users who wish to expand their network or just add extra ports to their router. These switches are ready to use out of the box. Smart switches. A tier down from managed ones, these switches offer the ability to configure some options like QoS and VLAN's via a web interface and are best suited for users who need a slightly tighter control over their network. Managed switches. A switch that offers even more features usually suited for enterprise users and large networks, these switches can often be stacked. A serial CLI interface is usually provided for management and configuration. Switches usually come in standard port number configurations 5,8,16,24,48 (Usable ports = number of ports - 1).

I need to run ethernet cable, but i don't know what the Cat symbol on the wire means
The "Cat" or category is a cable rating system and it tells the user how much the cable can handle in terms of speed and interference. Here are the most common categories you will encounter:
Category 3 or Cat3 cable, is a very old standard that allows the wire to carry speeds up to 10mbps, it is no longer used for internet, but instead is still used for telephone wiring. Category 5e or Cat5e, the most common cable type right now, it can handle 100mbps and 1gbps speeds. Category 6 or Cat6 in addition to being able to handle more interference it can also handle 10gbps speeds, though at reduced distance. Category 7 or Cat7 or Class F cable is rated for full length 10gbps operation. All these cables (except Cat7) come in two types: STP (or FTP in EU) this is a shielded cable and UTP (unshielded cable). A maximum length of a ethernet cable is 330ft (100m), going further you risk signal degradation.