I couldn't leave well enough alone 
Right after posting my last message, I "Upgraded" the firmware on my Linksys BEFW411S4 router to 1.50. Big Mistake. Random Disconnects, and slow as hell. This was the original problem, but was "fixed" by an earlier firmware. I even tried going back to the previous firmware... but no luck. My advice... stay away from this model.
For more peoples grumblings:
http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,8669088~mode=flat;days=9999~start=0
If you read any of the posts from the link above, a few people said Linksys is actually providing an older product as the "fix" for their new product. Great, for stability, I have to give up any future upgrades. Urgh! 
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(... better days ahead)
