I've never had a laptop and don't really want one, except perhaps a Mac. One thing you need to ask about, is whether the laptop gets hot, unless you want to keep it on your desk - I've heard people complain about almost burning themselves a few times.

A router is quite easy to set up. Don't you normally get one from your ISP? If you get a router, you can access WIFI and as far as I know, you can set it so no one else can get in. Most people in our building do that.

Like you, I would definitely go for one with a good keyboard and mouse, but do read reviews!

Good luck!