Who cares about wireless anyway? :-) :-) Respectfully, consider the multi-boxes approach, better to buy the best modem, best router and a really good wireless access point _or several_. That way you can choose each on its own merits without needing to make compromises all the time. There are lots of good 5GHz WAPs around and having the flexibility to park them where is best for coverage can be very important. Correct security config, encryption of wireless is absolutely vital, get help if in any way unsure. Otherwise your neighbours or their visitors will be getting a free ride on your internet connection and implicating you in things I shudder to think about.
Your router, if a separate box from the modem, should simply be parked according to convenience. It needs to be reliable, secure (default config and bug-free), fast, flexible have an effective firewall, have the range of feature you need and be comprehensible. If you go for a good ISP, they will configure a router correctly for you.
Your modem must be really close to the NTE5 (master socket) as the cable run from NTE5 to modem is critical, must be highest quality and should be kept as short as possible (buy a Tandy web shop adslnation.com RJ-11-to-RJ-11 cable). [Strictly speaking, there is a - very, very slightly larger - RJ-45 socket on the faceplate-type filter that fit onto the front of the NTE5, but the tiny difference doesn't matter, both fit fine in practice.] Best quality modem means highest speeds and freedom from hassle. Ask about something called "1500 byte MTU" (aka 1508-byte aka jumbo frames), a near must-have feature, needs to be supported by router too not just modem for it to work. I won't go into this now. BT-supplied FTTC separate modems support this. It prevents hassle with certain misbehaving servers on the internet, certain websites, services, that's the implication of it basically.