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Home/Office Networking: Your Technology Options
Home/Office Networking: Your Technology Options |
- The Technology
- Wired Networks
- Phone Line
- Power Line
- Ethernet
- Wireless Networks
- Choosing the Best Technology for You
- What to Look For
- Comparing Options
To share an Internet connection, you'll need Windows 98 or Windows 98 Second Edition; an analog or digital modem; and an ISP account. After checking with your Internet service provider (ISP) to see if it restricts Internet-connection sharing, there are several ways to create a home network
Wired Networks
Wired networks connect personal computers, laptops, printers and modems with cable, including phone line, power line or Ethernet links. They deliver instant, always-on, high-speed broadband access to the Internet.
Phone-Line Networks
Home Phone-Line Networking (HPN) is useful for connecting computers scattered throughout the house. Ethernet requires special wires to connect computers. But HPN uses your home telephone wiring to send data at a different frequency than voice traffic. Such a connection provides a very fast 1- or 10-mbps link among your computers. If you have telephone jacks near each computer you want to network, and those jacks run off the same phone line, HPN may be your best choice.
In a phone-line network, internal or external network adapters are installed in each PC. Printers or other peripherals are shared through a connected PC. Each device is then plugged into a phone jack. A single 56-kbps analog, ISDN, cable or DSL modem gives you an Internet connection that every computer on the phone-line network can use at the same time. The advantages:
- Household members can access the Internet at the same time using one ISP account or Internet connection.
- With a DSL or cable modem, you can talk on the phone and browse the Internet; play multi-user computer games; or print and share personal files with other connected computers.
- The network is very secure, because each home has a unique phone line running to the phone company.
Power-Line Networks
Power-line home networking products connect devices using the power outlets in your home's walls.
In this system, internal or external network adapters are installed in each PC. Printers or other peripherals are shared through a connected PC. Each PC is then plugged into a power outlet. A 56-kbps analog, ISDN, cable or DSL modem provides the shared Internet connection.
Power-line technology is the least developed, the slowest and noisiest of the networking solutions, but has a lot of promise. It's best in households where the computers are in different rooms near power outlets on the same circuit, and where bandwidth needs aren't as great.
Ethernet Networks
Ethernet networking is fast, speeding along at rates of up to 100 mbps. That's 100 times faster than 1-mbps phone-line and power-line systems, and 10 times faster than the new crop of 10-mbps phone-line and wireless-network products.
Ethernet networks are ideal for homes where the computers are in the same room, such as a home office, or in new or remodeled homes outfitted with special cabling. You also can find cabling in computer and hardware stores, and install it yourself if you're somewhat handy. Here's what you'll need:
- An Ethernet hub
- An Ethernet card for each computer
- Category 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling
Many companies sell these items in inexpensive kits. For example, NetGear markets a package that includes a four-port Ethernet hub; two Ethernet PCI cards; two 25-foot network cables; and a how-to guide. The price: under $80.
Here's how an Ethernet network works: Internal or external network adapters are installed in each computer. Printers or other peripherals are shared through a connected PC. Each device is then connected to the Ethernet cabling running through the home. A device called an Ethernet hub manages the communications over the network. A single 56-kbps analog, ISDN, cable or DSL modem provides the shared-Internet connection.
The Ethernet solution has powerful advantages:
- The fastest home-networking speeds available -- from 10 to 100 mbps -- support bandwidth-intensive multiplayer gaming and home-office environments.
- The network is very secure and reliable.
However, Ethernet is typically less convenient if you have devices in different rooms that you would like to connect, because it requires special wiring. If the thought of "pulling wire" through your home sends shivers, you'd be better off with wireless, HPN or power-line networking.
Wireless Networks
A wireless home network relies on high-frequency radio waves, just as your cordless phone does.
External adapters are installed on each PC, and printers or other peripherals are shared through a connected PC. The devices communicate over a set of radio frequencies. An access-point device lets your PCs share your modem for Internet access.
The wireless home-networking technology isn't restricted by line-of-sight problems, so network components don't need to be in the same room to communicate. In a typical home, the transmission range between devices is about 150 to 300 feet. You can wander from room to room or sit on the front porch as you surf the Internet from a laptop. Wireless solutions offer several other advantages, as well:
- Installation is easy, because there are no wires.
- Network components can be set up anywhere in your home, because the high-frequency radio waves travel through walls and windows.
- Several levels of security protect your privacy.
- Wireless networking makes it easy to move your computers and other devices without reconfiguring the network.
Choosing the Best Network Technology for You
Besides the networking technology itself, you must consider factors besides cost, capability and convenience when evaluating networking solutions. Look for a system that's:
- Built by a reputable, experienced company.
- Secure and private.
- Reliable, compatible with other network devices, and easy to expand as your home network grows. That means a standards-based solution.
- Backed by easily accessible, sound technical support.
Obtaining IP Access
After you've networked your computers, you'll need to obtain Internet connectivity for each machine through your modem. You have two choices:
- Purchase an Internet Protocol (IP) address for each additional computer from your ISP. That usually costs $5 to $10 per month.
- Use a network address translation (NAT) solution so that all of your machines can share a single IP address. You can do this through computer software, such as WinGate, or by installing a separate device -- either a proxy server or Internet sharing device (ISD).
NOTE: This solution may not always be supported by your ISP, so check with them first before moving ahead.
Security Issues
Cable and DSL modems can be broken into by outsiders, or "hackers." That's because network settings on Windows or Macintosh computers let two or more networked computers in a home or office share files and printers.
If you plan to share files and printers, we highly recommend that you install a router or networking device with a firewall between the cable modem and your home network. If you plan only to share your Internet connection in your home network, disable the file- and peripheral-sharing functions on your computer before connecting a cable or DSL modem.
Further Reading
- HomenetHelp.com
- Home Networking Info Center
- 3Com Home Networking
- Intel AnyPoint Home Network
- Proxim Home Networking
- ZoomAir
