The Main Home & Small Network Network Types

Several good choices compete for your attention in the home and small office network market.

Ethernet network technology is currently the most popular home and small business networking solution. For small and medium-sized networks (fewer than eight users), the only drawback to Ethernet is the need to run wires from computer to computer. You can run about 300 feet of Cat 5 or Cat 5e wire with little data slowdown, though. At 100 megabits per second (Mbps), Ethernet is easily fast enough to handle a broadband Internet connection and still move plenty of local data—you can download high-definition movie trailers while someone else works on the family digital photo album through the network without frustration. With 10 Mbps, that kind of use (several multimedia files at once) will only occasionally seem slow.www.tartoos.com

If you're lucky enough to have Ethernet wiring pre-installed in your home or office, or if most of your computers are in the same room, Ethernet is almost an automatic choice. You'll save money and get a fast network.www.tartoos.com

Gigabit Ethernet

Ethernet takes two of the titles in the triple crown of home networking—10/100 is usually the most affordable, and another type of Ethernet—Gigabit Ethernet—is the fastest technology for home use. At 1,000 Mbps, or 1 gigabit per second (hence the name), it's about ten times faster than the other technologies. Gigabit Ethernet hubs and switches (the "traffic cop" equipment you install between computers on the network) are expensive. Cat 6 cable (the wires that run from computer to computer) is expensive as well. If you run a small ad agency or a freelance film editing shop, you might need a network this fast to swap large files, but otherwise this isn't worth the cost. Watching a DVD while someone else browses the Internet through the network doesn't require 1,000 Mbps of speed.www.tartoos.com

802.11b

This technology is the old reliable for wireless home networking. It's the technology many people mean when they say "wireless" or "Wi-Fi®." Do be careful not to confuse Wi-Fi with the newer FireWire®; they're different things. For the record, Bluetooth® technology is also wireless, but if you hear people say "I run wireless at home," chances are they mean some variant of 802.11. An 802.11 technology is usually easier to install than an Ethernet network, but configuring the equipment can take a little longer.

Usually, the promised 11 Mbps speed ends up in the 2.5-4 Mbps range. That's still generally faster than a broadband connection, but may be slow for watching DVDs from another room. Securing an 802.11b network usually slows it down a little as well, but it does the job for sharing printers and Internet connections, and transferring files doesn't take all day. People who bring a laptop home from work often use 802.11b.

It's worth noting that 802.11b operates on the 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) frequency, which causes interference with many cordless phones that use the same frequency. Switching to a 900 megahertz (MHz) cordless phone generally solves this problem.

802.11awww.tartoos.com

802.11a is a technology upgrade to 802.11b, but you can't run both of them on the same network. If you enjoyed running an 802.11b network and want to replace it with 802.11a, you'll be an old pro with the new equipment, since they're similar in some ways. 802.11a operates at 5 GHz, so cordless phone interference should not be an issue. And the real clincher for most people? 54 Mbps throughput—five times the data speed that 802.11b delivers.

A good rule of thumb with "latest and greatest" high-speed technology of any kind is that you should only spend the money for new gadgets if you've already maxed out the potential power of the old stuff. In general, technology comes down in price with time, so don't buy more than you need. If you're setting up your very first network and want to buy wireless, 802.11b is still worth considering. But if you have five power users on your network, take a good look at 802.11a.

802.11g

The "a," "b," and "g" designations on wireless networks are not in a helpful order in terms of performance. The first was "b," "a" is fastest, and "g" splits the difference. 802.11g moves data at 54 Mbps, which is significantly faster than 802.11b. Both 802.11g and 802.11b run on the 2.4 GHz frequency.

The speed gains and compatibility between "b" and "g" bring up an interesting point. In most 802.11 networks, data moves through a hardware device called an access point (also called a hub, a router, or a base station). There are several types of access points. If you use both 802.11b and 802.11g equipment in your network, the access point has to be 802.11g for the network to use all the speed that 802.11g allows. The access point is the conduit between computers, so make sure it's as fast as the fastest computer on your network, if you want the speed. So don't spend the money to upgrade one of your computers without upgrading the access point, too.

Other Interesting Technologywww.tartoos.com

Some other technologies, old and new, hover around the edges of the home network market. These aren't necessarily technologies that we can recommend for use as the backbone of a home or small office network. But in many ways they're related, and they're often on the shelf next to networking hardware at the computer store. And, since many people still use them in their personal networks, we've covered them here.

HomePNA™

It's fast, easy to install, and not the most expensive technology on the market. HomePNA (also called HPNA) uses your existing home phone lines to move data. It won't normally interfere with DSL Internet service, phone conversations, or other activity, even when those things are happening at the same time on the same wire.

Compatibility is also an advantage of HomePNA. Even if you're running Ethernet wires between computers in one room, you can link them to computers in a different room through a HomePNA bridge (more on this later). It's not as expensive as Gigabit Ethernet, but it's not the least expensive technology either, so even devoted fans of HomePNA often use it for just a portion of their network.

FireWire®

FireWire, also called 1394, is most useful for newer computers running Windows XP. You can run it reliably on older operating systems, but you'll need special adapters. The main limitation to a FireWire network is the limited range—you can only run 15 feet of cable before you need to install a device called a repeater. But the speed is exceptional: 400 Mbps. It's more expensive than 10/100 Ethernet equipment, but if you have compatible computers close together and you need the speed, FireWire is blazing fast (hence the brand name).

Bluetooth® wireless technologywww.tartoos.com

Bluetooth wireless technology is slow but in many ways is the most intriguing networking technology. Printers, mice, joysticks, keyboards, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, digital cameras—anywhere data goes, chances are someone makes a Bluetooth wireless device to move it. At about 1.5 Mbps, it's not really a viable network technology, but it isn't designed to network computers together. Its main function is to connect computers to smaller devices. The range is about 30 feet. For very specific connections between very modern devices, Bluetooth wireless technology is fast gaining in popularity. We won't discuss it in any of the installing or configuring sections here, since it's not often used as the backbone of a network, but Bluetooth wireless technology has many practical uses for home and office.www.tartoos.com

How much are you willing to spend?

For the budget conscious, Ethernet technology usually wins. Some people will move computers into a single room to avoid the wiring hassle, but even for small networks that isn't always practical. An Ethernet network should normally cost under $100 per computer, and less if your computers already have network cards (many do). Additional Ethernet hardware should generally total less than $100. On the other end of the cost spectrum, many new buildings and houses come with internal Ethernet wiring, and it's not hard to find stories online from people who incorporate networking into a remodel.

Wireless equipment will probably cost about $100 per computer, in addition to the cost of hardware, which is typically under $100. If you already have a wireless network adapter installed in each computer, the cost of the network hardware—called an access point—will be most of the cost, if not all.

Unless you have an Ethernet network with only two computers, you'll need a router, switch, hub, or access point. Maybe more than one. You may want to search the Web to get some idea about the deals that are available—there are numerous online retailers. In general, buying online can save money when you're buying familiar things, but a physical store is a better information resource (and return point) when you're buying unfamiliar goods.