Home Networking: The Missing Manual

Choosing Between Wired and Wireless

Deciding between a wired network, a wireless network, or a hybrid network—that is, one that uses both wired and wireless components—depends on what type of equipment you plan to connect, how you want to use the network, and the layout of your house. (After all, people living in glamorous, Donald Trump–sized mansions probably have different network needs than people living in 300-square-foot studio apartments.)

It may be obvious to you right off the bat that your house calls for an all-wired or pure wireless network. For instance, if you just moved into a spiffy new condo with Ethernet cabling built into every room and all your computers are desktop models, WiFi may be a waste of money and radio signals. Or, if you're just going to connect a couple of computers that happen to be in the same room, an Ethernet network will work just fine and is quite easy to string up. On the other hand, if you have a killer outdoor deck, and you want to use your laptop to surf the Web while soaking up the rays, WiFi may be your sunniest option.

But if you're not sure whether to go wired or wireless, don't worry: you can experiment and build your network over time. You may even find that a combination of wired and wireless technologies works best for you. For instance, you may discover through trial and plenty of error that the wireless router in your top-floor home office won't reach the kitchen on the ground floor. The solution? Extend your network with Ethernet cables or Powerline, and off you go, browsing those food sites on the Web for the perfect side-dish recipe while you whip up the main course.

To help you figure out what's best for you, this table compares the network types:

Table 1-1. 

	Ethernet	Powerline (HomePlug)	WiFi
Speed	10, 100, or 1,000 Mbps (100 is typical).	Up to 14 Mbps currently. A new standard increases this speed to a much higher level but is not yet available.	Anywhere from 11 to 54 Mbps.
Ease of installation	Single rooms: piece o' cake. Multiple rooms: a bear unless cabling is installed during home construction.	An exercise in simplicity.	Simple. Requires only setting up the router and possibly installing network adapters.
Cabling	Specialized—not found in most houses, but easy to buy in stores.	Electrical cable—multiple jacks in every room of the house. Uses either USB or Ethernet to connect to computer.	Wireless = no wires.
Security	Very secure.	Very secure.	Runs the gamut from somewhat secure all the way down to "more open than Denny's after an all-night party."
How does its future look?	Excellent.	Good.	Excellent.
Cost	Low.	High.	Medium–high.

The next three chapters tell you what you need to know to actually set up a network. If you've decided that you'd like to start with an Ethernet network, head to Chapter 2. If pure wireless is your desire, leaf over to Chapter 3. And if Powerline is most likely to meet your needs, Chapter 4 is the place to go. Each chapter also includes information about setting up hybrid networks.