Networking Bible

Chapter 10. Home Networks

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Features of a home network

• Broadband connection technologies

• Wireless connections

• Different approaches to connecting areas of your home

• Phone line and power line networks

Home networking is becoming more advanced, easier to use, and more prevalent. The major reasons people install home networks are to share Internet connections, resources, and network applications.

Home networks tend to be a mixture of different technologies. If you need to have mobile devices, then Wi-Fi networks will be one part of the mix. The two essential decisions you make concerning your home network are how to connect to the Internet and how to bridge different areas of your home together.

In this chapter, some of the common choices for home networking media are discussed in terms of their suitability. Ethernet, HomePNA, and HomePlug networking are described.

HomePNA is a phone line technology, while HomePlug is a power line connection technology. HomePNA and HomePlug are relatively new, and offer higher speeds than older technologies. With HomePNA, you connect devices by plugging adapters into a phone outlet. HomePlug uses adapters to allow devices to plug into your power lines. The Power over Ethernet standard is also described; this standard allows you to have mobile devices wherever an Ethernet cable can be run. These technologies are convenient alternatives to connecting areas of your home by pulling Ethernet cable through the wall.

Different broadband connection technologies ...