How to create Small Networks with FireWire

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You can also connect FireWire-enabled computers by using FireWire cables. If a computer doesn’t have a FireWire port, you can add one or more by using a PCI card or a PC Card, provided that you have a PCI slot or a PC Card slot free. These cables are far more expensive than network cables but give good performance.

Because FireWire can transfer data very fast up to 400Mbps for IEEE 1394a, and up to 800Mbps for IEEE 1394b, and because it’s plug and play, it can be a great networking solution for a home or home office. The main problem with FireWire networking is that the maximum cable length is 15 feet 4.5 meters, so each of the computers on the FireWire network needs to be within 15 feet of another computer or of a FireWire hub. That 15 feet needs to be “as the cable flies”- around or over any obstacles that the cable can’t go through, and preferably not strung like a thigh-high trip wire between desks.

You can also bridge a FireWire network with an Ethernet network. So if you have a cluster of computers in the den, you can network them to each other with FireWire, and then network one of them to an Ethernet network with a cable run to the distant reaches of your dwelling.

Choosing Hardware for a Power-Line Network

Power-line networking tends to make eyebrows rise, but a power-line network can be one of the easiest ways to network your home, simpler even than phone-line networks because most dwellings have many more electrical outlets than they do phone jacks. You shouldn’t need to buy any cables for a power-line network beyond the cables for connecting the computer’s USB port to the electrical socket. Early power-line networks managed only 12Mbps or 14Mbps, making them competitive with regular Ethernet and workable for modest networks. Recent power-line networks, however, reach speeds of 200Mbps- twice as fast as Fast Ethernet and plenty fast enough for most residential use. Most power-line network adapters require a power conditioner to make sure that the computer receives no untoward signal from variations in the power supply that normal electrical equipment can shrug off. Power-line networks have a couple of limitations worth mentioning. One is that some powerline networks don’t work well with bidirectional printer cables: You need to disable the features that let the printer give feedback to the computer, such as telling the computer that it’s out of ink or that it’s managed to jam again on your expensive letterhead. A second limitation is that, because multiple apartments or even houses can be on the same ring main, power-line networking can inadvertently network you with your neighbors. So it’s vital that you implement security on a power-line network to protect your data and your devices.

Choosing Hardware for a Wireless Network

Choosing hardware for a wireless network is both easier and harder than choosing hardware for a wired network. It’s easier in that you need less equipment- you can skip the cables for a start- but harder in that you should evaluate that equipment even more carefully than you would wired networking equipment. For a simple wireless network involving two computers, you need nothing more than a pair of wireless network interface cards. For desktop computers, USB 2.0 network adapters that attach via a cable are the best choice, as you can position the main part of the adapter and angle its antenna to get optimum reception. PCI card network interface cards and USB network adapters that protrude from the USB socket are more discreet but give you less flexibility in aiming the antenna. For porta- ble computers, PC Card or CardBus network interface cards are usually the best choice- although a USB 2.0 network adapter that attaches via a cable can give you better reception, it will also rob you of some of the portability that you presumably want from your laptop. For a more complex or more capable wireless network, get a wireless access point for the wireless network interface cards to connect to. The access point typically plugs into your Ethernet switch or hub, forming a wireless bridge to the network and letting the wireless computers access the wired portions of the network. Some wireless access points include small switches or hubs for example, with four ports. Look for at least Fast Ethernet speeds on such ports; Gigabit Ethernet speeds are preferable. Usually it’s best to get all your wireless equipment from the same manufacturer or from man- ufacturers known to be friendly to each other. At this writing, standards-based 802.11g devices and 802.11b devices operate mostly successfully with all other 802.11g and 802.11b devices, while standards-based 802.11a devices can interoperate with each other but not with 802.11b or 802.11g devices. However, devices based on different interpretations of the 802.11n standard which is in draft at this writing often have problems connecting to devices from other manufacturers and have to drop down to disappointing data rates before they can establish a connection. When evaluating wireless networking equipment, keep the following considerations in mind: Price As with most hardware, a high price doesn’t always guarantee high quality, but buying the cheapest devices available is seldom a wise move.

Range If you’ve used cordless phones, you won’t be surprised that the maximum range listed for most wireless network cards turns out to be wildly optimistic or achievable only under atmo- spheric conditions and surroundings that can be recreated in laboratories but not real life. For example, some 802.11g devices claim to deliver 6Mbps at 1,800 feet- plenty far enough to work wirelessly on your laptop at your local coffee shop or bar, perhaps, while maintaining a connec- tion to your home network. Typically, the ranges you’ll experience in the real world are far less. Try to get a demonstration of a device’s range before buying if at all possible.

External antenna attachment If you need to extend the range of wireless networking equipment, make sure the cards and access point you buy have a socket for attaching an external antenna.

Roaming Usually more of a consideration in offices than in home buildings, roaming is worth thinking about if you need wireless access from an area greater than a single access point can cover. First, make sure that the network interface cards and access points you buy can handle roaming, so that you’ll be able to move from one access point’s coverage to the next access point’s without dropping your network connection. If you just need to be able to establish a connection from the garden or the garage, you won’t necessarily need roaming- you can disconnect from the network, go to the garden or garage, and establish a new connection with the nearest access point. And, second, work out how many access points you need.

Number of access points From the range and the need for roaming, establish the number of access points you need to provide effective coverage for your building or area.

Placement of access points Whether you get one access point, two, or 10, you need to place them optimally in order to balance the widest possible coverage with the fastest possible connections. The nearer you are to an access point, the better your chances of getting the full data rate the hardware supports.

Understand the benefits of networking your home or home office Networking your computers lets you share files and resources such as printers or an Internet connection among the computers. You can transfer files from one computer to another, back up files, or play multiplayer games.

Know what network architectures and protocols are Most home and home-office networks are peer-to-peer networks, in which each computer shares resources with other computers. However, you may prefer a client/server network, in which all the shared resources are hosted by a single server. In a client/server network, you need keep only the server running in order to make the resources available, rather than keeping each sharing computer running. Most Windows networks use the TCP/IP protocol for communication. Windows Vista uses IPv6 when connecting to IPv6-capable servers and uses IPv4 when connecting to other servers.

Plan a network that’s right for your needs To plan a network, first choose your architecture: client/serveror peer-to-peer. Then choose the means of connection: wired only, wireless only, or a combination of the two. For a wired network, you can choose among different networking technologies: Gigabit Ethernet usually the best choice, Fast Ethernet, FireWire, phone-line, or power-line networking. You then need to decide where to keep your files: preferably in as few locations as possible for ease of access and backup, perhaps on a server.

Choose hardware for a wired network Each computer connected to a wired network will need a network adapter if it doesn’t have one built in. PCI is usually the best choice for a desktop computer, and PC Card for a laptop computer. USB 2.0 is also possible for both desktop computers and laptop computers, although it is not fast enough for full-speed Gigabit Ethernet connections. For an Ethernet network, you will need a switch with enough ports for all your current computers and any computers or devices you may add.

Choose hardware for a wireless network You can create a wireless network with nothing more than a wireless network card for each computer, but you will normally get better results by building your network around an access point. Add a wireless network card to each computer that doesn’t have it, using PCI or USB 2.0 for a desktop computer and PC Card or USB 2.0 for a laptop computer. Prefer equipment based on final networking standards to equipment based on draft standards, because the latter equipment may not be fully interoperable with equipment from other manufacturers.