[Stealth]

I'm going to be setting up a *proper* home network soon, but i need to have some suggestions first.  first, i was planning on just running CAT-5 drops to every room in the house (for future expansion ) then have the 'router' / hub in my room, with my computer, so i'd "control" everyone elses, and all everyone else has to do is plug their NIC into the drop in whatever room.

... BUT i've been hearing a lot of good things about wireless home networks nowadays.  anyone got any experience with wireless home networks?  how are they in terms of reliability?

[phreak]

they aren't as fast, thats for sure.  i haven't worked with them however.  just lay some CAT-5E and run it at 1Gbps.  perhaps a supply of 12 ft patch cables can come in handy if you decide to lay some cable.

[mikhael]

802.11B or 802.11G is the way to go. Phreak, wireless is just as fast as wired over short range, unless you're talking gig-E. Gig-E is out of the home-LAN budget though.

I've got my house set up with a well secured wireless AP, with the DHCP serving from FreeBSD. I hand out specific IP addresses to specific MACs, and I disallow all traffic from any other IP/MAC from going through the network. Only two machines are wired directly into the network switch: the fileserver and my wife's machine and that's because the network switch sits on top of them.

Given how easy it is to go the wireless route, and how very little more it costs, I wouldn't bother going wired.

[Stealth]

how much does it cost though?  don't wireless NICs and routers costa lot more?

[Liberator]

It's about the same these days.  Especially since you don't have to run cable.

Wireless NICs
http://www.pricewatch.com/1/211/3552-1.htm

Wireless Routers
http://www.pricewatch.com/1/7/3533-1.htm

[an0n]

Pfff. What's the fun in doing it if you're picking and choosing all your parts?

Go 'round a computer fair, buy networking **** (routers, cables, hubs etc) randomly, take it home and try to fix it all up.

[Liberator]

He said he's doing a "proper" home network which means that he doesn't want a bunch of extra junk laying around the house.(I don't blame him!)

[an0n]

Sure, let's be vague.


If it works, it's 'proper'. Doesn't matter how many different systems, makes, brands, cable-types and digital-analogue convertors ( ) you're using. If it can network your computers, it's good. And if you do it the hap-hazard way it's more fun and less costly.

But if he want's to spend a few grand on some transmitter doohickeys so he can have a completely pointless wireless network operating between 3 desktop PC's, I ain't gonna stop him.

[IceFire]

Wireless networks do suffer if you have of signal noise from a nearby source and in addition, if you have a 2.4ghz phone around your network will tend to be disrupted (although 802.11g seems to be more resiliant).

[pyro-manic]

I just got one to go with my new broadband line. It's good, apart from one thing - signal disruption. Because my house is old, it's got very thick solid walls, and every time someone walks past the computer, it either drastically weakens the signal or blocks it completely, resulting in a few seconds disconnection. It's a pain in the arse. It works fine apart from that, though.

(If anyone has any ideas about how to fix this, I'm all ears)

[mikhael]

Originally posted by an0n
But if he want's to spend a few grand on some transmitter doohickeys so he can have a completely pointless wireless network operating between 3 desktop PC's, I ain't gonna stop him.

My wireless setup in my house cost less than $300, and half of that was a wireless CF card for my PDA.

Originally posted by IceFire
Wireless networks do suffer if you have of signal noise from a nearby source and in addition, if you have a 2.4ghz phone around your network will tend to be disrupted (although 802.11g seems to be more resiliant).

I'm using straight up 802.11b. My wifes work phone (a 2.4gHz wireless model) sits literally on top of the AP. I have no issues.

The only place I have issues is with my laptop. It has an inbuilt Cisco (yay!) wireless card. Under FreeBSD, this I have no issues getting online. Under Windows, though, the wireless card is useless. This is with all up to date drivers. Mind you, I tend to spend 95% of my time in FreeBSD so its not a real issue.

[IceFire]

Hrrmm seems lucky that you don't have issues.  Most people do...not all but most.  May depend on the phone manufacturer and wireless network system as well.  Not all are created equal.

[Darkage]

I just placed a router (Vigor 2200E) and a bunch of cables to my comps. WOrks like a rose.

[Stryke 9]

Feh, wireless is a waste of time. All those little pieces, respond badly to bashing. Hard to solder back together, can't just pull replacement parts out of a broken TV set or something, and all just so you have slightly fewer cables to trip over.

Way I see it, if you couldn't concievably keep it working even after a small thermonuclear war, obviously was built badly from the start. Or you're just unskilled and will serve as food in such an event.

[an0n]

No matter what anyone says, NO HOUSE needs a wireless network.

Hell, few houses even need a hard-wired network. A shared net connection would do for just about everyone.

But no, there's always one flash bastard who insists that it's easier to fit hundreds of feet of cable through their home than to buy a ****ing ZIP drive.

[Stealth]

Originally posted by an0n
But no, there's always one flash bastard who insists that it's easier to fit hundreds of feet of cable through their home than to buy a ****ing ZIP drive.

funny, i didn't know there was a way to share an internet connection with a ZIP drive.

the reason i want a home network is so that we have more than one computer with an internet connection, without having to have three cable modems, bright a$$.

and as far as i know, the only way to share an internet connection without buying multiple cable modems, is through some form of network, whether wired, or wireless

[StratComm]

Lay the cables.  Wireless works, but it's not especially fast and you will probably run into some dead zones where the signal doesn't penetrate walls well.  If it's your home, and you can afford to put in cat-5 drops, put them where you need them (going to every room is overkill and you can always expand later).  If you know how to run cabling, then definitely go that way, as it's more reliable.

As for wireless, it works most of the time, but the equipment isn't very reliable.  They do break quite easily.  We didn't even have that many wireless devices at work last summer, and 1 in 4 that I installed was more trouble than help.

[Stealth]

yeah OK, i guess you're right, i can always drop the cables later as i expand the network... i just figured it'd be easier to run cable since i'd be up in the roof all at once .

I'll be making the cables myself of course, there's no way i'm going to buy pre-made cables.  i'll just get a box of Cat5-e (they're pretty cheap nowadays) and drop them, then just put the connector on.  simple and sweet.

[an0n]

Why do you need to buy cable-modems?

Just get some cheap-ass 10/100 LAN cards and bottleneck them into a switcher or router or some **** then out to a single modem.

Also, sharing a net connection is NOT a network. It's a half-assed measure at best. A network is a setup whereby you can transfer **** between computers and/or where everything is run on a central server and accessed by barebones terminal machines.

[Stealth]

Originally posted by an0n

Just get some cheap-ass 10/100 LAN cards and bottleneck them into a switcher or router or some **** then out to a single modem.

Heh.  it's funny, but that's pretty much what i'm planning on doing.  Putting NICs in each computer, running cable to a central router, and then sharing the internet, files, etc. from all computers.  Sounds like you've just said exactly what i've been planning on doing congratulations

Hell, few houses even need a hard-wired network. A shared net connection would do for just about everyone.

Just for the record, if i have to 'wire' a shared net connection, why not just 'wire' a proper network... it's the same distance as i'd have to run cables for a "shared net connection" anyway