Internet - Wired or Wireless?

There are 2 main issues which impact the planning of internet connectivity in your new home: what type of internet service you will subscribe to and how you will distribute this internet service within your home.

The internet service that you subscribe to may permit internet access via dial-up modem, telephone company provided high speed, satellite/cable TV, or remote-feed wireless. You should adapt this information to suit your particular situation.

Two elements of a modern in-home internet installation are a high speed modem and a router. The internet supplier rents or sells you the modem or in some cases provides the modem at no charge. The modem has a single connection for your use. A router can be purchased at computer stores or electronic retailers for less than $50. The router is actually a combination router and hub/switch and may have 4 or more user ports, and one port to connect to the modem. The purpose of the router is to securely distribute the internet signal to multiple Ethernet connections. For best results install the high speed modem and router at the service entrance where the internet connection enters your home. The modem and the router come with their own power cubes and will require at least one wall outlet. Their power consumption is very small. You may want to consider using a small uninterruptible power source (UPS) at the service entrance. The cost is less than $50 and the UPS protects against power fluctuations, failure, or lightning strikes. If you decide to install a UPS, then your modem and router will plug into the UPS for power. If 4 ports are not enough for your installation, you will need to add a hub/switch. It will connect to one of the router ports and add from 4 to 255 ports.

Internet signals which are distributed using in-house wire follow a signalling standard called Ethernet. Ethernet wiring is often referred to as CAT-5 cable. This cable has specific electrical characteristics and has been safety tested for flammability and toxicity.

When planning a new home, it is common practice to arrange to prewire the house for internet. This can easily add over $1000 to the cost of the home and in many cases the Ethernet jacks are not in convenient locations. Wiring also impacts room layout.

Equipping your home with "wireless" internet may be significantly more convenient and less expensive than hard wiring the entire home.

Even in a wireless installation, there must be at least two Ethernet jacks wired back to the router using CAT-5 cable. One jack will provide a wired connection from the main desktop computer to the router. This computer is used for setting up and administering your network. The other jack is for the Access Point which is the base station for wireless internet. Each desktop or laptop computer beyond the main computer will require a wireless client card. Each wireless device communicates with your in-house Local Area Network or LAN via the Access Point. For best results, locate the Access Point centrally between all the wireless users. The Access Point comes with its own power cube and requires a wall outlet.

Source: www.house-n-homebuilding.com

« Back To Tips