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Chapter 11—Networking
The advantages include
• Easy setup for technical novices because of the integrated
nature of the hardware and software
• Choice of internal (card-based) or external (parallel port or
USB-based) solutions
• No rewiring needed; uses the phone lines in the home or
home office
The disadvantages include
• Difficult to have a portable computer set up to use both
HomePNA and standard Ethernet-based networking; special
dual-purpose devices are required
• Low speed: HomePNA 2.0 is still just 10Mbps
• Can’t turn HomePNA-based network into a client/server network
later
Wireless Networking Standards
Wireless networking, once considered a narrow “niche” technology
hampered by a lack of standards, is now becoming a major network
type.
Star-Topology Wireless Networks
The following networks use a star topology: Wireless NICs send signals
to an access point, which relays the signal to the receiving computer.
By using multiple access points in a building or campus
environment, users can stay connected as they move from room to
room or building to building. The NICs automatically switch to the
strongest signal from an access point; thus, this type of wireless network
is similar in concept to cellular phone networks. The networks
are as follows:
• IEEE 802.11b—The leading industry standard is IEEE 802.11b,
a wireless Ethernet standard designed to interconnect easily
with standard Ethernet 10BASE-T networks. It runs at 11Mbps
and uses the same 2.4GHz wavelength used by cellular phones
and other communications devices. IEEE 802.11b is supported
by a number of leading network hardware vendors, and products
from different vendors can be mixed and matched just as
conventional “wired” Ethernet products can be.
• RadioLAN Wireless MobilLINK—The proprietary Radio-
LAN Wireless MobilLINK runs at 5.8GHz for faster performance.
It can’t connect directly to IEEE 802.11b devices, but can
be connected to standard 10BASE-T Ethernet networks.