Wireless Home Networking - Index of

Chapter 4: Planning a Wireless Home Network
What a wireless network brings to the table is true whole-home Internet
access. Particularly when combined with an always-on Internet connection
(which we discuss in just a second) — but even with a regular dial-up modem
connection (yes, some people still use modems) — a wireless network lets
you access the Internet from just about every nook and cranny of the house.
Take the laptop out to the back patio, let a visitor connect from the guest
room, or do some work in bed. Whatever you want to do and wherever you
want to do it, a wireless network can support you.
A wireless home network — or any home network, for that matter — provides
one key element. It uses a NAT router (we describe this item later in this section)
to provide Internet access to multiple devices over a single Internet
connection coming into the home. With a NAT router (which typically is built
into your access point or a separate home network router), you can not only
connect more than one computer to the Internet but also simultaneously connect
multiple computers (and other devices, such as game consoles) to the
Internet over a single connection. The NAT router has the brains to figure out
which Web page or e-mail or online gaming information is going to which
client (PC or device) on the network.
Not surprisingly, to take advantage of this Internet-from-anywhere access in
your home, you need some sort of Internet service and modem. We don’t get
into great detail about this topic, but we do want to make sure that you keep
it in mind when you plan your network.
Most people access the Internet from a home computer in one of these ways:
� Dial-up telephone connection
� Digital subscriber line (DSL)
� Cable Internet
� Fiber-optic service (such as Verizon’s FiOS service)
� Satellite broadband
DSL, cable, fiber-optic, and satellite Internet services are often called broadband
Internet services, which is a term that gets defined differently by just
about everyone in the industry. For our purposes, we define it as a connection
that is faster than a dial-up modem connection (sometimes called
narrowband) and is always on. That is, you don’t have to use a dialer to get
connected, but instead you have a persistent connection available immediately
without any setup steps necessary for the users (at least after the first
time you set up your connection).
Broadband Internet service providers are busily wiring neighborhoods all
over the United States, but none of the services are available everywhere.
(Satellite is available almost everywhere. But, as with satellite TV, you need
to meet certain criteria, such as having a view to the south, that is, facing the
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