Wireless Home Networking - Index of

Budgeting for Your Wireless Network
Assuming that you already own at least one computer (and probably more)
and one or more printers that you intend to add to the network, we don’t
include the cost of computers and printers in this section. In addition, the
cost of subscribing to an ISP isn’t included in the following networking cost
estimates.
Wireless networking hardware — essentially APs and wireless network
adapters — is available at a wide range of prices. With a little planning, you
won’t be tempted to bite on the first product you see. You can use the following
guidelines when budgeting for an AP and wireless network adapters. Keep
in mind, however, that the prices for this equipment will certainly change
over time, perhaps rapidly. Don’t use this information as a substitute for due
diligence and market research on your part.
Pricing access points
Chapter 4: Planning a Wireless Home Network
At the time this chapter was written, wireless access points for home use
ranged in price from about $35 (street price) to around $100.
Street price is the price at which you can purchase the product from a retail
outlet, such as a computer-electronics retail store or an online retailer. The
dreaded suggested retail price is often higher.
Multifunction access points that facilitate connecting multiple computers to
the Internet — wireless Internet gateways if they contain modem functionality
and wireless gateways or routers if they don’t — range in price from about $50
to $150.
You need to budget roughly $60 for an 802.11g AP and about $160 for an
802.11n AP. If you have some older wireless equipment that you still want to
use, you can find a combination a/b/g/n AP for about $350. Keep in mind that
these combination APs, while great for leveraging your existing equipment,
force your entire network to work at the slowest device speed on that network.
(Frankly, if you still have any a or b equipment, it’s time to retire it and
just plan on purchasing new n equipment. It’s more than worth it for the
increased range and speed your wireless network will gain.)
The differences in price between the cheapest APs and the more expensive
models generally correspond to differences in features. For example, APs that
support multiple wireless standards are more expensive than similar APs
that support only one standard. Similarly, an AP that is also a cable or DSL
router costs more than an AP from the same manufacturer that doesn’t
include the router feature.
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