Wireless Home Networking - Index of

Chapter 14: Other Cool Things You Can Network
� PC Card (PCMCIA) slots: You get the ultimate in flexibility with PC Card
slots because you can put any card you want into the system. You
need these for connecting to your home when parked in the yard and
accessing the Internet when traveling. Ideally, you would have two PC
Card slots because it probably will be a while before many dual-mode
Wi-Fi/cellular cards are on the market.
� FM modulator: Some systems have an optional FM modulator that
enables you to merely tune into an unused FM band in your area and
broadcast your music from the server to your stereo system. Because
some audio and video systems require you to have specific receivers
(that is, your actual audio component where you listen to the music) for
your car to make full use of the new functionality, it can get expensive to
install a system. FM modulators make it easy to put in a system without
changing out your stereo; you lose some of the onscreen reporting that
comes with a hard-wired installation, but you still get access to the
music (which is the important part). Many new iPod players use FM
modulation to link to your car.
� Upgradeable storage hard disk space: Look for systems that allow you
to add storage space. Storage is getting cheaper and coming in smaller
form factors all the time. You probably want to keep adding storage
space as your audio and video collections increase.
� Lots of interfaces: After your system is installed, you want to plug a
number of things into it. Make sure that you have a good supply of USB,
FireWire, Ethernet, PC Card, serial, and RCA ports. Also look for an
SD Card interface so you can easily transfer info and add storage if you
need to. You may have already installed a VHS tape deck or DVD player
in your car; if you did, you may be able to easily install an audio server
or a video server right beside it and use available In jacks on the video
player to feed your existing screen and audio system.
All in all, expect a wireless LAN in your car soon — it just makes sense.
“Look, Ma, I’m on TV” — Video
Monitoring over Wireless LANs
The heightened awareness for security has given rise to a more consumerfriendly
grade of video monitoring gear for your wireless network, too —
this stuff used to be the exclusive domain of security installers. You can get
network-aware 802.11g videocameras that contain their own integrated Web
servers, which eliminates the need to connect a camera directly to your computer.
After installation, you can use the camera’s assigned Internet Protocol
(IP) address on your network to gain access to the camera, view live
streaming video, and make necessary changes to camera settings.
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