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Network Types
Wired or Wireless or Hybrid?
Wired vs. wireless – One of the first steps you take in setting up a network is determining the right type for your needs. Wired networks are the old workhorses. Wireless networks re newer and sexier. Which one works for you? Here’s some of the pluses and minuses.
Wired
Think of “Wired” networks as the “Ken Doll” of networks. Like Barbie’s Ken, the wired network isn’t terribly exciting but it’s incredibly reliable, relatively problem-free, and (since it hasn’t discovered Armani) is less expensive than wireless. A wired network offers transfer speeds of 100mbps and higher, and, as transfer is over wires, it is nearly free of interference. Importantly, it is vastly more secure than wireless as data is transmitted over wires – not broadcast through the air. (Remember all those embarrassing phone calls between Prince Charles and Camilla? They were using a cell phone. Think about all the tasteless jokes that could have been prevented if they had just used a regular – wired -- phone!).
Just one problem. All those wires.
Yep, to create a wired network, computer cable is run from each computer you wish to network to a router. NICs are installed in all the computers, each wire is plugged into the NIC and the opposite end is plugged into a port on the router. Set up is nearly complete when the operating system is configured for the network.
Select someone with some aesthetics to do the job and the wires can be made to look as discreet as possible.
Wireless
Beam me up Scotty. That’s wireless. Hot, sexy and incredibly portable. And NO WIRES! Unless you are transmitting über-secret data to U.N.C.L.E. (it’s easier to crack than wired networks), wireless may be for you.
Why? Computers and laptops can be taken to just about any room in the house (except the ones lined with metal) and nearby grounds. Want to go out on the deck and work? No need to schlepp an unsightly trail of wires as you go. A wireless card in the computer can beam data to a wireless router. If you add another computer or laptop to your inventory, put it on your network by inserting a wireless card into it and configuring it. Voila! Now all you have to worry about is how to mix a perfect martini.
Remember Charles and Camilla? There are some security issues that you must consider before going wireless. And, as channels must be established for you, expect set up to be more intricate than wireless.
Combo / Hybrid
Why go solo with either kind of network? A third option is a combination network that incorporates the best features of wired and wireless.
Resources
QuantumStep - We’ve been installing networks for over 18 years.
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