Home Networking
Home Networking has become our number one area of growth since mid-2000. With more homes having access to high-speed Internet connectivity, and more homes having more than one PC, this can be a difficult task. VGraphix can help you from start to finish.
The prevalent means of Home Network Connectivity has been Category 5 Ethernet Network Cable, connecting each PC in the home to the network. This allows for transfer speeds up to 100Mbps (megabits / second), allowing for extremely fast data transfer, print spooling, etc. For streaming video, Gigabit Ethernet (or 1000 Mbps) is recommended and usually uises Cat6 ethernet cabling. New home builders are including this as an option, and upgrading from earlier ethernet will require replacement of the existing cable.
Connections via DSL, Cable and Satellite are made via Ethernet technology - this is achieved at 10Mbps. There is a relatively easy way to distribute the Internet service among your home PC's, and VGraphix has installed many of these setups. VGraphix provides, supports and installs all of the hardware, software, consulting and services necessary for your Home Network.
It is important to note that when you connect your Internal Network to the external world (via DSL, cable modem, satellite or phone modem) you are susceptible to attacks from hackers and other evildoers. Connecting you to the Internet without adequate protection is not an option - our full-service consulting ensures that no vulnerabilities slip by our solutions.
Wireless has become mainstream for small business and home users alike. Most of the major vendors have products in two categories: IEEE 802.11b (DSSS) 2.4GHz and IEEE 802.11a (DSSS) 5GHz. 802.11a is the faster at 54 Mbps (up to 72Mbps in Turbo Mode, available from some manufacturers), while 802.11b runs at a top speed of 11Mbps.
The newest standard as of 2003 was 802.11g, on the 2.4GHz band but transferring 54Mbps - certain manufacturers have increased this to 108Mbps (notably, D-Link and Linksys) but 54-G is the standard. Note that these speeds drop with increased distance between the wireless access point and the PC or laptop.
An interim undecided format as of late 2006 is Wireless N (a.k.a. Pre-N) - this technology involves more antennas (and channels) for the data to travel through, thereby increasing throughput speeds. The standard has not been set, so VGraphix recommends that if you decide to incorporate this technology you stay with one manufacturer for your router and netwrok adapters - mixing them, due to not-quite-exact standards could result in poor or no connectivity,
New technologies and broadband access are changing the landscape of home networking. In the near future, you will have a "broadband gateway" - one common point through which your telephone, Internet access, cable/satellite television, interactive services, etc.
Linksys
has an educational
section on their website about home networking.
DLink has a good presentation
of home
networking options.
Also see 3Com's
SMB Solutions Website.