Home/broadband networking advice

fondue

Morning,

I am looking for some advice. Just had loft converted and am going to move pc upstairs. I would like to network the house amd am wondering the best and easiest way to do this. Primarily it is so I can listen to music, watch tv programmes downloaded around the house.

I had wireless with cable but got rid of it as signal kept on being lost, so I went back to modem in wall.

I intend to to buy a laptop for downstairs and other equipment.

What do I need, what advice would you give pros and cons as I am new to this.

Thanks

DigitalJedi

If you've had problems with wireless, try using a HomePlug.

These devices will send data around using the power cables in your house. I have terrible wireless problems in my house and swapped to these and never looked back.

I recently bought a pair from PCWorld of all places for £30 so they are not expensive.

BillScarab

The other option is to use Cat5e ethernet cable but to do a whole house properly could get messy depending on how well hidden you want the cables.

fondue

Cheers for that. Will have a look into it.

Just looked at this one and it says you need a router, is that correct?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1135099795.1227790730@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccckadefkhmijdjcflgceggdhhmdfoh.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=025512&category_oid=

Leopard

fondue wrote: »

Morning,

I am looking for some advice. Just had loft converted and am going to move pc upstairs. I would like to network the house amd am wondering the best and easiest way to do this. Primarily it is so I can listen to music, watch tv programmes downloaded around the house.

I had wireless with cable but got rid of it as signal kept on being lost, so I went back to modem in wall.

I intend to to buy a laptop for downstairs and other equipment.

What do I need, what advice would you give pros and cons as I am new to this.

Thanks

"Modem in wall." ??

The best way to do it is Cat5e cable. Fastest (Gigabit) and costs nothing to use.

The easiest ways to do it are wireless and/or powerline adapters.

If you're going to use more than one computer, you'll indeed need a router.

Wireless (properly set up) on 802.11n at 5 GHz is faster than all powerline adaptors.

Powerline adaptors of the 200 Mb/sec variety are usually (it depends on your wiring) faster than conventional wireless on 802.11b/g at 2.4 Ghz.

Wireless on 802.11b/g at 2.4 GHz can also have problems of interference when used at the same time as microwave ovens, electronic cat-flaps (we had to move our microwave oven in the kitchen because in its original position it activated the cat-flap in the garage!), DECT 'phones, Bluetooth keyboards and mice, weather station sensors, remote-contolled sockets and other radio devices.

A wireless modem/router is one device using electricity.

You need at least two powerline adaptors - one sends signal to the other - and, basically, you need one (at least) for each room you wish to network if you aren't using Cat5e cable or wireless. Each will consume at least 4.5 watts of electricity all the time it's plugged in (usually 24/7).

Powerline adaptors are sensitive electronic devices. They don't like hot locations (e.g. close to radiators or in direct sunlight) nor low-energy bulbs in devices plugged into adjacent 13 amp sockets; nor do they like compact PSU transformers or chargers (big, chunky ones are alright). These (as in the case of an Apple Airport Express) interfere with their electronics and can cause them to fail. It's best to put a powerline adaptor (as with an Apple Airport Express) into a short extension lead and keep it away from other devices (despite what is says in their instructions) instead of plugging it straight into the wall socket.

For all of these reasons, it's best to use Cat5e cable with a router and switches if you possibly can, and then turn on a wireless router (in Bridge mode) as and when you want to use a laptop wirelessly.

In most houses, the loft provides a useful means of getting cable to each room beneath it fairly neatly - but it sounds as though you've put flooring in yours, so that may no longer be an option.

That about sums it up.