ISSUE 548: April 25 2000
ALAN ZISMAN
Hooking up a small network is
now feasible for any office
Big-business computer users take for
granted networks that share data and peripherals such as printers and
provide everyone with constant e-mail and Internet access.
However, in
smaller companies and home offices, too often each computer is an
island unto itself, with several layers of problems preventing
implementation of a network.
While all
new Macs come with Ethernet networking hardware built in, this isn't
true of most PCs. Cracking open the computer's case to install a
networking adapter is, for most users, a daunting task.
Installing
networking cable to connect the computers is easy if you don't mind
another set of cords to trip over. Doing it right, so the cables are
safely out of sight, is much more onerous.
Basic
networking software is built into Windows. Setting it up is
straightforward (you don't need to buy a dedicated server). But there
are more details than most users feel comfortable tackling by
themselves. This is another area that's still easier on a Mac. And
until recently, additional software was needed to share Internet
connections.
Lately it's
become much easier to set up a small office or home network. Recent
advances include:
* Universal Serial Bus, which is built into all new PCs
and Macs. Looking like a squashed phone jack, USB allows for a wide
range of hardware add-ons, including Ethernet network connectors,
without the need to open the case or fuss with configuration
settings.
* Home Phone Line Networking. This new standard makes it
possible to connect computers by plugging them into standard phone
jacks, using the telephone wiring that's already in the wall to create
a network. This is still evolving, however. When buying HPLN products,
read the box carefully. There's an older standard running at 1 - 2 MB
per second, and a newer HPLN-2 standard, allowing devices to run at the
same 10 MB per second as standard Ethernet networks. Except for very
minimal usage, the older standard is simply too slow. As well, most
phone line networks cannot interconnect with existing Ethernet networks
or de-
vices, making it difficult to, for example, use a network printer with
a phone line network.
* Wireless connections are here, but still don't quite
work as well (or as cheaply) as I'd like. I recently spent some time
using Apple's iBook notebook and the company's Airport wireless
system. Originally released along with the iBook, Apple has now added
Airport-ability across its product line. I found that the system
worked, allowing me to connect to my home network and the Internet
without any wires while taking the notebook from room to room.
There were
several qualifications, however. While usable, it was clear-
ly slower than the wired, standard Ethernet standard, even though
Apple's claimed 11 MB/sec speed promises rates a bit faster than
standard Ethernet.
As well,
while it works well throughout a wood-frame house, the cement and metal
frame in many larger office buildings or apartments can make
connections difficult or impossible. (Kudos, though, to Apple for
making wireless networking widely available and relatively affordable.
Airport costs $150 for the add-in card and $450 for the UFO-looking
base station. By comparison, 3Com Canada offers a similar
system for PCs. It costs $1,793 for the "access point" and $329 per PC
card.)
* Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows 2000 both
include Internet Connection Sharing, making it possible to use a single
Internet connection without buying additional software. You only need
to upgrade to that operating system on the computer with the actual
physical Internet connection. The rest of the computers can have other
Windows versions or even be Macs.
3-Com Canada
has a number of packages aimed at small office/home networks, under the
HomeConnect brand name. I tested the $300 external Ethernet kit, which
has everything needed to connect two computers. Included were a pair of
USB adapters that easily plugged into the ports on the back of a PC,
all the required cabling and a five-port mini-hub, making it easy to
expand the system with additional computers. Also included was a copy
of Windows 98 SE, which upgrades one of the computers for Internet
connection sharing, and Microsoft HomeClick Network software, a
program that takes most of the nerdiness out of
setting up a basic network. (Additional USB network adapters are about
$110 each.)
While still
relying on traditional Ethernet cabling, this kit is very well designed
and makes it easy for smaller businesses to benefit from networking. *
*
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