INTRODUCTION
As people become more and more technologically savvy, we find computers and computing devices are leaving the office and becoming part of our home lives. These devices allow us to work together, play together, and do things like enjoy in our living rooms music and video that’s stored on PCs that can be in a completely different part of the house. And increasingly we need to network those things together to share printers, files, resources, and internet connections.
ON A WIRE
In order to communicate, home devices need to send information in easily digestible pieces, called “packets,” to each other. Packets are like little digital packages, complete with sender and receiver identification. If a packet is lost in transmission, the receiver can ask for it again in a discrete chunk without having to ask for the whole file over again. There are many ways to encode information for transmission over a network, but the most common method is called TCP/IP.
Now that we know what format the data is being sent in, how is it physically transferred? Home networks overwhelming use one of two methods to send the data - 10BaseT ethernet or wireless ethernet.
10BaseT uses twisted-pair cables to transfer data over a star topology. That is, the cables between devices contain paired wires that are twisted around each other to reduce the effects of electrical interference from other electronics and household wiring. The devices themselves are all wired to connect at a central point, like a hub, switch, or router. If you saw a 10BaseT home network from above, the cables all run from various devices to a few central points, making the appearance of a star or asterisk.
Wireless ethernet works the same way, connecting users at a central point, but without wires, of course. The convenience and inexpensive hardware of wireless makes it one of the most compelling factors about home networking today. However, it’s not without its limitations. Wireless ethernet transmissions are susceptible to interference from 2.4 Ghz wireless phones, solid barriers, and electronic devices. They also have a limited range of about a hundred to two hundred feet.
ALTERNATIVES
Other methods for networking exist. One, called Homeplug, transmits packets through wires you already have all over your house – the electrical wiring. Homeplug can be useful when you’re trying to feed data to a distant corner of your household. Homeplug operates at around 5 Mbps and Homeplug devices are unaffected by cordless phone signals.
Several manufacturers have standards for networking over telephone lines. Any device near a phone jack can be easily connected to others. Like Homeplug, this method takes an existing wiring system and puts it to an alternative use, but since phone jacks are not as common as electrical outlets, it can be less than ideal.
Bluetooth is another home networking protocol of sorts. Developed for wireless devices, Bluetooth is a short-range medium for transmitting information, commonly between PCs and cellphones and PDAs. Some cellphone users actually have Bluetooth headsets that allow them to talk through their cellphones without needing to connect a wire to the phone. However, the range on Bluetooth transmissions is so short that it is not a practical method for connecting computers to one another.
Infrared was popular with electronics manufacturers as a method for transmitting data between computing devices at one point. Laptops in particular would have infrared transmitters and receivers built into them so they could be connected wirelessly. Infrared was slow and short-range, however, and has since been trumped by wireless ethernet.
KNOCK, KNOCK
With networking comes the question of security, too. This isn’t much of an issue for wired connections – generally, if someone is plugging into your network physically, it’s somebody you know. However, it is a serious concern for wireless users.
There’s a common practice of driving around looking for wireless hotspots, called “wardialing.” This is almost always a benign phenomenon where a curious individual wants to be able to surf the web all around town. Almost always.
If you’re freely sharing your data and resources wirelessly, your neighbors and any passing strangers can take advantage of your generosity. Sometimes this is what you want, but within limits. You don’t want those strangers to be able to erase files from your hard drive, for example. It’s not hard to share some things openly and close access to others, though. Home networkers just need to pay attention when setting up and make sure to read their manuals. The most common mistake is to set up a new wireless router without ever thinking about security or changing the default router password as recommended in the manual. This leaves the entire network open to examination.
ENJOY
Home networking can make your life easier and more entertaining. And now that you know how it works, perhaps you can do some more reading and find out how to set up your own network.
