Network Topology Guide

Remy_3D

Learn more about each network type (topology)

Remy_3D

Ethernet: 10/100Mbps
The most popular network method because of the low price of the network cards, reliability and speed; but it can be a pain to run the wires through your home.

Wireless 802.11b: 11 Mbps
802.11b is now the standard for wireless networking in both the home and business.  It has become inexpensive, has good speed but may not is not apporporiate for secure communications.

Wireless 802.11a: 54 Mbps
A new standard for wireless ethernet, 802.11a is incompatible with 802.11b and g.  It does however offer amazing speeds for a wireless network.

HomePNA 2.0 (Phone Line): 10Mbps
HPNA, PhoneLine or HomePNA networking works over the existing copper telephone wires in your home without interfering with voice or DSL communications.  HomePNA 3.0 will push the speed up to 100Mbps when it comes out!

Remy_3D

Alternative networking technologies are often used to supplement a primary network.  The can be 'bridged' to other networks to creats a seamless infrastructure.

Ethernet: Gigabit - 1000TX
The fastest network technology available to the home or small business, gigabit ethernet comes built in to most Mac systems now. As the name suggests, gigabit ethernet runs at 1000Mbps.

Wireless 802.11g: 22 Mbps
An uprgade to 802.11b, the 802.11g standard doubles the speed of 802.11b while retaining compatibility.

Firewire Networking - 400Mbps
Modern operating systems now support networking over firewire cables.  Most appropriate for short distances, firewire is FAST and inexpensive to install.  Great for transferring huge video files between computers!  800Mbps firewire is on it's way too!

Bluetooth
A new wireless networking technology, bluetooth has recently made an appearance.  It is easy to implement and will be VERY inexpensive soon.  Because of its low speed (1.5Mbps) it is not appropriate as a replacement for other networks but IS valuable (as apple will soon prove).

Wireless HomeRF 2.0: 10Mbps
Developed to compete with 802.11b, HomeRF made a brief appearance and died off.  Siemens and Proxim were the main supporters.

Powerline Networking
Powerline networking has also recently made an appearance, but is very expensive - about $125+ per computer.

Remy_3D

W.I.P.

Remy_3D

Ethernet is the most popular and considered the networking topology standard for most computer connections. There have been many kinds of Ethernet, but the most popular is 10/100Mbps running over copper twisted pair wires. 100Mbps Ethernet is also called 100baseT and Fast Ethernet.
Older Ethernet standards ran on COAX cable and were referred to as 10base2 Thin Ethernet and 10base5 Thick Ethernet. Some hubs still have a coax connector to bridge together twisted pair and Thin Ethernet networks.
A newer Ethernet standard called Gigabit Ethernet or 1000baseT also can run over copper wire but hubs ands switches are VERY expensive.

10/100 Ethernet

Connections:
Connections between 10/100 Ethernet adapters are made using cables that run to an Ethernet HUB or Switch. Hubs electrically connect your computers together and switches act like traffic cops making your network more efficient.
When only two computers are present. A special kind of Ethernet cable can be used called a CROSSOVER cable.

Cables:
10/100 Ethernet cables have 8 wires, of witch 4 are used for data. The other wires are twisted around the data lines for electrical stability and resistance to electrical interference. The cables end in RJ-45 connectors that resemble large telephone line connectors.
Two kinds of wiring schemes are available for Ethernet cables. Patch cables and Crossover cables. Crossover cables are special because with a single cable, two computers can be directly connected together without a hub or switch. If a cable does not say crossover, it is a standard patch cable. If you are connecting computers to a hub or switch, you need patch cables
There are also different grades of cable quality. The most common are CAT5, CAT5e and CAT6. CAT5 is good for most purposes and can transfer data at 100Mbps. CAT5e is rated for 200Mbps and CAT6 is rated for gigabit Ethernet. I like to run CAT5e whenever possible because there is usually not a cost difference from CAT5 if you look hard enough.

Maximum distances:
For all twisted pair Ethernet, 100Meters is your maximum distance.

Ethernet to Fiber
Ethernet to Fiber media converters are starting to come down in price - they can be found for under $150.  When 100Meters is not enough distance, an Ethernet to fiber media converter can be placed on each end making the maximum distance something like 40Km. Another use for fiber is electrical insulation. Some people like to run cables underground between homes.  If you run CAT5 cable, the homes have different 'ground potentials' and you will burn out network card durring any electrical storm.  The solution is fiber!  Run fiber betweeen the homes or run a pair of fiber converters on one end of the cable with a short fiber run.  This will electrically seperate the two homes.

Notes on adapters:
PCI and ISA Ethernet cards are highly sensitive to IRQ conflicts.  If your card is not operating correctly, check for an IRQ conflict

Remy_3D

In 2000, 802.11b became the standard wireless ethernet networking technology for both business and home. The WiFI organization was created to ensure interoperability between 802.11b products. With a realistic throughput of 2.5-4Mbps, it is fast enough for most network applications and tolerable for file transfers.

Do I need an access point?
An 802.11b wireless network adapter can operate in two modes, Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure. In infrastructure mode, all your traffic passes through a wireless 慳ccess point

Remy_3D

The 802.11a spec is the technology upgrade to 802.11b .  802.11a operates in the 5Ghz frequency range and can transfer data at the rate of 54Mbps!  That is over 4X the transfer rate of 11Mbps 802.11a.  Although it is another form of Wireless Ethernet, 802.11a is incompatible with 802.11b products.  They are completely different technologies.

802.11a network adapters can operate in two modes, infrastructure and ad-hoc.  In infrastructure mode, all network adapters talk to each other THROUGH a central 'Access Point'.  This access point grants permission to each device, determines the frequency to communicate on, and relays data between network adapters.   Access points are stand alone devices that can 'bridge' wireless computers to wired ethernet computers.  They also may be built into other devices like nework routers - especially in the home comsumer market.

Since 802.11a products communicate in the 5Ghz frequency range, they do not cause probolems with cordless phones like most 802.11b products do.  Unfortunately, 802.11a also has a range limitation in comparison to 802.11b - often 1/3 the range.

72Mbps ot 54Mbps?
802.11a can communicate at a maximum rate of 72Mbps but due to FCC frequency restrictions, it is currently limited to 54Mbps.  If these regulations change, a simple firmware upgrade will update your equipment.

Remy_3D

Versions
HPNA 1.0

Remy_3D

Gigabit Ethernet is a networking technology ten times faster than current 100Mbps networks. Until recently, the high cost of gigabit Ethernet combined with multiple topology standards and the need for fibre optic cables has left gigibit speeds out of reach of home users. Things have changed.

IEEE 802.3ab Recent 慻igabit over copper

Remy_3D

The 802.11g spec was drafted in Nov of 2001.  802.11g operates on the same frequence as 802.11b and is backwars compatible!  The planned common implementation of consumer 802.11g devices operate at a maximum of 22Mbps but can communicate at up to 54Mbps.   802.11g is sometimes called 'Turbo Mode' on some 802.11b cards.
Like 802.11b, 802.11g is subject to the same interference and security issues.  It operates at 2.4Ghz and may cause problems with 2.4Ghz cordless telephones.

When a 802.11g product communicates with an 11Mbps 802.11b product, it dropps down to 11Mbps or less depending on signal strength.  In other words, if you purchase an 802.11g product for use with an 802.11b access point, expect only 11Mbps.
The 802.11g standard has not been widely adopted because of the emergence of 802.11a - a 54Mbps wireless standard that is completely incompatible with 802.11b or g but has a greater overall throughput.

Remy_3D

Firewire networking takes advantage of a spec called "IP over 1394".  This spec Standardizes how to transfer IP packets across a firewire (IEEE 1394) interface - translated: firewire networking!  By simply running an inexpensive firewire cable between two computers with modern operating systems and firewire ports, you get a 400Mbps network connection! (IETF RFC 2734).

The Catch
Firewire networking support is very limited in all but the latest operating systems.  It is fully supported under Windows XP Home and Pro.  Windows ME also has 'some' firewire networking support but don't count on it being reliable.  Also remember, native firewire networking is only for IP, not NetBEUI IPX or any other protocol.

Distance
Maximum distance between nodes is also a problem for firewire.  It was never designed for the long haul so the maximum distance of a cable is about 15 feet.  Repeaters can be placed between 15 ft cables for a maximum distance of 237 feet.

Increasing Distance
A new way of increasing the distance between your firewire network enabled computers is to replace the copper wire in a firewire cable with something else - fiber.  Firewire to Fiber tranceivers are starting to appear on the market that would allow a firewire signal to travel VERY far - like 40km!  Right now they are in the $500 range but should come down.  An ethernet to fiber tranceiver is only about $120 right now.

Remy_3D

Bluetooth is a short range wireless digital communication technology. It was developed as a low cost, low power way of removing many of the data wires between devices. This concept is called a PAN or Personal Area Network.

The Scoop
Bluetooth can remove the wires from your printer allowing your computers or PDA to print directly to it wirelessly. It can remove the wires from your mouse, your joystick, your digital camera and can replace the cradle you drop your PDA into to synchronize your calendar. On an even more personal level, it can remove the wires between your cell phone and a hands-free headset.

Then there is the mobile Internet aspect. Why not push IP over this digital communication channel? Using a digital cell phone with bluetooth and a bluetooth PDA, you can wirelessly surf the internet or get your email. Sony even makes a camcorder that will surf the web over a bluetooth cel phone using bluetooth.

Over 2002, we will see many products introduced that are bluetooth enabled. It may very well be a bluetooth Christmas.

Home Networking
Here are the facts. Bluetooth has a range of about 30 feet. It also has a maximum throughput of 1.5Mbps. Bluetooth might be good to put in a Webpad to surf the internet, but it's too slow to move good size files between your computers. A typical MP3 file is 3Mb. That would take about 20 seconds or so to move between two bluetooth devices. In contrast, 802.11b could have moved 5-7 of those files in that time.

Remy_3D

HomeRF 2.0 is an easy to configure, secure wireless networking standard.  It was designed from the ground up with the home and small office user in mind.  HomeRF 2.0 is easy to configure, use and maintain.

Note: HomeRF 2.0 is different than 802.11b, they are not interoperable

Primary Features:
    *10Mbps connection speed
    *Easy to configure
    *High end security with encryption and frequency hopping
    *150 foot range
    *Compatible with HomeRF 1.0
    *No interference from 2.4GHz devices like cordless phones
    *No interfere with Bluetooth technologies
    *Low Power Requirements
    *QoS for flawless voice and streaming media support

Remy_3D

Powerline networking has existed in a few forms in the past, the lastest specification is called HomePlug and runs at 14Mbps.  HomePlug uses your existing home electrical wiring to transfer data.

HomePlug does not interfere with your existing electrical equipment or home automation devices like X-10, CEBus, and LONworks.  HomePlug also encrypts all data with 56bit DES encryption to ensure that your neighbors can not evesdrop on your network traffic.  Note:  encryption is usualy not enabled by default and must be 'turned on' using software proided by the devices manufacturer.

The HomePlug specification incorporates a technology called PowerPacket.  This new technology is what makes HomePlug different from the old powerline networks.  PowerPacket eliminates noise from electrical appliances like hair driers and televisions plus it offers security.

Powerline network adapters come in PCI and USB versions but are very expensive right now - about $125 to $150 per computer.There are also Powerline to Ethernet bridges and Powerline broadband routers with ethernet bridges built in in the same price range.