Belkin F5D4050 User Manual download pdf

Page 1 of 16

Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com

Home Networking: From the Ground Up

April 6, 2004

By Stephanie Chang

When PC Magazine contributing editors Bruce and Marge Brown announced late last year that they were

moving from Hartford, Connecticut, to Wilmington, North Carolina, a light went on in their heads and ours—

okay, just ours. Their new house would need a networking makeover, and who better to dream up the

perfect networked home than the editors of PC Magazine? Truth be told, Bruce and Marge hardly need our

help; they're networking experts themselves. But fortunately, they're also fans of the TLC show Trading

Spaces, so they indulged us by sending along a blueprint and a list of their needs.

They want their home network to connect their multiple PCs and entertainment devices, as well as their

home security system. And of course, they want Internet connectivity throughout their property—from the

foyer in front to the boat dock out back.

We've devised a plan that mixes old equipment with new, wired technology with wireless, and traditional

networking with contemporary. Given the layout and construction of the Browns' new home, we were able

to take advantage of four core technologies: wired Ethernet, wireless Ethernet, power-line networking (also

known as HomePlug), and phone-line networking (also known as HomePNA, or HPNA). Our

recommendations for the Browns may not work for your home or apartment, so throughout this story we

offer alternative technologies and hardware.

The following pages take you on a tour of Bruce and Marge's home and discuss the networking

possibilities of the home office, living room, two upstairs bedrooms, and kitchen, as well as the backyard

and boat dock. We also offer starter tips on how to configure the network settings on your PC, and we

present the results of our performance tests on the various networking technologies. But for starters, take a

look at our glossary below to brush up on home networking lingo.

Click here to view how Home Networking Technologies Compared.

Home Office

April 6, 2004

Bruce Brown, Stephanie Chang, Davis D. Janowski and Oliver Kaven

The heart of the Browns' home network is in this room, which will mainly serve as Marge's office. (Bruce

will split his work time between this room and a second office upstairs.) Since most of the printing,

scanning, and faxing will be done here, not to mention the majority of the e-mailing and Internet browsing,

they will stock this room with productivity devices, including two desktop PCs, a printer, and a fax machine.

Network availability is key here, so understandably, they want to keep the core equipment in this room.

1 2 3 4 5 6 ... 15 16

Summary of Contents

Page 1 - Home Office

Page 1 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com Home Networking: From the Ground Up April 6, 2004 By Stephanie Chang When PC Magazine contribut

Page 2 - Connectivity

Page 10 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com Music adds to the kitchen ambience, but the Browns don't see a need for streaming video or phot

Page 3 - C. Cable/DSL Modem

Page 11 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com The simplest, least-expensive way to extend the network beyond the deck is to use wireless. (See pro

Page 4 - Living Room

Page 12 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com Wireless standalone access points • Belkin F5D7230-4, $130 list. Belkin Corp., www.belkin.com. (Rev

Page 5 - B. Media Receiver

Page 13 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com theoretical transmission speeds of 10 to 54 Mbps, which translate to actual throughputs of roughly 4

Page 6 - C. File server

Page 14 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com DHCP server, a firewall, a four-port switch, a print server, or a wireless access point. Router An i

Page 7 - B.Power-Line

Page 15 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com Once you've selected the hardware you need and the type of technologies you want to use for yo

Page 8

Page 16 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com

Page 9 - A. Music Media Receiver

Page 2 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com Connectivity Wired Ethernet The home office is where the Browns' Internet connection originates.

Page 10 - B. Tablet Computer

Page 3 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com The included firewall prevents intruders from accessing the Browns' network; we recommend firewa

Page 11 - A. Security Cameras

Page 4 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com Ethernet (10-/100-/1,000-Mbps) switch, which is much faster but also much more expensive. Products: •

Page 12 - Glossary

Page 5 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com A. PVR (Personal Video Recorder) A PVR will keep track of the Browns' favorite shows and movies

Page 13

Page 6 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com C. File server Keeping all of your audio files, digital photos, and video files in one location is id

Page 14 - By Oliver Kaven

Page 7 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com music collection on their multimedia file server while drifting off to sleep. Connectivity Structured

Page 15

Page 8 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com The easy installation, potential for multiple connections in one room, and decent throughput speeds a

Page 16 - Page 16 of 16

Page 9 of 16 Courtesy of www.WannaGoWireless.com $60. SMC Networks, www.smc.com. Kitchen April 6, 2004 The kitchen isn't considered an electro