Home Network Road Test

Home Office Computing, Sept, 1999 by Dave Johnson

Edit a Document From the Picnic Table On Your Patio

Summer's winding down; surely you want to enjoy the good weather while it lasts. Wouldn't it be great to sit among the flora with your notebook PC, editing a file that resides on your deskbound PC indoors?

You can, by setting up a wireless--sometimes called a radio frequency, or RF--network. Systems such as Proxim's Symphony ($149 for an ISA card; $199 for a PC Card; 800-229-1630, www.proxim.com) and Acer's Wireless PC Connection ($149 for two PCs; 800-368-2237,www.acer.com) use high-frequency radio transmissions to connect computers and peripherals. Because these networks have a range of 150 to 450 feet, you need to make sure you keep the transmitter within reach of the system--especially as you wander into the backyard.

The speed of current wireless home networks tops out at about 1.5Mbps. However, some systems are considerably slower, so buy carefully. For example, Symphony transmits data at about 1.5Mbps, but Acer's wireless network offers only about 56Kbps--the speed of a dial-up modem connection. On the other hand, Acer is a good choice if you've maxed out the slots in your system or are averse to installing network cards in your PC, because its external adapter plugs directly into the serial port. (For a quick lesson on installing cards, see The Networked Home, "Home Study," August 1999.)

Play Network Computer Games

The kids brought home the latest network-compatible racing game and want to battle you on the bitstream of your home network--that is, when you've finished crunching that spreadsheet. Although all the technologies we've talked about let you play network-ready games, faster is definitely better. Ethernet kits give you the fastest, 10Mbps speeds; USB kits give you about 4Mbps. The latter should be fast enough, provided you discourage other users on your network from transferring files or surfing the Web until you're finished playing.

Share Files With a Nearby Coworker

Your intern works just a few feet away, and you want to share documents on your hard disk with her. All home networking kits let you connect two PCs at close range; one of the cheapest and simplest options is USB-based Ethernet, such as Entrega Technologies' USBnet ($80; 949-859-8866, www.entrega.com) or Belkin Components' USB Direct Connect adapter ($90; 800-223-5546, www.belkin.com). Simply plug the cables into each PC's USB port and you're all set.

Most USB kits connect only a pair of PCs, so if you plan to expand, make sure to buy one that supports additional systems such as Anchor Chips' EZ-Link ($90 for the first two PCs and each networked PC thereafter; 619-613-7907, www.anchorchips.com). The disadvantage? The cost of adding network nodes adds up quickly. And USB networking generally requires Windows 98. Some networks (like EZ-Link and USBnet) will work with the OSR2 upgrade of Windows 95, but few vendors support USB on Windows 95.

If you're still running Windows 3.1, you'll need traditional Ethernet. Linksys sells Network in a Box ($69; 949-261-1288, www.linksys.com), two ISA expansion cards and cabling that will get your older PCs in the networking game.