These Technologies Tread Where Network Cables Cannot

[Hooch Tan]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/powerline-wireless-networking,2470.html' target='_blank'>http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...rking,2470.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"When it comes to home networks, one size does not fit all. I had my home built five years ago and spread Gigabit Ethernet-ready CAT5e drops all over the house. I was lucky (or perhaps foolish, considering the present housing market). Most people don&rsquo;t have this sort of structured wiring in their homes. But most have coax cabling in the walls, and just about everyone who doesn&rsquo;t live in a tent has power to every room. If all else fails and you&rsquo;re just not within reach of any plug, there&rsquo;s WiFi (usually)."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1259692185.usr20447.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>While home networking has become as common-place as stimulus packages, most homes just are not wired to handle the increasing amount of traffic that is fluttering amongst our electronic minions.&nbsp; Sure, you could spend hundreds, likely thousands of dollars outfitting each room with a Gigabit jack, or you could try out some alternatives.&nbsp; Tom's Hardware has done all the hard work for you though, trying out what each technology is generally capable of, including the less frequented Powerline and Coaxial options.&nbsp; Overall, it looks like you get what you pay for, though all options deserve consideration.&nbsp; When it comes down to it though, I am quite certain most people will just end up using a combination of Ethernet where possible, and WiFi everywhere else.</p>

[ptyork]

I ended up going with MOCA simply because I wanted to reliably transfer HD video content from one corner of my upstairs to the other corner of my downstairs--80+ feet through four walls and a floor. 802.11n couldn't do it (I tried three different routers) and neither could powerline. And in the end, I ended up with an amazingly good system that integrated MOCA and two WiFi access points AND my internet gateway for very cheap by buying two of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Verizon-Fios-MI424WR-Rev-C-Rev-D-router-by-Actiontec_W0QQitemZ180440017374QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCC_Modems?hash=item2a031029de

These are deployed by Verizon for thier FIOS installs, but are in no way tied to the FIOS service. They are simply WiFi gateways with a coax port that supports MOCA. I can't imagine a better system for < $80 bucks total. Sure, I'd like for them to be gigabit ethernet and to have dual band 802.11n (instead of plain old 802.11g), but for what I do, it is fine. A very good option for those looking to transfer HD content and don't have the ability to run Cat6 everywhere.

[karthur]

I built a new custom house two years ago and didn't include a heavy technology package - just some multimedia outlets in the obvious places. Since tech is changing so rapidly I figured something would come out that's either wireless or something. I am currently using 85Mb powerline modules throughout my house and they work just fine for networking, cameras, etc.

I have DirecTV boxes throughout the house and they use it too for downloading updates and receiving slide shows. I'll have to wait to see how the powerline modules work if/when DirecTV allows sharing between boxes.

So, for me, powerline fills the bill until bandwidth becomes an issue and then I'm sure someone will have a better solution. Powerlines are relatively cheap from Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-XAVB101-Powerline-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B001AGM2VI/ref=innerbtechnoinc?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1259767825&sr=8-2

[Damion Chaplin]

I have an extremely small house. Wiring my entire house entailed boring a hole through the wall from my bedroom to the living room (which a previous tenant had already done for a coax cable). All it takes is a 20' cable to get from my router to my TV. Guess I got lucky. :rolleyes:

[Jason Dunn]

I'm once again very glad that I had CAT5 run everywhere in our house when it was getting built. WiFi, for me at least, is less reliable than it was 5+ years ago... :rolleyes:

[Andy Dixon]

I live in a reasonably modern house 20 yrs old or so and I thought the wiring would be able to handle a powerline connection from upstairs to down, but alas not. The max speed I got was about 15Mb which made a movie stutter and judder when trying to stream it from the home server upstairs to the media centre pc connected to the TV downstairs. I've no idea why it is so bad but I was quite surprised at it.

Luckily (or not depending how you view it) my wireless 54G router has been having stability problems and I took the opportunity to replace it with one with wireless n technology. The wireless now connects at 270Mps and streaming media is flawless. The copying of files between the two is fast and painless as well.

However, Jason has it right. If you can, wire the house especially if you are building one before you move in. I certainly will be doing that if I ever buy another house because its very hard to go back and do it once you've moved in.