CyberBabble
Site-Seeing on the Internet

Homeward Bound (Or Prometheus & The Home Network Unbound)

Duff MacDonald
Mirror contributing writer

   Installing your own home network may seem a daunting task, an endeavor requiring Promethean endurance, but there are only two more pieces needed to complete this puzzle. Last week we discussed the networking hardware of routers and switches. To tame this beast, all you have to do now is run the Ethernet cabling between the hardware and your computers and set up the networking software. (If you’re just tuning in, you can get up to speed by reading my last three columns online at www.smmirror.com). 
   If you’ve decided to stay on the low end of Ethernet and are creating a 10 Base T network, you can use the cheap CAT 3 (Category 3) Ethernet cabling. But if you have a newer Mac (which comes with built-in 10 Base T/100 Base TX capabilities) or if you’ve installed a 10/100 NIC (Network Interface Card) in your PC, you should take full advantage of your high speed networking equipment and use CAT 5 Ethernet cable. 
   A good rule of thumb is to use the fastest cable you can afford, because if you upgrade the rest of your networking equipment some time in the future, your Ethernet cabling will be able to handle the increase in speed and you’ll have one less thing to buy. Besides, if you’re running Ethernet cable from one room to another in your house, why undertake rewiring cable when you upgrade? 
   I’d highly recommend using CAT 5e (enhanced C A T 5) cabling if you want maximize your network’s speed. It’s just slightly more expensive than regular CAT 5 and is capable of Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps). Some companies are already referring to this cable as CAT 6, even though the IEEE (www.ieee.org/index.html) has yet to finalize the standard. But, regardless of what they call it, make sure the Ethernet cable is certified to “350 MHz.” 
If you happen to be one of the lucky owners of a brand-new G4 from Apple (til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n58735), you’ve got a built-in 10/100/1000 Base NIC, so by all means use CAT 5e Ethernet cable. Gigabit networking hardware is expensive now because it’s cutting edge, but the prices eventually will drop. 10 Gigabit Ethernet (yep, 10,000 Mbps) is in the development stages at this moment (www.10gea.org/Tech-FAQ_S.HTM). 
You’ll probably have the most luck finding the right Ethernet cable at the ubergeek superstore Fry’s, through mail order, or on the Net. Last week I received an email from a reader whose house renovation includes an ambitious network wiring with 13 Ethernet RJ-45 jacks throughout the house. Data Comm Warehouse has catalog sales (800-990-0748) as well as a Web site (www2.warehouse.com/default.asp?home=
networking&sel=Ntwk) to handle projects big or small. 
   Unicom (www.unicomlink.com) is my favorite manufacturer for spools of CAT 5e Ethernet cable. Because Ethernet has a distance limitation of 328 feet (100 meters) from point to point, Unicom has thoughtfully packaged their Fastrak 350 CAT 5e Cable in a 100 meter spool, so you don’t even have to think about the distance limitation. It’s also marked the cable with the footage in descending lengths so you know how much cable remains on the spool (www.unicomlink.com/pdf_files/fastrak
350.pdf). No one else makes it so easy. They have a downloadable PDF for just about every one of their items and have put a great deal of thought into networking products for the home user. 
Run the Ethernet cable from a central point (or room) radiating out in what’s called a “star topology” (cops.uwf.edu/eme3402/Week6/
star.htm) — along the baseboard or in the wall, via your attic or the crawl space. If you want a clean finished look, like an electrical outlet, attach the Ethernet cable to a “fish tape” and feed the line into the wall, behind the drywall. Use a drywall punch saw to cut out a hole in the wall to pull the cabling through and install an Ethernet RJ-45 wall jack. 
   I can’t over-emphasize the importance that Ethernet cabling will play in your home network. If you use the fastest, highest quality you can afford and set up your network cabling properly, you will immensely enjoy sharing your cable/DSL broadband service, transferring files from computer to computer on your network, and sharing peripherals. But if you under-estimate the significance of good cabling and proper installation, you will find the rest of your home network screaming at the Ethernet cable, “You ARE the weakest link!”
   Tune in next week as we install RJ-45 jacks and set up your networking software. 
Email CyberBabble: duffmacdonald@yahoo.com.