*** From the Archives ***

This article is from June 14, 2001, and is no longer current.

Under the Desktop: Working Without Wires

4

Hitting the broadband jackpot this month, I quickly moved to spread DSL goodness throughout my split-level apartment. Members of my extended techno-posse assumed that I would use 802.11b wireless networking, eg. Apple’s AirPort, for this purpose; and I admit that I was tempted.

Compared to hard-wired networks, wireless LANs hold the promise of easy installation, zippy performance, and a look-ma-no-wires sense of liberation. Plus, a place without cables just looks cooler. It says “cutting edge.” Likewise, aesthetically inclined, performance-addicted content creators may be enticed by the hype and next-generation features of wireless, especially those of you who work in vintage digs like old warehouses or aging apartment buildings. Who wants to pull cable in a space like that?

Yet, despite my desire to combine the speed of DSL with the freedom of wireless, I settled on tried-and-true hard wiring. Why? A lot of it had to do with cost, so independent designers and small firms take note before you start networking without wires.

DSL Do-Si-Do
First things first: If you’re a content creator and you’re not connected to a broadband service like DSL or cable, then get with the program. For even small shops, broadband is a necessity. It’s a brand-enabling technology, giving contractors and clients alike the same speedy delivery as expected from larger design houses. Unfortunately, getting broadband installed isn’t as easy as it should be, so be warned.

My impatience for broadband verged on stalking — just ask every telephone and television cable repair-person who’s had the misfortune to be parked within a four-block area. I talked their heads off, trying to get the inside scoop about how close my home is to the new switching office (close enough!) or when DSL or cable modem would be available in my neighborhood (soon, really soon!).

Of course, their optimistic predictions proved off by many, many months (almost a year). And my pain is still too great to detail the several times that now-defunct providers claimed that broadband service was available, only to lose my order and then finally report that, oops, service really wasn’t available for my address.

Finally, a few of months ago a DSL switch was installed in our neighborhood. According to the Java-based speed tests available at DSLreports.com, our connection achieved some amazing downstream speeds, over 1 Mbit per second, due to our now-close proximity to a main DSL switch. The wait, apparently, was worth it.

Dreams of a Wireless Lifestyle
With the major hurdles passed, I faced a tough decision for my local area network: Should I go with an elegant, easy wireless solution, or run ugly, old-fashioned wires throughout the apartment?

Everyone — online sources, print magazines, and my afore-mentioned techno-buddies — pushed wireless. All shared the opinion that wireless is the “natural” approach. No fuss and, especially, no muss.

I felt the peer-pressure monkey on my back, just like in grade school. But while I wanted wireless LAN, the more I evaluated my needs, my complex cross-platform setup, and my pocketbook, the more problems I uncovered. My bet is that most content creators will have similar concerns.

Some background for the uninitiated: A wireless network consists of PCs equipped with wireless cards that connect to a so-called access point, which in turn connects to the broadband service. In a hardwired network, the PCs connect to a DSL router that’s connected to the broadband service. Admittedly, my evaluation of a wireless network was colored by my earlier impulse purchase of a bargain-priced Asante FriendlyNET FR3004 Cable/DSL router which would allow me to make a network from my several in-house machines and link them to my super-speedy broadband. But that’s not all that swayed my decision.

The first problem was compatibility: A couple of my machines are incompatible with the wireless cards necessary to connect with the network. One is a first-generation Apple PowerBook G3, which would require a $150 PC Card slot upgrade to let it handle a wireless card. I certainly don’t want to put any more money into this machine, nor do I want to buy a new notebook at this time. (Reality check: I admit that I want to buy any and all new Mac notebooks, at any time. But right now, I can’t afford it unless the Lotto comes through.)

Although my older iMac is also incompatible, it can be connected directly to one of the FriendlyNet router’s Ethernet ports. Any Mac or Windows desktop machines, meanwhile, would need a PCI adapter card, such as Farallon’s SkyLINE 11-MB Wireless PCI Card.

On the other hand, all my Mac and Windows systems, portable or desktop, already have built-in Ethernet ports, just waiting for a connection. With a wired approach, the focus is on the LAN itself, since nothing new needs to be added to the computers.

The second problem is the split-level layout of my apartment, which common sense suggests should be perfect for a wireless network. Wireless networking would get around the tough chore of snaking wire up stairways or drilling holes in the floors, as well as avoid an obvious and unsightly trail of cable. However, current wireless access points such as Apple’s AirPort Base Station and 3Com‘s Home Wireless Gateway assume that standalone wireless machines will connect to a wired network. The wireless workstations, tucked off in a remote corner, can share an Internet connection as well as other services, such as a printer or a file-server, connected with a cable.

Instead, I have machines on both floors, most of them located on the upper level. Some computers could be wireless, but not all, so I’d still have to run a cable upstairs.

In addition, I’d like to put my printers on the network, but I want to locate them upstairs, away from the hardwired access point and router hardware. What would be useful is a wireless switch or hub that could connect the upstairs devices to the access point and router downstairs. This single device could support a group of computers or printers on a small, remote Ethernet network. The closest device I found for this purpose is the Nokia A040 Wireless LAN Ethernet Adapter, but after clicking through pages of links, I couldn’t find a real price or a vendor selling it outside of a prepackaged solution. It sounds expensive.

Finally and most importantly, even if all my computers had been compatible with wireless products, the cost of placing a wireless card in each machine would prove prohibitively expensive. A setup with a single access point and five computers looked to cost $800 to $1,000. Maybe higher with the Nokia access point. Ouch and double ouch!

Hard(wired) Facts
The usual objections to hard wiring are cost, inconvenience, and looks. Faced with such high wireless costs, the economics of wiring my apartment for Ethernet looked brighter. I found the total cost 50 to 75 percent cheaper than wireless.

I bought a $99 8-port Linksys EtherFast 10/100 Workgroup Switch, which provides more ports than I need upstairs, but now I’m prepared. A five-port switch is around $65. I also purchased a 250-foot roll of white Category 5 (Cat5) Ethernet cable, and a stack of shorter cables to connect the computers and printers to the switch and router. I found the cables in gray, white, and blue colors, the latter being the most familiar. All of this came to about $175.

I also discovered that computer stores ignore details such as attaching cables to walls and stairs. This missed necessity was fixed by a separate trip to Home Depot for a few boxes of inexpensive white or black Coaxial Staples.

Installation can be costly, since professionals often charge $150 to $300 per workstation. But the necessary skill is the difficult task of correctly splicing the Ethernet connector to the bare, cut end of the cable. Cat5 wire is made up of a set of tiny wires inside a surrounding sheath, and each lead needs to be inserted cleanly in the connector and then tested. The actual pulling of the cable around the apartment is an easy do-it-yourself project. I paid a friend $100, mainly for the splicing and technical support.

The job was straightforward. We pulled two cables: One long line ran from the router downstairs, up the stairs, and down a hall into the office where the switch was located. The second, much shorter line went from the switch to another room for my laptop.

Some readers (I acknowledge the visual sensitivities of the audience) may be bothered by a visible cable running around the room and halls. As a renter, I was uneasy about drilling holes in the floor and walls. After a short while, the wire blended into the background with the strategic use of plants and clutter.

Now, I have a fast and secure network that connects all my computers and peripherals. In addition to saving money on the installation, I gain some reliability in performance over wireless, as the hardwiring is unaffected by our frequent use of the microwave oven for popcorn. The same couldn’t be said for the wireless alternative.

The Maggid of Bruno (1740 – 1804) once said: “A person can transform faults into virtues if they but persevere.” Content creators may discover the hidden value of an old-fashioned wired lifestyle.

  • anonymous says:

    Hi,
    Great article. I have a similar set up but with an access point in the basement and computers and laptops roaming two floors hardwire is out of the question.

    “In addition, I’d like to put my printers on the network, but I want to locate them upstairs, away from the hardwired access point and router hardware. What would be useful is a wireless switch or hub that could connect the upstairs devices to the access point and router downstairs.” – I use the Airport as a bridge to the hardwired network to solve this problem. It works fine.

    Ken

  • anonymous says:

    Unfortunately, implementing a wireless home access point is still cost prohibitive, wireless protocols are in constant flux, and 802.11b isn’t secure enough.

  • dblatner says:

    I type this on a pbook G3 laptop, using the Lucent PC card. I’m at my office. When I want to go home, I just walk out the door. When my compter wakes up, it recognizes my home Airport station, whether I’m using photoshop on my porch, quarkxpress in the kitchen, or ms word in the living room. I surf in bed on Sunday mornings while my wife grades her student’s papers. Sure, I can’t put my old 8100 on the network, but the flexibility far outweighs the minor hassle.

  • anonymous says:

    I received a few comments via email and I’d thought I’d share the response.

    First, one reader said the PowerBook G3 (the one that looks like a PB 3400) is compatible with a 802.11b card, although he hadn’t actually tested it on that machine. A long while ago, I asked a vendor if they supported the card on this machine and they waffled. His card (and others) may work, but the vendor wouldn’t swear that it would. But I appreciate the tip and I will borrow a card and try it out.

    In another message, Mike said I was all wrong about wireless and everything I needed was easily available:
    “Lots more help is at https://practicallynetworked.com and I think it is a diservice to your readers to discourage them from using WiFi. It does have drawbacks (mostly speed) and is still more expensive than wires, but it is a viable and useful alternative for many people.”

    I am a believer in WiFi. My concern is that content creators will look first to wireless and ignore the obvious hardwired approach. And the advantages aren’t just in connecting to broadband.

    With my hardwired Ethernet network, I can easily share very large files between machines at 100-Mbit speeds. I think that’s something that most content creators would want to do. While WiFi would be more convenient and elegant, I would be stuck with its much slower throughput when moving files around.

    Thanks for reading,

    daviD M.

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