Mark A. Travis wrote an article in the March 2008 issue of Modern Networking about home networks. There are three main types of wired home networks: Ethernet networks which require running cables through walls; phone line networks which use existing phone lines; and power line cable networks which transmit data through existing electrical lines without additional wiring. The two main types of wireless networks are Home RF networks which use radio waves and can be disrupted by interference, and Wi-Fi networks which have a greater range than Home RF networks.

1. Travis 1
Mark A. Travis
Modern Networking
March 2008
Pages 24-29
Home networks:
Home users connect multiple computers and devices together in a home network.
Home networking saves money and provides conveniences.
Approximately 39 million homes home more than one computer.
Many vendors offer home networking packages that include all the necessary hardware and
software to network a home using wired or wireless techniques.
Three types of wired home networks: Ethernet, power line cable, and phone line (source.”Wired vs.
Wireless Networks,” an article on pages 24-29 in March 2008 issue of Modern networking by Mark A.
Travis).
Traditional Ethernet networks require that each computer have built-in network capabilities or
contain a network card, which connects to a central network hub or similar device with a
physical cable. This may involve running cable through walls, ceilings, and floors in the house.
The hardware and software of an Ethernet network can be difficult to configure for the average
home user (source: a book called Home Network by Frank A. Deacons, published at current
Press in New York in 2008).
A phone line network is an easy-to-install and inexpensive network that uses existing telephone
lines in the home.
A home power line cable network is a network that uses the same line that brings electricity into
the house. This network requires no additional wiring.
Two types of wireless home networks: Home RF and Wi-Fi (source: a Web site titled “Wired and
Wireless Networks” by Gary B. Shelly and Thomas J. Cashman of Course Technology, viewed on April 23,
2008. Wed address is www.scrite.com/wd2007/wc.htm).
Wireless networks have the disadvantage of interference, because walls, ceilings, and other
electrical devices such as cordless telephones and microwave ovens can disrupt wireless
communications.
A Home RF (radio frequency) network uses radio waves, instead of cables, to transmit data.
A Wi-Fi network sends signals over a wider distance than t he Home RF network, which can be
up to 1,500 feet in some configurations.