WiFi is great. It lets us easily connect together all the devices on our networks quickly, securely and most importantly – reliably. For most tasks, this solution is perfect. For various reasons, however, this approach to connecting to your router is not the most beneficial. For example, there may be some distance between your access point and the device you are connecting to; there may be a thick, outside wall in the way – maybe you just don’t feel comfortable using WiFi. Fear not – there is a solution. Albeit, not a particularly new one.

First introduced in 2001, home plugs – or powerline adapters – use your existing home electrical wiring to carry data from one device to another. This is an excellent solution for gaming, especially since recent developments mean that soon this technology will allow up to 600Mbps data transfer speeds. These adapters are cheap, secure and VERY easy to set up.

I’ve actually used these for over 4 years and couldn’t recommend them more. Check your local electrical store such as Currys, Comet or Tesco.

It’s not what you think…

Most broadband companies, upon signing up, will supply you with a router. This is common place, and because all providers tend to do this; it’s the expectation of almost the entire populous that a free router will and should be supplied with a new broadband contract. Essentially, this is a good thing as it ensures that in many cases you will end up with a network that functions well for no extra cost; it does however perpetuate many misconceptions about how a network works, and the standard you should expect from a free product.

In order to understand what I mean, we need to look at the basic physical components necessary to connect the computers in your home to the internet. I’ll try to cover in very basic terms what they are, their purpose and what your free “router” does for your network. There are three main devices required for internetworking through your phone line: Modem, Hub, Router.

Modem

Any data that comes through your telephone line does so in an analog format. Computers only understand information that is digital (or binary). This requires modulation and demodulation (hence MoDem). Whenever data passes through the phone socket from your phone line, it is separated from voice band information and is sent via a cable to a modem. The modem then reads the analog information and translates it into binary so that your computer (and any other devices on the network) can understand it. A similar process occurs for any data that flows in the opposite direction, however the process is reversed. The binary information that is fed by your computer into the modem is then translated into an analog format for transportation by your phone line. There are a number of different types of Modems but more than likely, your home network has a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) modem.

Hub/Switch

A switch or a hub passes information from one device to another within a single network segment (i.e. your LAN). It acts as a centre point for all the computers and resources connected to it. Hubs are fairly simple pieces of kit that can’t tell the difference between each connected computer and as a consequence returns any data that has been requested, to all of the computers that it connects to. Although all of the connected devices receive this information, only the relevant machine will listen to it. Switches on the other hand are far more intellegent and can read where the data’s intended destination is before it sends it. In smaller networks with fairly up-to-date computers, which of these you use is not important. However for larger networks, such as office buildings, it tends to be a good idea to use a switch.

Routers

As a general computer user, there isn’t much you need to know about router functionality. To put it simply, a router connects networks together, to create an internetwork (Internet, anyone?), and simply routes data to the network it’s intended for. Contrary to popular belief, routers do not in any way concern themselves with specific computers. As we’ve already discussed, that’s the hubs job. See the diagram below to see how it works:

So what does this mean for the average computer user? Well for starters, take a look at your set-up. Look at what you have plugged in to your phone line and into your computer. Do you see separate routers, switches and modems? Of course not. That’s because setting up this kind of equipment yourself can be complicated, expensive and is unnecessary. So instead, home networking solutions have been created to make things easier. All of these devices have been combined into one, simple piece of hardware that will do everything mentioned above, and more.

It’s also likely that your broadband router also has a wireless access point built in, which is great if you have smartphones, laptops and netbooks.