By Randall Hull

Home networks come in three flavors

This biweekly column offers solutions to personal technology problems submitted by readers. Neither the author nor this newspaper endorses products or companies mentioned.

Q: At my office all our PCs share printers and Internet access. I would like to have something similar at home. Where do I start?

A: First you need to determine the network that is right for you - Ethernet, home phone line or wireless.

Ethernet is fairly inexpensive and can provide speeds of up to 100 MBps, but it requires extensive wiring since each device on the network has to be connected to all the others via Ethernet cables. This means drilling holes throughout your house and pulling a mile of wires for the children’s rooms, your den and the family room.

The alternative is a network that uses your existing phone lines or is completely wireless. Using your existing phone lines means no new wiring and you get network access anywhere there is a phone jack. Wireless offers you more mobility. For example, you can surf the Net or print from your patio without having to run a long phone cord back to a jack.

Wireless currently comes in two flavors: HomeRF and 802.11b, also known as “Wi-Fi.” (If you really want to know, both came from the original IEEE 802.11 spec., but each uses a variant of the technology.)

Wi-Fi is used in corporate networks that support wireless connection. If you bring your laptop home from work, this is the flavor to choose. The same adapter card can access either home or office network without throwing a hissy fit.

Interference is a minor drawback to wireless. Your connection speed will diminish based on the strength of interference. Wireless works best when the antenna is up high and clear of objects such as metal furniture or cables and wires.

If you do choose to “lay cable,” look at either Proxim All Ethernet with Broadband or Linksys Fast Ethernet Starter Kit.

When choosing a networking kit, consider speed and the number of PCs to be connected. For wire-based kits, look for at least 10 MBps. For wireless, don’t get less than 1 MBps. Make sure your kit offers enough interfaces, adapters, cables and such to support all the PCs you plan to network. Keep in mind that networks slow as more PCs are connected.

Please keep questions to 100 words or less. Send to: Tech Talk, Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022 or e-mail: techtalk@latc.com.

Randall Hull is a Los Altos resident and owner of The Br@nd Ranch, an advertising and marketing agency.