High Tech Household

Not that long ago, wise homeowners started wiring their homes with Ethernet cables for easy internet and network access throughout the house. Some even tried to future-proof by installing conduit piping for the cable, so they could easily string a different cable through, if the technology moved in that direction. Thankfully, through the the magic of radio and computers, Wi-Fi has made all our lives easier. And maybe a little harder.

Now we don’t have to worry about which type of cable to use when connecting our computers in a network. For most household purposes, Wi-Fi is sufficient. When properly configured, Wi-Fi is a fast, secure, simple way to create a home network. There is a lot of jargon and terminology to get your mind around, though.

So what is Wi-Fi? The word means “Wireless Fidelity,” a play off of “Hi-Fi” meaning “High Fidelity,” but knowing that doesn’t really help. The intent when Wi-Fi was developed was to create a wireless equivalent to the main consumer wired network technology, Ethernet. Appropriately, Wi-Fi is also sometimes referred to as “Wireless Ethernet.” That might be a bit more explanatory, but there’s still a good deal more to understand.

So, how do you get Wi-Fi into your home? You’ll need a wireless router, which will usually have an external Wi-Fi antenna or two for connecting wirelessly, but it might also have a few wired Ethernet ports as well. Having both wired and wireless connectivity in the same router can be very convenient.

The technology and standards around Wi-Fi are pretty well-established these days. Technically, the term “Wi-Fi” is a certification that a device is compatible with these standards. But there are actually several sometimes-mutually compatible types, with the most common being 802.11g, but 802.11n is quickly superseding it.

You see, there have been several iterations of this technology. Early on, 802.11a and 802.11b competed (note the different letters at the end of the numbers), but weren’t really mutually compatible, because they operated on different radio frequencies. Along came 802.11g, which was much faster, and designed to be compatible with 802.11b. Most new 802.11g routers still support 802.11b. Most recently, 802.11n was introduced, and it’s faster still.

The letters following “802.11″ refer to updates and refinements to a defined standard, the IEEE 802.11 standard to be exact. So, technically,  802.11b and 802.11n, etc. are all wireless networking protocols that have some degree of inter-compatibility. The particulars of this standard aren’t important, and there’s a lot more to it than what will be discussed in this article. Just know that, for everyday purposes, the term “Wi-Fi” has become synonymous with the 802.11 family of wireless networking standards.

So, who needs Wi-Fi? If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already determined that you need it (or maybe you’ve already set up your install). More specifically, there a few good use cases:

• Do you have lots of computers? Do you have lots of Wi-Fi capable devices? Keep in mind that in many cases, this can include video game consoles, mobile phones and other devices. Do you have separate PCs for children? Spouse? A media server? A home-theater PC? If you have a bunch of Wi-Fi-capable (or potentially Wi-Fi-capable) devices, it might be simpler and easier to set these devices up for wireless rather than stringing network cable all over your home.
• Maybe you just have one or two devices, but the external internet connection just isn’t in a handy spot. The DSL hookup is at one end of the house, and you really want your PC in the office, all the way at the other end. Rather than getting the utility company to re-wire (if that’s even an option), you might just set up a Wi-Fi router at the internet connection, and leave your PC where it is most convenient for you.
• All current-generation video game consoles support Wi-Fi one way or another. Especially if your console(s) isn’t especially near your router, a Wi-Fi connection might the easiest way to go.
• Another interesting advantage is the ability to offer house guests easy internet access. They just bring their Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or device, and once you give them your access information, they can connect to the internet without having to use your PC.
• What if you just have a PC or two? And they’re near your main internet connection? It might be that Wi-Fi just isn’t for you at this point, but perhaps you’d like to set it up now, before you really need it.

When shopping for a wireless device, the packaging will usually reference one of these letters, but it may swap out “802.11″ for “Wi-Fi.” Sometimes not. The baseline device you would want to consider would be a G router, but for just a little bit more, an N router is much more future-proof. Especially with the rapid pace of wireless technology innovation, unless you have a good reason to stick with a slower G router, you should consider investing in a faster N router. N also has some other advantages that can make the higher price tag easier to justify.

So, now we’ve covered some terminology and technology. Next time, we’ll discuss some more practical items so you can make an informed decision when you decide to purchase a household router.