Home wired networks use Ethernet over UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cable or homeplug adaptors.
Network speeds vary from the common 10-100Mbits/sec to 1Gbit/s depending on the network devices being used.
The computers/network clients need to be equipped with an Ethernet card,and most are.
Networking Components
UTP Cables
UTP cables are generally used for connecting network components together.
Ranges from cat5 to cat6. Older Installations will use cat5 and newer ones cat6 which is designed for higher speeds. Here is a good video covering the differences.
Wiki On cat6 cable and cat 5.
Because wiring a wired network can involve considerable work and disruption when running cables between rooms/floors it is often only used when the wiring covers a short distance e.g. a single room.
When connecting network segments over longer distances then wireless or the newer Ethernet over mains (powerline adaptors) tends to be used.
Powerline Netorking- Ethernet over Mains
These are Ethernet cards that plug directly into a mains socket and use the mains wiring to carry the Ethernet signal instead of UTP cable. They provide an excellent way of bridging network segments that are located a long distance apart.
They look like mains plus as the picture below shows a homeplug adaptor plugged into a normal mains extension cable.
You connect the homeplug adaptor to your computer/hub/switch using standard UTP cable.
You require a minimum of two homeplug adaptors. Here is a typical configuration.
Homeplug standards
- Homeplug 1.0 Speeds 14Mbs
- Homeplug 1.0 with Turbo Speeds 85Mbs
- Homeplug AV (latest) speeds 200Mbs
Homeplug 1.0 will work with homeplug 1.0 with Turbo but at the lower speed of 14Mbs. Homeplug AV does not work with Homeplug 1.0 devices but will coexist on the same mains network.
Ethernet crossover cable
Used to connect two computers together without requiring a hub/switch. It is also used for connecting older hubs/switches in cascade. Not normally required today as the newer hubs/switches use auto detect and can switch modes.
See Wiki on Ethernet crossover cable and Medium dependent interface
Hubs and Switches
These are used to connect network segments and devices together. The following video covers the difference between the two but in general just opt for a switch as the price difference isn’t much.
Today all Ethernet hubs/switches come with RJ-45 UTP connectors (see picture left) older ones had BNC connectors but they are no longer used and so I wont discuss them.
Standard sizes are 4,8,16 ports.
You simply connect the computer or networking device using a UTP cable with RJ-45 UTP connectors to a spare port on the hub/switch.
Speeds range from the common 10-100Mbits/sec to the newer Gigabit switches.
You can connect lower speed devices to the higher speed hub ports and vice versa. Hubs/switches/network cards auto detect the speed and operate at the lowest supported speed.
Ethernet Overview
Ethernet is a datalink protocol that controls how data is packaged and placed on the connection media (cable or wireless). Every device on an Ethernet network has a fixed Ethernet Address commonly known as the MAC address or physical address.
Some devices implement security by restricting devices based on the MAC address and so it is useful if you know how to find MAC addresses.
Other than that there is not setup required at the Ethernet level.
Wired Network Problems
The main problem is the fact that you require a physical connection and so it can be difficult accommodating laptops and other portable devices.
In fact many tablets and mobile phones (smart phones) will connect to your home network but only via Wi-Fi.
Connecting devices across a building and between floors is also not easy due to the necessity to run cables but this has been made easier with the homeplug adaptors.
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