Need to set up new home network

[capbrown2003]

Hi there guys, my tech ability is fairly ltd. but I need to revamp my home network and need advice on what would work best.
I need to connect 3 desktops in 3 different rooms (2 downstairs & 1 upstairs), + 2 laptops which are used in various locations, but 1 is mainly used in a location adjacent 1 of the desktops (downstairs room, but not adjacent incoming phone-line). We have broadband phone connection and the house is old with thick walls. I previously had combination of wired and wireless, but lightning strike fried the wired part of the modem/router (Linksys 2.4ghz 802.11g) - the wireless part still works. I also a std 4 port wired modem/router. I could connect the 2 downstairs rooms with a cable.
I also want better connection speed for the internet, and some additional capacity to connect other hardware to the network.

Hoping someone can advise.

[peterb]

Your network speed won't affect your Internet connection speed - however cable tends to be more reliable than wireless. Personally I'd get another router and run cable to all the locations where the fixed computers are located, and also to the places where the laptops are usually used, and have that as the main mode of connection for the laptops, with wireless as the secondary mode for the laptops when they need to raom. (which is more or less the arrangement I use at home, although I use a couple of switches as well as I have a few more bits and pieces connected))

[Agent]

Just to echo whats been said by Peter: put wired wherever you can and use wireless as the fallback where needed. You really can not beat wired connections.

CAT5/6 is very cheap, along with the tools and faceplates. Heck, even the routers are cheap these days

[capbrown2003]

Many thanks for the pointers, a couple of supplementary questions if I may;
- Can I connect a wired router and a wireless one together?
- Any suggestions on which router and its spec/connection speed? Do you suggest a combined wired/wireless?
- Do switches allow you to connect more than one device to a single cable?

Thanks for this

[Agent]

1) Yes - but you will need to configure them. This is not normally hard, but make sure you stick the the 'better' brands if you plan to do this. It will make things much easier on the long run.

2) Any home router with a wireless section is going to have wired. Combined is easier to setup and manage. If you have to ask about connection speed, its probably not that important to you - anything you buy these days is going to be 802.11g, which will offer upto 54Mbps at best. Wired will be 100 or 1000, depending on the router and systems.

3) Do you mean take a cable and then split it to multiple devices by using another NAT based system, or something else?
Ideally you want one wire from the router to one device, but there are ways around this, yes.

[mads64738]

Hi there guys, my tech ability is fairly ltd. but I need to revamp my home network and need advice on what would work best.
I need to connect 3 desktops in 3 different rooms (2 downstairs & 1 upstairs), + 2 laptops which are used in various locations, but 1 is mainly used in a location adjacent 1 of the desktops (downstairs room, but not adjacent incoming phone-line). We have broadband phone connection and the house is old with thick walls. I previously had combination of wired and wireless, but lightning strike fried the wired part of the modem/router (Linksys 2.4ghz 802.11g) - the wireless part still works. I also a std 4 port wired modem/router. I could connect the 2 downstairs rooms with a cable.
I also want better connection speed for the internet, and some additional capacity to connect other hardware to the network.

Hoping someone can advise.

Hello,

Have you considered the Homeplug route?

As others have suggested, wired would (should) yield more stable results.

I have linked up various devices within my home using Homeplugs, with great results. Good performance and better still, not having to figure out how to lay ethernet cables around the house!

My setup is based on the 200 "AV" standard. A friend of mine is successfully using the "Turbo" standard (85Mb/s) between a DSL router (in his kitchen) to a PC on his first floor.

If your internal wiring is of good quality, maybe an option?

Hope this helps!