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Wi-Fi
This involves no wires at all and communicates through radio transmission, which can currently achieve rates of up to 11Mbps. It is ideal for offices where hiding Ethernet cables would be difficult and where there is a lack of phone sockets. The big advantage with wireless is that it really does enable networked computing anywhere in the house but the cost puts it out of the reach of most small or home offices at present.
Interest in wireless connectivity is growing but the problem at the moment is speed. While the advantage of wireless networking is obvious – its wirelessness - it cannot match the speed of ethernet.
Peer-to-peer
Each PC is a peer and has equal status with the others. Cables connect each PC to the others and to shared devices, such as printers. This is really only feasible if your company has less than ten networked computers. Once there are too many users and too much demand for shared resources, the system becomes difficult to manage.
Client/server
The 'clients' are standard desktop PCs that access resources, including files, data or printing, from a central, dedicated machine. This machine is called the server and this ensures that none of the individual PCs on the network slow down if demand rises. Even if your business currently has less than ten users, if you know that the number is likely to grow it is probably worth while investigating a client/server network.
Cabling
You will need cables to provide the physical connection and allow transmission of data between all the PCs on the network. There are two main types of cabling. It is worth bearing in mind when you set up your network that, should you wish to upgrade or change your network, the cabling could take time to change. It is worth investing some time in thinking about the type of cabling you use before you start.
Twisted pair
The most commonly used networking cable. The newer Category 5 100Mbps version is significantly faster than coaxial. It comprises two or more pairs of insulated wires twisted together at six twists per inch. It may be shielded (STP) or unshielded (UTP). The twisting provides a measure of protection from electromagnetic and radio-frequency interference.
There are different categories of UTP cable and the most recent is category 5 which allows information to be transferred at up to 100 mega bits per second, known as Mbps. This will cost up to £15 for 10 metres. You will need to ensure that the network card has an RJ45 connector.
Coaxial
This is also known as thin ethernet and is a lower-speed transmission networking cable. It is usually free from external interference and capable of high transmission rates over long distances but slower than twisted pair. This will only work with a network card that has a BNC connector.
Fibre optic cable
This transmits information by pulses of light rather than electricity. It is currently the fastest cable available, allowing information to be passed at 1 million bits per second. But it is significantly more expensive than the other options.
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