Non-Invasive Networking - HomePNA vs. HomePlug?

zonker asks: "I live in a relatively new, moderately sized home that doesn't have conduit in the walls, nor does it have extra wires for networking. I am investigating getting a broadband connection, but first I have to decide how I will connect the network for the 6 computers in the house. As per the owners, I am not allowed to drill holes in the walls, and as per my girlfriend, I am not allowed to run Cat5 through the halls, so I am looking at my alternatives: wireless, HomePNA, and HomePlug. I'm afraid the house is a little too big for wireless without getting expensive, so it looks like either phonewire, or electric-wire. I've done some initial googling for people's opinions of these products and my quick findings where that magazine and website reviews seem to be favorable of some of them, while personal accounts seem to vary wildly. What solutions have worked for you? Are these things ready for primetime? Or should I suck it up and buy a few WAP's to extend the radius of a wireless network?"

Re:Wireless not an option?

[zonker]

It's a 2 story, 5 bedroom home with a lot of stuff throughout the house that I fear that would interfere with the range (cellphones for instance, are virtually useless in the house). Unfortunately I don't know anyone that has wireless that I can invite over to test it. I would like to be able to go outside with my laptop, so wireless would be nice eventually...

802.11b

[Stigmata669]

has to be the best answer. For a medium sized home, range should not be an issue, and many 802.11b basestations come with a router incorperated so that the broadband connection should be smooth. Many will say 11mbit isn't good enough, but for the requirements, and relatively low cost, Wi-Fi is the way to go

Go Wireless

[marvinx]

I recommend going wireless. Not only is it easy, it's Ethernet, and your OS likes that. You'll also like the little access point that also doubles as a firewall. Plus, the roaming with the laptop is sweet.

If you're worried about bandwidth, get an access point/router with two antennas. That will allow more devices to connect with greater bandwidth.

There's nothing better than getting 11Mbps with zero wire hassle.

rundown of the options as i see it...

[NevermindPhreak]

my first response was to try to pursuade the landlord to let you drill some new holes, and insist that the faceplates will be barely noticable and match nicely. however, i see from one of your posts that the landlord is your father in law (or soon to be, at any rate), so i imagine that that is out. someone else suggested that you use the existing holes, using dual power/cat5 or telephone/cat5 faceplates, which is the second thing i would suggest. however, this too might not be an option, and at the very least would still require asking your father in law. of course, you could always drill holes, then cover them up before you move out, as another post suggested. not very hard to do, but if you got caught, im sure your father in law wouldnt like it.

alternately, if your house is carpeted, it is very easy to put cable under carpet, and is unnoticable if put in the right spots (i.e. following the edges of walls). just dont place the cable straight across rooms, otherwise you can feel the cable when you walk on it.

if the carpet is not an option, you might want to check out the raceways someone suggested. personally, i dont think these look all that good, and they would be too expensive for me, but its an option.

also, check into painting your cables, and running them along non-noticable places. if you match the color right, you can eaisly place cable along the little thing of wood that sticks out that seperates the room from the trim below the ceiling. that is, if you have that to begin with; some people do, some dont. if you run cables along walls, though, make sure to match colors just right, attach them tightly, follow corners and unnoticable places, and make sure there is no slack. otherwise, it looks kinda shoddy.

i wouldnt suggest using the data-over-power or data-over-phone routes, personally. ive heard only mixed reviews about these. try them if youd like, though.

your last option is wireless, which is nice in the fact that you can take it with you when you move. too slow of data rates for me, but its damned convinent. a hassle to set it up, watching out for interference and everything, though.

the option id favor the most would be convincing the father in law to let you run cables through the walls. use dual faceplates, make them look nice, and cover all the costs yourself. i dont see how this would decrease the value of the home, and might even raise is slightly. if i think of anything else, though, ill post it.

as to all the "this topic is boring and i dont want to help out" people, why do you even take the time to post and bitch about it? just dont read the discussion. i dont bitch that some TV station is playing a boring show, i just change the channel. same concept.

Re:Got forced-air heat?

[embo]

Run it down the furnace ducts. A friend of mine has done that to the last 3 houses where he's lived. Just make sure to use plenum-rated Cat-5 and route it out of the ducts at an unobtrusive location several feet from the furnace's heating element.

Wouldn't this violate fire code in almost all of the 50 states, even if the Cat5 is plenum rated? Whether it's carrying low or high voltage, my understanding is that you cannot run wiring through your ductwork (even plenum rated), except at a 90 degree angle across studs through a cold air return. I may be wrong, but I personally wouldn't do it. Wiring melts and burns during a house fire, and burning wiring running up through ductwork helps spread fires throughout the house that much faster.

The owner will never know.

Unless there's a fire in the house and the insurance inspector refuses the claim due to wiring in the ductwork that violates code. I would expect you'd be sued fairly quickly at that point for the value of the damage, and possibly some negligence damages as well??