NETGEAR RangeMax Next Wireless Notebook Adapter WN511T - Manual (Page 43)

NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless PC Card WPN511 User Manual
1-3
v3.0, February 2007
In the network shown in Figure 3-1 , the two PCs with gigabit (1000 Mbps) Ethernet adapters have
a gigabit connection through the router to the storage server. With a high-speed router this
connection allows for extremely fast backups or quick access to large files on the server. The PC
connected through a pair of Powerline HD adapters is limited to the 200 Mbps speed of the
Powerline HD connection. Although any of the links in this example would be sufficient for high-
traffic applications such as streaming HD video, the use of older devices such as 10 Mbps Ethernet
or 802.11b wireless would create a significant bottleneck.
In planning your network, think about which tasks will have the heaviest traffic flow between
them. Examples are:
• A media center in one room streaming high-definition video from a server in another room
• A storage device that is used for backing up your computers
Overview of Home and Small Office Networking
Technologies
Common connection types and their speed and security considerations are:
• Broadband Internet
Your Internet connection speed is determined by your modem type, such as ADSL or cable
modem, as well as the connection speed of the sites to which you connect, and general Internet
traffic. ADSL and cable modem connections are asymmetrical, meaning they have a lower
data rate to the Internet (upstream) than from the Internet (downstream). Keep in mind that
when you connect to someone else who also has an asymmetrical connection, the data rate
between your sites is limited by each side’s upstream data rate. A typical residential ADSL or
cablemodem connection provides a downstream throughput of about one to three megabits per
second (Mbps). Newer technologies such as ADSL2+ and Fiber to the Home (FTTH) will
increase the connection speed to tens of Mbps.
• Wireless
A high-speed wireless router can provide a wireless data throughput of up to 300 Mbps using
technology called Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), in which multiple antennas
transmit multiple streams of data. The use of multiple antennas also provides excellent range
and coverage. With the introduction of the newer WPA and WPA2 encryption and
authentication protocols, wireless security is extremely strong.