Eight Hot Product Guides You Gotta See

by Stephen Muratore
Digital Edition January 2004

At about the time someone installs a second computer in his home he starts thinking about networking the two of them, at least to share a printer between them. The Smart TV & Sound enthusiast additionally wonders whether it is possible to network the computers with his video and sound system. The first inspiration might sound like this, "I wonder how I could play the music files on my computer through the nice stereo system in my living room." The second might be, "How can I see the still pictures I dumped into my computer from my digital still camera on my TV set?"

The answers to both of these questions lies in networking hardware. To get your pictures and audio from point A (your computer) to point B (your TV and stereo system) you need to build an electronic conduit. You will choose the pieces of this conduit from a variety of components, depending upon the type of network you would like to build. Let us save you a great deal of time by defining for you these types of components. Each of these types is attended by a buyer's guide grid, showing the category's features and prices. To see the products in a category, first go to our Buyer's Guide page, then click on the name of the category you'd like to see.

We'll divide the components between the two major types of networks they support: wired Ethernet and wireless Ethernet (WiFi). But first, a word on the key component in either type of network: the A/V client.

The Linchpins: A/V Clients
Whether you want to create a wired or wireless network, you will need to place a key component at the location of your stereo receiver and TV: an A/V client. This is a device capable of finding the audio and still picture files on your computer network and translating them into audio and video signals for your stereo receiver and TV set. Go to our Buyer's Guide page and click on A/V clients to see a current list of these products. A/V clients can be built into other components. For example, there are now DVD players in the market that have A/V clients built in.

WIRED ETHERNET COMPONENTS
Wired Ethernet networks have several advantages over the wireless variety: they currently support greater data rates (they are faster), they are more secure (they don't allow anyone to "borrow" your Internet service or see your computer files), and they are simpler and often less expensive to install. So, they're better-if you don't mind pulling Ethernet cable through walls, over ceilings and under floors. One more negative: on a wired network, you can't place your wireless laptop on your coffee table and surf the Internet while you're watching TV.

If you want to go "wired," you will need as much Ethernet cable as it takes to get from point A to point B, and one or more of the following components.

Ethernet Hubs
Plug the Ethernet cable coming from each of your network nodes (computer, A/V client, Ethernet printer) into a hub. The hub enables each node to see-and communicate with-all the others.

Wired Routers
Think of a router as a kind of hub that also allows each of the nodes on the network to share the same connection with the Internet. An A/V client, for example, that supports Internet radio would use your router as its path to the Internet radio stations it supports.

As with a hub, plug the Ethernet cable coming from each of your network nodes into the router. Additionally, feed the router the output from your cable or DSL modem. If you get a router, you probably don't need a separate hub.

Wired Network Adapters
Say your A/V client-or your computer or printer for that matter-doesn't have an Ethernet port, but instead has, say, an USB port. How will you get that node to network with the others? The answer is "by way of an Ethernet adapter." Run a USB cable from your node's USB port to the adapter; run an Ethernet cable from the adapter to the hub or router. Voilà, the node is networked.

An A/V client may have a PCMCIA slot that allows you to plug in a network adapter of either the wired or the wireless variety. To install your A/V client on a wired network, obviously, you would obtain an Ethernet PCMCIA card for it.

WIRELESS ETHERNET (WIFI) COMPONENTS
Unlike a wired network, a wireless one does allow you to place your laptop on your coffee table and surf the 'Net while watching TV. Also, it could allow you to use a wireless PDA to control various devices on the network, making it a smart remote control. Here's what you need if you want to go the WiFi way.

Wireless Access Points
Think of the wireless access point as the wireless equivalent of a wired hub. Through the access point, each wireless node on your network will be able to communicate with all others.

Wireless Routers
Like wired routers, the wireless variety allow the nodes on your network to share an Internet address, typically by way of a cable or DSL modem you connect to the router. If you get a wireless router, you probably don't need a separate wireless access point.

Ethernet-WiFi Bridges
Say your A/V client or printer or computer, has a wired Ethernet connection on it, but you want to install it on your new WiFi network. It needs a "bridge." You will plug this into the Ethernet port on the device; it will transmit and receive signals between that device and the wireless network.

Wireless Network Adapters
What if the device doesn't have an Ethernet port, but does have some other kind, say a USB port? It wants, not a "bridge" but an "adapter." You can get, for example, an USB-WiFi adapter. Plug it into the device's USB port to get it onto your wireless network.

Whether you decide to take the wired or the wireless route, you will be able to enjoy, from the comfort of your couch, the still photos and music stored elsewhere on your computer network. Your next question is bound to be, "How can I play the movies I downloaded onto my computer, and the videos I captured from my camcorder through my home theater system?" Higher bandwidth A/V clients and other components are on their way. Stay tuned.