Home Networks

If you have more than one computer, you already have a home network. That's because, whether you are taking advantage of it or not, your computers can send information to each other. Traditional, computer-based networking is commonly used for:

• Sharing printers. Having one printer may mean having to walk into another room to pick up a print job, but it also means that your ink cartridges on rarely used printers will not dry up as often.
• Moving and sharing files. View those vacation photos on any computer in the house.

Home networks are not just for computers any more. They are popularity as a means of sharing media of all kinds. Just for one example, a TiVo connected to the Internet via a home network (rather than a telephone line) lets you to use your TV to view photos and listen to music stored on various computers in your home.

Wired Networks

The most reliable and secure networks are hard-wired. Lucas Valley Cable supplies 4-port routers with all of its multi-computer plans, and these routers are the key to making a home network work. We also have 8-port routers available for homes with larger networks.

Computers and other devices connect to the wired network with RJ-45 plugs (right) that are either attached to the ends of network wire passing through a baseboard or into a wall jack. We can provide modular wall jacks that accommodate network jacks, TV outlets, and even telephone jacks. See the Home Wiring page for details.

Wireless Networks

Laptop users are particularly enamored of wireless networks because they can use their computer in any of several locations on their premises without having to find a network jack to plug into. The most popular way of making a wireless network is to simply replace a wired router with a wireless one--however Lucas Valley Cable does not install or recommend wireless routers because of the difficulty of placing them in the optimum location for good coverage. Instead, our Wireless Plan uses a wired router with a separate "wireless access point" with PoE (Power over Ethernet), a configuration that allows much better coverage because the access point may be located above eye-level, often in a location that is more central in the home.

The biggest problems with Wireless Networks are security and reliability:

• Extra measures (e.g., "MAC Address Filtering" or "WEP Keys") need to be taken to keep outsiders from invading a home network. If you have shared directories on your computer, it is not difficult for someone in range of your wireless network to access those directories.
• Since wireless protocols use parts of the RF spectrum that are completely unregulated, you are sharing your connection with cordless telephones, microwave ovens, and any number of other devices and appliances. This often results in frustrating drops outs and intermittent operation.

For additional information, check our Wireless internet FAQ.

Hot Spots

Wireless networks and so-called "Hot Spots" are not the same.

A Hot Spot is probably best defined as an unsecured access point with Internet access. They may be found in hotels, coffee shops, automotive waiting rooms, and many other places that allow one to work with a laptop and get free Internet access. In those cases, businesses are providing free Internet access for the convenience of their customers and most laptops provide warnings about the dangers involved when connecting to the Internet via in an unsecured manner.

Hot spots are prohibited on Lucas Valley Cable connections because they violate the terms of our user agreement, which does not allow one to share an Internet connection outside of one's property line. They are also dangerous because they allow anyone using the hot spot to access the LAN side of your network.