It was only a few years ago that Real Estate agents and Builders
were promoting the “Wired” feature as a must have when buying a
new home. Wired meant that the home not only had cable running
throughout it, but also Cat-5 wire. Cat-5 wire consists of four
pairs of wire that are sheathed into one bundle, and is used for
interconnecting multiple computers and computer peripherals
throughout the home. Electricians went to great length to run
Cat-5 throughout new homes, and homebuyers paid a handsome
premium for it. Now the latest buzz from the Computer and
Networking world is, “Unwire Your Home”, as the
Computer/Internet world rapidly moves to wireless
interconnections.
Most of the leading Personal Computer (PC) providers are major
players in this paradigm shift. They are selling new technology
from leading networking equipment companies that enable
homeowners to wirelessly connect their Personal Computers to
their Home Entertainment centers. Through a Wireless Media
Adapter, connected via standard cables to the Home Entertainment
Center, and a Wireless Router connected to the PC, homeowners
can enjoy their digital photographs and MP3 music collection on
their Televisions and play their MP3 music collection through
their stereo system. Photographs and music stored on the PC are
wirelessly transmitted anywhere within the home to their Home
Entertainment Center.
The wireless protocol interconnecting the Media Adapter and
Router is known as Wireless-B (802.11b). The Media Adapters
typically include a Remote Control, and have user-friendly menus
that are displayed on the TV. They can support JPEG, GIF, TIF,
and BMP type file formats and the Remote Control can also be
used for browsing your MP3 or WMA formatted music collection.
Today, the cost for a wireless Media Adapter is around $100, and
the cost for a wireless Router is around $50.
There is still a benefit for some Cat-5 wire in the home, but
without a doubt, wireless is the present and future technology
for interconnecting home electronics. Definitely take a look at
these products prior to paying any type of “wired” premium on a
new home.
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