Home Computer Network Is Already Linked

• Ken Spencer Brown
• On 7:06 pm EDT, Thursday October 29, 2009

So you'd like to connect your home theater to your computer network, but wireless speeds don't cut it, and running ethernet cables through your walls is out of the question.

Consider wireline networking technology.

Powerline technology such as the emerging HomePlug standard sends data over your home's electrical wiring -- already hidden behind walls and available in every room of the house. It doesn't interfere with your electrical system, and in homes with modern wiring, real-world transfer speeds outperform wireless networks under many conditions. Even half of powerline's advertised 200 megabits per second is plenty for multiple streams of high-definition video.

Notable powerline adapters include the PLE200 PowerLine from Cisco Systems' (NasdaqGS:CSCO - News) Linksys unit, which uses the HomePlug AV powerline networking standard, and Netgear's (NasdaqGS:NTGR - News) HDXB111 Powerline HD Plus, which uses a proprietary technology.

Both claim data speeds of up to 200 megabits per second and cost less than $150 per adapter pair.

You'll need a home router, and a pair of adapters for wireline setups. You plug the first adapter into an electrical outlet near your network router and connect it to one of the router's available ports using a standard ethernet cable.

You plug the other adapter into an outlet near where you need a network connection -- your Blu-ray Disc player, video-game console or maybe another computer -- and plug into that device's ethernet jack. Voila, instant network extension.

The adapters will probably work fine with your home router, even a wireless router.

If you need to have access in other rooms for other devices you can buy additional adapters separately, one for every new network point. Again, buying equipment from the same vendor is best.

Check For Speed

When choosing a wireline adapter, be sure to check the data transmission speeds. Many computer stores still stock older, slower versions of the technology and, from the outside, most powerline adapters look the same.

And be sure to use the wireline adapter's security features. Though experts doubt your data will travel beyond the transformer on the electrical power lines in your backyard, multiple homes often share transformers. So your neighbor could theoretically peek into unscrambled data. Apartment dwellers are even more at risk.

Wireline networking's main drawback: It doesn't work well on older home wiring, and certain circuitry layouts can hinder data speeds.

Unfortunately, it might be hard to say how well wireline adapters will work in your home without actually buying them and testing them yourself in the actual environment. So make sure your retailer has a reasonable return policy.

A closely related technology sends data over your coaxial cable lines for about the same price. Netgear's MoCA Coax-Ethernet Adapter Kit works much like the powerline adapters. Because most homes' cable wiring is far simpler than their electrical system, this might be a good option for homes with old electrical wiring.

You might not have a cable outlet in every area of your home. But most areas that you'd need a network in -- including your home-theater system -- likely have one.

With either option, you'll be downloading movies and streaming music everywhere in the house for as little as $150 and 15 minutes of work.

Now if only the technology could do something about family members who keep hogging the remote control.

Buzz up!