With the right network, you can enjoy a multimedia living room with a fully networked office, or complete home automation. But, depending on how you want to use it, your bandwidth requirements and the location, there are several network options available. Ethernet, WiFi or Powerline…which is the best network solution for you?
Prioritise connection quality
Every solution has its advantages and disadvantages – but you can compensate for the respective weaknesses by using a combination of all three solutions. The top priority is reliable connectivity to the internet or between the devices to be networked. While surfing the web or writing emails is possible with a slower internet connection – if a little frustrating – streaming 4K video, video conferencing or gaming needs reliable internet connections with stable high bandwidths. Whether this is possible in your home or small office depends on the structural layout of the building and the type of transmission used, and sometimes the configuration too.
Solid and stable: Wired networks
Ethernet cables provide fast, solid internet connections that are less susceptible to interference. Ethernet is much faster than WiFi (100 Mbit/s), enabling gaming, video streaming or video conferencing, plus document sharing. Powerful data transfers and backups however will still test your patience. Gigabit Ethernet is ideal for this kind of use – you can count on ten times the data throughput with this transmission technology. In addition, the cable network is considered to be the most reliable networking technology, ensuring trouble-free data throughput. Since connection problems are not always due to cable faults, but to disruptions in the services used, a cable tester such as the ID POE PRO BT helps detect voltages and check the polarity. This allows you to accurately diagnose the fault.
The high speed of the data transfer enables all kinds of uses, and there is hardly any data loss on the way from the router to the terminal via a cable. The downside is that cable harnesses and cables run through your entire home – if you don‘t want to drill holes at home, you should opt for a different network technology. In addition, some of today‘s devices have no network cable connection at all, and in others, the installation is sometimes problematic.
Flexible and fast: WiFi connections
Wi-Fi connections are wireless and require no structural changes to the home or office. However, reinforced concrete and gypsum walls, as well as disruptive electrical appliances, can quickly become a stumbling block.
The speed of WiFi is dependent on the supported standard. The latest and fastest standard is 802.11ac with speeds of up to 6939 Mbps and a range of 50 metres (depending on the structural conditions). However, backward compatibility is only possible on the n-standard. The use of different WiFi standards is possible in principle.
Heatmapper solves the problem of blocking walls, because the wireless signal card it creates of your home shows you the ideal location for every WiFi component. If electronic devices interfere, you have the option of switching to the radio channel. On overcrowded radio channels, you search for the strongest channel, where you can then set up your radio link.
Thus, WiFi remains the most convenient of all network technologies and indispensable when mobile devices are in the network. Tablets and smartphones are examples of devices that already have a Wi-Fi chip, whereas PCs can be fitted with a WiFi adapter via the USB interface. If there are no blockages such as walls or objects, the transmission rates for time-critical applications work sufficiently via WiFi. However, longer distances, attenuation through walls or ceilings, WiFi networks of neighbouring buildings or a backwards compatible mixed operation in the router are factors that can significantly slow down the speed. To improve the range, use a WiFi repeater.
The hub of the network is the router because it establishes the connection to the internet and serves as a DHCP server, so assigns each device in the network an IP address. If you decide to use a FritzBox from AVM, for example, you will receive a WiFi access point as well as a firewall and a fully-fledged telephone system. In addition, the FritzBox can be easily expanded with an external hard drive or a rudimentary NAS system for example. This will give you storage that can be accessed from any device on your home network or the internet.
The best of both worlds: Powerline – the network via the power cable
With Powerline the network is available at every outlet in your house. If you do not want to use either Ethernet or WiFi, you rely on data transmission over the existing power line. Just like WiFi, Powerline has the advantage of easy installation – simply connect a home plug via an Ethernet cable to the PC or the router. The speeds are higher than Wi-Fi connections – the AV2 standard allows for speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s. To achieve the best speeds, the quality of the power line naturally plays a crucial role, as well as the compliance with the maximum range, which should not be more than 200 metres.
Another advantage Powerline has over Wi-Fi is that connections are safer because the data stream always ends at its own electricity meter, but a network password is still recommended. However, the home plug connector is more prone to interference than an Ethernet connection. To avoid any interference, additional installations must be made. Each adapter should get its own wall socket as using an extension lead increases the risk of poor performance. It should also be noted that the homeplug adapters from different manufacturers are usually not compatible.
Combined general purpose connections for large apartments
The best network solution is strongly linked to individual needs and usage scenarios: for a small one-room apartment, WiFi would be the best choice. Stationary devices with an Ethernet interface, such as televisions, can also be connected directly to the router with a patch cable. Larger apartments or houses can be well connected via Wi-Fi or Powerline. Another good solution is combined connections. In the living room, various network-enabled devices could be connected via an Ethernet cable to a switch, while other mobile devices could connect in the same room via WiFi, and the other floors could fall back on the Powerline. It is advisable to locate slower transmission paths such as WiFi or Powerline in the structure of the network below. The more devices that are operated within a network, the higher the bandwidth should generally be.
