Wireless Home
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Wireless technology is transforming nearly every aspect of our lives. Think about the ways that mobile communications, mobile computing, and mobile entertainment affect the way we live, the way we work, and the way we play. Underlying all that mobility is the 19th century technology of radio transmission, paired with 20th century circuit boards and 21st century ideas about how technology can serve us.
This post we will describe how wireless can help you live, work, and play better. This post also provide practical guidance to setting up some recommended devices and equipment.
You should at least understand the basics, so begin with an overview of wireless technology in general. What is the difference between 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n? And where do Wi-Fi and Bluetooth fit into all this? You will get all the answer for these questions and more in Cut The Cord later. This post also talk about practical ways to prepare your wireless home networking for all the demands PCs, TVs, and peripherals will place on it.
The benefits of wireless cameras might not be so obvious. For years now, cameras have been pretty portable, but digital cameras have never really been free from physical ties to a PC. How much easier would it be to send your pictures to a hard drive or printer without having to deal with yet another USB port or docking cradle?
Media Extenders act as conduits to push audio, video, pictures, and other content from your computer to televisions, stereos, and other traditional entertainment devices. Common examples are Media Center PCs and Microsoft Xbox 360. Later, you will learn how each takes advantage of wireless technologies to help spread multimedia around your house without running wires through the walls.
Remember the days of wide-ribbon printer cables? They went out with ink ribbons and those big stacks of perforated paper. Wireless also means ribbonless. You also learn new wireless printing options that, along with options for easier printer sharing, will help your printer join the modern working world.
When we talk about wireless TVs, we aren’t referring to plain-old rabbit ears, though they’re a great source for free wireless HDTV. What is about portable screens and network-enabled displays that bypass extenders and other intermediary tools to connect with your network directly.
If you are used to thinking about USB as nothing more than a convenient and fast cable for connecting devices to your PC, you probably haven’t been keeping up with developments in the serial bus industry.
We are here to fill you in on the exciting new world of Wireless USB. We even have examples of how you can deploy the technology on your network.
VoIP isn’t an obscure new text messaging acronym. It’s Voice over IP, and it’s revolutionizing telephony. If you haven’t already, you will soon consider replacing your traditional landline with a networked phone system that connects to the wider world via an Internet connection. VoWiFi is the latest iteration of this approach, running IP telephone systems over a wireless connection. Here, you also will read the pros and cons and help you understand the existing options in wireless phone next week.
Finally, you will have a brief glimpse into the future in What’s New With Wireless? in later post. Which components will you be able to un-wired from your computer? Which new features can you expect to see in the next year or two, and how can you prepare to take advantage of them now?
For more, read:
Wireless Home Networking For Dummies
The Complete Guide to Home Wiring
Tags: Wireless
