On Wed, 28 Mar 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > D-Man <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > What do I need to [build a home ethernet network] (other than NICs and > > cable, of course)? What is the difference between a hub and switch? > > You don't need a hub or switch if you implement an ethernet with coax cables. > Otoh, a coax > network is limited to a bandwidth of 10 Mbps, whereas with unshielded > twisted pair you can go up to 100 Mbps.
True. I like my ThinNet network just fine. And I was able to buy all of my cable and fittings at my local Radio Shack. This was back when the cheapest hubs cost around $150 so at the time it was actually cheaper than UTP. Nowadays vendors charge premium prices for ThinNet-capable cards, so UTP may be cheaper. People will tell you that it's troublesome, but really the only unreliable coax installations I've ever seen were so poorly planned that my first reaction was, "well, no wonder!" (One was a school lab. where the connectors stuck out beyond the edge of the table, so they snagged on students' clothing all day long. Another, actually reported to me by a colleague, was found taped to the floor across a doorway where lab. carts rolled over it all day.) Remember your terminators and avoid daily physical abuse, and your coax. will perform very nicely. -- Mark H. Wood, Lead System Programmer [EMAIL PROTECTED] Make a good day.
