On Wed, 28 Oct 1998, Tony Duell wrote:
> Yes, a lot of them are 10 base T only. Even though (IMHO) 10 base 2 makes
> more sense for a small home network (no need to have a hub) and BNC plugs
> are a lot easier to wire than those RJ45 things.
Unless you're talking about two nodes (computers) side by side I'd have to
disagree. Trying to run coax throughout your house is a right pain in the
ass, is conducive to bad cabling (cables get stepped on, pulled, etc) and
and doesn't allow a structured cabling design. Plus if there's a break in
the cable your hwole network can go down. 10baseT on the other hand
allows you to isolate failures to one node, the cables are as easy to
crimp once you get the hang of it (and actually become EASIER once you get
good at it) and you don't have to worry about running a black coax cable
around corners, over door frames, etc. And 4-port hubs can be had for
less than $50 these days. A worthwhile investment for having a more
stable, cleaner network. Plus you can always take advantage of 10 times
the bandwidth later on (with 100baseT, providing you used Category 5
cabling). With Coax you are stuck at 10Mbps. And 100baseT network cards
can be had for under $40 if you order by mail.
Again, coax is good for multiple computers on a rack for instance, side by
side. But the drawback is still low bandwidth.
Of course, this assumes your machine can use 100baseT. Old machines like
your PERQs and PDP11's would be quite happy with 10baseT.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar_at_siconic.com
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Received on Tue Oct 27 1998 - 21:02:09 GMT