ethernet

Using Wi-Fi over a wired connection at home could bring your speeds down about 30 percent, suggests a new study out today by broadband research firm Epitiro.

Tracking the broadband connections of sample users in the U.S., U.K., Italy, and Spain, Epitiro found that on average people lost around 30 percent of their download speed using Wi-Fi over wired. Further, Wi-Fi users ran into a 10 to 20 percent increase in latencies, or delays, when downloading content.

Why such a disparity in performance? Many Wi-Fi routers use the same default communications channel, which can create interference with neighboring … Read more

How many times has this happened to you? You check into your hotel, only to find it doesn't have Wi-Fi. Or charges extra for it. Or the signal in your room is too weak to be of any use.

What you need is a travel router, a portable gizmo you can connect to the room's Ethernet cable to create your own speedy, potentially free Wi-Fi hot spot. (Some hotels charge for Internet access regardless of how you connect, but others offer the Ethernet variety free.)

Newegg has the TrendNet TEW-654TR Wireless N Travel Router Kit for $19.99 shipped. … Read more

Verizon this week successfully deployed a 100G Ethernet network on a large section of one of its Internet backbones in Europe.

This deployment makes Verizon the first backbone carrier to deploy the new Ethernet standard with speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second, according to Verizon. The company was able to establish the 100-Gigabit Ethernet network between routers on a 555-mile stretch between Paris and Frankfurt.

In Verizon's words, this marks the first "standards-based, multivendor 100G Ethernet link for an IP backbone," and it will increase capacity for business customers and organizations that tap into the … Read more

This is an update of a deal I wrote about many moons ago.

Having trouble getting a Wi-Fi signal to go where you need it to go? It's a fairly common problem: I've been in houses where the signal won't reach beyond one room, let alone between floors. So what do you do?

One option is to run Ethernet cable through walls, floors, and ceilings. It's effective, but also a major pain in the tuchus.

A much easier option is to use a power-line networking kit, which takes advantage of your home's existing electrical wiring. … Read more

PALO ALTO, California--It's hard to believe, but PARC is 40.

Known for years as Xerox PARC, the Palo Alto Research Center is now a wholly owned Xerox spin-off working for a wide variety of corporate clients after years of doing world-class R&D exclusively for the copier giant.

And on Thursday, with dozens of the research institution's alumni on hand, PARC threw itself a 40th birthday party.

For those not familiar with its accomplishments, PARC may best be remembered for its roles as the birthplace of the laser printer, the graphical user interface, Ethernet networking, and more. … Read more

Even the best Wi-Fi routers don't always cut it. Heck, I've been in houses where a Wi-Fi signal won't reach beyond one room. In cases like that, how can you extend your network to where it needs to go?

Old way: run Ethernet cable through walls, floors, and ceilings. It's effective, but also a major "PIA."

New way: use a powerline networking kit, which takes advantage of your home's existing electrical wiring. It's a simple, plug-and-play solution.

And usually an expensive one. But today, Buy.com has the Zyxel PLA-407 powerline networking kit for $87.99 shipped. … Read more

Every so often, we get questions from people who plan to install Ethernet cable in their homes. The most frequent question we get is, "what's the difference between Cat 5e and Cat 6 cable, and which should I use?"

Here's what you need to know.

Around your house, you probably have either Cat 5 or Cat 5e wire. Cat stands for category. Cat 6 is cable that's more reliable at higher speeds than Cat 5 or Cat 5e. They look pretty much the same; in fact, Cat 6 is backward compatible with Cat 4, so … Read more

The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them.

This old saw is arguably less true than in years past. Today, for a lot of reasons, there's more pressure to reach agreement on one way to do a certain thing. (Think the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray debacle for an example of what happens when vendors can't agree on a single approach.)

Standards aren't a single thing. Some have been blessed with the appropriate incantations by some official or quasi-official body. Others come from an industry consortium. And still others are "de facto&… Read more

Telecommunications equipment maker Ciena won an auction to acquire a division of Nortel Networks that develops equipment for transmitting data and voice traffic for about $769 million in cash and stock.

Ciena outbid Nokia Siemens Networks, a joint venture between Nokia of Finland and Siemens of Germany. The auction, which started Friday, was part of Nortel's bankruptcy proceedings, and its goal was to sell Nortel's Metro Ethernet division.

Metro Ethernet is a technology that is used to provide communications companies with more capacity in what is called a backhaul network. This is a part of the network that … Read more