On the Same Wavelength

For networks that use wires to handle the data transmission, high-speed Category 5 cable (1) is the current gold standard for home and office. Fat composite cables (2, 3) combine Cat 5 and other transmission cables within a single PVC jacket, saving on installation costs. The teal cable contains two Cat 5 wires (for the network) and two shielded RG-6 coaxial cables for cable and satellite television. The orange "future-proof" cable contains Cat 5 and RG-6 wires, as well as a fiber-optic line, the fastest available transmission medium. At present, however, there is no practical way for homeowners to use fiber optics, which explains why even a fancy network jack (4) has plugs only for co-ax and Cat 5. A wired network requires a home gateway (5) to be plugged into such a jack so that computers can swap files and share peripheral devices. Not so the wireless network devices (6, 7), which move data via radio transmissions. All it takes for a computer or any other device to be part of a network is to slide a network card (8) into the appropriate port.