Dummies, Wireless

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Part II: Making Plans
You may run across APs from well-known companies, such as Cisco (not from
Cisco’s Linksys brand, but labeled as “Cisco” APs) and 3COM, that are significantly
more expensive than the devices typically purchased for home use.
These “industrial-strength” products include advanced features and come
with management software that enables corporate IT departments to efficiently
and securely deploy enterprise-level wireless networks. The underlying
technology, including the speed and the range of the wireless radios
used, are essentially the same as those used in the economically priced APs
in most wireless home networks. But the additional features and capabilities
of these enterprise-level products save IT personnel countless hours and
headaches rolling out dozens of APs in a large wireless network.
Pricing wireless network adapters
Wireless network adapters range from $25 to $125, depending on whether
you purchase 802.11a, b, g, or n technology and whether you purchase a
PC Card, USB, or internal variety of adapter.
Like APs, wireless network adapters that support multiple standards are
somewhat more expensive than their counterparts. An 802.11a/b/g/n card
costs between $45 and $100. Most notebook computers sold are equipped
with at least b/g wireless built into them, and you can order them with
a/b/g/n internal cards for about the same price as buying a quad standard
card. You can find the Linksys WLAN-WPC4400N quad-standard card at a
street price of $105 as we went to press. Wow!
Looking at a sample budget
Table 4-2 shows a reasonable hardware budget to connect a laptop computer,
and a home desktop computer, and a cable Internet connection to an 802.11n
wireless home network.
Table 4-2 An 802.11n or g Wireless Home Network Budget
Item Price Range Quantity Needed
Access point $35–$125 1
Wireless network adapters $25–$100 2
Network cable $10–$20 1
Cable or DSL modem (optional) $75–$100 1