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HomeFree: Diamond’s wireless network Looking for an easy way to install a computer network in your home? Diamond’s new “HomeFree” networking system uses radio transmissions to broadcast data between computers on a local area network (LAN) and that means no messy cables to install. By GREG SWAIN I F YOU’VE EVER installed a small computer network, you’ll know that the worst part of the job is the cabling. This particu­larly applies if the machines are in different rooms. Typically, that means drilling holes in the walls, installing wall sockets and running the cables from one room to another – usually via the roof space and down wall cavities. But why would you want to network computers in your home? Well, consider a situation where you have JUNE 1999  77 thing out, for example, they just print to the “network printer” via the print server (the server is the machine with the printer connected to it). Alternatively, you might want to copy a file from a local hard drive to the drive on another machine. Once again, this is no problem – provided the “resource” on the other machine has been shared, you can “map” it as a drive and copy files to and from it in the usual manner. Wireless networking The antenna circuit of the HomeFree networking card protrudes through the backplane connector and is protected by a plastic cover. Both ISA and PCI bus slot configurations are available and there’s also a PCMCIA card for laptops. several computers in your house but only one has a CD-ROM drive or is connected to a printer or modem. That’s a common situation in many Australian households these days. Typically, you might have an old 486 (your first computer) plus a fairly recent Pentium or Pentium II ma­chine. Along the way, you might have picked up another machine for the kids and then, of course, there’s the laptop that you use for work. Unless these machines are all networked together, it means that only one machine can access the printer, the Internet if you only have one modem, or some other resource. For example, if someone on another ma- chine wishes to print something out, they have to first copy that file via a floppy disc to the machine that has the printer. The file must then be opened so that it can be printed. But what if the file is too big to fit on a floppy disc? Or what if the computer with the printer doesn’t have the relevant application installed to open the file? Or what if the person using the machine with the printer doesn’t want to be interrupt­ed? A local area network or LAN solves these problems because it allows resources such as printers and disc drives (including ZIPs and CD-ROMs) to be easily shared. If someone on another machine wants to print some- Fig.2: each time HomeFree is installed, the software asks if you want to add another computer to the network. If the answer is “yes” you leave the existing machine(s) on the network running while the next PC is added. That way, the same ID code (CoNetID) is assigned to each PC, so that the machines on the network recognise each other. This CoNetID also locks out machines on other nearby HomeFree networks. 78  Silicon Chip For those looking for an easy LAN solution, Diamond Multimedia’s HomeFree “wireless” system allows a network to be set up without the hassle of running cables. As with a con­vention­al LAN, it uses networking cards (one for each machine) but unlike conventional cards, these don’t have cable connectors. Instead, each card carries a small radio transceiver which is located at one end. The antenna circuitry protrudes through the backplane con­nector and is protected by a plastic cover. So, instead of the network card sending or receiving signals via a cable, the sign­als go via a radio circuit. Each time one machine broadcasts data, it is picked up by all the other machines on the network and processed accordingly. When you set it up, HomeFree installs the following net­working protocols by default: TCP/IP, IPX, NetBIOS and NetBEUI. It also automatically shares any installed printers, installs a special “Transfer” folder on the C:\ drive of each computer and adds the names of other computers on the network to the Send To menu. This makes it particularly easy to Fig.3: additional computers can be added to an existing network at any time by launching the HomeFree Assistant utility that’s installed on an existing machine. copy files from one com­puter to another. All you have to do is right click the file you wish to copy and choose Send To Name, where Name is the name of the destination computer. The file will then be copied into the C:\Transfer folder of that computer. Alternatively, you can check network connections, map drives and connect additional printers using Network Neighbor­hood, just as you do with a conventional wired network. And, of course, you can add printers using the Add Printer wizard. In operation, HomeFree can transmit data through walls and between floors in a typical home or office at distances up to about 45 metres. It operates in the 2.4GHz band and uses multiple encrypted channels. It also randomly switches frequencies and, according to Diamond, this makes it virtually impossible for another nearby HomeFree installation to intercept and decode another network’s transmissions. Because it eliminates networking cables, HomeFree allows any PCs on the network to be moved about within a room or even moved from one room to another. This is a particularly handy feature if you have a laptop computer, for example. You can take the computer home from work and it automatically becomes part of the network when you switch it on. And with HomeFree, you will still be “connected” to the network if you elect to take your laptop poolside. One drawback of HomeFree is that the transmission speed is not as fast as for a wired network. Conventional wired LANs run at 10Mb/s or even at 100Mb/s whereas HomeFree is restricted to a more leisurely 1Mb/s. Even so, this shouldn’t be a problem in most homes or even small offices, where modest file sizes are involved. Internet access As a bonus, HomeFree also gives the user the option of setting up shared Internet access. This allows all users on the network to access the Internet via a single modem that’s connect­ed to one computer. Basically, this option turns the Internet Computer into a “proxy server”. When a “client” computer wants to access the Internet, it first connects to the proxy and the proxy then connects to the Internet. If you want shared Internet access, COMPUTER 1 MODEM LAPTOP COMPUTER 2 PRINTER Fig.1: the HomeFree networking concept. The computers are networked via radio transceivers integrated into the plug-in network cards, thus eliminating the need to run network cables. The software also allows all computers on the network to access the Internet via a single modem attached to one machine. The PCMCIA card comes with the “Combo Pac” and plugs into a laptop computer. As with the PCI/ISA cards, it carries an on-board radio transceiver. you first install the HomeFree software on the Internet computer (ie, the computer with the modem). During the setup, you will be asked to enter the User Name and Password from your ISP account, plus the domain name if your ISP requires one. Once it’s all up and running, accessing the Internet is simply a matter of opening a web browser or email program from any computer on the network. If the Internet Comput­er (ie, the proxy) isn’t already connected to the Internet, it will automatically dial into your ISP and connect. System requirements At this stage, HomeFree can only be used on PCs running either Windows 95 or Windows 98, with support ex- pected for Wind­ows NT later in the year. Each PC should be at least a 486 with a CD-ROM drive, 10MB of free hard disc space with one free ISA or PCI slot (or PC card slot for laptops). Two different HomeFree configurations are available: (1) the “Desktop Pac” containing one ISA card and one PCI card (for connecting two desktop computers); and (2) the “Combo Pac” con­taining one ISA card and one PC card (for connecting a desktop computer and a laptop computer). Additional computers can be added to the network by purchasing extra cards. HomeFree is available from computer retailers and resellers across Australia. The Desktop Pac carries a recommended retail price of $499, while the Combo Pac costs $549. SC JUNE 1999  79