Media for Network in new house

Network in new house

Hi there folkes,

I'm currently in the process of adding an extension to my home and I'm interested in adding network connections in each bedroom.

At the moment I connect to the internet using a 56k modem via my telephone line. Depending on where in the house the internet is needed, we have to run a long phone cable from the telephone's wall socket to the room in question.

I'm also trying to establish at the moment if broadband is available in my location - I think it is, or will be soon. A friend of mine has it and his telephone company (the same as mine) supplied him with a netopia 3341 asdl modem which he connects to his telephone line.

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This device has an a Ethernet, a dsl, and a usb interface. I've had a look at the various PCs and laptops in my house and two of the PCs have a

Intel PRO/100 VE Network Controller, one has a Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller (also has a Intel PRO / Wireless 2200BG N C) , and another has a Via Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adaptor. My PC has no LAN connection but I have usb connections and I could always buy an adapter for it. We also have a Belkin 802.11g - 54Mbps wireless usb net adaptor.

As far as I can figure out, the Netopia is for use with a single PC.

I think I'm also right in saying that I have two options here, one is an ethernet LAN and the second is a wireless network. Can anyone suggest which is the most sensible for my situation?

Lets say I was to go with a Lan. I think I'm right in saying that this will require a star topology with one room acting as the hub. I will then need to install rj-45 sockets in each room, with each of these rooms then connected to the hub room, using UTP (10baseT) cables, correct? Therefore the hub room will need multiple rj-45 sockets installed in the wall, in order for each room to connect separately to the hub, correct? I would therefore need to install a wall plate similar to this -

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I will also need to install the telephone line in the hub room so that I can interface it to the internet connection. My friend also got an In-Line DSL Filter with his internet connection package.

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So I could use this to split my telephone line, in order to continue using my telephone as normal and direct the ASDL to the hub room. Am I making sense?

An electrician is calling out during the week and he will be installing the conduits etc. for the light switches, before the walls are plastered, so I'd need to make up my mind pretty fast as to whether I need him to add conduits to carry the utp cables to the rj-45 network ports etc.

If anyone can offer me advice, or correct me on any of the information I gave above, I'd love to hear it. Any suggestions regarding a hub (switch). I think I will be connecting 5 rooms in total to the hub room.

Thanks,

Barry.