Cost Benefit Analysis for Small Office / Home Office

Source of info:

"Wireless Networking (Wi-Fi) - Advantages and Disadvantages of Wi-Fi." Wireless Networking (Wi-Fi) - Advantages and Disadvantages of Wi-Fi. 4 Nov. 2011. Web. 14 Sept. 2015

What type of user would need Wi-Fi you ask?

My opinion of this is anyone with multiple (three or more) computers, phones, or any devices which can be connected to the World Wide Web. If one has a small business, or home service of some type with a desire to be “connected” and limited financial resources – go Wi-Fi.

I have a wireless set up in my home simply because my initial setup was in the basement. The input cable for the router was upstairs in the living room. The previous owner of the house had an office setting in the basement, with coaxial cable running to every room in the house except the bathrooms. The cabling system reminded me of a Tim the Tool Man Taylor environment.

I probably could have set the machine anywhere, but there was open space downstairs.

Since I’ve moved in, the cables are still there, but:

• my older laptop has been set up in the “office” where it belongs

• the “homework” PC (old Smokey) is in the room which had been used for an office

• the small notebook and netbooks roam the entire house

• the new computer – which I built landed in the living room

I also have the “Old Computer” which I had in the Whitewater house that I use for doing music recordings.

With all this in mind, if I had to run Ethernet cable though out that house, it would cost a small fortune. As it is, I spent around eighty dollars for the router, and had to buy a Linksys USB Wireless Adaptor for the computer downstairs; probably $35. The new computer needed a network interface card ($30.) installed because I failed to check for onboard Wi-Fi on the motherboard when I purchased it. Total cost for the network less than $150.

Unshielded twisted pair cable isn’t all that expensive, but my recommendation would be shielded twisted for the extra convenience of clearer communication. And then add to that the expense of pounding holes in perfectly nice walls to run this cable, connectors, and the room for error when the hole is in the wrong place, or the drywall gets messed up for whatever reason.

The environment would be anyone’s home, or small office. McDonald’s has a SOHO (small office/home office). Any network can be built to fit the environment.

The Cost-Benefit Analysis tool has been developed as a help aid for users to determine and decide which type of network system would be best suited for their home or office.

I hope this tool is as useful for you as it was for me. Thank you all and have a nice day.

Cost Benefit Analysis for SOHO