Phone Line Networks Speed Up Tenfold

Building high-speed home networks for multi-PC families is getting easier. Both Diamond Multimedia and 3Com are announcing Monday new tools to help you share everything from Internet access to MP3 files at 10 megabits per second, using your home's telephone wiring.

With both packages, you install PCI network cards and software in your PCs and plug each one into a phone jack. The network uses a higher frequency than your telephone, so you can make voice calls and still use the network. The 10-mbps speed is significantly faster than the 1 mbps offered by earlier products.

Sharing the Net

Diamond's HomeFree Phoneline 10-mbps package hits stores this week. For $129.95, you get two PCI cards, two phone cables, and software to share your Internet access, printers, and files. Additional cards cost $69.95. It's the latest in the HomeFree line, which includes 1-mbps PCI- and Universal Serial Bus-based phone line packages and a wireless solution.

The newest offering from 3Com is its second HomeConnect collaboration with Microsoft. (The two released an Ethernet package last month.) The new HomeConnect Home Network Phoneline package includes two PCI cards, two phone cables, Microsoft HomeClick Network Software, Windows 98 Second Edition, and a Microsoft Games Sampler CD-ROM.

HomeConnect will appear first as an option on certain Dell Dimension desktops PCs. It will ship November 1 priced at $149.99 ($79.99 for extra cards).

The Internet is a major reason many multicomputer households install networks, say both companies. Basic file- and printer-sharing are still important, but letting everyone share a single Internet connection is the killer application.

Satisfactory for Dial-Up

Sharing a broadband connection such as a cable modem or ADSL over the network is obviously the best solution for sharing fast access, says Brent Lang, director of marketing for 3Com's wireless and home connectivity division. Sharing a modem connection is not as fast, but it's still better than no connection.

A faster home network lets people more easily share what they download, particularly music, Diamond representatives note. The company pioneered the portable MP3 player market with its Rio 300, and it includes Rio Audio Manager software with each HomeFree. The software lets dispersed PCs easily share MP3-based music files, says Mike Reed, director of product marketing for S3's Diamond Communications Business Unit.

The latest 10-mbps packages should spur continued growth in home networking, says Karuna Uppal, home networking senior analyst at the Yankee Group. Faster speeds are more compelling than the early 1-mbps packages, she notes, especially in homes with broadband access.

Although phone line-based networks made a relatively quick jump from 1-mbps to 10-mbps, you might not want to wait for another big speed leap. Uppal says 10-mbps should be more than enough for most home networks for years. In fact, it might outlive your current PC.

Diamond and 3Com are tackling a promising market. The Yankee Group estimates about 650,000 U.S. homes will have networks by the end of the year, and it forecasts the number will swell to a staggering 10 million by 2003.

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