The Problem:
There are four computers in my household and one broadband connection. As always, everyone wants to check their mail and play games or do research all at the same time. The result? Rage in the cage!
What we need is a home network; we need to share the connection. But there is no place to run cat5 cable without it being a trip hazard, an eye sore, or another reason to put a hole in the wall.

The Solution:
A HomePNA (Phoneline Networking Alliance) 2.0 standard daisy chain network!

What it is:
Usually when you think of networks you think of Ethernet, category 5, 10/100BaseT and wiring nightmares. Well, while that may be the standard for business offices, it's just not very practical for a home network. That's where HomePNA comes in to play. It utilizes the telephone lines that were installed in your house when it was built to connect your computers in a 10Mbps network.
The old 1.0 PNA standard released a few years ago could only sustain up to 1Mbps and could not really be taken seriously unless it's main function was only to share internet connection. However, the new 2.0 PNA standard, released in 1999, can reach a competitive 10Mbps. Though it's not as fast as 100BaseT ethernet, it is more than enough for a home networking solution.
The 10 Mbps HomePNA solution can operate with up to 50 computers at up to 1,000 feet apart.

Installation:
While installation may be easy, it is not really aimed at the beginner, you should at least be a novice - but if you are a beginner, you might as well try, it's fun to learn new things (but not as fun to break them.)
Installation involves opening your PC and plugging in the PCI card A.K.A the HomePNA NIC (Network Interface Card), and connecting the RJ-11 jack specified as "line" to the wall telephone jack. Repeat for all other PCs to be connected. That's pretty much it for hardware.
Software involves installing the drivers and the Linksys provided "AnyPoint" networking software - I didn't bother with it. TCP/IP should be installed for you, and I suggest manually installing other protocols you might need and setting up your IP addresses.
For sharing internet connection, go to www.analogx.com and download a program called AnalogX Proxy and install it on the computer with the internet connection. It is very easy to setup, and if you are a beginner, take a look at the readme file included with the program, it should clear most, if not all problems you might have with the Proxy program.
AnalogX Proxy basically makes one of your computers (the one with internet connection) a communicator between the other computers on your network and the internet. For example, if one of your computers wants to access http://www.epinions.com, it has to ask the proxy server to retrieve it, the proxy server does so and sends the data back to the computer who requested it... don't worry, it happens in a matter of milliseconds, depending on your internet connection, that is.
Anyway, the box also includes the full version of Descent 2, a multiplayer first person shooter that puts you in the cockpit of a futuristic space craft, it's a pretty old game and can be rather difficult, but with some practice, it is pretty fun.

Conclusion:
Within a period of 59 minutes and 26 seconds, I successfully connected 4 computers in a HomePNA network and shared internet connection with all of them. The result? Peace in the cage... ok, that was lame - Hehe.

(The "amount paid" is for one box (a set of 2 cards) - I bought 2 boxes.)

Recommended: Yes