There are many upgrading and expansion options available for the home PC user today. Go into any local computer store or browse the web and you will find a plethora of choices for creating the perfect computer system for your home.

One of these new and interesting products has been recently introduced by Intel, The AnyPoint™ Home Network. This system has been marketed as a networking option for home PC users. Networking many computers within a home is a valid choice for PC users who want to share files, one Internet connection, and a single printer.

The AnyPoint^TM Home Network is advertised by Intel as a "powerful, simple, and fast" networking option. It uses your printer port and the phone lines in your house to connect multiple computers. Included in the AnyPoint^TM Home Network kit are phone cords, network adapters that are approximately 12'' tall for sending, and software to run the system. Each computer within the network connects from its printer port, using special adaptive hardware and phone cords, to a nearby wall phone jack. Intel claims that their system is convenient by using existing phone lines because "88% of PC's used most frequently are in the same room as a phone jack" and phone lines "eliminate the need for special networking hardware." The AnyPoint^TM Home Network operates in a specific frequency range that allows voice calls and faxes calls to work normally while the computer network is running. This networking option will run at a maximum speed of 1 Mbps (megabit-per-second).

Recently Adapt Systems was contracted to install this network in Bea Swart's home. She is a knowledgeable home computer user who wanted to explore home networking options. The expected installation time was 30 minutes; the actual installation time was closer to 3 hours. The reason for the longer set up time was because automatic functions such as the installation of components that allow sharing data and printers, did not work automatically and had to be manually installed. This required our own networking expertise. The end result was a home network that allows shared use of data, printers and simultaneous Internet connection for multiple computers.

In our opinion the AnyPoint^TM system is not geared toward average users, but more towards the advanced user who is more adept to setting up traditional networks. If the only thing you are trying to gain by using this kit is sharing a printer and one Internet connection, then it may be just the product for you. Although the connection speed to AOL was cut in half when two computers were sharing the account, we were able to use them independently as if there was no network running at all. If you are looking to set up a network for home office use or at the workplace, this type of connection is probably not your best bet. For about half the price, a traditional network could be installed. Giving you the exact same features, a traditional network, using network cards inside the computers, will run everything at 100mbps vs. 1mbps for the Intel system (100 times faster). This speed would be useful for a situation where each computer needs to access data stored on other computers on a regular basis. Also, many home users like having a network setup for the ability to play different games against each other online. While a traditional network allows this to work flawlessly, we found that the AnyPoint^TM was far too slow for even the simplest of games.

More information about the Intel AnyPoint^TM Home Network can be found at http://www.intel.com/anypoint or by calling 1-877-649-5817 to find out about their 60day risk-free trial.

Adapt Systems can be reached at (954) 777-6268 or (561) 642-2652, or via E-mail at adapt@comports.com.