Wi-Fi, HomePlug, and HomePNA offer alternatives to drilling holes in the wall for home networking: This short article I wrote for The Seattle Times in the Home and Real Estate section is intended to open up homeowners' (and renters') eyes to ways to add a network without the fuss of Ethernet. I try not to be a Wi-Fi bigot, especially when HomePlug offers simplicity and HomePNA can span greater distances for the same cost -- especially in a home with lots of Wi-Fi-defying obstructions and good phone wiring.
Good story on Wi-Fi alternatives. The speedstream solution is great. I've used it in a large house situation where a Linksys AP wouldn't go across the house and upstairs. The only caveat is that you have to plug it directly into the wall or on the end of a simple extension cord, you can't plug them into powerstrips. They don't communicate with one another well behind the surge protection circuitry. They seem to have survived the usual suburban power fluctuations and interruptions over the past 6? months. I picked them up right after Mossberg touted them somewhere.