I'm having some trouble figuring out which way is best to setup my home network. I recently setup one of my computers with Mandrake Linux 9.2 and would really love to get the internet running on it. But here is the problem, I know I could just go out and buy some CAT-5 cable and hook it up to my router but I'm downstairs and it takes a lot of work and ceiling tearing to get a cable down to my room.
Take a look at my current network setup and answer me this, is it better to buy a small 4 port hub for my room (downstairs) or a decently sized switch? Or would it be even better just to hook up my house with wireless cards and a wireless router? I'm not really sure how to best setup my network for optimum performance, and I really don't want any slow down and such. I'm also not looking to spend alot of money, as I'm working my way out of debt.
For available hubs, there is a Allied Telesyn 4 Port 10MB Hub available for $40 or a Netgear 4 port 10BaseT Ethernet Hub for $45. In terms of switches, there is a Netgear 5 port 10/100Mbps Ethernet Switch for $58, or a DLink DSS-5+ 5 Port 10/100MB Fast Ethernet Switch for $60. If you have any ideas, please leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Update: I've talked to my local shop and they will hook me up with a 8 Port Switch for under $50. That's too sweet. Keep your opinions coming though, I love to learn.