Please spec me a network set up.

[pcoltrane]

It's time to lose the "temporary" ethernet cable I have running across the hallway from the study to the living room. It's now been 2 years and I have tripped over it one too many times!

I keep going around in circles on how best to set up a wireless network to suit my needs.


The house is as follows:

Study -

ADSL Router (Wireless G Orange broadband router)
Main PC
2nd PC currently running Freenas
Network Printer
(Currently using gigabit switch to connect these devices)


Living Room

Dedicated HTPC running media centre
Xbox360
TV with ethernet input.
Laptop connected wirelessly

(Currently running a cable from the study to whichever device nees the cable - usually the htpc for daily guide downloads)


Bedroom

Dedicated HTPC (Currently connected wirelessly with a Belkin draft N usb stick - some issues with sometimes not finding the connection - but I suspect that is down to the Belkin windows 7 drivers)



Sadly fully wired isn't currently an option - I'd really appreciate if any of the resident networking experts could suggest a decent set up.
Budget isn't rigid - obviously cheaper is better - but I'm happy to pay more for higher spec (N / gigabit etc) and quality where the benefits are tangible.

Thanks for any help/suggestions

 

[Valo]

I would use some Homeplugs (200Mbps) rather than wireless especially if you're streaming content to your HTPC's from the FreeNAS box. Connect all your devices in your livingroom (HTPC, Xbox and TV) to a switch and use the homeplug as an uplink back to the main switch in your study, keep the wireless just for your laptop. Use a second set of Homeplugs to connect up your bedroom HTPC to get rid of the wireless disconnection issues.