I, personally, do this kind of stuff on the side... usually for small
businesses.
Look to see if she has an existing network (wired or wireless). Most
commercial and some network businesses will do cable work for about $50 to
$75/drop. As for the DSL, you have to see if she has it readily available.
DSL modems get a bit fickle with some of the Cable/DSL routers. Usually the
Linksys/Cisco routers work best and offer the best for security and
networking means (DHCP and/or Static). A basic network should be
switch-based, not hub as you want the maximum throughput for all existing
devices hooked int othe network. Setting up the OS for networking is usually
the long and tiresome stuff, so these should be based hourly, depending on
your needs and expenses -- average is $25 to $35/hour.
If you have to plan out using wired, wireless, or a combo of them both, best
rate would be $25 to $35/hour -- depending on the area and your personal
needs. Cable drops get to be expensive for wired networks, but also offer
the greatest amount of data throughput. Most wireless are b-rated (for home
use), thus averaging 11mb/sec HOWEVER if there is alot of steel, metal in
the walls or appliances in the house (multiple TV sets, etc), speed will
most likely be less than a 10Base-2 line. One thing to look at FIRST: make
sure that all of the devices that are to be wireless use the same wireless
DSL/cable modem router and are supported by the device (for drivers, etc).
Don't mix PCI and notebook-based network card types, as many routers won't
work right w/ compeditors brands.
A Linksys/Cisco DSL/cable modem router will run ~$75 to $100, depending on
if using wired or wireless/combo. Most DSL/cable routers are 4 port based
(10/100), so if you are going to have a higher number of wired devices, you
will need to get a 10/100 switch (8 port would be best for lowest cost ~$50
or so).
A job like this might run you all day, so make sure she is prepared ahead of
time. Many people think its just a turn-key solution when in fact it can
cost a couple hundred just making sure they have the right equipment for the
job then having someone come in to install it.
-- M
-----Original Message-----
From: flalug@nks.net [mailto:flalug@nks.net]On Behalf Of Eben King
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 11:07 PM
To: Florida Linux Users' Group
Subject: [flalug] fee for consultation
A former co-worker (actually supervisor) has asked what I would charge for
helping to set up her house network (5-8 devices, some wireless laptops,
DSL, mostly/all Macs). What do others charge for this kind of work? I
could not do much physical work, as I use a wheelchair. Thanks.
-- -eben ebQenW1@EtaRmpTabYayU.rIr.OcoPm home.tampabay.rr.com/hactar SAGITTARIUS: All your friends are laughing behind your back... kill them. Take down all those naked pictures of Ernest Borgnine you've got hanging in your den. -- Weird Al, _Your Horoscope for Today_
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