When attempting to ping one of the computers on your home network, you may encounter a failure. The failure message depends on the type of ping utility you use but can be General failure and Request timed out, for example. What causes ping to fail? This recent discussion on our message board covers the typical issues involved.
→ Discuss - Why Pings Fail

Xohm (xohm.com) is the name of Sprint's new WiMax Internet service. The Sprint WiMax package offers wireless broadband at competitive prices, although for now, Xohm is only available starting this week in parts of one U.S. city (Baltimore).

While the current speed of this WiMax service is unremarkable compared to established cable or DSL packages, it supports mobile (roaming) access. Unlike cable or DSL, you can take your network equipment with you while traveling and connect to the Internet with it from anywhere with Xohm coverage. This feature will become useful when Sprint expands their coverage nationally. Meanwhile, watch for reports of this new service from customers to judge how well it performs.
→ More - One of the First U.S. WiMax Customers Reports Out

[via NetworkWorld] - Japan service provider KDDI apparently will start installing 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) Internet connectivity to homes this week. It's an incredible 1000 Mbps compared to the paltry 1 Mbps or 5 Mbps many broadband customers can get in other countries.

What's makes such a high-speed network possible? Besides the fiber optic cables that KDDI must install, residential customers will also need Gigabit Ethernet networking in the home to utilize the full potential of the service. Due to Internet traffic and other delays inherent in global networks, customers will rarely see anything close to 1 Gbps in practice. Still, we would all love to have that particular "problem."

See also - How Fast Can the Internet Get?

Power over Ethernet (PoE) enables ordinary Ethernet network cables to function as power cords. If you need to install network equipment where an A/C outlet isn't nearby, PoE might be the solution you're looking for.
→ See also - WoL - Wake on LAN