Setting Up A Home Network

There is essentially two ways of setting up a hometype you need (and you may need more than one)
network, wired or wireless.depends on your computer, internet connection and
A wired network involves connecting up thethey type of network you wish to set up.
computers using cables, and if often referred to as anTo make sure that you choose the right Access Point,
Ethernet network. An Ethernet network transfers datawe have constructed a guide to the various pieces of
at high speeds, faster than wireless networks as it ishardware to ensure you purchase the parts you need
very rare for the connection to be interrupted.to set up your own home network.
Although data transfer speeds of 1 Gbps can beRouter: The most important piece of hardware on a
achieved, the average speed is 100 Mbps, and this ishome network setup. The router is the part which
why you will often see "10/100" next to Ethernet portsroutes the data to the computers on the network. It
on computers or in product data specs.basically connects all the computers together so that
A wireless network transfers data via radio wavesthey can share the internet connection and browse it
and is the preferred, and most often convenient,at the same time. The router also acts as a line of
method of setting up a home network. It is especiallydefence between the internet and your computer.
useful for the use of laptops as it allows the user toMost have built-in software to protect your identity and
roam throughout the house, and even the garden,your computer from viruses.
without having wires trailing behind them. A wirelessHub: The device used to connect the computers to
network is often referred to as a Wi-Fi network, whichthe network via Ethernet cabling or via Wi-Fi. Wired
stands for Wireless Fidelity and is based on the 802.11hubs come with a number of ports which can transmit
wireless standard.data at speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to multi-gigabyte
It is also possible to create a home network whichspeeds per second. The hub transmits the data it
combines both wired and wireless technology.receives, often from the households' main computer, to
There are distinct advantages and disadvantages asthe other computers that are connected to it. The
to whether you opt for a wired or wireless network inamount of computers that can be connected to a hub
your home. A wireless network offers you moredepend on it size. The average hub can connect 4
freedom to move around your house with your laptopcomputers. A larger hub could connect nearer 50. A
and of course without the need to trail wires fromwireless hub can connect hundreds.
each fixed computer. It is also easy to add moreSwitch: This is a type of hub that controls the way
computers to the network without having the need tothat multiple devices use the same network so that
buy more networking equipment. However, where aeach can operate at optimal performance. A switch
wired network offers less freedom, it is cheaper toacts as a networks traffic police: rather than
install and potentially faster due to the connection beingtransmitting all the packets of data it receives to all
rarely interrupted. A wireless network also hasports as a hub does, a switch transmits packets to
restricted boundaries, whereas a wired network is onlyonly the receiving port. Switches are fast replacing
restricted by the length of cables you have.hubs as a preferred choice of data management as
In order to set up a home network you will need toprices are more in line with hub prices.
purchase some specific hardware. Knowing whatNIC (Network Interface Card): A type of PC adapter
hardware to buy is often quite daunting due to thecard that either works without wires (Wi-Fi) or
amount on the market, and the fact that you do notattaches to a network cable to provide two-way
know exactly what something is and what it does!communication between the computer and network
Essentially the main piece of equipment that you willdevices such as a hub or switch. A Network interface
need is known as an ACCESS POINT. This is thecard can be installed internally into a desktop PC or
small box with all the flashing lights that allows theslotted into a Type 2 PCMCIA slot on a laptop or PDA.
connection between the computers in the network toCombined switch/router: A popular choice of Access
take place. There are several types of Access Point,Point as it combines both the functionality of a router
and although they essentially do the same job, theand switch in one unit.