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Home Networking Guide - How to Build Your Own Wired or Wireless Network
Since we have had quite a few questions about how
to set up a home computer network, we have decided to put together
this little guide to home networking. The topics covered are
listed below.
-
A
little bit of "networking" history.
-
Why
would you want to network your computers?
-
Home
networking components.
-
The BIG
choice
- wired network, wireless network, or both.
-
Sharing
printers and files.
-
Security.
We will start by saying, home networking is
generally very easy to set up, especially if you only have a few
computers to connect together. Home networking components have
become readily available, inexpensive, and are simple to install if you follow the
instructions step-by-step.
Until
recently, computer networks were only used by middle to large size
companies. But as computers have become more affordable and more
powerful, many homes now have more than one computer. It is
not uncommon to have two or more computers in the house - one for
the kids, one for Mom & Dad, or maybe even one for Mom and a different
computer for Dad.
Having more than one computer is fine, but when it comes time to print
something from one of those computers - what do you need? A
printer (of course)! So the typical solution - a
separate printer for each computer. What if you want to move
some pictures from one computer to another? Without a home
computer network, it is time to do the "shuffle" - the "floppy
shuffle" or the "CD shuffle."
As you may be able to tell from the section above,
using a "manual" method of moving files (pictures, etc.) from one
computer to another can be a time consuming process. Even
if you have a CD burner and can move 650-700 MB (Mega-Bytes) of data at a
time, it takes time to make those CDs and move the data to the other
computer.
Now consider those separate printers. We have three here, but
really only need two (one laser printer and one color ink-jet
printer). Before we installed our home network, we had to
move the file we wanted to print to the computer with the printer we
wanted to use (laser is fast - but color is nice). After the
network was installed (and the proper software setup - easy), all we
have to do is "send" whatever we want to print to the correct printer
- no more shuffle!
Another thing to consider is high speed Internet access.
If you have high speed access (Cable, DSL, etc.) and more
than one computer, having a home network almost becomes a requirement.
Most high speed providers allow multiple computers to be connected via
a hub (see below), but will usually charge an extra amount
each month to connect extra computers in this way. If you
have a home network with a router (see below), you can usually
"share" your connection among all your computers without the extra
monthly charge. Note: Almost all high speed providers allow
multiple computers connected via a router, but always check your
service agreement to be sure.
Here is a short list (with definitions) of the components
that can be used for a home network (with high speed Internet access).
Wired Components |
NIC |
A Network Interface Card. This is usually a
board that is installed in the computer to allow connection to a
network. |
USB Ethernet Adapter |
Same as a NIC, but connects via the USB connector (you don't have to
open your computer to install it). |
Hub |
A device that allows multiple computers to be connected together. We
do not recommend the use of hubs, unless absolutely necessary. |
Router |
A device that connects between the high speed access device (Cable/DSL
modem) and your home network. Most routers include a four port
switch for connecting to your home network. |
Ethernet Cables |
You can't have a wired network without the wires! Well that's
what these are. Ethernet cables come in various lengths and colors. |
Wireless Components |
Wireless Router |
Same as the router above (including wired ports) plus an integrated
wireless access point. |
Wireless Access Point |
A device that can be connected to a wired network
to allow wireless access. |
Wireless Access Card
(Desktop) |
Same as a wired NIC (above), but allows wireless access instead of
wired connection. A wired connection is not normally included. |
Wireless Access Card
(Laptop) |
Same as above, except that it usually comes as a PCMCIA or CardBus
form for installation into a laptop computer. |
Wireless Terms, Technologies, and Speeds |
802.11b |
The most popular technology, and lowest cost. Runs at 2.4 GHz
with a maximum speed of 11Mbps. |
802.11g |
The next most popular technology, and a bit higher cost. Also
runs at 2.4 GHz with a maximum speed of 54Mbps. It is also
backward compatible with 802.11b. |
802.11a |
The newest technology, and the highest cost. Runs at 5 GHz with
a maximum speed of 54Mbps. It is not backward compatible
with 802.11b. Not very popular (this could be a "good" thing). |
Note: |
Interference from microwave ovens and some cordless phones on 2.4 GHz
and may slow down wireless devices that use that frequency.
Most public access points (like many coffee shops) use 802.11b. |
The biggest choice you will probably have to make has to do with
whether to have a wired network, wireless network, or a
mix of both (this is what we have). Here are the
key factors when deciding what to pick:
Cost - Wireless components cost more, usually about 2-3 times
as much as wired components. But if you watch for a sale,
you may be able to pick up a bargain.
Speed - A wireless network is generally slower than a wired
network by a factor of about ten. Wireless components run at
about 11 Mbps (Mega-bits per second) and wired components run about
100 Mbps. Also, as the distance increases between wireless
components (an access point and your laptop) the speed will tend to
drop. Wireless can also have connection problems if there is a
lot of metal and walls between devices.
Wiring/Flexibility - If all of your computers are close
together, a wired network is probably the way to go. Simply run
the Ethernet cables from the router to each computer, set up the
networking software, and you're ready to go. But if your
computers are on different sides of the house, running wires through
the wall may be difficult. Wireless may be the choice here.
For our network, we have a few computers in one room within
about 25 feet of the cable modem and (wired) router, where they plug
right in. But we have a laptop (with a wireless card) that gets
carried around from room to room. So we have a wireless access
point connected to the router that allows us to "roam" around with the
laptop. It is really kind of fun to surf the web without being
connected to any wires!
As mentioned earlier, our main use of the network is printer and
file sharing. Setting this up was very easy - it was just a
matter of following the step-by-step instructions that come with almost
every router or network card. It only took about 5-10 minutes
before we were sharing printers and files. Of course we also
share internet access.
One final thing to consider - security. One benefit of
most routers is that they normally have built in Network Address
Translation (NAT) which "hides" your computers from the outside world
(they all appear as a single address).
When it comes to wireless security, we recommend that you look
for wireless components that support encryption and turn it on!
This will help keep your data private in case someone in your area is
listening in with their own wireless network card. We also
recommend that you set your wireless router or access point to allow
only computers you own to have access to your wireless system.
This is usually configured on the router based on the MAC (Media
Access Control) address of your wireless Ethernet cards.
One last little bit about security - with all the viruses that come
around, we highly recommend that you get some anti-virus software on
all of your computer systems and use it! Also consider some form
of "firewall" software to keep others out of your network.
Summary
- Decide on a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination of
both
- Install the networking components and networking software
- Configure printer and file sharing
- Install and run anti-virus and security software on your systems
We hope this guide has helped with your home networking needs.
If you have any comments or would like to see other topics covered,
feel free to send
email to us at any time. Your feedback is always
appreciated!
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