The way that it used to be, is people generally had one computer in their home. World Wide Web access was based on dial-up modems which were connected directly with a serial cable on the home computer. No Local Area Network was needed. The fast progression of modern technology and the adoption of broadband Internet access connectivity at homes, necessitates that home appliances should be networked to facilitate online access and to also communicate and share information between them.
What I mean by home appliances is computers, gaming consoles, wired or wireless printers, and data storage devices like NAS. All of those devices need to communicated between themselves over a LAN, but also need to have high-speed access to the Internet. To achieve that, you will need to set-up a home network. With a home based network you are technically building a local area network, which can be wired or wireless, that networked devices communicate between inside the home, and also share a common broadband internet connectivity.
The heart of a home network is a broadband router. This is usually a device that lets you setup a wired or a wireless network. You can use Ethernet cables if you’re making a wired network, or use Wi-Fi for wireless. This integrated router provides also the Internet access connectivity.
Once you set up a home network, you can connect your home PC and laptop, XBOX or PlayStation consoles, Web cameras for security, Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices etc. After you connect those devices you can share files over the network, organize game parties, play online games, watch your home from the office using a Web Camera etc.
By: Alex Smith
Posts Tagged ‘Alex Smith’
How to Setup a Wireless Network with Linksys
October 22nd, 2009How to Setup a Network Printer
September 26th, 2009If you are looking to start to assemble a personal home network, coming up with a plan can save money and time especially if you ever think you might expand your network in the future.
The whole point of making a plan is to come up with what you need for your network, after all there are many more things available than only having computers connect to the internet.
This includes WiFi, cables, or even both
Even though you probably only use a wired connection, will you be able to use WiFi in the future?
Just about everyone will at some point, and the difference in price between a cabled and Wireless router is tiny, and most wireless routers still have a 5 port wired hub built into them and this means you can use both wired and wireless appliances.
The whole point most people need a home network setup is to share an internet connection, in this case it’s imperative that the security of each computer and the router is loaded with the latest firmware, this includes Wireless Security, Router Security & each computer must have a firewall, anti-spyware and a firewall.
Sharing your hard drive on your network is easy or need a special computer, network hard drives are so easy to operate and they most of the time have sizes from 500gb to 2tb. There is even a wireless option available.
The speed of a network can play a major factor if you send big files, truth be told a wired network will always be faster than wireless, as a rule of thumb use cabled where possible and wifi where you have to, i.e laptops.
One huge mistake made when many of us are setting up a home network in the house is planning for future expansion, saving money today just means you will have to spend more later on, work within your budget but be realistic, setup the network that suits your needs and and budget.
By: Alex Smith
How Do You Setup a Network?
September 25th, 2009If you’re looking to put together a local area network, creating a plan can save both time and money especially if you ever know you’re going to expand your home network in the future.
The purpose of writing out a plan is to realize what you actually need from your network, after all there are so many more things available than just having computers that connect to the internet.
This includes WiFi, cables, or even both
Although you may only use wired connections today, will you need WiFi in the future?
Almost everyone will at some stage, and the difference in prices between a cabled and Wireless router is very small, and most if not all wireless routers still have a 5 port wired hub built into them and this means you can use both wired and wireless appliances.
The whole reason most people need to have a home network setup is to share an internet connection, in this case it’s imperative that the security of each computer and the router is up to date and working, this includes Wireless Security, Router Security & each computer must have a firewall, anti-spyware and a firewall.
Sharing your hard drive on your network is easy or have a special computer, network attached hard drives are easy to setup and they most of the time have sizes from 500gb to 2tb. Some even have a wireless option built in.
The speed of your home network can be a major factor if you transfer big files, truth be told a cabled network will always be faster than wireless, as a rule of thumb use wired if you can and wifi where you need it.
One huge mistake made when many of us need to setup a home network is thinking about future expansions to the network, saving money today will just leave you spending more tomorrow, work within your budget but be realistic, setup the network that suits your needs and and budget.
By: Alex Smith
