Within the last ten years, there has been a progressive uptake of home networks. With the widespread availability and increasing ease of use of networking components and competitively priced internet services in just about every area – home networks are no longer being reserved for the fanatical group of gamers at the weekly LAN party, but are increasingly becoming a part of most modern households across a variety of demographics.
If you have never had anything to do with setting up a home network, before you go out and spend money and bring home a whole lot of components and start to try to set them up into a functional and secure network – there are some considerations you will need to explore.
You will need to consider how much your budget allows for, and what sort of requirements you have for your network. You may also want to allow for future upgrades of your network. You will also need to consider the type of internet service you have available in your area, and how to access it.
In some instances – internet service providers (ISPs) will provide a home networking gateway that will serve all the purposes that you may require and depending on what sort of computer you already have, and what sort of network adapter it has – you may require little else but a cable.
Generally though, if an ISP is going to send you a home networking gateway, you may either have to pay for it upfront, or pay in instalments, or they may sign you up for a contract where you have to remain with their service for a minimum amount of time (variable between different ISPs).
After researching the ISPs available in your area, then it is time to match a particular type of internet connection to your budget and requirements. If you require an extremely low cost, portable, use anywhere solution where you have a laptop computer – a USB broadband modem with a prepaid plan (similar to a prepaid cell phone subscriber plan) is a very modest investment, and is exceptionally good value for what it does. It is also a good backup should your home internet service go down.
You may have cable internet available in your area, or you may have ADSL in your area, or you may have satellite available. Depending on what is offered in your area – this will be the deciding factor in what kind of modem you buy. A modem is the interface between your computer and the internet – it stands for modulator/demodulator. In the ancient days of dial up, and now also with broadband services that use the telephone network service, a modem changes the analogue signals from the server’s modem back to digital signals which your modem interprets, and then sends this information in a digital form to your computer.
Generally the kind of broadband service in your area will dictate what type of modem is available in the local stores. Generally it is recommended that you purchase from a local store if available so that you can easily take the modem (or other networking devices) back to the store if there is a problem.
Here are some tips that will help you in the planning of your network, oce you have arranged what sort of internet service you have available:
- what sort of modem do you wish to purchase? Do you want one that also includes a built in router, do you want to be able to set up a wireless network, or do you want to also include a print server or a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) service? All these components can be purchased separately. For ease of setup though (but at a significant expense) you can buy a home networking gateway that includes all these features. Generally though, your network will be up and running in a matter of minutes, and you will be able to have an extremely functional network with a minimum of fuss.
- How many computers do you have now, and will you be purchasing more in the future? If you only have one computer now – all you need purchase is a modem. It only requires a single connection between the computer and the modem for you to access the internet. Setup is simple and inexpensive.
- Do you plan on purchasing more computers in the near future, or will other people be coming over to share your internet service? If this is the case, you can purchase a router with an inbuilt modem. Depending on how much money you have, you have the option of also having the device include a wireless networking capability. If you are not intending to use wireless networking for now, then leave it. You can always purchase a wireless router at a later stage.
Once you have planned your network, and done some research, and decided what kind of functionality you have in your network, it will pay for you to go and either visit the library and borrow some books on home networking such as Home Networks – The Missing Manual, or The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Networking. It may even be worth your while to purchase these books. They are extremely useful, straightforward, and avoid the use of jargon.
Once you have purchased all your components, at this stage you will need to do a visual map of your home network. This is basically a plan – showing which computers will be connected via cabling (fast and secure); which computers will be connected via a wireless network, and if there are additional features such as VOIP or a networked printer.
Depending what sort of residence you are in and whether you are able (or permitted to) may also affect what computers are connected via cabling or via wireless network. Wireless networking is excellent, because you don’t need to have holes drilled in the floor and going under the house between the router and the computer, although cabling is fast and secure. Wireless network security and speed is improving all the time, but you do need to have your computers including a wireless network adapter.
Other than computers, printers and networked backup hard drives, you can now get networked media servers, hook up your computer game consoles, and access a new television service via your internet connection – IPTV. You can also get a phone service via the internet via VOIP.
Home networks are extremely useful as more technologies are being released and introduced, and the price is becoming much more affordable. The beauty of having some networking knowledge is that you can set it up for yourself without too much trouble, and take advantage of all that new internet technologies have to offer.
Once you have laid out your network, you will need to install the devices, cable them all up and load the setup software onto your computers. Generally this is fairly straightforward. You may come across some minor issues which can be easily resolved. If you have a friend with internet access, if you currently do not have access while you are setting up your home network, ask to use your friend’s internet to go to technical support sites, and there you can find answers to set up questions for your networking device.
Sometimes you may set up a network, and it may work for a certain amount of time, and then you may experience problems where you get disconnected and the network fails. If you have tried everything such as - going to the device’s company support website, and downloaded new drivers, made sure your computer is working fine, done everything to set it up a couple of times, contacted your internet service provider, and also gone to technical support forums – yet despite your best efforts the networking device will not work it is more than likely that the device is faulty.
Ensure that you keep all receipts and packaging for the networking devices you have purchased, to ensure you can get a refund. Before you purchase another device, have a look at product reviews and recommendations online and in computer magazines for the particular networking device you are intending to purchase. If you come across an article where people have repeatedly had the same problems with that device, avoid buying it.
If you come across different networking issues that you need to resolve, firstly refer to your issue using Google to look it up, and you will be presented with a number of relevant answers. Research as much as you can on the internet, read relevant books, and also investigate articles in magazines.
The more informed you are, the more you will be able to do with your network, and not have to rely on technical support. However if all else fails, and you have exhausted all avenues, you may have to call in a networking technician. When you do call for a technician, try to find one that has come with a good recommendation. While he or she is there, rectifying your networking issue, ask as much as you can.
If you have the time and the money, investigate doing an adult community education or technical certificate with some networking competencies. A little networking knowledge goes a long way. Once you have set up your network, you will be able to enjoy it and know that you have flexible, upgradeable and functional resource that will serve you well now, and into the future.
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