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Connected! Setting up a home network
By Sean Carruthers, posted 2/10/2004 1:46:51 AM

In the past, networking was something you didn't have to worry about unless you were in the IT department. But today, there are more and more reasons to set up a home network: the typical household has more than one computer, and a plethora of networked devices like printers, and multimedia receivers are being introduced. The latter devices allow you to share the music, images, and/or videos on your PC with the stereo and/or TV in other parts of your home. The main question for many households now isn't whether or not to set up a home network, it's whether it should be wired or wireless.

Wired
For small spaces, wired networks may be the easiest solution, as long as you don't mind Ethernet cables strung around your work or living space. While you can certainly connect your computers directly to each other, it requires a knowledge of networking most people don't want to be bothered with.

Instead, consider a broadband-sharing router. These devices hook directly to your DSL or cable modem, allowing you to share a single high-speed Internet connection among all of your computers. Even better, the routers create a home network behind a modest firewall, allowing you to share files between your machines without worry about outsiders snooping around your machines. Some of these broadband-sharing devices also include a parallel port, allowing multiple computers to access a single printer.

The downside is that most sharing devices have a limited number of 10/100 Ethernet ports, which means you'll have to buy additional hubs as your network expands. The good news is that all you need on machines you want to connect to your network is a standard Ethernet port.

Wireless
For many people, wireless networking is the way to go. With a wireless broadband-sharing device, you have the functionality as with the wired version (including wired ports on the back) as well as a radio transmitter/receiver inside that allows multiple wireless connections from computers or other devices equipped with wireless networking components. If there is a lot of building material (especially metal or concrete) in the way, however, the signal starts to degrade. You'll typically have good reception in wood-based houses, but if you're in a condo with concrete walls and floors it probably won't work as well. If you already have a wired network, but want to add wireless, it's usually as simple as plugging an access point module into your wired network. Access points are typically available from all of the manufacturers that offer wireless broadband routers, but since they're often similarly priced, you may want to skip the access point and opt for the full broadband router-- especially if your current wired network could use an upgrade.