Knowledge is power

You have more than one computers and you have heard about how you can connect them together using a local area network in order to share drive space, printers, and an Internet connection. But what are the basics of setting up a computer network at home? This first article will only discuss the basic hardware components that you need in order to setup your network. In a future article I will discuss the software requirements.

So, what kind of equipment do you need? First, you have to have more than one computers. You can’t have a local area network with only a single computer. Second, you have to decide if you are going to connect the machines using Wireless communications or Ethernet cables. In the former case, you need to purchase a wireless router and cards while in the latter you will need to purchase Ethernet cards and RJ45 (CAT5) cables (or CAT6 cables if you are thinking of setting up a Gigabit Ethernet network.) The higher the quality of the components that you purchase, the better the better the communication channels among the computers will be. For example, invest on shielded Ethernet cables to prevent interference from external sources that could increase the errors in data transmitted and slow down data transfer speeds.

You are also going to need a switch which is a device that correctly routes data packets to the computer intended for. If you also want to have access to the Internet, then you must pay for a cable or ADSL connection and the appropriate modem. Once you have these, you can connect your computers to the Internet and access the huge information repository that is the World Wide Web.