Many people want to know how to set up a home computer network so they can benefit from having a link to their computers, external storage devices, printers, game consoles, files, phones, and home entertainment systems that have networking capabilities. wired or wireless.

architecture network

The first stage is to decide on the architecture of your network, that is, the type of network: wired, wireless or mixed, the devices you would like to include in your network and how they will be connected. Three main aspects to consider are:

1. network speed
2. The ease of wiring (for non-wireless devices)
3. The cost

The three most common types of network are (1) Ethernet (wired connectivity using a special cable), (2) Wireless Ethernet (Wi-Fi), or (3) Telephone Line (HPNA). In addition, there are networks that use domestic electrical wiring for communication. The wireless network (Wi-Fi) can operate on one of two radio bands: 2.4 or 5 gigahertz or on both radio bands: 2.4 and 5 gigahertz in dual-band wireless networks.

Ethernet network configuration

If your main concern is good speed, then Ethernet is a good choice. Standard Ethernet router speed is 10/100 Mbps (Megabits per second) and you can now find 1000 Mbps routers. It is also the least expensive of the network types. However, once everything is connected, all three networks work in the same way.

Every home computer network that has more than two devices (computers and/or peripheral devices) consists of a central device: a network router (wired or wireless) and some network adapters, which connect network peripherals such as computers, printers, and devices. storage to the network.

After choosing the right type of network router, the next step is adapter selection, of which Ethernet has three options: USB, PCI, and PC Card. USB adapters plug directly into your computer or any peripheral device with a USB port, but the USB connection is typically limited to 54 Mbps. PCI adapters (wired and wireless) are less expensive and very fast, but are inserted internally, so which should open the computer. PC Cards are for laptop computers.

After this come the cables for the connections between the computers. Ethernet cables have different CAT numbers which are an indication of quality. CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6 are of good quality. The connection of two computers will require a crossover cable. Connecting three or more computers requires an Ethernet router, switch, or hub.

Next, install the network drives and the network card that came with them into your PC, following the instructions in the installation procedures. When the network drivers are correctly installed, the link lights for the kernel and the Ethernet cards turn on. The link lights will not come on until everything is properly connected.

Determining the number of routers or hubs, cables, and adapters you need depends on the number of computers and peripheral devices you are connecting. Two computers will require a crossover cable, two adapters, and a router, hub, or switch (optional). Three or more computers require a router, hub, or switch plus adapters and cables for each machine. Subsequently, the network must be configured and this stage has four main elements and two levels.

4 configuration items:

1. NetBEUI
2. network adapter driver
3. Microsoft Windows client
4. Microsoft Windows File and Printer Sharing

2 configuration levels:

1. The first level of configuration is the protocol levels which refer to the language that computers use to ‘talk’ to each other. For basic home networks, NetBEUI is a good protocol, as it is fast, simple, and easy to set up.
2. The second level of configuration refers to how Windows ‘talks’ to other Windows during file and printer sharing through the first level of protocol. The second level has two parts: ‘Client for Microsoft Windows’ and ‘File and Printer Sharing’ for Windows.

After network setup

Once setup is complete, move on to troubleshooting. This means clicking on the “Network” folder in Windows Explorer to make sure you can see all the other computers on your network. If you get a “network unreachable” message, please try again after about a minute as it takes a while for the network to fully initialize the router and peripherals the first time. If it still doesn’t work, turn off the router or hub and reboot, then restart the computer, followed by the other computer and all other peripherals (if applicable).