Create a home network

Posted on 8 Apr 2009 at 14:53

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A home network is a great way to share files, printers and an internet connection, as well as stream media around your home. David Ludlow explains how to get started.

The idea of creating your own network may sound hideously complex - and a little boring - but a home network could be the most useful bit of technology you'll have. Once all your computers are connected together, you'll find it easy to share files, printers and even your broadband internet connection. What's more, lots of new devices have networking built in. So, whether you want to browse the internet using your mobile or stream video, audio and pictures to the media player connected to your TV, a home network is the only way to go.

If you think the idea sounds complex, don't worry. Setting up a network is a lot easier than it used to be. In this feature, we'll explain what kit you need to get your home networked, how to configure your network and how to set up a secure and reliable wireless network. This month's cover disc also includes articles on how to share files in Windows Vista and XP and how to troubleshoot network problems.

Choosing your kit

When installing a network at home, there are three main types of technology available: wireless, wired (Ethernet, which is built into all PCs) and powerline, which uses your home's power cables as a wired network. All three types of network are compatible with each other. A reliable home network could use a mix of different technologies, playing to each one's strengths. Our table opposite shows you what each type of networking technology is good for, but we also explain them in more detail below.

Wireless

Wireless networking, using a wireless router, is a convenient way to connect computers and other devices without having to run cables everywhere. The downside is that it provides the slowest connections, which can also be unreliable. For that reason, wireless is best suited for mobile devices. For example, if you want to use your laptop anywhere in your house or garden, wireless is the best choice.

You can use a USB adaptor to make any PC wireless. This is a cheap and efficient way of connecting a computer to your network, but unfortunately the further it is from your router, the slower the speed of the connection will be. For that reason, we recommend that you use wireless only with PCs that aren't going to be doing a lot of file sharing.

Wired (Ethernet)

Ethernet is technically the best way to network at home, as it uses dedicated cabling to carry your data. Networks are built by connecting one end of a cable to a device and the other end into a network switch.

There are two types of Ethernet generally available. The most common type (10/100Mbit/s) provides speeds of up to 100Mbit/s. Gigabit Ethernet, which runs at 1,000Mbit/s, is becoming more common and is backwardly compatible with slower Ethernet networks. To run at full Gigabit Ethernet speed, you'll need devices, cables and a network switch to support it.

A wireless router contains a network switch, but most of these support only the 10/100Mbit/s standard. It's possible to upgrade by buying a dedicated Gigabit Ethernet switch (a five-port model will cost around £20) and connecting a cross-over Ethernet cable to connect one port on the new switch to a spare port on the router. To achieve Gigabit speed, you then need to connect all your Gigabit Ethernet devices to ports on the new switch. This upgrade is worthwhile only if you're going to be copying a lot of large files over the network.