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Home Networking-Connect Home Peripherals
by Anonymous
There are plenty of variables for Home Networking, like selecting the right topology for your needs, installing the hardware and software, configuring everything to work well together. Even if you're a relatively new PC owner, you may already know that networking your computers lets you do many things in your day-to-day life. What you might not know is how affordable and straightforward it is to set up a network at home.
Basically, to install a network in your home, there are three steps:
- Choose the technology you will use for the network. The main technologies to choose between are standard Ethernet, phone-line-based, power-line-based and wireless.
- Buy and install the hardware.
- Configure the system and get everything talking together correctly.
Home Networking is very useful to you because it decreases cost, improves efficiency, and gives flexibility and ease of use. If you have not done Home Networking then you face many difficulties to share your peripherals and files.
You may have computers running on any operating system like Windows 98, 2000, XP, or you may have a Macintosh® computer-the good news is that your Windows XP network is capable of working with all of them. There are several "Home Networking kits" available in the market to suit every individual user and they often include an installation CD that makes configuration very easy. Windows XP comes with a "Network Setup Wizard" that helps with network configuration. There are also contractors who will set up a network in your home for a fee. The software or contractor will take you through each step of naming the computer, sharing files, sharing printers and sharing an Internet connection.
However, if you have problems, or if your kit does not include a configuration program, you'll need to know how to set your network up manually. You also need to understand a manual setup if you plan to do-it-yourself. To assist you with setting up your network, there are few important steps, which apply no matter what networking technology you choose:
- Naming the PC
- Sharing files
- Sharing printers
- Security
- Sharing an Internet connection
Once you understand these tasks, you'll understand just what your new network can do. One of the most common activities on any computer network is "file sharing." Windows makes sharing files incredibly easy, and once you set it up, any computer on the network can share files with any other.
If you are a multiple-computer household, now’s the time to get those computers connected. There are several benefits of Home Networking such as:
- Share printers, CD-ROM drives and other removable drives between the computers.
- Access shared files such as photographs, MP3s, spreadsheets and documents on any computer in the house
- Share a single Internet connection between computers (provided your agreement with your ISP allows this type of sharing).
- Play multiplayer games.
- Send the output of a device like a DVD player or Webcam to your other computer(s)
- Store only a single copy of large files, saving space on the other PCs’ hard drives.
Generally, there are four types of home computer networks: Ethernet networking, Phone-line networking, Power-line networking and Wireless networking. At the moment, wireless networking appears to be the easiest and one of the least expensive options. You can buy an 802.11b or 802.11g-access point, connect it to your cable modem or DSL modem in a few minutes, and have all your computers talking on a network very quickly—exactly in the way you want.
Needless to say, Home Networking has become a basic need in the current scenario because of many reasons. In the lack of knowledge about Home Networking benefits, you might not think you need one, even if the benefits sound good. But if you have a busy household or small business, you should seriously consider Home Networking. Networks need some hardware that doesn't come with your PC, and setting up a network can take up a big part of the day. But consider the advantages of Home Networking carefully. A modest investment of time up front can come back to you many times over. Buying more hardware (like printers) or Internet connections is costly, sharing files by physically walking them back and forth takes time, and e-mail is woefully inefficient for sharing files. A network is usually the only realistic solution.
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