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Home Computer Network – How to Start

Today, it is common that you have more than one computer in home, a desktop computer in your working desk, a laptop in your older boy’s room, and a notebook in your daughter room. The only broadband Internet connection is in your desktop PC, and the only USB printer available is connected in your PC too. How can your boy and daughter get access to the internet and print the document? The solution is home computer network.

Why home computer network? With network, you can share a single broadband internet connection with many computers within the household. And with network, you can also share your color printer with others in the network. And still lots of benefits in having a network in home including play multiplayer game, store files in share storage, and so on. See also computer networking basics here discussing advantages of the network.

How to start your home computer network? You have the options: wired network, wireless network, and combination of both. Typically when you build a wireless network, it is actually combination of both wired and wireless network. This article assumes that you have already had a broadband internet connection from your ISP with the exiting modem.

Wired Network

For home wired computer network you need the following items: your existing modem, a Switch, UTP network cables, and NIC adapters for the computers. The modem must have the NAT / firewall feature, unless you cannot share the internet connection. Generally when you sign up for a broadband internet connection, the ISP (your service provider) provides you a modem. Check with the ISP if the modem supports the NAT /firewall feature. Or you can purchase a router gateway that includes the built-in modem.

The figure 1 shows a typical wired home computer network which includes the modem, the router, and the switch. Typically the modem and the router / firewall are integrated into a single device: a router with built-in modem (either DSL or Cable). For example, DSL-2540 D Link which integrates the router, ADSL modem, and 4-port switch.

Home wired network diagram

If the modem router only includes one Ethernet port, you need to purchase a LAN Switch. From the Switch you can connect the computers, the laptop, and the network printer using the UTP network cable. Unless the Switch supports the auto-sensing ports, you must use the straight-through UTP cable. Consult the computer shop that you need straight-through network cable, not cross cable. See more detail about network cabling.

Wireless Network

The easiest way in building home computer network is the wireless network. With your existing modem (either Cable or DSL), you need to buy home wireless router. Which one is best for your need? See also how to choose the best wireless router. The figure 2 shows a common wireless network diagram that includes the modem, the wireless router, and other client computers with Wi-Fi enabled.

Typically a home wireless router includes a router (with firewall feature), a 4-port Ethernet switch, and a wireless access point. With this wireless router, you have a wired and wireless network combination. With the 4-port Ethernet switch, you can connect up to 4 Ethernet-enabled devices such as desktop computer, network printer, Game console with Ethernet enabled, and so on. Mostly home wireless routers today include 4-port Ethernet switch such as WNDR3700 Netgear router, but DIR-632 D Link includes 8 Ethernet port Switch.

See also how to choose the best wireless router that is best for your need here.

Use the UTP cross cable (or the cable that comes with modem) and connect one end to the WAN or Internet port of the router (or any port other than LAN port) and the other end to the Ethernet port of the modem as shown in figure 2 diagram.

Home wireless computer network diagram

All-in-one Device

Building home computer network is easy by implementing an all-in-one solution for wireless network. All-in-one device is a single solution which includes the modem, the router/firewall, a wireless access point, and a switch in a compact wireless modem. Replace your existing modem with this device, and one phone call to your ISP for public IP configuration to the modem-router device.

If you subscribe a cable broadband internet connection, you can choose one of the wireless routers with built-in cable modem such as Surfboard SBG9000 by Motorola. SBG9000 is a wireless n router with built-in Docsis 3.0 cable modem.

If you subscribe a DSL broadband internet connection, you can consider one of wireless n routers with built-in DSL modem such as DGND3300. DGND3300 Rangemax is a dual-band wireless n router with built-in ADSL modem.

Both types of modems include the wireless n router with DHCP server feature and other security protection. Installation and configuration is easy by following the Quick installation guide that comes with the modem. With the default manufacturer settings, you can create the network just in minutes.

IP Configuration

One of the most important things in the successful of building home computer network is the IP address configuration for the computers in the network. Each of the computers in the network must have a unique IP address configured. The good thing is that all home modem-router and wireless routers have the DHCP server feature which is very important service in providing the IP address to all the computers in the network automatically.

Firstly what you need to do is to enable the DHCP feature in the router which is actually enabled by default. So when you setup the router by default, the DHCP is enabled. Secondly, configure the TCP/IP property of your computers to ‘obtain the IP address automatically’. See also computer networking in configuring the clients in the network.

Summary

Building a home computer network is relatively easy if you know the basic requirements to build the network. With home wireless router, you can build a wireless network easily even with the default manufacturer settings. With the all-in-one solution you can build the network with less effort and hassle.

By Ki Grinsing

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October 4th, 2010 | Tags: | Category: Network Infrastructure

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