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Home Networking - Wireless networks or Wired?

Get your PC’s talking to each other and everyone on the network will be able to enjoy file and print sharing, internet connection sharing and network gaming.

Small home/office networks are easier to own and run than you might think. They can be wired, wireless or a combination of both. At the Dreambytes workshop, we have most of our computers wired to a network, but we also have wireless networks for our portable computers.

With the continued reducing costs of computers, and their increased use, more and more homes now have more than one computer.  However, as every member of the family wants to access the Internet, how can you make sure your children can do their homework on the Internet whilst you answer your email?

The answer is home computer networking.  Connect all the computers together on a network so that they can all access the Internet at the same time.

It sounds very simple in theory, but in practise …

Networking your computers involves having the skill and ability to either physically connect all your computers or set up a wireless network and secure it from unwanted external access.

Not only that, but you need to configure your computers so that they will all talk to each other and connect to the Internet.

With the huge variety of possible configurations and hardware you could use, the field is a potential minefield for the novice technician.  What sort of router do you choose?  Do you choose a hub?  Do you select CAT5 or CAT6 cable or Bluetooth or wireless PCI cards?

It can confuse most of us, so how do we make the decision on how to do this?

The easiest way to ensure you get your computers networked and working is to hire a professional company such as Dreambytes.co.uk.  Here you can get unbiased advice from an expert who can quickly and easily tell you the best configuration for your network and do the work for you at a very competitive price.

They can explain the difference between wireless networks and cabled, advise you on which is best for your home, help you install any required hardware on your computers, and configure your computers and network securely.

This is the major reason for hiring a professional for your home networking.  Every computer connected to the Internet is at risk to hackers.  It is estimated by security professionals that the average time for a non protected computer to be compromised by hackers is less than ten seconds!

If a hacker gets into your system then you can lose personal data and more importantly your banking details, if kept on your computer, could be compromised.  And that, is very bad news for you.

To understand more about how to network your computers securely and easily, contact a professional service company such as DreamBytes.co.uk and discover just how easy it is to enjoy the benefits of home networking yourself.

A typical home network may look like the image at the left. The Internet comes into a DSL or Cable modem, then to a Router/Switch. The Router has a firewall built into it to keep the scum of the Internet out of your network.

From the router you can run network cables to other PC's, a wireless node like in the image at the right, or even to a print server so all of your PC's can print to any printer on the network.

You can purchase a 4 port router with VPN capability for about £70.

Wireless access points can cost from £60 to £125, and can cover the floor space area of the average home.

Dreambytes can supply, install and secure your wireless network