HOME NETWORKING

Topics covered :
What is Home Networking? The reason for setting up a Home Network. Types of Home Networks and choosing your technology. Buying and installing the hardware. Configuring the system and get the hardware talking to each other.

What Home Networking?

The technology that connects computer and other electronic devices that allow you to: Share a single printer between computers. Share a single Internet connection with all the computers in your house. Access shared files on any computer in your house (pictures, MP3s, Documents & Data). Play games that allow multiple users at different computers. Send the output of a device such as a DVD player or Webcam to your other computer(s).

Types of Home Networking

Sneakers Net The use of Diskettes, CD-R/CD-RW and USB thumb drives. Inexpensive but inconvenient especially when the computers are not on the same floor. Link computers through the phone lines. (PNA networking) Link computers through the power lines. Link computers wirelessly by WIFI. Link Computers through wires by Ethernet

Home PNA 2.0 or Phone Line Networking

Home PNA 2.0 or Phone Line Networking:

HPNA, Phone Line or Home PNA networking operate over the existing copper telephone wires in your home without interfering with voice or DSL communications. Typical speeds of 10Mbps can be achieved. Home PNA 3.0 will push the speed up to 100Mbps when it is released.

Power Line Networking

Power Line Networking:

Based on the concept of "no new wires. Convenient. There will always be an electrical outlet near a computer. Not every room has a phone jack. Computers connect to one another through any power outlet in the building. Cheapest method of connecting computers in different rooms, because it requires no new wiring, and the network adds no cost to your electric bill.

WiFi Networking

WiFi Networking:
WiFi is the wireless way to handle networking. It is also known as 802.11 networking, or wireless networking. The big advantage of WiFi is its simplicity: you connect computers anywhere in your home or office without wires. The computers connect to the network using radio signals, and can be up to 100 feet apart. The radios used in WiFi are similar to the radios used in $5 walkie-talkies, with the ability to transmit and receive. They convert the digital 1s and 0s into radio waves and back into 1s and 0s. There are currently three different WiFi systems: The 802.11b and 802.11g standards transmit at 2.4 GHz, while the 802.11a standard transmits at 5 GHz. The higher frequency allows higher data rates. The 802.11a and 802.11g, known as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), provide higher data rates The 802.11b, which is called Complementary Code Keying (CCK).

WiFi has the ability to change frequencies: 802.11b cards transmit directly on any of three bands.
The 802.11a and 802.11g split the available radio bandwidth into dozens

of channels and frequency hop rapidly between them. The advantage of frequency hopping is that it is much more immune to interference and allows dozens of WiFi cards to talk simultaneously without interfering with each other. 802.11b can handle up to 11 megabits per second, although 7 megabits per second is more typical, and may fall back as low as 1 or 2 megabits per second if there is a lot of interference. 802.11a and 802.11g can handle up to 54 megabits per second, although 30 megabits per second is more typical.

Ethernet Networking

Ethernet Networking:
Ethernet is the most common networking system. The equipment needed for an Ethernet-based network can be as simple as two network interface cards (NIC) and a cable, or as complex as multiple routers, bridges and hubs. It is this versatility that makes it so useful to businesses. We will focus on the basics for creating a home network using this method. For this demonstration, a typical four-port Router with a WAN (wide area network) for a Cable or DSL modem will be used.

Ethernet has many advantages: Fastest home-networking technology (100 Mbps). Can be inexpensive if the computers are close to one another. Extremely reliable. Easy to maintain after it is set up. Virtually unlimited number of devices that can be connected. A great deal of technical support available.

Disadvantages:

If you have more than two computers, you'll need additional equipment. Can be expensive if wiring and jacks need to be installed. Set-up and configuration can be difficult. Technical jargon and the number of options can be confusing.

Buying and installing the hardware.

Ethernet is available in two speeds: 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps. Most NICs are capable of operating at either speed, but you should check to be sure before purchasing. Get cards capable of the 100 Mbps data rate. You will need a NIC card for each computer.

There are two different ways to connect Ethernet cards: Coax and Cat 5 cabling. Coax was once the more popular of the two, but today just about everyone uses Cat 5 because it is easier to configure. Cat 5 has a cable that looks a lot like a telephone cable. You run one cable from the router to each computer.

Buying and installing the hardware. The hub or router takes the signal from each computer and sends it to all of the other computers and devices in your home. Follow the manufacturers installation guide for each of the NIC cards and the Router. Because of the large number of possible configurations in an Ethernet network, you likely will not have any type of automated installation software. This means that you may have to manually configure all the options. If you have problems, the best source of information is probably the manufacturer of your NIC cards.

Configuring the system.

Easy Networking : There are several "home-networking kits" available, 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, we'll discuss the following tasks: Naming the PC Sharing files Sharing printers Security Sharing an Internet connection

Naming the PC : Windows XP Once you have the hardware installed, you are ready to configure your network. The first configuration step is naming the PCs in the network. Before your computer can become part of a network, it has to have a name and a workgroup. Each computer in your home network needs to have a different name, and they all need to be in the same workgroup. Here's how you can name your PC and create a workgroup: 1. In Windows XP, click the Start button (bottom left hand corner) and select the Control Panel. 2. If not already in the "Classic view", select the Classic view option (upper left corner of the window - you can switch between the classic view and the category view). 3. Click on the "System" icon. 4. Select the "Computer Name" tab. 5. You will see that the computer has a "Full Computer Name" and a "Workgroup". Click the "Change" button to change them. 6. In the first box, enter the name you wish to give the computer. You can name it anything, but each computer in your home must have a its own unique name. 7. In the second box, enter the name you plan to use for the workgroup -make sure all of the computers have the same workgroup name. You may want to write it down to make sure that you enter the exact same workgroup name on each computer in your home network

Naming the PC: Windows 98/ME

1. In Windows 98/ME, move the mouse pointer over the Network

Neighbourhood icon on the desktop and click the right mouse button once.
2. Select Properties from the menu. The Network Properties window will

pop up, listing information about the network adapter(s) and protocols installed on that computer.
3. When the window opens, click the Identification tab. You will see three

boxes. 4. In the first box, enter the name you wish to give the computer. You can name it anything, but each computer in your home must have a its own unique name.

5. In the second box, enter the name you plan to use for the workgroup

make sure all of the computers have the same workgroup name. You may want to write it down to make sure that you enter the exact same workgroup name on each computer in your network.

File Sharing:
In Windows XP Microsoft recognized the growing popularity of home networks and first implemented Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows 98. This feature (much improved) is also available in Windows XP. ICS lets you connect one computer to the Internet by whatever means (modem, DSL, ISDN or cable) and share that connection with any other Windows 98/ME computer on the network. Though simple in theory, the first implementation of ICS proved problematic for many users. Windows 98 v.2 improved ICS, and Windows XP makes it even simpler.
1. In Windows XP, click the Start button (bottom left hand corner) and

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

select the Control Panel. If not already in the "Classic view", select the Classic view option (upper left corner of the window - you can switch between the classic view and the category view). Click on the "Network Connections" icon. Right click on the icon under the "LAN or High Speed Networking" option. Select Properties from the menu that appears. You will see that the computer has a "Full Computer Name" and a "Workgroup". Click the "Change" button to change them. Select the "Advanced" tab. Click on the "Allow other network users to connect..." option. Follow the directions in the dialog that appears.

In Windows 98 1. Go to the Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove Programs. 2. Select the Windows Setup tab and open the Internet Tools option. 3. Enable the Internet Connection Sharing component by clicking on the box next to it and then clicking on OK. 4. Once the ICS components are installed, the ICS wizard will pop up. Follow the prompts and keep clicking Next. If your Internet connection is not already configured on this computer, the wizard will open the Internet Connection Wizard (don't get these two wizards confused!) so that you can set up an Internet connection. Simply follow the prompts. When you're done, you'll be returned to the ICS wizard. 5. The ICS wizard will gather some information and prompt you to insert a 3.5-inch diskette. This diskette will then be used to configure the other Windows 98/ME computers on your network for Internet access.

While file and printer sharing are still relatively easy on either operating system, Internet-connection sharing using only software can be a good deal trickier. In most cases, if you are sharing a high-speed connection with several computers in your home (and especially if you are doing it wirelessly) it is easier to purchase a wireless hub/router and let it do the connection sharing for you. Lynksys' or Netgear's wireless hubs/routers are inexpensive, very easy to set up and also have the added benefit of providing a hardware firewall to protect your network.