Not too long ago, setting up a home network for your home based business was strictly a task best left for the professionals and the computer geeks. On the other hand also, the costs involved, the complexity and many other factors made it a very hard road for the majority of the regular guy to venture into. But the situation has changed. Today, the costs involved in setting up a home network have substantially come down on every component. Wireless is not much more expensive, and sometimes less, than cabled gear. A bit of Cat 5 Ethernet cable costs not much more than plain stereo equipment wire. A hub costs a few dollars. Even routers, once $200 or more are now available for little more than the cost of an ordinary switch. Setting up a home network is now simpler, more cost effective and can result in better performance for your home based business. The good part is that most of the gear in the market comes with better instructions on how to do it yourself, how to configure the system and software alongside with diagnostic tools that can help you incase you run into trouble. Type of home network:Basically there are two basic types of home network: Cabled which is also known as wired and wireless. Basic Equipment:Regardless of the type you choose, they both will have some basic equipment in common, though the specific type will vary. In a cabled network, you will need wire strands, usually Ethernet cables that come in different length up to several hundred feet. In a wireless network, radio waves are used to send and receive signals. You are also going to need devices that can send and receive signals.
A network interface card (NIC): This is inexpensive, come in different range of speed and is usually in the form of an Ethernet card. A NIC can be a wireless card that has a transceiver built in to send and receive radio signals or it can be more ordinary and traditional type that connects to Ethernet cables.
A switch or hub:This are very cheap, small device with ports that cables can be plugged into that are commonly used in simple networks that do not require internet connection.
Routers: Routers can be cabled or wireless and as the name suggests, this is a device whose primary job is to routes traffic. Its inbuilt capability determines how and where to direct data. Router vary according to the number of ports, they also have proprietary software that can offer different functions such as virus protection.
When setting up you home based network system, depending on how complex and the number of computers and accessories involved, you may also need other devices but for now the list above is essentials to get you started. One of the benefits of setting up a home network is that you can hook up computers owned by each member of you family, be able to share a printer or pass files without emailing them from one computer system to another. Most of all it will be easier and efficient to carry out some of your home based business activity in a more convenient manner.
