Home Networking

 

HOME NETWORKING

Topics covered :

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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). • •

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Types of Home Networking •

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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 o utlet 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.

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The 802.11a and 802.11g, known as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), provide higher data rates

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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.

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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.

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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:  

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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: •

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If you have more than two computers, you'll need additional equipment. Can Can be ex expe pens nsive ive if w wir iring ing an and d ja jack ckss ne need ed tto o be installed. Set-u Set-up p an and d co conf nfig igur urat ation ion can can be d dif iffi ficu cult. lt. Te Tech chni nica call jar jargon gon aand nd th thee nu numb mber er o off op optio tions ns ccan an b bee 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 fr from om each computer and sends it to all of the other computers and devices in your home. Follow the manufacturer’s 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 yo you u ha have ve pr prob oble lems ms,, th thee be best st so sour urce ce of info inform rmat atio ion n is prob probab ably ly the 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 contractor contractorss 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. Howe Ho wever ver,, if yo you u hav havee pr prob oblem lems, s, or if yo your ur kit does no nott inc inclu lude de a co conf nfigu igura ratio tion n pr prog ogra ram, m, yo you' u'll ll ne need ed to kno know w ho how w to se sett you yourr ne netw twor ork k 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 Win Windows dows XP, click tthe he Star Startt button ((bottom bottom lleft eft hand corner corner)) and select the Control Panel. 2. If not alread already y in the ""Classic Classic view", select the Cla Classic ssic vi view ew option (upper left corner of the window - you can switch between the classic view and the category view). 3. Clic Click k on th thee "S "Syst ystem em"" ic icon on.. 4. Sel Select ect the "Co "Compu mputer ter Name" Name" tab. 5. You wil willl see th that at the ccompute omputerr has a "Full Co Computer mputer Name" and a "Workgroup". Click the "Change" button to change them. 6. In the first bo box, x, ent enter er the n name ame yo you u wish to give the compu computer. ter. You can name it anything, but each computer in your home must have a its own unique name. 7. In the second box, en enter ter the name y you ou plan to use ffor or the w workgrou orkgroup p -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 Win Windows dows 98/M 98/ME E, mo move ve th thee mo mous usee po poin inte terr ov over er the the Network  Neighbourhood icon on the desktop and click the right mouse button

once. 2. Select Properties from the menu. The Network Properties 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 fi first rst box box,, ente enterr the nam namee you wish to gi give ve the co compu mputer ter.. 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/M 98 /ME E co com mpu putter on th thee netw networ ork. k. Th Thou ough gh si sim mple ple in th theo eorry, th thee first irst 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 no nott alre alread ady y in th thee "C "Cla lass ssic ic vi view ew", ", se sele lect ct the the Cl Clas assi sicc view view op opti tion on (upper left corner of the window - you can switch between the classic view and the category view). Cli Click ck on th thee "Ne "Networ twork k Conn Connect ections ions"" ico icon. n. Righ Rightt cli click ck on th thee ic icon on unde underr th thee "L "LAN AN or Hig High h Sp Spee eed d Ne Netw twor orkin king" g" option. Select Properties from the menu that appears. Yo You u wi will ll see tha thatt th thee comp comput uter er has a "F "Ful ulll Co Comp mput uter er Nam Name" e" and a "Workgroup". Click the "Change" button to change them. Se Sele lect ct th thee "Ad "Adva vanc nced ed"" tab tab.. Click on the "Allow other networ network k user userss to cconnect onnect..." ..." o option. ption. Fol Follow low th thee dire directio ctions ns in the d dial ialog og tha thatt appe appears ars..

In Windows 98

1. Go to the Co Control ntrol P Panel anel aand nd dou double-cli ble-click ck Add Add/Remov /Removee Pro Programs. grams. 2. Selec Selectt the W Windows indows S Setup etup ttab ab and open tthe he In Internet ternet Tools option. 3. Ena Enable ble the Int Intern ernet et Conne Connecti ction on Shar Sharing ing com compone ponent nt by click clicking ing on the  box next to it and then clicking on OK. 4. On Once ce the ICS comp compone onent ntss are are in insta stalle lled, d, the ICS wiza wizard rd 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 IC ICS S wizar wizard d will ga gather ther som somee infor information mation aand nd prom prompt pt you to iinsert nsert 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 fi While file le an and d pr prin inter ter sh shar arin ing g are are still still rela relati tivel vely y easy easy on eithe either  r  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.