Home Networking Do-It-Yourself For Dummies

Lawrence C. Miller

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780470561737
• eBook ISBN: 9781118086568
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Computer Networking
• Index: Computer Science

Step by step guide to connecting all your electronic devices into one network

A home network allows you to share Internet connections, photos, video, music, game consoles, printers, and other electronic gadgets. This do-it-yourself guide shows you step by step how to create a wired or wireless network in your home.

In the For Dummies tradition of making technology less intimidating, Home Networking Do-It-Yourself For Dummies breaks down the process into easy steps with clear instructions.

• Increasing broadband speeds, cellular technology, the explosive growth of iPhone sales, and the new Home Group feature in Windows 7 all contribute to a booming interest in home networking
• This step-by-step guide walks do-it-yourselfers through the process of setting up a wired or wireless network with Windows 7 and Windows Vista
• Demonstrates how to connect desktops or laptops, printers, a home server, a router, high-speed Internet access, a video game system, a telephone line, and entertainment peripherals
• Shows how to share files, music, and video, and connect to an iPhone
• Provides maintenance and troubleshooting tips

Home Networking Do-It-Yourself For Dummies enables you to take advantage of everything a home network can offer without hiring a technology wizard.

Part I

Doing Your Homework

In this part . . .

Don’t worry — it isn’t a graded assignment! But you do need to know why you’re building a home network and understand some basics about networking before you get started. So in this part, I help you explore the possibilities for your home network, explain some networking terms and concepts, and describe some basic networking equipment.

Chapter 1

Why Do You Need A Home Network?

In This Chapter

Learning about LANs and WANs

Recognizing the benefits of home networks

Deciding whether to build a wired or wireless network

Computer networks allow you to easily share resources with others. These resources may include Internet access, shared files and folders, printers, and much more. In this chapter, you explore the benefits of creating your own home network.

A Network by Any Other Name

A network is a group of computers that communicate with each other in order to share resources, such as Internet access, computing power, files and folders, printers, and even the computers themselves.

If you’ve worked on a corporate or office network, you may have heard the network referred to as the LAN, which is simply a local area network. Your home network can also be correctly described as a LAN. There is no hard and fast rule for how small or large a network must be in order to be considered a LAN. It may consist of as few as two computers or as many as several hundred computers.

Another acronym you may hear when referring to a network is WAN, or wide area network, which connects multiple networks together. For example, a corporation may connect several of its locations together on a private WAN. The biggest example of a WAN is the Internet, which connects networks as small as one computer to as large as thousands of computers together over the Internet.

Fill-in-the-blank area networks (_AN)

Although networks are most commonly referred to as LANs or WANs, you may occasionally hear other variations and acronyms thrown around, such as:

Personal area network (PAN): Connects your personal electronic devices together, or to a larger network such as the Internet. Examples of devices that might be connected via a PAN include laptop computers, cellular phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants), and other mobile devices (such as Blackberry smartphones and iPods). These devices can be connected via wired technologies such as USB and FireWire, or wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and infrared (IR or IrDA). A wireless PAN is also sometimes referred to as a WPAN.

Storage area network (SAN): Connects servers to a separate physical storage device (an array of disks). SANs usually comprise several terabytes or more of disk storage and are typically found in larger corporate networks.

Virtual local area network (VLAN): VLANs are created on network switches as a way of logically grouping users and resources together (such as different departments), providing more efficient use of network bandwidth and additional security. Although it is possible to create VLANs on your home network, it adds much complexity and is rarely necessary.

Wireless local area network (WLAN): Also known as a Wi-Fi network. A wireless network uses access points and wireless adapters to connect devices together. You find out about wireless networks in Chapter 4.

Campus area network (CAN): Connects your bathroom to the rest of your network. Just kidding! A CAN connects multiple buildings across a high-speed network backbone.

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title Page
• Introduction
• Part I: Doing Your Homework
• Part II: Installing Your Home Network
• Part III: Setting Up Your Windows 7 Network
• Part IV: Keeping Your Network Safe and Healthy
• Part V: The Part of Tens
• Cheat Sheet