Home Network Setup

When setting up a network, you should think about the future before buying the hardware. This can save you money in the long run. If you know later on that you'll want to add wireless capabilities to your LAN, then you should invest in a wireless router to begin with and build your network outward from there. Other networking devices you'll need include a broadband modem (DSL or Cable) and wireless or Ethernet network cards--depending on what type of network you're setting up. 

This diagram shows a typical home network with a couple of PCs, a printer and a wireless connection to a laptop. You'll notice that the modem gives the router an external IP address, while the router's internal ports allow the client PCs to have internal IP addresses like 192.168.1.2. The gateway for the PCs is the router's internal IP address 192.168.1.1. Gateway means this is the IP address the PCs will use to gain access to the Internet. The router also allows the computers to see each other

Configuring The Network

It's usally best to allow the router to give out IP address for the LAN. In this case the router is considered a DHCP server. By default, computer network adapters are set to Obtain An IP Address Automatically, which means when it boots it will look for a DHCP server and the router will assign it a local IP address. 

In the router's configuration, you will want to change the default password and the SSID for the router. You will also want to enable WPA encryption for any wireless devices you have. This makes it harder for a passer-by or a neighbor to accidently gain access to your network.

Unless the printer has a print server built in, it will need to be attached to a PC and that PC will become the print server for the network. So if you're planning on setting it up this way, you'll want to make sure you install the printer on a machine that is always left on.This is the basic, bare-bones explanation of a home network setup. If you need help configuring any of these devices, join our forum and post your question.

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